Welcome to the Lake Tahoe Spiritual Living Center!

Another term has come and gone.  With the completion of this term, I have completed two years of study in the Masters Degree program called Consciousness Studies.  I am officially two-thirds of the way through this Graduate program.  If all goes according to plan, I will graduate in 2013.

I got curious so I did some research on how many people in the US get a Masters Degree.  According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_attainment_in_the_United_States), in 2009 7.62% of the population got a Masters Degree.

Wow.  I was already feeling pretty special and privileged to be the recipient of such a good education, but now I really feel special.  7.2%?!?!?  That’s not a very high percentage.

Now I am beginning to understand why, when I tell people I am in a Masters Degree program, I get mostly blank looks.  They don’t have any comprehension of what that means.  Maybe.  Or maybe they just don’t care.  Well, whatever.  I still think it’s pretty special.  And it says something about my organization as well.  We are considered a church by many, although I  think just as many consider us a spiritual organization (I fall into that category).  We embrace all religions (in fact, as I am also required to take classes in all the world’s major religions, I am discovering that while the languaging is a bit different, the basic spiritual truths are true everywhere).  That my organization took it upon themselves to design a powerful accredited program, so that their ministers could graduate and be on a par with any graduate from any theological seminary in the world is pretty impressive to me.

Since beginning school I have recieved training in psychology, quantum physics, body mind medicine, all from a spiritual or consciousness point of view.  I have also taken oodles of classes in spiritual leadership (so  many in fact, that I have more credits than I need in that category).  I’ve learned to write curriculum and to teach.  I’ve learned to conduct such rituals as weddings and celebrations of life (I am so happy that, as more and more folks witness me in action, the word is beginning to spread and I am getting hired more and more frequently). I’ve learned to work one on one with people as a spiritual coach and advisor, although that training began with my Practitioner training and now I’m even better trained!

I’ve also  just received notification of a promotion.  Soon, the Lake Tahoe Spiritual Living Center will be transformed into the Center for Spiritual Living Lake Tahoe, a formally affiliated Teaching Chapter with the Centers for Spiritual Living  (http://www.unitedcentersforspiritualliving.org/).  I am the Spiritual Director.  Woo HOO!  Stay tuned for notification of the new web site and calendar of events like discussion groups and classes.  We are primarily a teaching order, and what we do is teach.  The Centers for Spiritual Living have three basic types of Centers:  There are the “churches” with Sunday services and all that goes along with that.  These places still teach.  Some of our Centers are huge, drawing thousands of people every Sunday in the bigger cities, although most range in size from 50 to about 200, and there are some smaller ones as well.  Then there are the Teaching Chapters, which just teach.  Teaching Chapters don’t hold Sunday services unless there is no Center nearby.  Teaching Chapters have to be led by a Practitioner or a Minister.  Then there are the Study Groups, which can be led by anyone.  While we tend to have more Centers in the western part of the US, you will also find us scattered across the country and the world.  You can find a Center, Teaching Chapter or Study Group by going to http://www.unitedcentersforspiritualliving.org/ and clicking on Find a Community.

I feel like a spiritual leader, and that is way cool.

I know my training is not yet complete.  I know that there is more to learn, more to do, more internships, more classes, more travel, more papers to write, more research.  I love it all.  But I still feel like a spiritual leader.  I still feel like I want to shout our message from the rooftops.

IF ONLY YOU WOULD JUST MEDITATE EVERY DAY YOU WOULD KNOW PEACE BEYOND YOUR WILDEST DREAMS!  COME, TAKE A CLASS!  COME, JOIN US!

Ok, I’m off the roof now….

Can  you tell I’m excited?  I love what I’ve learned.  I love what I will be learning.  By the way, my classes for next term are PSI Research, Diversity Issues, Managing a Spiritual Organization and Homiletics.  I  had to look up homiletics when I first saw it.  Turns out it’s related to homily…giving talks.   Dictionary.com defines it as the art of preaching.  We don’t do much preaching around here but we’ve been known to give very good talk!  I’ve already been giving talks and been told I’m quite good at it, so I’m excited to take this class and learn some more.

