Peaceful, Not Passive

Sunday, August 30, 2026

Rev. Diana Johnson, IM, RScM, with Sherri Dotter, RScP, and musicians Anton Mizerak, Laura Berryhill, & Chris Johnson

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:
14:04	Musical Meditation
20:45	Musical Meditation
42:34	Conscious Conversation

Taizé

Call to Awareness – 3 Bells

Sherri  – Opening Prayer

Rev. Diana – Good morning, and welcome. If you’re new with us here this morning, my name is Rev. Diana Johnson, Pastor and Spiritual Director here at Mystic Heart. I invite you to settle in, bringing awareness to the breath, allowing it to ground you in this space and this time, as we begin our Taizé Meditation by joining our voices in musical prayer.

Anton, Laura, Rev. Diana & Chris – Taizé Chants

• Welcome Home to Your Mystic Heart, written by Diana & Chris Johnson
• O Great Spirit by Gary Lynn Floyd

Rev. Diana – There is no greater blessing than to live a life grounded in Love…trusting and knowing that Love is given freely in any and every moment that we remember…soften…open…and receive. Love is the Eternal Goodness of Spirit, forever flowing. We are connected by Love…in Love, we are One.

(Pause)

Settling more deeply into meditation, see with the mind’s eye, a web of consciousness surrounding and infusing the planet…each of us, a radiant spark of Light…every human being, without exception…the two-legged and four-legged creatures…the swimmers, creepers, and flyers, as well…the plants that give us sustenance and purify our air…the lifeforms below the soil, and the soil itself…the water that flows freely, giving us our very lives…all inextricably connected to and by the Great Mystery…beings of Radiant Light, the Spirit of Love.

We feel and know our oneness with All That Is…and we acknowledge our responsibility to one another as human family, and as caretakers of this beautiful and life-giving planet. With every breath, and in every moment, we sense into the Truth of our Oneness, allowing all lines of separation to dissolve…we are leaving an imprint of Peace, Love, and Presence on all of Creation.

This month, we have shared time in contemplation, looking at what it means to find Freedom from Discord…freedom from internal conflict and external strife…and a greater sense of harmony both within, and without. We reflected on fear and the destructive affect it has on our peace of mind and heart…how it robs us of our freedom. Regaining our sense of autonomy requires that we wake up to ourselves…and begin to consciously place our Faith in Goodness, in Wholeness, in Life Itself, no matter the appearance. It asks that we choose to stand grounded in Love, in the Self-Givingness of Spirit, or Life, trusting and knowing that all is unfolding in Divine Order and Timing.

We spent time in reflection about liminal space…the space between what has been and what is yet to come…those transitional moments of our lives that authentic transformation can happen when we stop and allow everything to be as it is without comment, judgment, or opinion. And finally, we were reminded that the only thing that really needs to be different than it is right now is our perspective…our point of focus. When we make an internal shift, choosing to align with the Deep Peace that is our Nature…forever present and available…we are Free.

Breathe and let the Peace well up within you…let the Peace come down upon you…let the Peace pour out from you, into the space around you…Breathe.

Anton & Laura – Musical Meditation

• Breathe, written by Anton Mizerak

Rev. Diana – Letting go of fear…letting Life be as it is…brings a Freedom from Discord…brings a deep sense of Peace…take another moment to experience Deep Peace in this moment. (Pause) In our letting go and letting God, we are Peaceful…but Not Passive.

Reflecting now on what if means to be passive…(pause)…not acting to influence or change a situation…allowing others to be in control…not only other people, but other thoughts…beliefs…and emotions, as well. Choosing to move from fear into Faith, from discord into Deep Peace…choosing to see every circumstance as either an expression of Love or a cry for Love…these are not passive processes. They take conscious attention, active awareness, willingness, and motion. They require us to stop…to shift perceptions…to change how we are seeing and being in the world.

Anton & Laura – Musical Meditation

• Expression of Love, written by Anton Mizerak

Rev. Diana – Spiritual Living is not a passive process. It is a creative process, a moving, active process. Spirit moves through our hands, feet, hearts and voices to uplift and transform our outer world.

Healthy activism arises naturally when we act from a place of deep Connection with Source, seeing all beings as Beloved Expressions of the Divine. It becomes a Sacred Practice that serves as the connecting link between our inward Work and our Service in the world. It brings a greater understanding, acceptance and experience of the world as a place where the appearance of opposites…inward and outward, spiritual and material, personal and societal…is simply that…an appearance…an illusion…Maya.

