Welcome to the Lake Tahoe Spiritual Living Center!

You may be one of those people who is thinking, “there has to be something more than this!”  Or perhaps you are in a place of despair, wondering if and how it could be possible to move on, to actually find happiness.

Well, I’m here to tell you there yes, there is.  There is a way to find happiness, there is a way to find peace.  Actually, to put it more accurately, there is a way to BE happiness and peace, no matter what.  There is a way to know and feel that nothing is missing from your life.

It’s an inner journey, and one that can be traveled through tools provided by any Center for Spiritual Living.  I just happen to be writing more specifically about the Center for Spiritual Living Lake Tahoe, since that is home base for me, although you can find a Center just about anywhere in the country.

At the end of this post, you will find a list of events that we are offering at CSLLT, I hope you will join us!

Ok, 5 steps to improve  your life:

1.  Intention.  Set an intention.  If it is improvement you want, or simple a different way to be and live than the way you are living now, set that intention.

2.  Find some spiritual practices that will help you to achieve your intention.  This is where the Centers for Spiritual Living come in, that’s what we are all about.  Spiritual practices are about inner exploration that can be scientific as well as spiritual in nature.  What we do does not conflict with religion, in fact it adds to it if you are a member of a religious organization.

3.  Once you find those spiritual practices that fit well with you and your life style, stick to them.  It has been scientifically proven that consistent and persistent spiritual practice changes the neural pathways in the brain, which will allow you to feel and be differently.

4.  Don’t try to do this alone.  Find a class, a mentor, a guide to help you navigate that important inner journey.   Athletes use coaches, so do CEOs and Presidents.  Gurus had their own gurus and still keep advisors around.   I do not know of a single tradition or activity that does not advocate the use of a coach, mentor, guide or classes to help us learn.  Use what is available to you, you are worth it.

5.  Be open.  This inner journey will likely require you to consider things you never considered before.  Be open to those new ways of being and acting.

To help you on this inner journey, CSLLT is offering three events for you:

1.  Third Tuesdays:  every third Tuesday of the month (the next one is November 20, we offer a midweek evening Celebration.  It includes music, an inspirational talk, and fellowship!  Join us at 6 pm at the Blue Angel Loft on Ski Run Blvd in South Lake Tahoe.

2.  On all the other Tuesdays of the month until November 20th, we are offering a Beginner’s class.  This is your opportunity to discover if any of the tools for inner exploration that we offer are for you.  6 pm, at the Center in South Lake Tahoe.  Address is 3665 Tamarack off of Ski Run Blvd.  (we share space with Image Angels Photography Services)  This class is held on a Love Offering basis.

3.  There is still time to join the Living Deeply class, which began last week.  Held at the Center at 6:30 pm, this ten week class costs $100.  This is a great introductory class which is based on the book called Living Deeply, published by the Institute of Noetic Sciences.

Questions?  Call 530-906-9336

I hope to see you at one or all of our exciting events!

“You, like all others, are seeking the joy of living.”  Ernest Holmes, This Thing Called You

I’ve begun rereading this wonderful little book in preparation for a series of introductory classes I will be doing beginning with Third  Tuesday on October 16.  The quote is the first sentence in this gem of spiritual delight, which is quite frequently used as a tool to introduce people to New Thought and Science of Mind.

I was introduced to Science of Mind when I was a child, as my father became a Practitioner then.  I grew up with him saying things like:  “thought has power,”  and “God is within you.”  I went away from the teaching for a little while, as I think all young adults are wont to do, and explored life and myself.  I went to college, began a career, and experienced some more and quite major trauma and drama along the way, which eventually drove me back to the teachings I had learned as a child.  I knew this was where the answer lay.  I knew that by exploring this teaching I would be able to successfully move through depression, anger, feelings of abandonment and a general malaise that manifested as simply not fitting in.  I began to once again explore Science of Mind 17 years ago.

