Sunday Message for October 29, 2023

BASIC UNITY PRINCIPLES - #5

I would like to talk about the Basic Unity Principles today, as I have done for the last four weeks. There are 5 of them and they are:

1. There is only one Presence and one Power active as the universe and as my life, God the Good.
2. Our essence is of God; therefore, we are inherently good. This God essence was fully expressed in Jesus, the Christ.
3. We are co-creators with God, creating reality through thoughts held in mind.
4. Through prayer and meditation, we align our heart-mind with God. Denials and affirmations are tools we use.
5. Through thoughts, words and actions, we live the Truth we know.^a

So, this is the last principle and the last week we will be coving this.

EXPRESSING GOD
Let's talk about the fifth principle today. Through thoughts, words and actions, we live the Truth we know. On the children's poster it is stated this way: I do and give my best by living the Truth I know and they follow that up with I make a difference!

So knowing and understanding the laws of life, also called Truth, are not enough. We must also live the truth that we know. Otherwise, it just all theory.

The Fifth Principle says, "live the truth." Well, actually we do that every day. It's spiritual law. We are the expression of God all the time. We are creating our every experience with our thoughts and feelings. We are praying without ceasing - because we create whatever we think. Our goal then, is to live consciously, to take action when guided by our inner being, even knowing that we often express ourselves imperfectly.

Living the truth is more about being than doing. It's how we show up for whatever we choose to do. When we are living the truth, any action we take will be from a consciousness of Spirit or Oneness.

The Five Principles provide steps to lead us from ego to soul, from living unconsciously to living in awareness of Truth. Truth is a spiritual law; it is creation at our service. Our work is to learn how to use our spiritual tools in the human experience.

The first four principles form a handy checklist to use before taking action.
1. Do I affirm divine intelligence and love in this situation?
2. Do I remember my own divinity and that of others involved?
3. Do I take responsibility for attracting this situation into my experience and know that its outcome for me will match my thoughts and feelings about it?
4. Have I aligned myself with God, the universe, the Good, and received guidance before I act?

Any action that feels forced, impulsive or emotional probably is not in principle. When you're on the right track, you usually know it. It's not about stubbornly exerting your will, but it might be about moving to the beat of your own drummer.

Any time we talk about creating our experience in consciousness, there's always someone who says, "Well you can't just sit around thinking positive thoughts. You have to do something." Actually, no. It's the shift in consciousness that makes the difference, no matter how many resumes you send out or how hard you work or how long your house has been on the market. It's always consciousness first, then we take action as we're inspired.

But having said that, I do understand the saying "fake it till you make it." There are those who believe that you act first and then a change of mind and heart will follow. They believe that the action brings about the shift in consciousness.

That logic benefits a lot of people, but I would bet that a change of mind has already begun to take place, or they wouldn't be willing to take any action. Then actions can lead to further shifts in consciousness. Eating a salad instead of a chocolate cake would help you stay in the consciousness of good health. But actually, it would be your consciousness of health that prompted you to choose the salad in the first place. Each builds on the other.

Spiritual action does not demand marching in the streets against war, saving the environment, or turning corporations into socially responsible do-gooders, although some people express truth in that way. It means, basically, integrating our divine essence into ordinary, annoying, daily living with its drudgery, confusion, and difficult people. How do we apply these principles when we're sick, broke, heartbroken, scared, angry or apathetic? How do we make choices, day in and day out, in alignment with principle, so that we can - bit by bit - create the kingdom of heaven on earth?

Students in Unity, are eager to move from just study into action. But, for all you left brain logical people, I'm sorry, there is no set formula for using principle. God made us unique. Every individual is different. We each came to earth with a different purpose and a different path. That's why our ability to create our own experience is so useful. We can attract the unique experiences that are perfect for each of us and take action as guided.

Being individuals, we each have our own beliefs, attitudes, assumptions, histories, hurts, prejudices, and soul paths. Each person attracts different people and events into their lives, and they make different choices for action.

Even when we have the same goals and use the same principles, our actions may be different. If being healthy is your goal, for one person that means getting regular checkups but another one avoids doctors whenever possible. They don't want to go looking for trouble.

Both of them are practicing principle. They both believe the universe responds to their energetic vibration. But one vibrates with health when she assumes everything is OK and ignores aches and pains. The other one vibrates with health because she's been tested and cleared. Each of them has found what works for them.

The point is that people who are consciously practicing principle might choose different actions. The only guideline is to choose whatever keeps you in a positive vibration. How do you know when you're in that vibration? The short answer is this: good feels good, bad feels bad.

When we do, say, or think things that feel good, we are putting ourselves in a positive consciousness and will naturally attract good things. We are in alignment with universal law or principle. We are living from soul rather than ego. It is a feeling of gratitude, contentment and sometimes exhilaration. We feel all is right with the world, no matter the appearance. We are more aware of the divine within us.

