God Mind, Human Mind
Sunday, May 4, 2025
Rev. Diana Johnson, IM, RScM, with Chris Netto, RScP, & Chris Johnson, RScP.
Video Chapter Index
| 0:00 | Taizé | Clicking on a chapter link will play the segment in a new YouTube tab. Your link to this page will remain open in this tab, but the video will play in the new window. Clicking on the Play arrow in the video screen above will play both Taizé and the Conscious Conversation on this page. To make the picture bigger, you may click the full screen icon in the lower right corner:  To cast the video to your Smart TV, click the Play on TV button:  . Also, we now have Closed Captioning available! To access Closed Captions, start the video and click on the CC icon next to the gear in the lower right of the video screen:  |
| 23:55 | Guided Meditation | |
| 46:12 | Conscious Conversation |
Taizé
Rev. Diana – Call to Awareness 3 Bells
Chris N – Opening Prayer
Rev. Diana – Good morning, and welcome…if you’re new with us here this morning… my name is Rev. Diana` Johnson. We begin our Taizé Journey in musical prayer.
Rev. Diana & Chris J – Taizé Chants
- Welcome Home to Your Mystic Heart, written by Diana & Chris Johnson
- I Am the One Within You, written by Karen Drucker & Janet Carol Ryan
Rev. Diana – We begin our meditative journey this morning by closing our eyes and settling into this space…becoming aware of the breath…allowing the breath to anchor us…deeply rooted in the present. The past has come to completion. The future has yet to be created. And in the sacred moment of here and now, we enter into ritual…we form and hold a powerful Vision.
Together, we envision a web of Consciousness surrounding and infusing the earth…we see and feel ourselves to be a point of radiant Light in that web…and we recognize every human as a spark of Divinity.
We expand our Vision to include every creature, every plant, every rock and grain of sand…the soil…the water…the clouds and wind…the heavenly bodies…all aglow with the Light of Spirit. I feel and know that my Light is enmeshed with yours, and with all of Creation.
Sensing our interconnectedness, we acknowledge our role as caretakers…in Sacred Service to one another…to all life forms…and to the planet that sustains us all.
Acknowledging our connection with all of life, our collective Work here is empowered…Where two or more are gathered, the seeds of Peace are sown…the Power of Love is amplified…we become conduits for Grace.
Grounded in Wholeness and a deep sense of Connection, we share this time of Reflection, contemplating the idea of Human Mind, God Mind.
We begin every Taizé, and every Affirmative Prayer, with the recognition that there is only One Source, One Life, One Thing going on here, and that One Thing is God emanating and expressing Itself as all of creation. We believe in One Power, God Power…in One Life, the Life of Spirit…in One Mind, God Mind. And yet, each of us has an individual capacity for thought, analysis, and choice. Science points to not only the brain, but also the heart and gut as working together to form the individual human mind.
We might call the One Mind Consciousness or Awareness; you may know It as the Universal Intelligence that runs in and through and expresses AS all that is. You might understand It to be the Field of Infinite Potential. You might call It God, Spirit, Creator, any number of other names. But words can never define the Infinite.
As Lao Tzu spoke in ancient times, “The Tao that can be expressed is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be defined is not the unchanging name.”
Let’s consider the perspective of Unity Minister Linda Martella Whitsett. She directs us to the first three words in the Hebrew Torah: “In the beginning, God. In the beginning, Good. God/Good is in the beginning – the origin of every vision, of every hope and dream. In the beginning, One Mind…the headwaters of a river are the starting point or source, just as the source of all ideas is One Mind, out of which all ideas flow.”
Rather than ‘In the beginning,’ I have also heard it translated ‘In beginnings’…God.
One Source, One Life, One Mind…
There is something about the idea of One Mind that challenges us. If all ideas stem from One Mind, does that mean that harmful or negative thoughts have their roots in that same Mind…in God Mind? This is where the human mind comes in.
Each of us has a set of filters…thoughts, beliefs, opinions, experiences…that color the lens through which ideas flow, causing us to misinterpret the ideas in the One Mind. A spiritual quality or idea might be Wholeness…the body is made for healing and heals naturally…but my beliefs and experiences change my perception, so my body is at the mercy of my environment. For example, an idea in the Mind of God might be Absolute Abundance. There may even be evidence in Nature to support this idea. But my filters cause my perception to be “there is never enough of what I need.”