Little did I know that return to Science of Mind 17 years ago would place me where I am now.  Life was full and rewarding before (well, before the latest trauma du jour), but guess what?  Enlarging my spiritual life through the teachings of  Science of Mind has allowed my life to be even more full, even more rewarding.  I never dreamed, never even approached dreaming, of the life I have now, or the things I am able to be, do and accomplish.  It is all so wonderful and rich!

So, here I am, a ministerial student at Holmes Institute (yes, named after Ernest Holmes, the guy who wrote the quote that began this blog, and a whole bunch of other stuff).  Here I am a Spiritual Leader of Center for Spiritual Living Lake Tahoe, which I founded, and here I am, offering to you the same teachings that have so enriched and changed my life.

So!  Our inaugural event is called Third Tuesdays, and we will begin with the third Tuesday in October.  Time is 6 pm, place is the Blue Angel Loft, on Ski Run Blvd in South Lake Tahoe.  It’s above the Blue Angel Cafe.  Each Third Tuesday of the month will feature a talk, accompanied by some cool music, some munchable goodies and great fellowship.  Every other Tuesday I will offer a free series of exploratory classes to introduce you to this wonderful teaching called Science of Mind.  Those will be held at CSL Lake Tahoe, at 3665 Tamarack Avenue, off of Ski Run Blvd, right around the corner from the Blue Angel Loft.  They will also be held at 6 pm.

In the meantime, here’s some more information for you:  The CSLLT web site is www.csllt.org.  There you will find more information about this wonderful organization called Centers for Spiritual Living.  The main web site for CSL is https://csl.org/.  Address for Third Tuesdays is 1132 Ski Run Boulevard  South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150.  We will be meeting in the Loft, above the Cafe, at 6 pm beginning with the Third Tuesday of October, the 16th.  Every other Tuesday we will meet at CSLLT, the address is 3665 Tamarack Avenue, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150. It’s off of Ski Run Blvd, and we share space with Image Angels Photography Services, look for the big sign.  Those Introductory Tuesdays will also begin at 6 pm.  Third Tuesdays and Introductory classes are all offered on a Love offering basis.

And last but not least, if you have any questions, you can call CSLLT at 530-906-9336!

Life is so good, and full and rich!

This week I wrap up summer quarter in my studies with the completion of Mind in the Cosmos (philosophy) and Wisdom of Islam (religion).  The new quarter brings Wisdom of the Kabbalah, as well as Ethics in the Ministry, First Ministry and Music Ministry.  For those of you just tuning in, I am enrolled in a Masters Degree program called Consciousness Studies at Holmes Institute.  I periodically report on my studies under the same title as today’s post, so if you are interested, you can search the blog using the terms “consciousness studies” and you will get a complete story of the journey.

For the first time since I began school two years ago, I am seeing myself as a minister.  I’m beginning to see the possibilities of a career change.  I’m beginning to see that it might be possible that I could be a minister at either my own Center, or an assistant minister at another Center.  When I began school, I couldn’t even consider this possibility.  I enrolled in this program because I felt an unexplainable and very strong call to do so, and I’ve learned to honor those inner tugs.  I was, and still am, very happy as owner of a photography studio, and can’t, at this point, ever see myself not doing professional photography on some level.  But  there are the outlines of some new doors beginning to emerge, far off down the hallway, and I have a bit of a clue now as to what lies behind those doors.

But in the meantime, I am two years into this journey, and have recently discovered that I am also two years out, with graduation date now set for June of 2014.  In the last two  years, I have learned much both academically and in my own inner journey.  School continues to change me from the inside out, and I am beginning to notice outer manifestations of those changes.  For example, I am now being invited to speak at other Centers and I’m good at it…very good.  I’ve been trained by the best and there seems to be an innate talent that was just waiting for some training to do this work.  There is more training to come too, which I’m excited about.  I’ve also noticed that the people who come to me for help are now coming for different reasons.  They used to come for help with outer stuff.  Once they learned that the change needed to come from the inside out, they were either willing to work on that level and stuck around, or they were unwilling and left.  But now they are coming to me already knowing that they want to change the insides.  We can now hit the ground running with almost immediate outer manifestations reflecting the inner change that happens when one knows that is where the change needs to take place.