When we are making ourselves feel bad - through our words, actions, or negative thoughts - then we attract at that lower level. We are probably trapped in ego. Our negative feelings let us know that we are disconnected from principle. Bad feels bad.

ACTION VS. ACTIVISM
It really starts in mind. The war on drugs or poverty, a fight against crime or terrorism, a battle against cancer, sets up resistance by definition. Energy flows were attention goes, and it may go to the positive or negative side of any issue.

For example, are we marching against war or in favor of peace? The march might look the same - people moving down the street, chanting and holding placards. But the universe reflects the thoughts and feelings that are involved. Angry resistance will be met at some point with angry resistance. Peace begets peace.

Mother Teresa was once asked to march with people who were marching against the war and she said, "No,... but..." she said, "when you are marching for peace I'll be there."^b

Eckhart Tolle, says in his book A New Earth:

Sometimes people with such dense pain-bodies become active in fighting for a cause. The cause may indeed be worthy, and they are sometimes successful at first in getting things done; however, the negative energy that flows into what they say and do and their unconscious need for enemies and conflict tend to generate increasing opposition to their cause. Usually, they end up creating enemies within their own organization, because wherever they go, they find reasons for feeling bad, and so their pain-body continues to find exactly what it is looking for .^c

"The pain-body is the ego, or self-will run riot. People who live unconsciously and act from old pain have mistaken their pain-bodies for who they truly are," Tolle says.

No one expects you to change the world. Even Jesus didn't overthrow the Roman Empire or establish peace on earth. Mother Teresa didn't eradicate poverty. In fact, she said, "We feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean, but the ocean would be less without that drop."^d Those remembered as avatars or saints were probably more notable for the different consciousness they held, for their presence and their understanding of the human experience, then for any dramatic accomplishments.

Putting principle into action starts as an inside job. To bring peace to the world, be peaceful. That means not yelling at the kids or making obscene gestures at other drivers. It means patience in the grocery line, even if the person in front of you clearly has more than ten items for express checkout. You don't have to find a solution for the Middle East to contribute peace to the planet. If enough people begin to be peaceful, peace will erupt on earth just as violence does now.

If you want to practice principle beyond your own home, try seeing the Christ in other people. Try treating each person you meet as the messiah in disguise. Try taking responsibility for what you have created in your life and what your family, your city, country, and the human species have created together. Try spending some time alone to remember your connection to Spirit and move ego aside to let the divine flow through you.

We know from Principle 3 that what we focus on expands. That means we can "live the truth" merely by focusing. Focus on peace and harmony in your workplace. Focus on love in your family. See the difference it makes.

By the same token, focusing on whatever we dislike empowers it. This explains self-fulfilling prophecies. We predict something bad will happen, and it does. What we focus on grows, whether our focus is positive or negative.

Our leaders are elected physically with our votes but metaphysically through our collective consciousness. Suppose candidates A and B are running for president of the United States. Half the country's voting for A. The other half not only supports B, but despises A. The polls say it's a toss-up, but candidate A will take office because of the tremendous emotional focus on him or her. Both sides are choosing candidate A with their attention and emotion. Both are providing energetic support for A whether they go into the voting booth or not. Half are creating the outcome they want, while half are creating what they don't want through their fear, resistance, and negativity. As we learned in Principle 3, we create both ways, through positive and negative vibration. We create by thought and emotion or focus and energy.

"Pronounce every experience good and of God," said Charles Fillmore, "and by that mental attitude you will call forth only the good. What seemed error will disappear and only the good will remain."^e

This is good to know. It means that rather than fighting against whatever we dislike, we can simply withdraw our energy from it and it will leave our experience. Don't like violent movies? Then don't see them, don't talk about them, don't protest them, don't think about them. Pretty soon, you may notice that violent movies are no longer part of your experience. You won't stumble across them on TV, you won't hear about them when they open at the box office. If enough people did this, eventually fewer such movies would be produced. But in the meantime, they will leave your experience.

There are those who would say that "we've got to do something! Even if it doesn't affect me, it affects others, and it has to be stopped. It's bad and wrong, and I would be cold and selfish not to care."

I'm not saying you shouldn't care. I am saying be careful how you care. Are you caring through resistance or through support? Are you against something or in favor of its opposite? If you care, envision a clean environment, imagine G-rated song lyrics then, if you're so guided, support decisions to make them so. Support them with your consumer spending, even support them by lobbying. Just don't mistake resistance for support. Make sure any action comes from an energy of what you are for. It can be tricky because you may be surrounded by people who were energized by their resistance. But acting from positive vibration will feel better and have more lasting effects.

In some cases, to "live the truth" may not require taking physical action, only metaphysical action. The metaphysical is more powerful. An energy shift always precedes physical changes. When enough people begin to think a certain way, when we reach a tipping point in awareness, then outward, physical change begins to happen. That's how we create as a group. When consumers are positive about the economy, it thrives. When they become fearful, we slide into a recession.

