This has been a most beautiful morning, and it is proving to be just as lovely an afternoon. I feel your presence as I begin to write. I know that Spirit is Guiding and Guarding each of us, as well as the process of sharing whatever Divine Mind has in store.
I realize that for the second time since our finding Sanctuary at Home began, I found myself at the end of my day without sending a message yesterday. The day was full, and brought a variety of amazing experiences…facilitating a class in Spiritual Intelligence, taking a class to deepen my prayer work, and a variety of one-on-one communications to Community members. I enjoyed every moment…and time slipped by. I am using each day’s experiences to help guide the process of figuring out what the most beneficial use of my time is as I serve Mystic Heart. I have decided that on the days that I offer online church services and classes, I will not write a We Are Connected message. In this way I will bring a greater balance to my work life. Besides, there is no doubt in my mind that We Are Connected. I look forward to giving time to other facets of Ministry; I am beginning to spend some time during our period of Sanctuary looking at what an authentic Ministry looks like for me moving forward. So, I plan to write and email a message on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Thank you so much for your overwhelming support as we move into month five as an official church, month eight offering Sunday services, and month 12 since we had our first book study and Co-Creation Gatherings. It’s been a busy year!
Now, onto my thoughts for today…As we move into visioning for our physical Church Home, I realize that we will be reaching out to new people in order to grow our community. Have you ever considered what kind of person would be attracted to this particular New Thought movement, and to the Mystic Heart Spiritual Center?
Judging by the people I have met in the Science of Mind circles, I think it will be people who are spiritual and mental explorers. And funny as this may sound, New Thought tends to draw people who feel like they don’t fit in, or who don’t care to fit in. I believe that we attract people who know they are completely unique human beings but who realize that they share something in common with all of creation. It seems as though our tribe is made up of people who aren’t comfortable unless they are expressing as much authenticity as possible. You might even say that we lean toward the nonconformist side of life.
What does nonconformist mean? Well, the Latin roots point to forming together. A non-conformist does not follow along with the herd merely for the sake of not making waves. She observes the choices that others are making, uses critical thinking and intuitive sensing to make her own conscious choices according to her personal values. She sets her course in life according to her spiritual values. A nonconformist is proactive, not reactive.
Some people confuse being nonconformist with being rebellious. These are actually two different worldviews and patterns of behavior. While a nonconformist makes conscious and thoughtful decisions according to her own ideas, beliefs, and values, a rebel is reactionary. Whatever the rules say, the rebel does just the opposite…just because it is the opposite. A nonconformist tends toward an emotionally-intelligent state whereas a rebel tends toward a lesser degree of emotional intelligence.
In our society, there are mixed messages about being a nonconformist. We are told to be different and alive, be ourselves…and then we hear don’t rock the boat. Our culture tells us not to be afraid to stand out, be exceptional, be all that you can be…and in the background there is a clear message that says, “Don’t fool yourself… who do you think you are to stand up and stand out?” To paraphrase Ralph Waldo Emerson, in our society, everything works against being an individual. His quotes are clear in pointing out this mixed message: “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” “Insist on yourself. Never imitate.” And then there’s, “For nonconformity, the world whips you with its pleasure.” “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
To be a whole, well-balanced, and fulfilled human being, I need to step away from the crowd and its message of what my life should look like. I need to put aside any tendency to compare myself to others. “Wow, what a powerful speaker she is! I’ll never be like that.” Of course I won’t…I’m not supposed to be! I need to take time to look within to find my authentic self and way of being, my true values, and my unique path. No one can do this for me. What gets in the way of my authenticity? Fear…of not belonging, of not being liked, of being a failure. And so I may just decide to follow along, to conform because it’s safer and easier. But is it really?
No, I have decided (with a little help from my friends) that my only job is to be nothing more than what God created me to be…the very best me I can be. I have to show up…as me. I agree with Rev. Edward Viljoen when he says that, “The Spirit stamped a Divine imprint on your soul and mine, and that stamp is your life path…and it is unique. Yours is yours and mine is mine. All the Good I will ever receive falls along my path, not on someone else’s.”
When I choose to step into my authenticity (which is to be nonconformist), I am in good company. Some of the most important and lasting work that has been done in our world has been done by nonconformists…Jesus, Krishna, Buddha, Nicolaus Copernicus, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., Ernest Holmes, Thomas Merton, Richard Rohr…you get the idea. This is how society evolves. Someone comes along to question the conventional wisdom and to offer alternatives. We tend to not want to hear what they are telling us because it usually boils down to ideas like you have the same power I do and each of us has similar obligations to care for our brothers and sisters. This brings a level of responsibility that many of us are not ready for, or willing to take on, and this is uncomfortable. And so, the tendency is to conform in one way or another. What we are missing is this…a true nonconformist gains a sense of power and authority that a conformist can never know. Why? Because chances are she has faced a certain amount of rejection, encountered her weaknesses, and risen above them with a newfound self-respect and inner authority.
And so, going back to what will bring about the most authentic and joyful experience of life and of Ministry? What makes my heart sing? What is mine to do and what is not? I sit with these questions as I prepare to lead us in envisioning our next-yet-to-be.
The Science of Mind and Spirit is about waking up to what lives in us so that our authenticity can come forward and offer its gifts to the world. I have found that in addition to asking questions about what if mine to do, it is also helpful to sit with these possibly deeper, and maybe more challenging questions. First, what fears, opinions, and beliefs are standing between me and my best self and highest experience of life? What is it about my path that I’m pretending not to know? What am I tolerating right now? Where am I simply conforming? The answers to questions like these give me the actual, factual truth about the life I am living.
I will share a simple example to encourage you to play with these questions for yourself. I’ve been pretending that I am giving my body all of the care it needs to remain healthy…not intentionally lying, just not quite getting around to getting enough exercise and pretending that it’s okay because I’ll do it tomorrow. And what am I tolerating right now? Carrying more weight on my body than I ever have and being very uncomfortable with my physical body. This is a practice of radical self-honesty that is helpful in getting to the root of what is blocking my next stage of evolution.
And with that, I move forward…ready for more self-reflection, trusting that you will be doing your own…and knowing that as each member of our community steps into and lives from a more authentic life, our community is growing into its own unique form that offers a Spiritual Home, a Sanctuary for the spirit, to many nonconforming (but not rebellious) individuals, each bringing his gifts to bare and to share in the world. I look forward to all that is yet to be in, through and AS Mystic Heart.
May we all be well…stay in touch…know our unity…and thrive!
And may we know the Absolute Beauty and Wonder of this Grace-filled, once-in-a lifetime day…