Going Out of My Head
Sunday, June 23, 2024
Rev. Diana Johnson, with Chris Netto, RScP, Chris Johnson, RScP, & musician Dalton Fitzgerald.
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:  |
| 18:12 | Guided Meditation | |
| 49:04 | Conscious Conversation |
Taizé
Rev. Diana – We follow the sound of the bell inward… 3 Bells
Chris N. – Opening Prayer
Rev. Diana – Good morning. Happy Solstice…a couple of days ago. If you’re new with us here this morning, my name is Rev. Diana Johnson, and I am the Pastor and Spiritual Director of Mystic Heart Spiritual Center. We are an Independent Interfaith Community that teaches Universal Principles and Practical Spirituality. We open our doors in welcome, trusting that you will be led to the Guidance and Wisdom of your own Mystic Heart. We begin our Taizé with Musical Prayer.
Rev. Diana, Chris J., & Dalton – Taizé Chants
- Welcome Home to Your Mystic Heart, written by Diana & Chris Johnson
- One Breath at a Time, written by Karen Drucker
Rev. Diana – Grounding more deeply into our Center, we feel gratitude for the multitude of gifts we are given this day… taking a long, slow, deep breath in, filling your heart with love…and as you exhale, releasing that love into the world… Now slowly inhaling a deep sense of Peace… and exhaling, sharing Peace with all that is… Abiding in the Presence of the One…
Remember with me now that all of Creation is the expression of Spirit… the body of God… Each of us is a unique thread in the beautiful tapestry of Life… A strand of consciousness weaving in and out of one another to reveal the splendor of our Unity… This morning we connect in consciousness with each other as human family, and with our Global Community… with our plant and animal siblings… with our Mother Earth, her waters, her minerals, her mountains, her weather… with our Grandfather Sky, his clouds, his stars, his planets, his galaxies… All expressions of The Infinite Nature of Spirit… each absolutely necessary to the whole…
As we acknowledge that we are all of One Essence, One Substance, One Source, we grow in compassion, empathy, and understanding. Firmly grounded in this awareness, we recognize that all that we offer into the world in thought, word, or action, affects the Whole.
With our hearts and minds consciously centered in Spirit, our collective prayer and meditation leave an imprint of Presence on human evolution, and on the world, for all time…
This month, our contemplations are centered in New Beginnings, and this morning’s theme is Going Out of My Head.
Early on, as we begin to consciously engage with this Spiritual Journey we call Life, we might be led to read, to listen to teachers, to study, as our primary way of exposing ourselves to new ideas, principles, and practices. We might learn a new vocabulary…begin to use familiar words in new ways. Although we may add meditation, prayer, and other practices to the mix, we tend to be in the acquiring of new information, new knowledge. And this is perfectly normal and natural. We are human beings…our brains are made for taking in new things and integrating the new into the old. There will never be a time when our spiritual journey will be completely free of this kind of mind activity.
Over time, if we are progressing…growing, changing, gaining in understanding, about ourselves and the world around us, we see the need to move out of our heads a bit…to consciously guide what our minds are taking in down towards the heart. Some have called this the longest journey we will ever make.
What might this look like? We begin the study of a tradition that teaches that God is not outside of us…that there is no old man in the sky who will hear and answer our prayers…that all of creation is infused with Spirit…
…that It is an intelligence, a sentience, that fills, surrounds, and expresses as everything that exists. This runs counter to all that we were taught.
We contemplate this idea, seek out authors, teachers…different ways of explaining this concept so that we might better understand. At some point, we are simply going in circles, finding more and more of the same. It is time to use the power of imagination to move what we are thinking down the path that connects the head with the heart. Try it with me now…think to yourself, God is expressing and experiencing Itself as all that is…there is nothing else. Imagine slowly moving this thought from the top of your head, down your spine, and landing it in your heart. How does it feel to you? (Pause)
Now guide that feeling down just a little further, landing it in your gut. How does it feel? (Pause)
Finally, allow that feeling to radiate out into your body, into your arms and legs, hands, and feet…feel the Presence of that Truth as a lived experience. (Pause)
These are the beginning steps to embodying Truth. Whenever you come across a new concept, start by reflecting or contemplating its meaning. And then, use your power of imagination to move it down into the body.
The human body is very wise. It is designed to serve as a vehicle for the Spirit, but also as a guide for the soul.