Through the Practice of healthy activism, we come to see ourselves as necessary and irreplaceable parts of a larger interconnected Whole, and our actions as essential, even indispensable, for the flourishing of our world.

Every thought, every word, every action…makes a difference. You…make a difference.

Let’s close in prayer…

Source of all Life, acknowledging yet again our Connection with one another, and with your Generous and Powerful Presence, sensing the Light within and shining It forth in the week to come, we close now in musical prayer.

bask just a little bit longer in this prayerful space…(pause)…

And now returning our awareness to this moment, to our bodies…our senses…the atmosphere in the room…gently opening our eyes as it feels right and taking in whatever is before us. Look around at who is sharing in celebration this morning…your Spiritual Family…and honoring each one for sharing space with you this morning…honoring these beautiful souls who share their gift of music with us this morning…Thank you Anton and Laura.

Love Offering

As we prepare to close our Taizé Meditation, we offer the opportunity for you to share of your financial good in support of the work we do. Circulation is a Sacred Practice that supports your Mystic Heart.

It is by your generous gifts that we can continue the Good Work of supporting you and engaging in the greater Community.

If you’re joining us online, at mysticheart.org you can use a Donate Button, a Venmo qr code, or our mailing address to make your contribution. We thank you in advance for your heartfelt generosity.

We are blessed to have time for a couple more songs…we’ll pass our basket during Thank You for Being in the World…Gratitude seems like the right frame of mind for receiving your generous gifts.

Anton & Laura –Offertory Music

• Hey, Freedom, written by Laura Berryhill
• Thank You for Being in the World, written by Anton Mizerak

Rev. Diana – Blessing for the Offering – Thank you to the Cleaning Team for putting our space back together after the Namaste Café on Friday night. You guys rock!

Now, let us bless one another with a little more music as we close out our Taizé with A Soul’s Blessing.

Conscious Conversation

Sherri – Opening Prayer

Rev. Diana – Welcome or welcome back. If you’re new with us here this morning, my name is Rev. Diana  Johnson, and I am the Pastor and Spiritual Director here at Mystic Heart Spiritual Center. We are an Independent Interfaith Community that teaches Universal Principles and Practical Spirituality, tracing the common threads of Truth that run through all the world’s great spiritual traditions. Our job is to point you inward, to the Wisdom that lives within your own Mystic Heart.

Are you ready to get this Conversation going with a little bit of music? Here we go.

Anton, Laura, Rev. Diana & Chris – Opening Music

• Welcome to the Mystic Heart, written by Diana & Chris Johnson
• One Big Family, written by Robin Hackett & Gary Lynn Floyd
• We Stand Strong by Mitchell Miller

Rev. Diana – Each one of us has all that is required to stand strong on our own, but how much more powerful we are when we stand together…shine our Light as one, spread our Love as Community. And so we’re going to take a few moments to collectively direct our Creative Energies toward a Powerful Vision…a Vision of the world we wish to live in. Visioning is a Powerful form of prayer that gives the Creative Power of the Universe a blueprint…it sets an intention for the creation of a Love-Soaked World. Because if the world is ever going to change,  it needs to start somewhere. Someone needs to create the Vision, needs to speak to the Vision, needs to live into the Vision. Why not us? So I invite you now to settle in…take a slow, deep breath, and consciously engage every bit of creative power at your command.

We envision ourselves now in a world of our creation…where all humans recognize, and are living from, their inherent Freedom…

…their deepest Wisdom and Generosity, and their most Loving nature…thoughtful of the impact their thoughts, words, and actions have on one another, the community, and the planet…a world without greed, where there is abundance in having enough…where nutritious food, clean water and air are readily available to all beings…where warm, comfortable, and affordable housing is a given…where all beings feel a sense of safety, belonging, and contribution…We affirm these many blessings with a Powerful Yes!

Ours is a world where leaders practice integrity and ethical behavior, leading by example and inspiring trust and engagement among the people…a world where policies and social systems support mental and physical health, education, and healthy relationships, and encourage ecological responsibility and sustainability.

Ours is a world where all beings work and play at whatever feeds their soul and are well compensated for their Service…where authenticity and vulnerability are not only welcomed but  celebrated…where the Peace we cultivate within ourselves shows up as a world free of violence, hatred, or indifference…where freedom of thought and open, respectful conversation is modeled, supported and promoted.

Ours is a world where there is respect among people of all nations, and for the fundamental dignity of every human…where the Love that we are here to share is given freely to whomever our hearts are called to love…where we have moved beyond all lines of separation, and live as one human family, caring for one beautiful planet with the reverence she deserves. We affirm these many blessings with a Powerful Yes!

