Peace creates Oneness

 There are several dimensions to Peace. It is more than a state of mind. Peace is also more than a fantastical global agreement by egoistic leaders and wanttobes.

  

Peace is silence, tranquility, harmony and perfect right order among everything in the Cosmos.  The Creator has yearned throughout Eternity to express more of Its nature. That inevitably means expressing Itself as the Spiritual and Physical Universe. 

 

Creation is not finished yet; otherwise peace would prevail among living beings. We can dedicate our individual lives to amplifying the peace that our lives embody.

More Peace flowing through us in every direction can bring all of creation into right order.

   Peace is the power that orchestrates perfect right order throughout the entire Cosmos. Only Its intelligence is equal to that Prime Directive.

Do you agree? Peace is harmony and right order. Open up! Let yourself be an instrument of more peace! This is all we need to agree to. Whatever is required to generate that Oneness is already in action. Listen! Peace is in Action.

 Meditate and accept the reality of peace as harmony and right order throughout Creation. God’s Body and Soul continue to blend together as One. Know that more Peace is generating the peacemaking power required to blend this awesome diversity perfectly.

The rigors through which we are going can only be countered by a Peace that is more powerful than this anarchy we are experiencing around the globe.

 We must invite Peace to exercise Its Peacemaking power!! 

When we sit and practice, we know the stillness within is our spiritual destiny. We know  the peace which prevails is magnified and amplified as we permit ourselves to be instruments of peace!

Peace brings about the proper order for all creation to blend together as ONE! Peace generates ONENESS!!

 Peace is a creative power.

 Peace is blossoming forth oneness.

 Invite God to radiate through you into every direction and to re-amplify through those whose consciousness is receptive.

More instruments of peace are hearing our call to Meditate for Peace. Join us at Unity of Charlotte on Tuesdays from 7-8PM as we Meditate for world peace, local peace and peace within each of us.

Are you peaceful? Are you a peace generator?

--Lawrence Toliver for Unity of Charlotte

Can't We Just Get Along?

Several weeks ago, I was putting some yard waste into the old green plastic garbage container which goes to the curb every week so the city can hall its contents off to their organic recycling site. I noticed that I had disturbed a spider’s web.

The spider had scrambled up the remains of her web and was undoubtedly muttering a few discouraging words in my direction. I thought little about it and went about my business.

That afternoon, I replaced the can and lived my life.  Later that week, I passed the yard waste can and noticed that the spider was once again set up for business. I was about to permanently dispossess her, but upon closer examination, I spied the remains of several pesky mosquitoes in the web.  Well, I thought, there are three beasties who won’t be bugging me. So the spider got a pass.

A few days later, I spied the spider and was a little shocked to see a red hour glass design on her belly. OMG! A black widow! I’m standing next to a deadly black widow!

 That brought out thoughts of a bug killer but once again my hand was stayed by the thought that she was doing me a service, and she hadn’t threatened me.

 So, Mrs. Spider got another pass, although I suspected that her husband wasn’t so lucky in the pass department.

The upshot of all this was the recognition of the Oneness we share with Nature and with each other. This innate sharing of Creator energy makes us one with each other and one with the world around us.

 It’s what Jesus alluded to when he said “Whatsoever you do to the least of these, you do unto me.”

Whatever I did to the spider, I do to all creation. So I choose to let Creation be in its wholeness and glory. 

Pretty good lesson from a spider, I think.

--Alan Batten for Unity of Charlotte

Reaquainted with Wonder

When did you last take the time to really pay attention to the world in which we live?  Seriously pay attention, and see things as if for the first time as a small child? 
 We, all of us as children, go through that preciously beautiful stage of human development when almost everything is a new discovery . . . when the connection is made between words and the things and/or people they describe . . . when the simple act of running brings such joy that laughter is the only and most appropriate response. 

My youngest grandchild, just 22 months of age, is reacquainting me with this wondrous world view.  When I say “re”aquainting, it is because my experience with him has reminded me that my initial introduction to the world was quite the same as his, as most likely it was for each of us on this Earth.

Sadly, somewhere along the line, we often times loose our sense of awe and wonder, but when I am with this little boy I am reminded of it on a daily basis.   He raises me up and provides me with a “new” world view. 

As I move toward my 70^th year on Earth, this little boy has gifted me with the blessing of re-discovery—of seeing the world through renewed eyes. 

 Every morning we spend together, we open the curtains in his room to the glorious discovery that there is a beautiful world “still out there” just waiting for us.

And every morning I see the joy of expectancy and hear the intake of breath as the curtains are pulled back, followed by that sweet three letter word, “Wow!”  Then I hear a recitation, as only a toddler can do (sound effects are mandatory), of all the glorious things we can see from his bedroom window:  trees, birds, butterflies, cars, trucks,  a neighbor walking his dog, airplanes—especially airplanes!  Regardless of how mundane these things may seem to those of us with “older eyes,” to a toddler, they bring delight and excitement. 

