Welcome to the Lake Tahoe Spiritual Living Center!

“In turning to the Law, realize that it is a Law of Reflection.”  That’s a quote from Ernest Holmes, in the chapter of his textbook the Science of Mind called….wait for it…here it comes…..The Law of Attraction.  Bet you didn’t know that in the Centers for Spiritual Living (http://www.unitedcentersforspiritualliving.org/) we’ve been talking about and teaching about the Law of Attraction for years, long before folks like Wayne Dyer started writing about it, and long before the movie The Secret came out.  And…did you know that it’s a sure bet there is a Center for Spiritual Living within driving distance of where you are?  I’m writing from South Lake Tahoe, California.  There is the Lake Tahoe Spiritual Living Center here (www.laketahoespirituallivingcenter.com).  Down in Carson City, a mere 27 miles door to door from the LTSLC, is the Center for Spiritual Living Carson City (http://www.cslcc.org/), and on the other side of the lake, in Tahoe City, is the Center for Spiritual Living Tahoe Truckee (http://tahoe.csl.org/). Check one of them out!  You’ll find classes, workshops, celebrations and fellowship, all aimed at helping you transform your life!

But I digress, I wanted to write about the Law of Attraction today, not about how cool and awesome and accessible and omnipresent our Centers are.  Back to the Law of Attraction.

That quote above suggests that what we attract is a reflection of ourselves.  I’ve discovered that to be very true.  I’ve also discovered that this is perhaps the most difficult lesson to learn, because if we look to ourselves for what we are attracting into our lives, the first place we usually go is a place of blame and shame.

Don’t do that.  It’s not productive and it won’t get you anywhere.

Who you are today is who you needed to be to get where you are.  It’s not a bad thing and not something to be ashamed of.  It’s simply another step on the journey.  But if you are stuck, acknowledging that who you are today is no longer serving you is the path to getting unstuck.  Change the reflection, and what you attract will change.

And now we are back, full circle, to the Centers for Spiritual Living.  Because it is there where you will find the tools which will allow you to change the reflection.  I guess I didn’t digress after all!  Find a Center.  Go.  Enlist the aid of a Practitioner.  Take a class.   Fall is coming up.  The Carson City Center has New Foundations beginning on Sept. 14, plus a couple of very cool and free beginning workshops that will answer all your questions about who we are and what we do, plus two book studies every week, in addition to Sunday Celebration Services.  The Center at Tahoe City has a meditation class starting on Sept 1, as well as Sunday Celebration Services.  And here at home in my Lake Tahoe Center I’ll be doing a class on Living Deeply, starting in October.

The Law of Attraction is.  It is always working in your life.  You may not be conscious of it, you may not even believe in it, but like other Laws, it is always there, always working.  And it will always attract into your life a reflection of who and what you are.  So if you are not attracting what you want, be and do something different, and come to a Center to help you with that.

Sometimes in life things seem like they get turned upside down.  The world seems to shift, and things change.  People come and go perhaps, or things as they used to be no longer work properly, and so a change is forced upon us.  We can go with the flow, and enjoy the journey, and know, with that knowingness that comes from connection with Spirit, that all is well and all will continue to be well.   Or not.  The choice is up to us.

We get to choose how we react to stuff.  And I guarantee you that if you are coming from a place of fear, your reactions are not likely to be pretty.  But if you are coming from a place of love, you will respond, (as opposed to react, there is a difference), with dignity and grace.

How do you get to a place where you respond with dignity and grace? I believe it is all about a connection with Spirit.  It doesn’t matter what you call it, what matters is that you feel that connection, you KNOW that connection, and with that connection comes a love that encompasses all.

When you come from a place of love, you are peaceful.  Confident that all is well, in spite of appearances.  This of course activates that ancient Law that today is called the Law of Attraction.  We created the situations in our lives, and continue to create them.  Are you creating from a place of love, or from a place of fear?