We recognize that transformation is an on-going process, and especially in times of great change, people benefit from working, playing, and simply being together.

And so 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, Radical Inclusion, and Unconditional Love. We affirm these many blessings with a Powerful Yes!

It is by the Power and Intelligence of the One Life moving through each one of us that this prayer is acted upon, answered even as it is spoken. As one by one, we commit to living into and from this Vision, it cannot be otherwise…we live in a Responsive Universe! Our Word carries Power. And so it is with deep faith, profound gratitude and great Joy that I release my Word to the One Who Gets It Done…And so it is!…Amen!

Bringing awareness back to the body, to the room, to this beautiful life, and to the Spiritual Family that is sharing this space with you this morning…

There has been a shift in  energy… We have just set a Powerful intention… Our prayer is rippling out into the race consciousness, doing its Good Work. And there’s nothing that anyone can do about it…our loving act of defiance for this week. Doesn’t it feel good?

Our theme this month is Freedom from Discord, and the topic of Conversation this morning has been Peaceful, Not Passive. If you were here for Taizé, this will be a bullet-point review, so that we can use it as our starting place for a Conscious Conversation.

This morning’s Taizé was really a brief review of our entire month, punctuated by a lot of beautiful music to deepen the experience. Here’s a quick and dirty summary…we looked at what it means to find freedom from internal conflict and external strife…and a greater sense of harmony both within, and without. We reflected on fear and the destructive affect it has on our peace of mind and heart…how it robs us of our freedom…and how regaining our sense of autonomy requires that we wake up to ourselves…and begin to consciously place our Faith in Goodness, in Wholeness, in Life Itself, no matter the appearance.

We were reminded of the space between what has been and what is yet to come…those transitional moments of our lives that authentic transformation can happen…and that in those moments, it is important to stop and allow everything to be as it is without comment, judgment, or opinion. We acknowledged that the only thing that really needs to be different in any given moment is our perspective…our point of focus. When we make an internal shift, choosing to align with the Deep Peace that is our Nature…forever present and available…we are Free.

Letting go of fear…letting Life be as it is brings a deep sense of Peace…but we were reminded that Peaceful and Passive are not the same thing. Choosing to move from fear into Faith, from discord into Deep Peace…choosing to see every circumstance as either an expression of Love or a cry for Love…these are not passive processes. They take conscious attention, active awareness, willingness, and motion.

And we left off with the idea of Healthy activism as a Sacred Practice. And this is where we’re going to pick up the conversation today.

Who remembers the Margaret Wheatley quote I have been citing every week this month?

“Be brave enough to start a conversation that matters.”

Remember that? Well that’s what I’m going to do today. I’m going to be brave, and to tread on a topic that might feel a little gritty. Someone in a class this week brought up that word…grit. Paraphrasing her comment, “What we need as we move into our later years is grit.”

Do you think she’s right, that we would each be served by having a bit more grit?

What does that mean to you?

To me having a little more grit means being more courageous, more authentic, more persistent and determined…to stand in the face of fear…to speak Truth to Power. So here goes…

I’m reading Freedom from Discord by Rev. David Alexander. In this book, he is calling the New Thought movement to take a realistic look at its history and its purpose and challenges the movement to step out of its current incarnation as a Manifestation Movement and into its next incarnation as a Liberation Theology. It’s a fascinating book, and I view it as an accurate portrayal of what started out as a powerful women’s movement. All that is too much to look at today, so I’m going to zero in on one particular set of ideas that relate to our topic, Peaceful, Not Passive.

First, let me give you some context. One of the ways we are robbed of our Peace, and therefore our Freedom, is when we are triggered. And one of the things that seems to trigger a lot of people is the idea of religion. Especially in a place like this. Many of us see ourselves as Spiritual, Not Religious. Is that true?

The author of this book sees this as an unfortunate development, and not helpful to our future. Skimming some main ideas from his book, he says that Freedom from Discord calls us to reframing our view of religion…redefining  both our definition of, and relationship with religion.

In the West, we have come to confuse religion with dogma and doctrine…a list of dictates, thou shalts and thou-shalt-nots. But he says that this is not true religion.

Let’s have a brief review of some common terms. This will be review for those of you who have had a lot of classes with me.