I say, why not slow the pace of our so called busy lives and embrace this view of the world regardless of our age?  I say, why not embrace a renewed purity

of heart as we move through our day? 

  I say, why not make the change from being “busy grown-ups” to living our lives with an appreciation and regard for the many miracles that surround us?

  And I say, “Thank you, thank you, thank you sweet Universe!” for this wonderful child who supports and renews my view of the world and keeps me in touch with what’s really important.

It’s a lovely ride.  Won’t you join me?

Kate Morgan for Unity of Charlotte

What We Can Learn About Forgiveness from Paula Deen

So, unless you’ve been under a rock, you’ve heard about celebrity chef Paula Deen’s public dethroning.

 It seems Deen is being sued by a former employee and during a deposition, the chef admitted she used the racial epithet referred to as the “N” word. Deen said it was some 30 years ago, but still information in the deposition also describes a work environment that allowed bigoted behavior and most probably caused many people pain.

A tearful Deen apologized publicly, but still a parade of noted sponsors have dropped her and her products. So now it looks like Deen’s life is surrounded by chaos: The earnings of her multi-million dollar empire are threatened and her TV contract was not renewed. Deen, who appears stunned, hired a well known PR firm.

There’s so much we can learn about forgiveness from watching and reading about this whole incident in the media.

Consider the following:

When you ask for forgiveness what follows may look like chaos but it’s actually healing.

In Deen’s case, she may not have known she was asking for forgiveness when she answered honestly the question of whether she had ever used a racial epithet.  But in fact, in her heart she was telling the universe that she is not who she used to be. Saying this, she was also acknowledging that she preferred the new—and we might say better—Deen.

 So Spirit acted accordingly, re-aligning the composition of her life. It was as if she was basically proclaiming, “I am not who I used to be!”—and therefore, the universe responded by beginning to erase everything that did not support the new Paula Deen.

Of course, the sponsors had to be among the first to go. They had supported a lie, the picture of a perfect Southern mama who cooked comfort food and cared for everyone. This was not totally true. She, by her own admittance, allowed certain conditions in her business that caused a good number of people pain. At the very least, it did not allow them to work in peace; these conditions were not created from love.

Be aware: When you ask the universe for forgiveness, you will get it. And we don’t get to say what that looks like. In fact, it seldom looks the way we think it should. We may lose people and circumstances we think we need or that we think have been helpful to us, not considering they really didn’t know who we are. 

Meanwhile, of course, God has forgiven Paula Deen. But she has to consider that she lives in a physical world where it takes more than an instant to work through layers of matter created at a lower vibration by the less loving Paula Deen.

 The forgiveness she seeks will come when her healing is more complete, when she has done enough of the self work that people know and accept she is a different woman, the person she has desired to be for some time.

Her new sponsors will not support a lie. They will support a woman who made mistakes, asked for forgiveness—and was forgiven. And they will be the type of sponsors a person with a new, higher consciousness would want and deserve.

 After all, forgiveness raises our consciousness and allows us to attract something greater into our lives. 

--Patrice Gaines for Unity of Charlotte

As simple as a tree

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by what you believe are the complexities of life?  Who hasn’t?  My solution is to simplify.

Simplify my thinking and simplify my life. 

  

While life may seem complex, the complexity is generally

 self imposed and it all starts with a thought.  

 Turning to nature helps me sort out these alleged complexities.  Look at a tree.  A tree has hundreds, sometimes thousands of leaves, a root system that rivals the architecture of the Sydney Opera House, not to mention all the other systems that exist within its physical body. 

 Each part of the tree has a purpose in the life of the tree, and not only effects the inner workings of the tree itself, but also in other living things around it—not totally unlike each of us and how we effect the lives of everyone around us.  On a very simple level, a tree is there for us to enjoy, but part of it functions to clean the air that we breathe and helps to create a balance in our eco-system.  There is no question trees play important roles in our daily lives, just as we are important to others in our daily lives. Yet, how often do we consider the truth of this?  Instead, we simply accept it. 

  

Now, what if we applied that same behavior of acceptance to the way in which we live and think about ourselves?  What if we simply embraced the fact that we all have a purpose in life, have intrinsic value, and embraced all life has to offer?  The next time you look at a tree remind yourself that scientifically the tree represents a complex living thing, just as our bodies are scientifically complex living things. . . but there is also simplicity at it’s very best.  There is a big difference between us and trees, however. 

We have the ability to think.  Remember, everything starts with a thought.  What’s more simple than taking a minute out of your day to enjoy the beauty of a tree . . . to sit in the shade of a tree on a hot summer day and embrace the beauty of the life in which we move and live, to be granted the thrill of the vibrant colors that accompany the changing seasons, to be reminded of life reborn when buds on trees appear in the early spring. 

 We have the ability to be “re-born” every day of our lives if we choose to clear our minds of all the clutter and seeming complexities of life.  Find your purpose by approaching life with simplicity.  You could be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.

--Kate Morgan for Unity of Charlotte