AFFRIMATION:

An affirmation is a positive statement asserting that the goal the thinker wishes to receive, is already happening. As such, affirmation is an effective tool for training your thoughts and feelings regarding what you desire to experience in life. Using the seed/soil/plant analogy that we are familiar with in Affirmative Prayer, we understand that the seed thought, planted into the creative medium (soil) in which it is nurtured, takes the form (plant) of your life experience. In order to make affirmations more effective and powerful:

• Make them personal, begin with I AM, I KNOW, I LET…

• Write them in the present tense, as if happening now

• Use active language, verbs indicate action, your experience as you speak

• Use feeling language, words that induce the emotional experience you desire

• Keep them short, one sentence, easy to remember, easily repeatable

• Use personal terminology – words that are important to you, words that evoke the appropriate experience and feeling within you

• Be specific, and refrain from outlining – state WHAT and leave out the HOW

CENTERING:

The first practice for leading a spirit centered life is to learn to balance the inner self, so that the outer world can be observed from a perspective of truth. We have all had the experience of getting caught up in the events around us and have experienced the pain of feeling at the effect of what is happening in our world. This pain is the natural result of giving our power away to the outer events which, in fact, have no real power.

It is important to learn to center the attention and intention of one’s own being, and to do this every day. Living from the inside out, is the true method of creating our outer reality. Aligning ourselves with the Divine power that lives at the center of our being, we can learn to see that the outer world corresponds with our own dreams and intentions.

• Begin by setting your intention to live more completely from your inner knowing

• Find a quiet place where you can sit for a few minutes alone, undisturbed.

  • bring your attention to your breath

  • set the intention to create a sanctuary in your own heart where you can rest and be safe

  • Breath more deeply into this space and continue to claim the sanctuary of your own being

• Allow your heart to remain open and practice relating to others from your own personal heart space, from your heart to theirs.

FORGIVENESS:

Forgiveness is a choice. It is a choice that frees you to live your life fully. When you forgive, you give yourself the gift of life. The act of forgiveness releases you from the hold that the past has, or the circumstances have, on you. You release yourself from the burden of anger and pain, and free your energy up so that you may be present to life now.

By not forgiving, anger, pain, regret or other resentments, they can consume your life and keep you from experiencing the good that you desire, the good that you deserve. It does not mean that you forget or agree with the past, but it does mean that you release and move on. Releasing is about understanding the lesson and realizations from the experience, and releasing yourself and others from indebtedness.

In Science of Mind philosophy, life is always for us, never against us. As such, we look for the blessing; how every experience of our lives is for us, or what the experience is spiritually calling forth from us. In forgiving, releasing, and letting go, we open our hearts and allow for positive movement in the evolution of everyone’s lives.

GRATITUDE:

Gratitude is practicing the art of appreciation, a practice of thanksgiving for the people, events and experiences in your life. The Spiritual practice of gratitude provides a powerful, loving place to look and act from, and therefore, a wonderful place from which to create your life.

A life of gratitude comes from living in connection with your heart and expressing love and appreciation for all of life, from the little to the grand things. Practicing gratitude aligns you with the Grace of God, the Divine Givingness of Life and opens your heart in a way that allows you to live in true abundance. Stepping into a active practice of gratitude can help you shift your perspective, for when there is gratitude, there is no room for doubt, lack, judgment or fear. What you focus on, or give thought or attention to, grows and multiples in your life.

Abundance is our natural state. There is nothing lacking in God’s world. Step into the Divine flow of life and find increase in all the areas of your life through a gratitude practice.

JOURNALING:

Journaling can provide an opportunity to capture the inner experience of your journey and it can facilitate your inner growth. In this way, it can directly impact your outer experience of life.

Journaling has many benefits. It can be used to document your daily life; to record meditative experiences and insights; to discover what is important to you, such as your values and life dreams; to reveal detrimental patterns in your life so you can change them; to identify and celebrate your wins; to record your dreams and the meaning and insight you gain from them; and to recognize thought processes that may not be serving you. Journaling allows you to become more in touch with the conscious self, and by connecting with your inner realm through the written word, this practice can enhance your spiritual growth and guide you in decision making.

Have fun making your own personal journal, make it uniquely yours. Then simply begin and discover yourself by allowing your inner voice to express.

LISTENING:

The practice of listening is sometimes overlooked but it is critical in order for us to deepen our inner life and grow in a conscious awareness of Truth. Listening takes on a new significance as a spiritual practice, because we are meant not to just listen with our ears, but rather to listen with our hearts. When we listen in this way, we bring into play the whole heart and whole being, and we are awakened to what is occurring in the present moment.

By being present with ourselves and others, the gift of listening gives us the wisdom of knowing our own mind and allows us to develop generosity, patience and a loving presence with others. By “Listening Within”, we can attune to our own guidance, to our own wisdom, and to what many call the “still small voice” that speaks, giving us direction. “Listening to Others” as a practice, involves sitting with another person and deeply listening with an open heart and mind without responding or reacting, allowing the other person to hear the voice of their own truth. Through a practice of listening to others, you learn to experience another aspect of God; at the center of Being, we are truly, all one.

MEDITATION

Set aside time everyday for meditation. It will change your life.