Speaking of inner changes, I’ve already mentioned that school continues to change me from the inside out, and it does.  But the changes I am seeing in myself are deep and different than I thought they would be.  What a ride this has been!  There is a blooming of compassion and a more deep felt empathy for others, as well as an acknowledgement of myself and my own self worth, on a level that wasn’t there before.  And I seem to be wearing my “minister’s hat” more often than not these days, and that hat is becoming more and more comfortable.   I can envision the day when wearing the minister’s hat will simply be a way of being for me, no matter what I am doing on the outside.

I am excited for the long term effects of this course of study, and while I don’t know what exactly those will be, I know about some short term things that are coming up that I am very excited about.  I’m going to put them in list form, because if you are interested, I think it will be easier for you to save the dates in your calendar!

1.  First and most exciting of all:  Third Tuesdays.  I’ve put out a couple of teasers about this.  Beginning the third Tuesday in October, at 6 pm, at the Lakefront Wedding Chapels and Events, we will be holding a midweek service.  Once a month, beginning in October.  I will be giving a talk each month (and will not rule out the possibility of guest speakers!), I have a Practitioner on board, as well as the possibility of live music!  I promise:  you will leave inspired.  At our first Third Tuesday (October 16), we will also have a list of other activities at the Center for Spiritual Living Lake Tahoe.

2.  Following the first Third Tuesday, we will present two classes.  One I will be teaching.  It is a non-certificated class called “Living the Serenity Prayer”  It will begin Monday, October 22, at 6 pm.  It’s a six week class, held for two hours each week, cost is $120 plus your cost for the book.  This class will be held at the Center on Tamarack Avenue in South Lake Tahoe.

3.  Also following the first Third Tuesday, Practitioner Brenda Heldoorn will be teaching a certificated class.  This will be a beginner’s class, a prerequisite to all other classes taught.  Time and days to be set, but I can tell you that most certificated classes are ten weeks and cost $220 plus books.  This class will be held at the Center on Tamarack Avenue in South Lake Tahoe.

4.  I will be teaching a certificated class down in Carson City at the Center there, beginning on Wednesday, September 12, for ten weeks, from 6 to 9 pm.  It is called From Whence we Came, and is an exciting journey into the history of New Thought.  Not just our own history at Centers for Spiritual Living, but all New Thought history.  If you are a Practitioner and need CEUs, this class will qualify.  If you are involved in any kind of New Thought organization, ours or Unity or some other one, you may be interested in this wonderful class.  This one is coming up quick, so if you are interested, we need your $50 registration fee (which goes toward the $220 tuition) ASAP!  And if you live in Lake Tahoe and want to car pool down with me, contact me at 530-906-9336.

5.  I am offering a coaching special!  Now that summer has calmed down a bit, you may be finding  yourself a bit unsettled.  Change is in the air, and it is not only the change in the seasons I am speaking to.  You may be feeling a tug to be something different, but aren’t quite sure what that looks like, or you may have just experienced a loss and need to work through it, or you may want to make an outer change in your life.  Call me to learn about how I can help you with your journey:  530-906-9336.

This has been a long post I know, but I’m so excited about all the goings on!  I hope you enjoyed reading about all the news!

Now that Christmas is over, I’m beginning to take action on my to do list.  There’s a lot going on in this ministerial student/Practitioner/Spiritual Director of a Teaching Chapter’s world!