Chris – Guided Meditation
It has been said that the spiritual path is only one cubit in length… the eighteen to twenty inches between our brain and our heart… that we must accept the Wisdom Teachings both mentally and emotionally… But does it stop there?… Does accepting Spiritual Truth into our heart constitute complete embodiment?…
Consider what happens when we eat food… our body distributes the nutrients to every cell of our body… To fully digest Spiritual Truth, we must do the same… We allow it to penetrate our entire being… not just the heart and head… we let it infuse all of our life processes, both the conscious and unconscious…
Both the Hebrew prophet Ezekiel[i] and John of Patmos[ii] were commanded to “eat this scroll”… to go beyond simply learning its contents… to fully embody its Wisdom… to make it a part of their very being… Full embodiment of Divine Wisdom infuses all that we are – heart, mind, body, and soul – with Spirit…
Our autonomic nervous system controls our unconscious, automatic life processes… breathing… digestion… the beating of our heart… Good nutrition and exercise keep it healthy… Similarly, we may set an intention for our Spiritual Practices to nourish us at both the conscious and subconscious levels…
As we share our three minutes of Sacred Silence this morning, I invite you to think of a Spiritual Truth you deeply believe… Imagine it penetrating your autonomic nervous system… automatically flowing throughout your body… every heartbeat pumping Love, Compassion, and Understanding to every cell… Each breath filling you with Peace, Hope, and Inspiration… and allow fear and negativity to dissolve into their native nothingness… Give the Divine Beloved full access to all of you…
Silence – 3:00
Thank you, Creator for this time of blessed communion with you and with my brothers and sisters in this Spiritual Family… Thank you for this deeper embodiment of your Truth and Love… and for all the gifts and blessings of this day… May we never forget who and Whose we are…
The Truth is, Spirit is already fully present in every cell of our bodies… in every organ… every system… We are entirely made of God-Stuff… The purpose of our Spiritual Practice is to realize and maintain our awareness of that Deep Truth…
As Rev. Diana resumes her Taizé inspiration this morning, I receive her wisdom with all that I am… Opening the passage between my brain and body… I embody Spiritual Truth and I feel it Going Out of My Head…
Rev. Diana – Embodied Truth…the body is wise and can help guide us to what is True. But there is another level of embodiment…this is when we bring our actions into alignment with what our hearts, guts, and bodies tell us is True. Where once we may have reacted in a particular way, we now respond differently…automatically…without thought.
Where once we may have learned about what foods are good for the human body, and even which ones are best for us as individuals, we now take those foods in daily, as sustenance, nourishment…and are no longer tempted by those foods that are harmful to us…again, it has become automatic…there is no longer the need to make a decision. What was once knowledge has become embodied.
Where once we had strong feelings about a condition in society…maybe read about the treatment of one group of people or another…
…even felt compassion for the pain of their plight, we are now spending some of our time and life energy in creating solutions…getting involved at the physical level, doing what we can to remedy the situation. What was once an opinion and the related feelings about a condition, has become hands and feet, on the ground, making a difference. The process of embodiment looks different for every person because each of us has different gifts to offer…something that is uniquely ours to do…something we are responsible for in the grand scheme.
How do we come to know what that is? Introspection, reflection, self-examination…asking for Divine Wisdom to show the way, and then watching…listening. The way will become clear.
In the Gospel of Thomas, Logion 3, Yeshua says, “When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known. And if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty, and it is you who are that poverty.” In other words, if we do not pursue the path of self-knowledge, allowing daily tasks, material acquisition, or other circumstances to distract us from the path we were meant to walk, and the gifts we were meant to give, we are missing out on the richness that life has to offer. Modern mystic Andrew Harvey writes that
like all authentic mystical teachers, Jesus places the responsibility for the ‘real life’ squarely on the shoulders of each human being: he does not claim to be the savior who will initiate everyone into this ‘abundant life’: he is the sign that such a life is possible, but the work and sacrifice and passionate search for awakening have to be chosen and undertaken individually by each person. Each person has to will new life, and to go on and on choosing it to be transformed; every grace and divine help will be given, but the choice is always ours and ours alone. Divine love will not force anyone to enter or realize the Kingdom.
(Son of Man, Andrew Harvey)
This is huge…a lot of responsibility…a fantastic challenge…an amazing opportunity. I Am Going Out of My Head…living from the heart, listening to intuition…and taking action. The choice to study, learn and grow is ours…the choice to ask for the heart’s guidance is ours…the choice to embody what is True…to take action, to be in service or not, is ours. Every moment offers us choice. What will your next choice be?