And we create the bad stuff as a group too. If a personal illness can be the result of fear or resistance, so can an epidemic. If personal anger can turn violent, so can the collection of human grievances. Events are physical and metaphysical.

When beliefs or attitudes are held by nearly everyone, they will inevitably erupt into the physical world just as a volcano releases the energy pent up below the Earth's surface. We are all participating in the creation.

Living the truth, or practicing principle, is very often a swim upstream against the mass consciousness. It is staying healthy despite the bombardment of television commercials about disease. It is feeling prosperous no matter what the economic news. It is loving others despite daily examples of inhumanity. Living the truths we know - that everything is an expression of God the Good and that we create our own experience - goes against mass consciousness. But doesn't it feel better than fear, then guarding against hurt and expecting the worst, better than living as a helpless victim of fate?

INTO SERVICE
Some people discover that action based in principle changes their lives. They decide over time to change jobs, cities, friends, spouses, or lifestyles. Others continue to live quietly but more deeply as they become aware of the laws at work in their lives. Putting principles into action, or living the truth, may or may not mean making outward changes.

What often happens is that people who are living in principle notice their cups overflowing and want to give from their abundance. They don't take action as much as they provide service. They see what needs to be done and begin to do it, often unnoticed and unsung. They are not out to right wrongs or change the system as much as to pitch in, to do what they can to help in an imperfect world.

This happens naturally when we see the oneness in all beings, when we know ourselves to be expressions of Spirit, when we are confident of attracting whatever we need, and when we are in conscious contact with the divine. Service is the next natural step.

This type of action permeates most religions. The Jews speak of a tikkun alam, which means "healing and repairing the world." The Muslims donate at least 2.5% of their wealth to help the poor; charity is a pillar of Islam. Bhanti Wimala, a Buddhist monk, sets up medical camps in Kenya and worked on tsunami recovery in his home of Sri Lanka. He gives wheelchairs to the disabled in Africa and helped bury the dead after a devastating cyclone in Miramar. A lifetime of meditation led him into inspired action.

Service is not subservience, nor a chore to be dispatched. It is the Christ in us touching the Christ in another. Yes, others have created their own experiences, and a shift in consciousness might benefit them. Yes, the poor will always be with us. If we could see through the eyes of God, we would know that everyone is creating, learning and expressing perfectly. But down here in our three-dimensional, human world where people suffer, we can tend to each other's physical needs.

YES, BUT ALL THE NEWS IS NEGATIVE
Your goal is to stay in a positive vibration so that you are always attracting from a consciousness of well being. You might decide to limit contact with the outside world for a while, but the goal is to hold the high watch regardless of what is going on around you.

We see the world through our own filters, our own consciousness. Nothing enters or leaves our experience without being sifted through the filters of our beliefs, assumptions, and histories. What if we can remove them on occasion, rise above them?

Jesus suggested that we be in the world, not of it. That's another way to say we can live from soul and not the ego, expressing the Christ, the divine within each of us, even in our human form. Checking out completely doesn't help anyone. But neither does immersing ourselves in hysteria. We know by now that living in fear and anger is the worst possible consciousness from which to create the world we want.

YES, BUT FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD
Action comes naturally to some people and not to others. I believe the universe waits for us to make the first move, then it rushes to support our activities.

Jesus didn't sit on a mountaintop and wait for people to come to him for wisdom; he walked all over Israel to teach and heal. He also took breaks to realign his consciousness with God before he resumed action.

All people are different. The action you are inspired to take may be different than that taken by someone else. Let's say two people are holding a consciousness of attracting a great job. One sends out ten resumes, but the other feels lazy sending fewer than 100. Do what feels right for you. Do what keeps you in a positive vibration.

People experiment with this in different ways. There was one couple who began to tithe 10% of the money they wanted their business to make in the coming year, and their income rose to meet it. One woman packed for a cruise before she had any idea how she would afford to go, but a last-minute cancellation got her on board. Another person began getting dressed every morning and driving to the office where she wanted to work. They each took action to demonstrate their belief in the abundance of the universe.

And yet another person said she increased her business without changing anything except her beliefs about prosperity. The action was purely metaphysical, in consciousness.

We make room for our good by opening our minds to receive. If it helps, we can begin to act as if it were already ours. Take any action that helps align your vibration with your desires. Close the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Feel it first, then watch it transpire.

Living the truth will take as many forms as there are people on Earth. Some will look very busy taking action and some won't. What truly matters is what's going on in their hearts and minds.

Each of us is creating for ourselves, according to our soul's path, our levels of awareness, and our inspired action. Our vibrations - every thought and feeling - contribute to the One Mind, which means every thought and feeling becomes part of a whole, forever. It all matters.

Through thoughts, words and actions, we live the Truth we know and we make a difference!

Let it be your way...