You ever have a to do list that is a bit overwhelming?  You ever get stuck because your to do list is so big you don’t think  you’ll ever get it done, so you get stuck?  I don’t think I’m the only one.  But I do know that when I break the list down into smaller pieces and just do what is in front of me to do, things seem to get done quickly, efficiently and easily.  So what I’m going to do in this blog is present to you my to do list, and then tell you how I’m going to get it all done.  I’ve got ulterior motives of course.  Those of you who know me know that I love multitasking, and if I can help you with your to do list while also publicizing everything I’ve got going on over here, so much the better!  So just know, there’s gonna be some PR language in this post, but there will also be some practical things to help you accomplish what’s on your list.

Ok, here’s my list:

Finish preparing new web site now that Teaching Chapter is formally approved.  This is a big deal guys.  A Teaching Chapter!  What it means to you is a once weekly gathering for profound discussion and meditation.  The first gathering is scheduled for Monday, January 2 from 5 to 7 pm.  This will be an ongoing group facilitated on a love offering basis.  The topics for discussion for the next few months will be based on the book “Living Deeply, the Art and Science of Transformation in Everyday life.”  You will be able to purchase a book from me ($15), or from www.amazon.com.  Paperback is $11.53 plus shipping, e-reader is $10.38.  Our discussions will be held at Lake Tahoe Spiritual Living Center at 3665 Tamarack in South Lake Tahoe (it’s off of Ski Run Blvd.)   This is also one of those ongoing things.  The Teaching Chapter will always be here, I’ll always be doing something in connection with it, so Teaching Chapter stuff will always be on my to do list.

If you’ve  got something ongoing like this, break it down into separate tasks.  You’ll see another entry further on in this blog that has to do with the Teaching Chapter.  Usually ongoing stuff has many different tasks, don’t put them all in one item on the list, or if you do, itemize them in sections.  The key is to break things down into smaller manageable parts.

Write a talk.  Another big deal.  Since I’m giving this talk at the Sunday service at the Center for Spiritual  Living in Carson City on New Year’s Day, this item needs to be done first.  I’ve already got a few ideas, but now I need to put them on paper and do some research and get a few quotes.  I’m a good speaker guys!  If you are anywhere close to Carson City at 10 am on New Year’s Day, come on by!  This talk will be inspirational and uplifting, designed to not only allow you to begin your new year right, but to keep up the momentum.  If you’ve got a problem  keeping your New Year’s Resolutions, you might want to check this out.

Prepare for a life transition ceremony on Wednesday. Yep, that’s in two days.  Actually, I’ve already got most of the work done on this one.  What’s a life transition you ask?  Well, there are the biggies:  death, marriage and birth.  But there’s also moving, getting a new job, coming of age, divorce (or loss of any kind), any of the big changes in life qualify for status as life transition, and there are rituals and ceremonies that can be done to help with the transition.  Turns out I’m pretty good at this too…who knew? (don’t take my word for  this…I’m basing this on feedback I’ve received from folks for whom I have performed these services)  In addition to weddings, I’ve also done Celebrations of Life and house blessings.  This particular ceremony will be for a lady with dementia and her daughter.  It is to help the lady with dementia let go and move into her final transition (as she is showing signs of doing so anyway) and for the daughter, who is her primary care giver.  It will be a moving ceremony and I’m honored that I was asked to do it.  If you have any transitions coming up, please consider me for the job and please pass the word!

Marketing for the new Teaching Chapter.  I’m already doing quite a bit in this area, but the Teaching Chapter will be called Center for Spiritual Living Lake Tahoe (CSLLT) instead of Lake Tahoe Spiritual  Living Center, and once the new web site is completed I will need to start spreading the word about the…ahem….transition.  And yes, I’ve already done my own little transition ceremony for this one, it was very nice!  Included in this list is to explore Constant Contact and see if it will work for us.  I also need to send out a newsletter to people on the current mailing list, as I have a new package of private coaching sessions to tell them about, in addition to the news about the Teaching Chapter and the Monday night group.  By the way, if you are interested in private coaching, contact me for details about the package!