Come from love.  Be love.  Behave as the Masters of our world  have behaved:  Buddha, the Dali Llama, Jesus, Mother Theresa, Ernest Holmes.  Their message was all the same you know:  we can do the same things, only greater.

I started reading a new book last night for one of my classes.  It’s called The Laws of Manifestation by David Spangler.  I’m only on page 38 but already this book has paved the way for some revelations.  Spangler’s point is that the Law of Attraction isn’t really a law, he says there is much more to manifestation than positive thinking.  I found my reaction to the initial pages of the books rather funny. I was thinking along the lines of, “blasphemy!  What on earth can they be thinking assiging this book!”  But as I read on I realized that I’ve simply been practicing Law of Attraction 101, and now it’s time to move on and deepen things a bit.

So far in the book he says that when we want to attract  something into our life, we also must want to attract what it brings with it, or we won’t attract it.  This is very similar to what I’ve always told my clients:  if you want to give up someting that is not working in your life, you must also be willing to give up the payoff.  So, in manifesting, I must also want what is connected to what I want. 

The example he uses is wanting a car.   If you want to attract a car into your life, you must also want what  comes with it:  contributions to insurance companies, gas companies, pavement (roads and parking lots), mechanics.  It’s an entire system that goes with the car, and you must want that as well. 

This is a great book.  Expect more from me as I progress through it.  I have a feeling this one is going to go on my shelf with a select few others that have made a huge difference in my life.

I started reading a new book last night for one of my classes.  It’s called The Laws of Manifestation by David Spangler.  I’m only on page 38 but already this book has paved the way for some revelations.  Spangler’s point is that the Law of Attraction isn’t really a law, he says there is much more to manifestation than positive thinking.  I found my reaction to the initial pages of the books rather funny. I was thinking along the lines of, “blasphemy!  What on earth can they be thinking assiging this book!”  But as I read on I realized that I’ve simply been practicing Law of Attraction 101, and now it’s time to move on and deepen things a bit.

So far in the book he says that when we want to attract  something into our life, we also must want to attract what it brings with it, or we won’t attract it.  This is very similar to what I’ve always told my clients:  if you want to give up someting that is not working in your life, you must also be willing to give up the payoff.  So, in manifesting, I must also want what is connected to what I want. 

The example he uses is wanting a car.   If you want to attract a car into your life, you must also want what  comes with it:  contributions to insurance companies, gas companies, pavement (roads and parking lots), mechanics.  It’s an entire system that goes with the car, and you must want that as well. 

This is a great book.  Expect more from me as I progress through it.  I have a feeling this one is going to go on my shelf with a select few others that have made a huge difference in my life.

At the Centers for Spiritual Living, we’ve been teaching about the Law of Attraction since long before the term ever got coined.  In fact, the Law of Attraction is one of those ancient laws that has been around since before the Bible was written, and the Bible even talks about it  when it says, “you are as you believe.”  It is a fundamental law.

It doesn’t really matter what you call it, or how you phrase it.  The law is still in effect.  What you think about is what manifests in your life, and if  you don’t like what you manifest, then you can change your thinking and beliefs and manifest something different.

This is what we teach at the Centers for Spiritual Living. Plus you get bennies:  spiritual community!  I don’t know about you, but I would much rather learn about the Law of Attraction with a group of like minded people than listen to a tape alone or read a book and have no one to discuss it with. 

But that’s just me.

The Law of Attraction is a real and very powerful law.  What we think about and what we place our attention on is what we attract into our lives.  Try this exercise:  go into a store and frown.  Don’t make eye contact, don’t hold open a door for anyone, don’t be polite.  Look at others and think about them negatively, complain about the prices to no one in particular.  You won’t have to do this long to realize a couple of things.  First of all, you will probably feel lousy pretty quickly.  Notice that, and notice that a lousy feeling like that can very quickly affect your body in a negative way.  Secondly, people will either give  you a very wide berth, leaving you feeling perhaps isolated or lonely, or they might give you back some of what you are dishing out, which is not  pleasant. 