Nearly all great religions and many philosophies embrace meditation as one of the great practices for spiritual growth. A regular commitment to dedication is essential to spiritual living because it is certain to transform, soften, deepen and expand the consciousness of the inner realities of life in a profound way. Once these inner experiences occur, it is nearly impossible to return to the old ways of living. Rather, the path becomes easier, clearer and more joyful.

Because our essential Oneness is the very truth of our being, meditation is one tool for a conscious experience of this reality. Any type of meditation that brings your attention to the present moment, letting go of mind chatter and the past and future, will also bring to you an experience of Oneness. Meditation is not limited to the practice with which most are familiar that begins with following the breath in and out to achieve this. There are other methods as well, such as chanting, or movement like yoga and Tai Chi, and the use of mantra.

Ernest Holmes used meditation in a specific way, using the power of the mind to focus on a desired state and to increasingly become one with that idea. This is the essence of the Science of Mind teaching, to create through the power of intention. This method may not take you into the altered state sought by other religions, or perhaps it may. In either case, it will change your life in ways that seem miraculous.

PRAYER

We use Spiritual Mind Treatment to align ourselves with the Truth of our being, with wholeness. There is a cumulative effect of prayer that occurs every time we pray. We are opening ourselves to an ever-deepening awareness of our relationship with the Divine that is in, under, over, around and through all that is. Our consciousness becomes a “repository” for all prayers ever spoken.

Through prayer work, consciousness deepens and expands, and we become ever-increasing vessels of receptivity. When we use prayer to move through the conflicts and confusion that arises from the fact of our humanity, we are cultivating the trust and faith of our unfailing connection to the Divine that is always supporting us.

As we open our hearts over and over again to the Presence, we open ourselves to living from the greater and greater expression of God’s good, and to God’s highest ideal for our lives: to the bounty of greater love, joy, peace, health and all of the qualities of God to which we are entitled as the beloved children of God. Additionally, when we enter into the high vibrational state that occurs when praying (common to all spiritual practices), our consciousness, has a positive corresponding effect on everything and everyone that surrounds us.

SACRED GIVING

Of all the aspects of life, it can seem the most difficult to integrate ideas of money and spirituality. The use of money however, as a spiritual practice aligns with the underlying unity of all life: no man lives entirely to himself, but is rather part of the infinite whole. Giving is receiving and receiving is giving. This includes being willing to share our lives, our time, our talents and our treasures, which includes our money. In truth, it is not ours; it is only passing through our being as a part of the Infinite life.

Like every other aspect of life, the money you have, the money you earn, and the money you give, is a demonstration of your Divine presence here. Ernest Holmes says, “God is Spirit. Spirit is substance and substance is supply. This is keynote to a more abundant life…” Your inner life deepens when you make a conscious plan to give and you become part of the greater flow of life. The spiritual practice of tithing 10% of your wealth to all that inspires you and feeds your soul, is a deeply spiritual practice with astonishing results. As you live in the truth that you are the Source of giving, you create a new level of expansion in your receiving. This is the law of circulation at work.

SACRED SERVICE

Sacred Service is a powerful source of love and manifestation. Metaphysics and spiritual law will tell us that it is impossible to give to someone if you have nothing to give. The tired mom remains tired from trying to restart her relationship when it has fallen apart. The employee that lost their job struggles to find work. The busy executive is exhausted from being too busy and having no time for self care.

This is a powerful reason why Sacred Service is so important. By engaging in the act of serving others, you affirm your wholeness since you are the Source of giving. Service gives you the opportunity to gain more energy, more abundance, more time - but this is not why we do it. We do it because it is who we are: the full healing, generous, loving presence of the Divine as us on this planet. And it is our nature to serve others.

You are talented and loving, a student of the Divine life of God. You have much to share. Make Sacred Service a daily practice as you share the Divine presence that you are. Take that which fills your hands: the people, the activities, the communities; and see beneath the surface to the Divine realities that they are. Give in service to them with no expectation of return. In this way, your willingness and your loving service will transform ordinary people and events into the sacraments of your life.

SILENCE:

“When the lips are closed, there is room for the heart to speak.”

When the heart is silent the greater mystery of Spirit can make Itself known. This is the secret that all mystics know. In our busy lives, we often find no time for stillness, let alone silence. Yet our bodies and minds need regular periods of rest in order to have the opportunity to let the richness of the inner world restore our perspective.

Allowing quiet personal time, filled with silence, allows time to communicate with oneself and walk the inner path where truth and nourishment can be found. You can use your silence for meditation but its purpose is to be in an open space, when nothing is planned, and no outer activity is achieved…

where you can experience WHO you are; the great Being that you are…

VISIONING:

Through a spiritual practice of visioning, we can create a space of deep listening and awareness that allows us to fully embrace the ideas within Divine Mind that serve our highest good. It can be an excellent tool for personal direction, provide ideas for a spiritual community, or for any important project or situation in which we are engaged.

The following steps can be used for a group that comes together for the purpose of visioning, and you may modify them to meet your own needs for any given purpose. A facilitator begins with prayer, using the unification and recognition steps of treatment, and recognizing unconditional love as the field that will hold the vision; then, guiding the group to rest in the container of the heart space for a few moments. The following five questions are then used in facilitating the process of visioning; each person writing down the thoughts/images that comes to mind and sharing their experience: (1) What is the highest vision or perfect idea for the (person, project, organization)? (2) What must we become to empower the vision? (3) What must be released? (4) What must be embraced? (5) Is there any other information that we need in this moment?