Prepare for new quarter of studies, which begins next week.  I’ve already accomplished a lot of this list:  I’ve registered and ordered and received my books, but I need to make hotel reservations for the classes I will be taking in Santa Rosa, and make arrangements for dog sitting, plus download and transfer my lectures to my Ipod.  Then it’s time to start studying!

Take time to rest and play. This one is always on my list.  I learned the hard way that if I do not take time to rest and play on a regular basis I lose stuff, mostly my mind, but I also lose efficiency and relationships get strained because I’m a grouch.  I’m pretty good at taking regular time off now.  I’ve loved what I do for a living since 1987, and I’ve been self employed since 1987, so I’ve had some time to perfect this taking time off thing.  But once in a while I still have to remind myself that it’s time to go outside and play.  By the way, these two topics (doing what you love for a living and balance) are what a high percentage of my private clients contact me for.  Both are possible, but usually our own limitations get in the way of this. I can and have helped quite a few people remove those limitations, so if you have something like this on you list of things to do in the New Year, contact me if  you need help!

Prepare flyer and distribute it for the new discussion group beginning next week. I’ve purposely waited till after Christmas to do this one.  Spreading the word about the group while people are scurrying about preparing for Christmas  would have just been like spinning my wheels in the mud.  Now is the time to do this.

You may have noticed that there is some prioritizing going on with my list.  Prioritizing is essential.  Some things can wait, some can’t.  Some have to be done regularly, some only once.  And while I’m pretty good at prioritizing now, it took some practice and some coaching to learn the skill.  This is another thing that private clients hire me for.  You can begin prioritizing your list by putting deadline dates on your items, and rearranging the list according to the dates they need to be done.

Last but not least, this item is always  on my list:  Do spiritual practices.  I don’t care what is on the list, or how long or short it is, it’s still a list of outside stuff, and when it comes right down to it, all that outside stuff will not get done unless you first do the inside stuff.  Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in the outside world until and unless the insides are properly nourished and cared for.  Working from the outside in does not work.  It’s more spinning of wheels.  In fact, if you are a long time reader of this blog you’ve heard me say this before, “if you don’t go within you’ll go without.”  The inside work HAS to be done.  Our outside world is a direct manifestation of what is going on inside, and if you have thoughts or beliefs which are negative or limiting, that’s what you will experience in the outside world.  All of my private client work, all of my workshops, all of my classes, all of my discussion groups, are based on this one simple thing, and all of them are designed to help you do the inside stuff that needs to be done in order to accomplish that which is on your list of things to do.  This is where spiritual practices comes in. I’m not talking about praying here folks, although some people do include this in their spiritual  practices.  I’m talking about connection, and the knowingness that comes from being connected.  I’m talking about inner personal experiences that come from a connection to something that is profound and undefinable.  And spiritual practices will establish and maintain that connection.  For me, my spiritual practices are meditation and quiet time.  Others read daily meditation books, some journal, some walk.  There are many different forms of spiritual practice.  The key is to realize that if  you are doing at the expense of being, you will eventually cease to be happy or effective at what you are doing.  You must BE first.

I could go on and on about spiritual  practices, but the fact is I’m approaching 2000 words here and that’s already too long for a blog post, but oh well, it’s gonna have to be ok this time.  Plus I’ve written about spiritual practices many times, do a search on spiritual practices on this blog and you’ll find a series of separate blog posts, one for each practice, that will detail each one.  This is also something that I teach privately.

My wish to you is that you are BEING, happily and peacefully, and that your  beingness shows up in to do lists that get done!

Did you know that creativity and spirituality are closely linked?  And did you also know that creativity isn’t just about being more artistically creative?

Creativity is about thinking outside the box.  It’s about finding solutions when you think  you are trapped.  It’s about traveling the less traveled path, and being successful at it.  It’s about being and doing what calls to you, and having joy and peace in your life while  you are doing it.