Now, leave the store.  Go somewhere else and go into the store and smile at everyone  you meet.  Be polite, hold open doors, allow someone to get in front of you in the check out aisle, think positively about everyone and everything you encounter.  Be helpful, be positive.  Notice how  this makes you feel.  Physically, you might notice a spring in your step.  And you might have some pleasant conversations with some people, at the very least you will have a nice experience in the store.

This is the Law of Attraction at work, and it works at all levels.  If you are attracting something into your life that is not serving you well, you might want to take a look at where you place your attention, and at the pattern of your thoughts, and see if perhaps you can change that.

Here’s to good thoughts today!

“There is no great and no small, to the Soul that maketh all; and whence It cometh all thingds are, and It cometh everywhere.”  Emerson

This quote is awesome.  I like it because it calls that Great Oneness an “It” and because it also calls It Soul.  There are lots of names for what most people call God, and all of them are appropriate.  My favorite right now is probably The Force.

I quite frequently will suggest to my clients that they come up with their own definition of Spirit.  Even though, by Its very Nature, It is undefinable and we place our own human limitations on something that is Infinite, it helps to have a concept of It that is uniquely our own, the we can identify with.

But I’m getting off track  here! The point of today’s blog is that there is no big and no small to the Universe.  There is no request to great that Spirit cannot handle.  The Law sees 17 million dollars the same way it sees 17 dollars, there is no difference.  The limitations come from ourselves.

So when sitting down to affirm the good in  your life, be sure not to limit yourself.  Think outside the little box that we seem to place ourselves in.  Go big, aim high, set your intentions for the  grandest thing you can think of, and know that the Universe is conspiring for your good!

“…..water reaches its own level.”  Ernest Holmes, Science of Mind textbook

It is a scientific fact:  water does indeed reach its own level.  It’s also a scientific fact that our bodies are made of 90% water.

Then there’s the Law of Attraction, which states that whatever we think, whatever we believe, that is what we will attract into our lives.

Think about these truths in terms of  your own relationships.  I’m not just talking about intimate relationships here, but all relationships.  If you are attracting companions, friendships or intimate relationships that are not serving you well, the place to look is within yourself, not at the other people.   For you are indeed, attracting your own level.  If you wish to change what you are attracting, you will first need to change your level.

This isn’t about judgement. When we judge ourselves or another, we are limiting ourselves.  And if we are judging ourselves or another negatively, we are creating shame.  Remember, we attract our own level, so if we are judging another negatively, there will always be some aspect of ourselves that is causing that. And we will create more of that which we are judging, simply by the act of placing attention on it.  Whatever we are judging the other person for is something within ourselves that we do or behave like also, except that we don’t want to look at it. So instead, we turn our thoughts outward, judging another, paying attention to traits and actions that are negative, and creating more of the same in our own lives. 

Go within.  Look inward.  Look to the level of your own water.  Look to your own beliefs and thought patterns.  View them the same way you view the things in your home when you are getting ready for a garage sale.  Some items you want to keep.  Some you want to sell because you don’t use them anymore.  I doubt there will be any judgement attached to that.  It’s simply a matter of the item not being used.  It served you for a while, but now it doesn’t.  Time to get rid of it, to make room for something new.  It’s the same thing with behaviors and beliefs and thought patterns that no longer serve  you.  Simply remove them, make room for new thoughts and beliefs.  Change your level.

As with all change, there might be a grieving process associated with changing our level.  Contemplating, for example, selling that old piece of furniture in a garage sale might bring back memories of the experiences  you had with that piece of furniture.  It’s ok, desireable even, to go through the process of remembering, and of saying goodbye, and of thanking the ways you were served, and of then acknowledging that its time for something new.  Be gentle:  don’t judge, don’t go to a place  of shame or guilt, just release and move on.