This is the human mind at work. The human mind is made up of the conscious mind…that which we are aware of…and the subconscious mind…that which we are not aware of. 95% of the time, we are acting from our subconscious, not realizing why things happen the way they do.
What a blessing to know that we can choose to encourage our human mind to move in the direction of alignment with the One Mind. As soon as we become aware that we are at choice, we can choose to redirect our mistaken thinking to what we know as True. We can become aware of the stories that have been running us and let them go…trade them in for new, more empowering stories.
Meditation Music – Everything New, by Daniel Nahmod
We use the Power of Imagination to create our life’s experiences. Whether consciously or unconsciously, it makes no difference. The pictures we form in our human minds are creative. The character of our consciousness determines the quality of its imaginings. A fearful consciousness imagines the worst, drawing upon personal experience and a collective consciousness of fear for ideas.
The good news is that we are equally capable of imagining the best as we are the worst. “In fact, imagining the best is an innate evolutionary drive that becomes easier with practice. We can practice conceiving of harmony when undergoing challenges…we can conceive of our loved one’s wholeness…during his or her illness…our conceiving power is unlimited.” (Divine Audacity, Linda Martella Whitsett)
Chris J – Guided Meditation
Everything in the material world is a reflection of the Divine Image… the vast diversity of manifest creation mirrors different facets of the Infinite Spirit… Human beings are created in the image and likeness of God… and we reflect that Image with the same clarity with which we understand and embody Spirit’s Divine Qualities…
As finite beings, we can never fully embody the Infinite Intelligence of God… Our human mind is Divine Consciousness in essence… but not in capacity… Human intelligence, love, and joy are our necessarily limited expressions of those Divine attributes… indistinct reflections of the Spirit that indwells us…
St. Paul likened our imperfect expression of God to a smudged, dusty, or bent mirror that distorts the image it reflects… in the same way, our human imperfections affect the clarity with which we reflect God’s Image… we Love, but not unconditionally… we express Joy, but also sorrow… we have Intelligence, but we are not all-knowing…
We polish the mirror through our spiritual practice of self-inquiry… we identify and heal any beliefs, feelings, and attachments that distort the Image of Ultimate Reality as reflected by us… This can be quite uncomfortable… but, as the Sufi poet Rumi reminds us, “If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?…”
We all have situations or people in our lives that are difficult to deal with… that rub us the wrong way… In our three minutes of Silent Meditation this morning, I invite you to bring to mind a particular person or circumstance that has irritated you… Gently and without judgment of self or other… examine the feelings that come up… How might they be distorting the Divine Image that you reflect?… Imagine that the resistance you feel is scouring the grime from your mirror… and allowing Spirit to shine forth more purely…
Silence – 3:00
Thank you, Great Spirit, for this time of Sacred Communion with you and with my Beloved Community… and thank you for the people and situations that challenge me… that grow my patience and resilience… and that polish the mirror so that I may reflect you more clearly… May I never forget that they are my Sacred Friends…
No human has the capability to reflect Spirit perfectly… but with a sincere intention supported by consistent spiritual practice, we can express our divinity more and more clearly… we can correct the distortions… We may still be imperfect… but we are perfectly imperfect…
As Rev. Diana continues her Taizé meditation, we open our hearts to her reflection of Spirit… to her inspiration… and we allow ourselves to be empowered to reflect God Mind in our own Human Mind…
Rev. Diana – Going back to the Hebrew Scripture, “…God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26)
Notice that in this verse of the Jewish Creation Mythology, God refers to themselves in the plural…one interpretation of ‘our image and likeness’ might be ‘with all of the qualities of Spirit inherently given…of the same Essence…the same Substance…’
Given dominion over the fish and birds and livestock and every creeping thing. We note the difference between dominion, or self-mastery, and domination, physical control over another. Symbolically, animals represent our thoughts…birds and fish, those thoughts that align with Spiritual Awareness or God qualities…Freedom, Abundance, and Infinite Possibility; the livestock, those thoughts that are in line with material consciousness; and the creeping things…those thoughts that would best be transformed into something more life-affirming.