The way to get there is through the use of spiritual practices and principles, and I’m going to tell you all about it tonight, and give you some tools to strengthen your creative muscles!

Come join me at from 6 to 8 pm at the Lake Tahoe Spiritual Living Center, 3665 Tamarack in South Lake Tahoe.  Cost for the workshop is $35, or you can sign up for the series and save money!  Call me at 530-906-9336 for more information!

See you tonight!

September will be here before we know it.  Today in my community it is the first day of school for our kids.  Fall is a good time to bring in some new stuff! The knowledge you learn in the fall will settle in and percolate inside of you during the restful time of winter, producing a glorious new crop of attitude and personality change in the spring, culminating in manifestation of wonderful new life in the summer!  It’s all a wonderful cycle, and I hope to duplicate what Mother Nature has created by doing some teaching in the next month or so.  I’ve been busy gathering information, and I have some awesome plans!

I recently purchased a curriculum called Money, Metaphysics and the Meaning of Life and will be teaching that both in my Lake Tahoe Center as well as in the Carson City center.   If you are interested in taking this class, let me know!  It’s an 8 week class designing to blow the socks off any financial limitation you might be experiencing in your life!

Also on tap is a workshop combining spirituality and creativity.  We all have a creative part of us that begs to be set free; and we are also all spiritual beings, even if we don’t currently acknowledge it.  This workshop will give you the tools necessary to incorporate creativity in your life to enhance  your sense of Spirit.  AND it will also teach you the practices necessary to develop your sense of Spirit, which will enhance your creativity.  If you are already an artist and perhaps stuck, this will get  you unstuck.  But you don’t need to be an artist to benefit from the tools in this class.

And last but not least, a workshop on doing what you love for a living!  We have some great opportunities right now!  If you have been laid off from your day job, or had your hours cut back, this is a perfect time to consider your options in doing what you love for a living!  Statistics show that more small businesses are starting now than ever before.  This workshop will begin within, where ALL manifestation starts.  It will end with practical marketing tips and logistics of setting up a business.

All fun stuff!  Contact me via email at karen@laketahoespirituallivingcenter.com if you have questions, or you can post a comment on the blog if you don’t mind others seeing it!  And stay tuned for more details!

Today is the first  day of not only a new year, but a new decade. 

Most of us are making decisions as to how we want to change in this new  year.  I’ve been writing, updating my lists of things to do, mulling over some decisions.  I no longer make New Year’s resolutions, as I have found that practice is simply a way to beat myself up.  What I do each year at this time is review:  what is working in my life, and what isn’t?  Then I head in the direction of doing more of that which is working, and less of that which isn’t.

But mostly I turn within at this time of year. I have been spending a lot of time alone lately, by choice, doing the introspection and spiritual stuff that is so necessary to peace in my life.  I’ve been planning and thinking up cool stuff which I will share with you later in the  post.

So I ask you:  have you made some New Year’s resolutions?  Are they the same ones you make every year, having not followed through with it last year?  Are you feeling some guilt or shame behind that?  Why not do it differently this time?

Instead, make a list of how you would like your life to be.  Make sure to include inside stuff:  how you want to be and feel.  And also  include outside stuff: career, relationship, health.  After you’ve described how you want your  life to be, then write the steps you think it will take to get there.  Then your  job becomes to implement those steps.  Sometimes there is nothing on the outside  to be done, just an inner acknowledgement and a joining with Spirit in declaring your intention is sufficient.  And sometimes you might need assistance doing what you want to do or getting where you want to go.  If that is the case, don’t hesitate to give yourself the gift of asking for help.

If you have been reading this post for a while, you know that I am a licensed Practitioner, and that one of the things I do is help people.  I provide  Practitioner sessions in my Center at Lake Tahoe, or I can meet you in the Center in Carson City.  Contact me if you want more information about this.  I think you will find that I can, in a very short time, help you get past what is stopping you from achieving your dreams.