Join me in Prayer… There is ever and always One Thing going on…Life unfolding…Spirit giving of themselves as all of creation.
Timeless, eternal…and yet moving in, through and as the cycles and seasons of Nature, and of our lives.
Invisible, taking up no space, and yet everywhere present.
Neither intelligent, nor sentient…but rather, Intelligence and Sentience in action.
There is nothing else.
Impossible to understand with my brain, I move this prayer into my heart, into my gut…One Life…One Presence…One Spirit…God.
I Am that…there is nothing else that I can be.
Feeling it in my heart, in my gut… I Am a perfect and intentional expression of the Divine…one with All That Is.
I choose to give more and more time and attention to the embodiment of this Truth.
My thoughts are becoming more loving, compassionate, grateful, and kind each day.
My words are becoming more gentle, caring, supportive, and True in every moment.
And my life is becoming a visible expression of who I Am here to be, as I reflect more and more of my Sacred Self into the world.
Thank you, Spirit, for this beautiful day…another opportunity to recognize, feel, and express the Beauty and Joy of Life.
Thank you for this Spiritual Family, for the love and support that I find in this place, with these people.
Thank you for the constant flow of blessings, whether they look graceful, or whether they challenge me to grow in resilience, love, integrity, and faith.
It is all here for my Good, whether I see the blessing or not.
I ask to be shown and listen to Guidance…trusting and knowing that as Spirit prays me…inspires me to pray and know…that the Kingdom is coming to Earth…that by means of me, by means of us, we are creating a Love-Soaked World.
And so, I rest…in deep faith that my prayer is answered even before it is spoken, and trusting that even now, our world is changing…So be it. Amen!
Following a moment of silent contemplation, I invite you into musical meditation.
Rev. Diana, Dalton, & Chris J. – Musical Meditation
- Pray Me, written by Diana & Chris Johnson
Rev. Diana – I invite you to Come back into the awareness of your body…notice the atmosphere in the room, and when you feel ready, gently opening your eyes and allowing your gaze to take in whatever is before you.
Feel free to look around and say good morning to everyone who is here celebrating with you this morning.
This is your Spiritual Family…one of your support systems. These are some of the people who care about you and are there for you.
Rev. Diana – Offertory
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 thank you in advance for your gifts. We acknowledge and give thanks for the infinite abundance of Spirit. We are Living in the Overflow!
Rev. Diana, Dalton, & Chris J. – Offertory Music
- Speak, Lord, written by Diana Johnson
Rev. Diana – Blessing for the Offering
Feel free to grab a cup of something warm next door and meet us back at 10:30 for a Conscious Conversation. We’ll bless you on your way with A Soul’s Blessing.
Rev. Diana, Dalton, & Chris J. – Taizé Closing Song
- A Soul’s Blessing, written by Chris Johnson
Conscious Conversation
Chris N. – Opening Prayer
Rev. Diana – Good morning…Happy Solstice a couple of days ago…and welcome, or welcome back…and welcome to those joining online. And Happy Father’s Day! If you’re new with us here this morning… my name is Rev. Diana Johnson, and I am the Pastor here at Mystic Heart. We are an Independent Interfaith Community that teaches Universal Principles and Practical Spirituality. We open our doors in welcome, trusting that you will be led to the Guidance and Wisdom of your own Mystic Heart.
Opening Music
- Welcome to the Mystic Heart, written by Diana & Chris Johnson
- One Big Family, written by Robin Hackett & Gary Lynn Floyd
- Opening Up (in Sweet Surrender), from Rainbow Spirit, Oregon
Let’s take a creative journey…calling upon the full power of both mind and heart…engaging the body…and joining with one another in the imaginal realm, in service to the creation of a Love-Soaked World.
See and feel with me now, a world in which all inhabitants of this planet live from our Highest Potential… Kindness, Generosity, and Compassion… Peace…Cooperation.
In this new world, all people honor and care for one another, for all of the life forms that share this beautiful planet with us, and for Mother Earth Herself.
We remember that we are connected to all of Life… that we are dependent on the planet to sustain us, and on one another.
By aligning our every thought, word, and action with our vision, we are creating a world in which all people are well-fed… have the safety and comfort of home and a deep sense of purpose and belonging. A world in which health, education, and healthy relationships are supported by social systems grounded in Integrity, Compassion and Wholeness.