From Genesis Chapter 2: “Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.” (Genesis 2:19)
We were given the power to label things, to give them names. And whatever we name them, that is what they become in our experience. We have the power to create our experience according to our perception, according to our Word.
Join me as we close in Affirmative Prayer…
There is only One Life, One Heart, One Mind…and I call that One God…expressing Themselves as all of Creation.
Each of us is a perfect and intentional expression of Spirit, here on purpose with a Purpose. There are no accidents, no mistakes, no imperfections in God.
I trust and know that my human mind serves as the perfect Guide. I listen to what my head, heart, and gut have to say as I move through my days. I accept this Guidance as the loving Voice of Spirit, speaking through my human faculties.
Musical Meditation – Spirit’s Prayer by Gary Lynn Floyd
Right here and now in this Sacred moment, in the Presence of the One Mind, I accept the loving Spirit that dwells in me…I align my human mind with the One Mind…Thy Will be done.
Thank you, Spirit, for this beautiful day and for the countless blessings that flow freely through my Life.
I release this prayer trusting that it has opened the way for Grace to move through the coming week. And so it has. And so it is! Amen!
We bring our awareness back to this space, and to our Community. As you feel ready, look around and really see those beautiful souls who are gathered here with you this morning.
Rev. Diana – Love Offering
As we close our Taizé Meditation, we offer the opportunity for you to share your financial good in support of the work we do in the world. If you’re joining us online, you can find a Donate Button and our mailing address at mysticheart.org.
We are an independent, self-supporting organization, and your financial gifts are what make it possible for us to do our work and provide this beautiful and safe space to gather.
As we honor the Spiritual Practice of Circulation, please enjoy this light-hearted reminder.
Offertory Video – Mr. Thankful
Rev. Diana – Blessing for the Offering
Rev. Diana & Chris J – Taizé Closing Song
- A Soul’s Blessing, written by Chris Johnson
Conscious Conversation
Chris N – Opening Prayer
Rev. Diana – Welcome or welcome back and thank you for being here. I know you’ll be glad you came. If you’re new with us here this morning… my name is Rev. Diana Johnson, and I am the Pastor and Spiritual Director of Mystical Heart Spiritual Center. We are an Independent Interfaith Community that teaches Universal Principles and Practical Spirituality. It is my sincere hope that something you hear this morning will lead you back to the Wisdom and Guidance of your own Mystic Heart.
Let’s get our Conversation started by joining our voices in song and giving our bodies a chance to wake up!
Rev. Diana & Chris J – Opening Music
- Welcome to the Mystic Heart, written by Diana & Chris Johnson
- One Big Family, written by Robin Hackett & Gary Lynn Floyd
- Song – Look for the Good (Chorus only)
Rev. Diana – Take a moment to feel the presence of God in your body…close your eyes and hold out your hands so that they’re not touching anything. How do you know your hands are there if you can’t see them? You can feel them, can’t you? Do you notice that when you focus on your hands, there is an energy there…you can feel it…it is the Presence of God, the Presence of Life moving through your body. Now join me in Sacred Ritual as we embody our Connection with Spirit…feel your feet rooted to the earth, feel the energy moving up through your feet, flowing through your body.
Feel the Power of Creation moving through you as together, we hold our Vision of a Love-Soaked World
Feel and know with me a world in which all humans are living from their deepest Wisdom, their most generous and Loving nature…thoughtful of the impact their thoughts, words, and actions have on one another, on the community, and on the planet…remembering that every thought, word, and action does have an impact…does leave an imprint…
This is a world where all needs are met gracefully and easily because we have learned to live according to our generous nature…where all beings have plenty of nourishing food…warm, comfortable, and affordable housing…a sense of safety and belonging……where mental/physical health, education, and healthy relationships are ensured by social systems grounded in Integrity and Wholeness…where honesty rules the day…
This is a world in which all beings work and play at what feeds their soul and are well compensated for their Service…are valued and respected for their inherent Goodness…where authenticity and vulnerability are welcomed and celebrated…where the Peace we cultivate within ourselves shows up as a world free of hatred or violence.
Feel and know with me now, a world without greed, where generosity is the norm…where every being receives all that is needed for a full and contented life.