Another thing I do is workshops, only I call them Playshops!  So, I will be scheduling a series of Playshops this year, and the first one is all set to go:  Saturday, January 30, we will be Treasure Mapping!  I’ve got some great plans for this day of play so I hope you will join us!  You can register by calling me at 530-906-9336, or by using the Pay Pal button on my web site.  Cost for the Playshop if you preregister is $34 ($29 for the Playshop and $5 for materials).  If you wait till the day of the Playshop to register, cost goes up by $5. 

On tap for February is a Spiritual Practices Day.  We will talk about meditation and other spiritual practices, and work through any blocks which prevent you from regularly implementing spiritual practices in your life.

I’ve got some other exciting things planned as well so stay tuned!  And if there is a subject you wish to cover in a Playshop, let me know!

I’m drawing a blank today, so I thought I would give you a recap of all that has happened in this last year, the first year in business for the Lake Tahoe Spiritual Living Center, and some of the plans for next year.

This last year I’ve done client sessions in my Center, and found it to be a peaceful and safe place. It feels good there! The energy is positive, the furniture is comfy and the decorations allow one to feel relaxed immediately upon entering. I’m quite proud of my converted storage area! We did a ten week meditation class last year, and it was so popular I will do another this year, but it won’t be for ten weeks. I’ve had requests for various workshops, among them marketing for Practitioners and other spiritual coaches, so I am currently designing the program for that. I’ve also had a request for a workshop to learn all about social networking. And I’m putting together a fun day centered around new beginnings, letting go of old stuff. I was going to call it Status Quo or Status Go, and that still sounds like a good name, but given that I’ve spoken to so many folks who have had the circumstances of their lives changed by the economy, I’m headed in the direction of helping folks find their heart’s desire in the area of work and career. A book study is also planned, with a different book each month, to correspond with a similar book study being done at the Center for Spiritual Living in Carson City. I will be doing that with my friend and fellow Practitioner Brenda.

Speaking of the CSLCC, in this last year there has been a bunch of exciting happenings. First of all, I am there every Tuesday and Wednesday evening. Tuesday nights I have the pleasure of facilitating a Science of Mind textbook study from 7 to 9 pm. It has been nothing short of magical. It’s a book study, so it’s on going, and you can drop in anytime. On Wednesday nights I’ve been opening the doors for a 12 step metaphysical meeting that has been quite rewarding. We have folks from all different 12 step programs attending who also have an interest in metaphysics, and we talk about the spiritual concepts embodied on both ways of life, and how they are quite compatible. That is a meeting, also ongoing, so feel free to drop in as well, it’s from 7 to 8 pm.

All of these except the marketing for Practitioners will be local. The marketing one will be a webinar style, my first, and I’m still working out the technical bugs of doing a webinar, but it’s coming along nicely!

This blog has been quite rewarding. Originally I started writing it as a way to get the word out about my services, and it has done that and so much more! I have incorporated the writing of it into my daily spiritual practices and find that it has become much like writing in a journal (except this is for public reading, so I can’t get too personal here!). I take a spiritual concept and develop it and discover that it really has been on my mind and I needed to write about it! This blog is now published in four different places on the web, with a possible fifth on the horizon. What are the four places you say? Well, here of course on my own web site, also on Facebook, also on the CSLCC web site, and also on a web site called Examiner.com. I just love technology!

Personally, I have been accepted into the Holmes Institute Masters Degree program in Higher Consciousness Studies. I start online classes in January. I am excited, honored, humbled and just generally tickled pink to be able to do this. My grandmother Nikky has been the main source of encouragement and support for this venture, and she is funding my schooling. Thank you Nikky! I promise to study hard!

So there you have it. I am in the development stages of the various workshops and seminars and if you have a request for something, chances are someone else wants it too, ask away!