Valuing every being for its uniqueness… we practice living truly Authentic lives where vulnerability is celebrated… there is no need to defend or protect. The work we are doing within ourselves shows up as a world free of hatred and violence.
We recognize the abundance that surrounds us… greed is a thing of the past, as generosity flows freely in every direction, and all beings gratefully receive all that is needed to live physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually fulfilling lives.
The planet and its beings thrive like never before as we learn to recognize the sacred in everyone and everything… and we walk in reverence and gratitude for all that we have been given.
We maintain this Vision day by day, moment by moment; we align our actions with our Vision, living these changes first in our own lives, with our families, friends, and neighbors… and one neighborhood, one community at a time, a new world is being born. In this process of profound change, this Beloved Community stands as an open and welcoming place for all who seek support, belonging, Family.
By the power of our deep faith and inspired action, this prayer is acted upon, answered even as it is spoken, for Spirit knows our heart’s desire and intent. In full expectation of its Graceful unfolding…we release our prayer to the Creative Power and Intelligence that I call God… to the One that gets it done… Let It Be!… Amen!
Bringing awareness back to the body, to the room, to this beautiful life, and to the amazing beings who share this space with us this morning…look around to say good morning to your Spiritual Family.
Our theme this month is New Beginnings, and the topic of Conversation today is Going Out of My Head.
This morning during Taizé, we spent time reflecting on how the conscious spiritual journey often begins with something we’ve heard or read that piques our interest…something different than what we have been told was true. We often look for books, teachers, or other sources of information to help grow our understanding. In other words, even if we’ve had some kind of mystical experience, we use our brains, our intellectual capacities, to support our spiritual growth. And then at some point, it is no longer enough to know about Spiritual Truth, about the Higher Power…we feel a longing to know and experience God directly. Here begins the journey of embodiment.
We shared a short Practice that I would like to offer you here. We’ll use that experience as a springboard for our conversation. Let’s begin by closing our eyes and taking a deep breath in…and then letting it go, relaxing the body…relaxing the jaw…letting the chair hold your full weight.
Now hold this though in your mind… God is expressing and experiencing Itself as all that is…I Am an expression of God…God is expressing and experiencing Itself as all that is…I Am an expression of God. Stay with this thought for just a moment. Take note of how that feels… (Pause)
Now imagine slowly moving this thought from the top of your head, down your spine, and landing it in your heart. How does it feel?
Now guide that feeling down just a little further, landing it in your gut. How does that feel? (Pause)
Finally, allow that feeling to radiate out into your body, into your arms and legs, hands, and feet…feel the Presence of that Truth as a lived experience.
This is a Practice that can move you in the direction of embodiment.
Go ahead and open your eyes.
Anyone care to share the experience?
Feeling, experiencing, and expressing the Presence of Spirit in and through the physical body is one form of embodiment.
What other things do you do to Practice this kind of embodiment?
There was another kind of embodiment we talked about this morning.
Anyone remember what that looked like?
(we bring our actions into alignment with what our hearts, guts, and bodies tell us is True. Where once we may have reacted in a particular way, we now respond differently…automatically…without thought…we are truly different people than we were)
Does anyone have an example of such a change in yourself that you would like to share?
(I was a very fearful child…many of the things that used to scare me no longer do; examples from Taizé – foods; feelings about social conditions…What was once an opinion and the related feelings about a condition, has become hands and feet, on the ground, making a difference)
How do you think this change occurred? Was it a conscious process for you, or did it seem to just happen?
In my case, I had to take actions to allow my fears to slowly subside, and eventually melt away. It didn’t just happen by itself.
The process of embodiment looks different for every person because each of us has different gifts to offer…something that is uniquely ours to do…something we are responsible for in the grand scheme. Oooh…there’s that word…responsible.
Is it our responsibility to offer our gifts to the world?
What is the outcome if we say ‘yes’ to the offering of our gifts?
What is the outcome if we say ‘no’?
How can we come to know what our unique gifts are?
(reflection, contemplation, prayer, and deep listening; looking at what you are really good at and love to do…look for your passions…the things that make time stand still)
I’d like to close by sharing a passage from the Gospel of Thomas. Yeshua says, “When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known. And if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty, and it is you who are that poverty.” In other words, if we do not pursue the path of self-knowledge, allowing daily tasks, material acquisition, or other circumstances to distract us from the path we were meant to walk, and the gifts we were meant to give, we are missing out on the richness that life has to offer.
Listen carefully to this commentary from modern mystic Andrew Harvey, then we’ll discuss it.