So, that’s it in my ongoing series of posts about my studies.  If you are curious as to the journey thus far, each blog post I’ve done about my studies has been titled the same thing:  Consciousness Studies.

I would love to hear your thoughts about all this!

I’ve been doing some thinking lately about whether or not the movement I belong to, New Thought, is a religion or a philosophy.  I know what my personal belief is: that this is a philosophy and a way of life that has nothing to do with religion.

But it’s been said before, we’re a weird bunch, and some of us think we are a religion.  To muddy the waters a bit, there are some New Thought organizations, such as Unity, that do consider themselves religious.  In fact, they go so far as to advertise themselves as practicing “practical Christianity.”  And…I am in Holmes Institute, an accredited organization, going for a Masters degree in Consciousness Studies, but guess what my title will be when I graduate?  Minister!  I will be the Rev. Karen!  What is up with that?!?!?  If we aren’t a religion, then how on earth could I be a reverend?  Why are the leaders of our Centers all over the world called reverends, and why do we have Sunday services (we call them celebrations) just like regular churches do?  I’m so confused…not really, but those are legitimate questions that I do not have answers for, at this time.

I still prefer to stick with the philosophy and way of life description.

I’ve been visiting some churches in order to fulfill my requirement to visit ten churches during the course of my student career.  Having never been to church before, really, except to photograph weddings, I’ve noticed a few things.

The most telling, for me, are the rules.  Having come from a place where there are no rules to speak of, I think this is having the most impact on me.  There are rules governing everything from what to wear to what to eat to who to date to what to do when you go on those dates to who to vote for to when to take a day off.

Our country is filled with people who have voluntarily elected to become members of organizations which have taken away all sense of personal freedom.

I happen to think that loss of personal freedom means lack of empowerment.  I prefer to be able to feel empowered.

Yes, I have to make my own decisions.  Yes, I have to take responsibility for my life.  Yes, I have consequences for my behavior.  But they are my decisions, my actions, and my results.  It doesn’t come from someone else telling me what to do, or instilling a sense of shame in me for even considering doing something different than what they say is right.   And I also have a strength and a wisdom and a sense of peace that comes from a direct connection with a Spirit of my own understanding.  I have the ability to change my beliefs and my thoughts if they are leading me to things I would rather not have in my life.  I am accepted for who and what I am, lovingly, no matter what I wear, no matter what I eat, no matter who I date, no matter what.  I am empowered, I am loved, I am accepted.

I have learned some of the background of why there are all those rules.  Way back when, there were no governments.  The church was the government.  They needed a way to control the populace.  Enter the rules.  They made up these rules,  and wrote them down, and put them in books that they then called holy.  They devised a system of duality where you go to hell if you don’t obey the the rules (and get ostracized by the members of the church while you’re at it) and go to heaven and get approval and acceptance if you do obey them.  A pretty nifty way to control people, but geez…when a spouse does that kind of stuff they call it abuse  and manipulation. Why is it ok for churches to do it, but not for spouses to do it?

Is it possible to have a religion without all the rules?  I think so, because the spiritual stuff that is the essence of all religions, that stuff behind all the dogma and rules, is very cool stuff.  Enter New Thought:  a religion without all the rules.

A place where you can come to get spiritually fed.  Where you can get support and unconditional love.  Where you can learn cool stuff, and become empowered.  Where you can learn a philosophy and a way of life that creates a world that works for everyone, where there is peace, strength, wisdom and power.  Where we take the good stuff from ALL the world’s religions (because there is some good stuff there) and leave all the dogma and rules out of it, and learn to use that stuff to better our lives.

If you come to where we are (and chances are there is a Center for Spiritual Living wherever you are, you can find one here:  http://www.unitedcentersforspiritualliving.org/Find_A_Community/index.php)  you will get the peace that you expect to get from an organized religion. You will also get the support and love.  What you won’t get is shame.  You won’t have your personal freedom taken away.  You will instead be taught ways to make better decisions for yourself, and ways to connect with Spirit for yourself, and ways to live a happier, more peaceful life.

I like it here, and I hope I see you here soon!