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If you got value out of this post, won’t you consider making a contribution? Love offerings are not required but are greatly appreciated! You can make a love offering through Pay Pal or by sending a check. I have a Pay Pal button on my web site at www.laketahoespirittuallivingcenter.com. Or you can go directly to the Pay Pal web site, click on Send Money Online, and type in my email address: karen@laketahoespirituallivingcenter.com. Checks can be sent to P.O. Box 3326, Stateline, NV 89449. Thank you!

I’m going to do another blog post today after this one, so you can get your daily spiritual message, but I just have to write about how excited I am about the goings on this summer in the Carson City Spiritual Living Center!  I’ve taken on a bit of a load for at least the next couple of months and a part of me is asking, “Karen, what could you possibly be thinking?”

See, I’ve committed myself to be down in Carson on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, every week, for the foreseeable future.  It’s a break in my routine, and I am accustomed to having a bit more “down” time, time in which I can spend at home alone, doing whatever I feel like doing.  I will have much less down time now for a little while.

But what is happening down there is so profound, so exciting, so….well, happening….that I know this is what I need to be doing.  On Tuesday nights I go down to facilitate a book study.  Not just any book, but the Science of Mind textbook.  The granddaddy of all New Thought books, and the one common book (along with a zillion other different ones) that is used in all the accredited classes.  I’ve studied another book the way I am taking these folks through this book, and taken other folks through that book the way I am taking these folks through this book and I can tell you that it really helps one to get to know the material quite well.  Not only that, but my method is instrumental in helping people to learn how to apply the knowledge in the book to their own lives.  And this applies to myself as well.  I learn right along with them!  I was taught this method of book study by a lady who first took me through another text book in just this way.  It’s exciting stuff!  If you are at all interested in New Thought, or in what on earth we are doing over there at the CSLCC, you are welcome to drop in anytime.  This book study is on Tuesdays from 7 to 9 pm, love offering.

On Wednesdays we are watching a series of DVDs of a class done by a guy named Gary Simmons, PhD.  He’s a Unity guy.  Unity is another New Thought organization, very similar to the Centers for Spiritual Living.  We tend to mingle a lot, us and the folks from Unity.  Dr. Simmons is talking about leadership in this series, and the one last night was titled:  “Nothing and No one is against you.”  It was incredible, awesome, profound.  Not only in it’s implications for me personally, but in the suggestions it carried for us to apply as possible leaders in community.  It was nothing I had never heard before, nothing I’ve not ever written about on this blog even, but hearing it again, in the context of how I can apply the principles to my role as leader in community, and hearing it from a guy who is quite humorous, was great.  Again, you are welcome. You are a leader when you declare it.  And even if you don’t want to declare yourself a leader, this series would be a valuable addition to anyone’s repertoire of spiritual tools.  It’s Wednesdays, from 7 to 9 pm., love offering. 

And on Thursdays, my baby.  This is a group I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.  I’ve researched, I’ve picked people’s brains, I’ve visited another group like this one to see how they did it.  And now, it’s ready to be born…tonight!  It’s a 12 step metaphysical group.  I’ve been practicing the 12 step way of life for over 22 years.  Although I’ve only been a Practitioner for 1 1/2 years, I’ve been a New Thoughter for most of my life, even before The Change.  Having a dad as a New Thought minister meant I always knew that my thought was powerful, always knew that if I wanted to change my life I would need to first change my thinking.  But what I discovered along the way is that many folks think 12 step philosophy and metaphysical philosopy are not compatible.  That is so not true!  And I became hungry for fellowship with folks of like mind, folks who incorporated both divine philosophies into their lives.  I became hungry for folks who knew they were powerful beings, not victims.  And of course, I have a message to pass along for those who care to hear it.  So I started this group.  I really want to do this one in Lake Tahoe, at my own Spiritual Living Center.  And eventually I will.  But for now, we’ve got one down in Carson, meeting on Thursday nights from 6 to 7 pm, love offering. 

So, come when you feel like it, we’d love to see you.  The address for the CSLCC is 675 Fairview Drive, Suite 218.