He writes that
like all authentic mystical teachers, Jesus places the responsibility for the ‘real life’ squarely on the shoulders of each human being: he does not claim to be the savior who will initiate everyone into this ‘abundant life’: he is the sign that such a life is possible, but the work and sacrifice and passionate search for awakening have to be chosen and undertaken individually by each person. Each person has to will new life, and to go on and on choosing it to be transformed; every grace and divine help will be given, but the choice is always ours and ours alone. Divine love will not force anyone to enter or realize the Kingdom.
(Son of Man, Andrew Harvey)
Thoughts? How do you feel listening to this passage?
Anything else that wants to be shared before we close in prayer?
Then join me in prayer…
Let’s move into the heart space…deeper and deeper inward…
Allow yourself to return to the Truth about your…
To your Divine Center, your True Nature…
At the heart of all that is…One Source…One Life…One…
Forever Loving, forever giving of Their Infinite Nature
Becoming all of creation, experiencing Life as me, as you, as all that has ever existed and all that will ever be.
I Am, You Are, made of God Stuff…there is nothing else.
Created in the image and likeness of Source…
Pure, unblemished, Whole and Complete…
We know this as we open the eye of the heart…
Take a moment to feel and know your own Divinity.
We give thanks for this beautiful day, and all of the blessings that are constantly showered down upon us, and around us.
We give thanks for the opportunity to gather with our chosen family in celebration and communion with God.
We give thanks for this amazing life, with all that it brings…those things that are graceful, easy, and beautiful…and those circumstances that grow me in patience, resilience, character, and Love.
We give thanks for, and celebrate our diversity during this month of June, so grateful to have a community where are all truly welcomed and valued.
From this place of gratitude, and in faith that my prayer is answered even before it is spoken, I release it now to the Loving and Lawful Presence that I call God. It is done…And so it is! Amen!
Take a moment to allow your awareness to return to your body, to this space, to this beautiful gathering…welcome back.
Rev. Diana – Love Offering
I 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 also have a Gracious Giving Program for those who would like to make a heartfelt monthly commitment of support so that we can more effectively budget and plan for our growth.
Thank you, Dalton, for joining us this week. It’s always great to have you here. We’re going to share a couple of songs today, since we can. This first one invites us to pay attention to the kinds of questions we are asking of Spirit. Listen carefully.
Rev. Diana, Dalton, & Chris J. – Offertory Music
- It’s Already Present in Mind, written by Diana Johnson
- It’ll Happen in its Own Sweet Time, written by Chris Johnson
Chris N. – Blessing for the Offering
Chris N. – Invitations
- The Mystic Heart Book Club is meeting on Tuesdays from 3-5 pm. We are enjoying great discussions as we read Conversations With God, Book 1.
- Please consider joining us on Wednesday for our weekly work session on the new building. Gather at 1:00pm in the new location to lend a hand. We have jobs for everyone. Wear your grubbies!
- Fast Track to Wellness will gather this week on Thursday from 12 – 2 pm. Drop-ins are welcome. Come and check us out!
Mark your calendar…
- April and Maile are offering a Family Fishing Adventure on Saturday, July 6th from 9:00-11:30 am, including a light lunch. Suggested donation: $20/person. This is a Mystic Heart Fun-Raiser. Payment in advance is appreciated to reserve your spot and guide the preparation of food. Contact April for more information.
- Mystic OAKS will be going on adventure to Lavineyard Farms, plus Dakaro Cellars Winery in Whitmore California, Saturday July 13, 2024,10 am- 3:00 p.m. Meet to carpool at 9:00 am, or meet us at the Farm at 10:00. Bring a picnic lunch, tour the farm, and gather a bundle of Lavender to take home. There are flyers available for you to take.
- Please join April Jimenez-WinterSky, Saturday, July 20th from 11am to 1:30pm for part 2 of the Dancing the Wheel Workshop. Suggested donation: $20 Snacks will be provided.
There is more information available in the June Bulletin and online.
Information Cards if new people
Prayer Requests: I am available after service for prayer, or fill out a prayer card and I will get your request to our Prayer Team for daily prayer – We invite everyone to help us make a private space for prayer here in the Sanctuary by joining us next door for lunch
Rev. Diana, Dalton, & Chris J. – Closing Song
- Love Be With You, written by Lainey Bernstein, RScP & Gary Lynn Floyd
Notes:
[i] Ezekiel 3:3
[ii] Revelation 10:9
©2024 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.