By the Power of our collective intention, powerful imagining, and inspired action we are writing a new story…we are creating a world that works for all beings. We grant no importance or power to appearances, knowing that transformation is underway here and now. Whatever it may look like, we know that all is always being turned to Good. And so we walk in gratitude, respect, reverence, and humility, acknowledging the sacred in everyone and everything…planting seeds of Peace.
It is through our hands, feet, hearts, and voices that positive change is happening as we align our actions with our Vision, living these changes in our own lives, with our families, friends, and neighbors. This Community stands as an open and welcoming place for all who seek support, belonging, and a sense of Family…it redefines Church as a place of Self-Discovery, Authenticity, Kindness, and Love, as we are Guided to the Truth that lies within every heart.
By the Creative Power of our deep Knowing, clear Vision, and inspired Action, that this prayer is acted upon, even as it is spoken.
In full acceptance of its Reality, and with the deepest gratitude, we release our Word to the One Who Gets It Done…And so it is!…Amen!
Let’s take a moment to bask in that creative and powerful energy…look around to say good morning to your Spiritual Family.
This morning our topic has been God Mind, Human Mind. During Taizé, we spent time contemplating the creative power of our human minds and how many times we are unconsciously creating as we move through the world. And we talked about the One Mind, God Mind, and how we can use our human mind to guide us to Higher Ground, back into alignment with the Truth of Who We Are.
Are you ready for some Conscious Conversation? I’m going to change things up a little bit and start by sharing some short readings. I invite you to listen, take them in, pay attention to what comes into your mind, and then I’ll ask you a question. Okay?
“Life has a way of getting our attention. For the longest time, I didn’t want change. Now change wanted me…I had come to the end of one way of being. But I hadn’t found a new way forward.”
What is the first thing that comes to mind?
Is that your human mind, or the Divine Mind speaking?
How do you know? (Fear, Love; contraction, expansion; reaction, response)
How did you feel?
If your human mind reacted first, how might God Mind have responded?
Okay, next quote: “It took your whole life to get you here, so now what? What’s calling you?”
What is the first thing that comes to mind?
Is that your human mind, or the Divine Mind speaking?
How do you know?
How did you feel?
If your human mind reacted first, how might Divine Mind have responded?
How does the human mind tend to speak to us? What does it sound like?
(Personality-based, ego-based; concerned for its human self, protective; self-centered; what’s in it for me? thoughts moving through the brain)
How does the Divine Mind tend to speak to us? What does it sound like?
(More global, concerned about the good of the whole; how can I help? cooperative; comes sometimes through intuition or insight)
Let’s switch gears a little bit…I’ll bring it back around, I promise.
What is transformation?
(Transformation is organic, natural, and inevitable; a continual process of moving to a new stage that transcends and includes the old)
The process of evolution is a cycle of transcending and including. What does that mean…transcend and include?
(Keeping what serves you in moving beyond where you are now. Real transformation means getting to know your default story and loosening your grip on it; transformation is a choice)
As we’re forced by life into change, how can we ensure that for all our effort, we are truly making a transformation, and not just changing appearances?
(Our beliefs and behaviors change; we don’t have to try to be different – we just ARE different; the changes become embodied)
Are there some tools or practices that might be helpful in making real transformation?
(Mindfulness – paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally; seeing things as they are, not as we prefer them to be; not taking sides in the push-pull of the mind; it enhances self-awareness, both internal and external; and self-awareness is the key to transformation)
Reflection and self-inquiry lead to Self-awareness, which leads to self-regulation, insight, compassion, empathy, and insight…all of which lead to greater Wisdom. And all of these things are already inside you. You have everything you need to successfully navigate any amount of change, any kind of transformation, if only you can learn to differentiate between the human mind and God Mind…
Moment by moment…catching yourself when the human mind has taken control.
The book of Romans tells us: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
Do not let the senses control you…do not allow the material world determine who you will become but move beyond your current form by changing whatever beliefs do not serve you so that they align more closely with the Divine Mind…with what some might call God’s Will.
Is there anything else that needs to be spoken right now?