What does the word religion mean, using its etymology or roots to find its meaning? (That which connects us, socially and culturally, and to our Source; that which gives us a common story)

What does the word doctrine refer to? (the man-made stories and rules that provide a common framework and reference to a group of people; each doctrine is a shared story)

What is dogma? (the story that says a fixed set of beliefs cannot be questioned or changed; followers must take the rules as fact without asking for proof or offering criticism)

Is religion the only place we find dogma? No. Where else? (politics, philosophy, science…anywhere that humans and their egos are involved)

So, no matter which religion you are talking about, religion is nothing more than a collection of stories that humans tell or write about Source, Creator, Great Spirit, or a Higher Power, to try to make sense of their world. It offers a framing story…a story that gives people direction, values, vision, and instructions on how to treat one another and how to participate in society’s systems.

Let’s look at the word spiritual…some prefer spirituality to religion. But actually, this changes nothing. First of all, we’re all Spiritual beings having a persistently human experience. That’s a given. My Spirituality is nothing but my personal story of the relationship between self and the Universe. Whether we are speaking of True Religion or Spirituality, it all comes down to the stories we tell.

So it seems that religion has played a huge part in the defining, protecting, and upholding of societal structures of justice…it gives a contextual framework to a people’s identity…to determining whether the contribution to peace and justice is positive or negative.

We all know that violence has occurred in the name of religion. But no more than in the name of political power or economic greed. It is simply a framework…human beings are responsible for how it is used.

Let me share a short quote from the book:

Contrary to popular belief, religion is not antiquated. It is central to our existence in community for the simple fact that making meaning or sense out of our existence is central to our being. That said, we are evolutionary beings and , as such, the stories we tell and even how we tell them must also evolve.

He goes on to say,

You and I are (the) authors…we are the contributors to the stories of our times.

What are your thoughts about what you have heard so far?

I’d like to share one more passage from the book:

Read from pp. 7-8

Any thoughts you’d like to share before we turn the corner?

Okay, let’s make a bit of a pivot. Rev. Soni Cantrell -Smith wrote this:

Sacred activism emerges when love extends beyond personal comfort and into purposeful action for the well-being of all…it is not reactive or fueled by anger…(but) guided by love, the spiritual principle that all beings are interconnected and worthy of dignity, respect and justice.

This morning in Taizé, I said that Spiritual Living is not a passive process. It is a creative process, a moving, active process. Spirit moves through our hands, feet, hearts and voices to uplift and transform our outer world.

And that healthy activism arises naturally when we act from a place of deep Connection with Source, seeing all beings as Beloved Expressions of the Divine. It becomes a Sacred Practice that serves as the connecting link between our inward Work and our Service in the world. It brings a greater understanding, acceptance and experience of the world as a place where the appearance of opposites…inward and outward, spiritual and material, personal and societal…is simply that…an appearance…an illusion…Maya. Through the Practice of healthy activism, we come to see ourselves as necessary and irreplaceable parts of a larger interconnected Whole, and our actions as essential, even indispensable, for the flourishing of our world.

Wait a minute…Sacred Activism? I was always told that activism was political and did not belong in church. What are your thoughts about that?

Sacred Activism asks  us to bring more than just passion. What other qualities are called for? (Presence, Wisdom, Compassion, a Peaceful Heart)

Are there places or ways where Love naturally moves you toward action?

Is there anything else that needs to be spoken at this time?

Remember that it is Love that keeps our hearts open…steadies our intention and invites solutions. A final quote, before we move into prayer: “Remember that every act of kindness, every voice raised in Truth, every compassionate choice is part of a larger field of transformation.”

We’re going to do something a little bit different…we’re going to close in musical prayer. Anton said, “This is the only time you’re going to get us this year. I want to play some music.” I’m going to take him at his word. Pick a chant…we’d love to join our voices to close our time together.

Anton & Laura – Musical Prayer

• Om Namah Shivaya Shankara Sundara Hara Shashishekara, written by Anton Mizerak

Love Offering

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 invite you to join in the celebration of the work we are doing in the world by sharing of your financial Good. 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 Venmo qr code.

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 and gifts. We acknowledge and give thanks for the Infinite Abundance of Spirit moving through you.

As we pass our basket this morning, we’re going to take full advantage of Anton and Laura with

Anton & Laura – Offertory Music

• Bigger Than Bigotry, written by Anton Mizerak
• If I Were a Cat, written by Anton Mizerak

Sherri – Blessing for the Offering

Sherri – Super-Short Invitations –  all regularly scheduled classes and groups are taking place this week.

Watch your email or get on the WhatsApp Group Chat for more information on new events coming up in the months ahead. If you’re not on the WhatsApp group and want to be, please let Rev. Diana know. There will be a new quarterly bulletin our next week.

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.

Anton, Laura, Rev. Diana & Chris – 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.