When you change your level, the people and circumstances in your life will also change to match the new level.  This can be exciting, but might also be a bit scary.  This is a good place to acknowledge your oneness with the One, to remember that you are a being of Love and Light, and that all is well.  This is also a good time to reach out and avail yourself of the gifts that are there for you, all you need to do is ask.  Help and support from friends, loved ones, mentors, Practitioners can be invaluable in times like this.

Sometimes we might also need help in the very process of changing our  levels.  Again, a Practitioner can help with this.  Practitioners are specifically trained to  help people change the limiting beliefs and thought patterns in their lives.

Isn’t is wonderful that we have these great minds, and all these tools to use, to change the circumstances in our lives if things are not working for us?  Isn’t it wonderful to be empowered? 

Today, I know for you empowerment.  I know for you that if you decide to change your level, the means to do so will present itself effortlessly.  And when this happens, it’s called a demonstration, and I want to hear about it!

The Course in Miracles says there are only two states of being:  fear or love.  It further tells us that we can only be in one state or another, the two cannot co-exist at the same time in the same entity.

The reactions we have behind fear are very non-productive and don’t serve us well at all: anger, lashing out, shutting down, a certain sort of immobility, indecision, anxiety;  all are symptoms that we are in fear.  And to add insult to injury, acting these ways tends to produce more of the same!

When we are in love, we behave just the opposite:  a sense of well being, all is right with the world, a calm, a sense of our own worth, acceptance, compassion, tolerance, trust, faith, a knowing that all is well.  We are much better able to function in life in a state of love, and the Law of Attraction works here as well, producing more of the same.

So, how do you get from fear to love?  It’s all inside work.  The state of being in love is not based on anything outside of us, although it may seem like the state of being in fear is caused by outside stuff like relationship woes, financial issues, health challenges.  But it really isn’t. Fear is caused by a lack of a connection to Spirit, and love happens when we have The Infinite in our lives.

The question then becomes a matter of making sure we are connected, always…24/7.  In order to be connected we must first define it. Trying to define The Great Stuff is a bit like trying to herd cats, it really can’t be done because Energy is infinite, yet we seem to need a definition.  So go ahead, define it. What is it, what does it look like, smell like, feel like?  What do you call it?   How does it operate in your life?  Where does  it  live?  What do you feel when you are connected, when you are aware of the Presence of the One?

You can change your definition later, for Light does not care what we call it or how we  define it, and as we grow and change, our concept of the Great Reality Deep Within is likely to change as well.

Once you have an idea of what it means to  you and how it works in your life, it becomes a matter of connecting, daily.  We do this by daily spiritual practices:  quiet time, meditation, visioning, journaling, reading of spiritual literature.  Sometimes we need to have a chat with a Practitioner to get past  fear and into love…sometimes several chats. 

Love is a state of being and we can be in that state all day, every day.  It only takes a few moments each day of actively and consciously connecting with The Force.  Being in a state of Love is not dependent on what happens in our outside world; and being in a state of Love will help  us deal better with what happens in the outside world.

So go within today, and make that connection, and keep it, and have Happy Loving!

Complaining sucks.

Really.

Eckhart Tolle says, in his book called the Power of Now, “For to complain is always non-acceptance of what is and it invariably carries an unconscious negative charge.  So when you complain you make yourself a victim.”

In the metaphysical world (what some folks call the Law of Attraction), what we place our attention on grows, so in complaining, we are placing our attention on that which we really would prefer not to have in our life and affecting just the opposite.

A while back at our center, everyone was wearing purple bracelets.  They got them from A Complaint Free World. The goal is to go 21 days without a complaint.  Every time one found oneself complaining, the bracelet had to be switched from one wrist to the other.  There’s also a book by the same name.  Here’s the web site:  http://www.complaintfreeworld.biz/index.html

So, the next time you find yourself complaining, see if you can’t turn that around.  Either  find something positive in the situation, or turn your attention to something else.  In that letting go process of placing your attention on what you want instead of what you don’t want, you are empowering yourself.