I hope this has given you food for thought. Let’s support one another in living lives of Graceful Transformation. Please hold these words as your own prayer of affirmation:
There is only one Infinite Presence, One Divine Mind, expressing Itself as me. Though I appear as an individual, with my own human mind, I know that in Truth, my mind is an expression of the One Mind. As an emanation of the One Source, made in Their image and likeness, I have all that I will ever need to gracefully move from one stage of life to the next. Who I am becoming, I already Am…and always have been, at a soul level. I accept that each stage of transformation is simply the act of allowing all that is here to serve me, to move through me. In this Holy Moment, I set the intention to open, expand, grow, and transform…allowing Spirit’s Energy to move through me, allowing Divine Mind to fill me. I feel, and know, my Oneness with the Power moving through all things, and It is the Power to transform. As I Am changed, so is everything changed. I leave my positive imprint on the future of humanity and our world.
Thank you, Spirit, for the awareness to consciously co-create with You…to wisely use my human mind to align myself with Your Infinite Wisdom.
With a deep sense of gratitude for this Life, this community, and for all the gifts of this and every day, I Gracefully receive even those things that call me to greater character, faith and resilience.
I release this prayer, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that is has been answered. I let go and let God…And so it is! Amen!
Thank you so much for joining me here today. We’re going to bring this part of the morning to a close, but before we do, we’d like to…
Love Offering
…invite you to join in the celebration of the work we are doing in the world by sharing of your financial Good, should you choose to. If you are at home, you can go to mysticheart.org to use our Donate Button or to find our mailing address.
We are an independent, self-supporting organization, and your financial gifts are what make it possible for us to do our work and provide this beautiful and safe space to gather. We thank you in advance for your generous hearts. We acknowledge and give thanks for the Infinite Abundance of Spirit moving through you.
As we engage in the Sacred Practice of Circulation, let’s celebrate the transformation that we are contributing to as day by day, we move to higher and higher ground.
Offertory Music Video – Higher Ground, by Playing for Change
Chris N – Blessing for the Offering
Chris N – Invitations
- The Mystic Heart Book Club meets every Tuesday from 3-5 We are reading Conversations With God, Book 3.
- A Return to Love Book Study meets every Wednesday from 11am – 1 pm. Please have a copy of the book in some form if you plan to attend.
- Fast Track to Wellness meets every Thursday from noon to 2 pm.
- Metaphysical Bible will not meet this Thursday due to the Mystic OAKS Adventure. We will be back next week Thursday from 3-5 pm. We are currently reading The Gospel of Mary Magdalene.
- A Mystic OAKS Adventure: Glowing Wild Lantern Festival at Turtle Bay, this Thursday, May 8th , 7 pm. Join the Spiritual Leaders of Shasta Interfaith in a silent Peace Prayer Walk across the bridge. Additional prayers will be shared inside the park. Rev. Diana’s membership can get out tickets for $15/person. RSVP to get your ticket. Or purchase your ticket at the door for $20.
Looking Ahead…save the date:
- A Mystic OAKS Adventure: The McCleod Mushroom Festival, Saturday, May 24th , Time TBA.
- PARVATI: ECSTATIC KIRTAN, Tuesday, May 27th, 6:30-8:00pm. Requested donation, $20/person. Tickets are available in advance to reserve your seat. Parvati is Mount Shasta’s premier kirtan band, formed in 2023 by Anton Mizerak, tabla and vocals, Alyssa Narum, vocals and harmonium, and Laura Berryhill, vocals and manjira. Kirtan is devotional call-and-response singing in the ancient language of Sanskrit. In ecstatic kirtan we sing, clap, and dance our joy, or simply BE in the flow of musical energy, bringing us closer to the divine heart. Come rock your inner light! Sing and dance with us or pray and meditate to your inner rhythm.
Information Cards only if new people
Prayer Requests: I am available after service for prayer, in our beautiful Prayer Room or fill out a prayer card and I will get your request to our Prayer Team for daily prayer.
Rev. Diana & Chris J – Closing Song
Love Be With You, written by Lainey Bernstein, RScP, & Gary Lynn Floyd
©2025 Mystic Heart Spiritual Center, All Rights Reserved
Permission is granted to duplicate for non-commercial educational use only.
All rights to music performed remain with the copyright owners.
Diana Johnson’s music is © by Barefoot Angel Publishing, ASCAP.
Chris Johnson’s music is © by SeaJay Music & Publishing, ASCAP.