Celebration Center for Spiritual Living

Prayer for Those Experiencing Hard Times

Treatment by Rich Kurasiewicz, RScP

Wow—we’re already into the dog days of summer, the heat is relentless, vacations are ending, and Labor Day and the start of school are coming soon. There is so much change and so much to be grateful for. What we are grateful for tends to increase because it is what we are focused on. Focus on the good to experience more good and do your daily spiritual practices to know the Truth that sets you free. As we do this, we have more to be grateful for. At the same time, remember to pray for people in Louisiana, Italy, California, etc. who are experiencing hard times—prayer works! And so we pray….

God is all there is–the One Power and One Presence, all Good. Life fills all space and Spirit animates everything. God is eternal and immortal—omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. God is Pure Love and perfect, whole and complete. And, I am that I am! I am one of the Father and the entire Universe. I am created in the spiritual image and likeness of God and I am one of the the Power and the Presence.

And just as I am perfect, whole and complete, each and everyone is perfect, whole, complete, eternal and immortal–a divine, spiritual and individualized expression of the divine. I know that each and everyone expresses the immense gratitude they feel for Life and the Power and the Presence of the divine in everything and everyone around them. I know that good manifests more abundantly in each and everyone’s life as we focus on the Good in Life and the Truth that sets us free. I know that each and everyone is a blessing to themselves and to everyone they come in contact with—each and everyone is the Light of the world and a divine expression. I declare that peace, love, joy and abundance are multiplied in our lives and that we live a life in constant gratitude.

I am so very grateful for the Truth that sets us free. I am grateful for all the blessings of Life and Spirit present everywhere and in our consciousness. I am exceedingly grateful for each and everyone who goes within to commune with Spirit and the entire Universe—for it is all One. And I release my word unto the Law where it is already known in the mind of God. I know that my word will not return unto me void. I do give thanks that this is so and so it is!

Treatment for August 27, 2016

Remember the Stillness

Treatment by Tim Phares, RScP

The day almost got by without my prayer.

Life has been eventful lately. Suzanne and I are beginning the journey of ministerial training and some audio projects I’ve been working on for a while have finally been posted on the Internet. Everything is in forward motion.

Yet in the midst of all the motion, we remember stillness. On retreat this past weekend, we found time for stillness. As T.S. Eliot reminds us,

Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance,
and there is only the dance.

And so we simply let the stillness fill us and let it move us as we pray.

There is only One Life. it is the Life of God. It is perfect, whole, complete. At its core it is unchanging and still. That Life is the life of each of us right now.

We listen to it as we let it move us forward into the new, the deeper, the greater, the more open.

Accepting its wisdom, accepting the experience that it is as and through us, remaining open, we move forward. We find new roads, new ways of being in service. We welcome new opportunities. We make everything new, expressing the fullness of who and what we have come here to be.

I am thankful for this deeper and greater, for this open expression, for the stillness and the motion.

And so, I simply let go and know that all is well and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.

And SO it IS!

Treatment for August 10, 2016

River of Life

Treatment by Ed Preston, RScP

From Flow, by Rev. Noel McInnis

When dropping down life’s rapids,

Froth and bubble into fragments if you must,

Knowing that the one of you now many

Will just as many times be one again.

And when you’ve gone as far as you can go,

Quietly await your next beginning.

http://www.noelfrederickmcinnis.com/content/flow

I read this first about 25 years ago and I have read it again almost monthly, ever since then.

I have always recognized God in these words. I see God as the writer, the reader, and the words themselves. We are each individually Divine as we froth and bubble into the fragments of this life.

And over and over again, as we go through life’s rapids, one after another, for so many years, we learn that all the rapids are followed by softly flowing waters where we unify with God and with one another, in the soft flow of life itself.

As we rise above and look down on the River of Life, we see its beginning in the springs and creeks of life, and we see its ending in the Ocean of Being. We come to realize we are molecules of Divinity as we rise from the ocean and rain down again to reappear through the springs of life, and flow again.

I am so grateful for the power of these words from Flow as I release them into the Law of my life and all our lives. And, at my age, I gratefully await my next beginning.

And so, we release and let it flow. And so it is.

Amen.

Treatment for August 9, 2016

Rather the Truth Will Set us Free

Treatment by Rich Kurasiewicz, RScP

Recently we have experienced incredible heat waves across the nation and election campaigns in full swing, as well as anger, hate, unrest and violence here and abroad. If we choose to focus on the effects of the physical world, it can be deleterious—what we focus on tends to increase. Rather the Truth will set us free as we change our thinking through the pursuit of DAILY spiritual practices. While we may even perceive that we cannot do anything, such daily practices will bring us greater peace, harmony, right thinking and right action, which in turn will help the national and international community for we are all one in the Mind, Body and Spirit of God. This is the ultimate Faith in the Truth! And so we pray….

God is all there is–the One Power and One Presence, the Living Spirit Almighty, in, around, through and throughout everything and everyone! God is All-Good and pure Love, and in accordance with the Law of Mind. God is the Creator and the Creation, All Life and everything there is. God is Pure and does not know or create evil. And, I am that I am! I am a spiritual being having a human experience in a spiritual universe. I am created in the spiritual image and likeness of God. I live, move and have my being in Spirit—in God. I am divine!

And just as I am perfect, whole and complete, each and everyone is perfect, whole, complete, eternal and immortal–a divine, spiritual and individualized expression of the divine. I declare that as we focus on the Kingdom of God within in the silence, on the inherent peace, harmony, love and abundance of Good within, each and everyone manifests peace and harmony and love and abundance, as much as can be accepted. I know that we realize our unity and oneness with the Divine and with each and everyone. I declare that we know that each and everyone is truly perfect, whole and complete for there is only One Life. That Life is God’s Life! That Life is our Life right here and now! And I know that as each and everyone manifests the ever-present peace, harmony and love and forgives all who are victims of the lack and limitation in their thinking, we all benefit from the change in our thinking and attitudes. And I declare that each and everyone is now divinely guided, directed, led and protected to their highest good and greatest yet to be as the activity of God as Love and Joy. We are the Light of the World!

I am so very grateful for the Truth that sets us free and the Spirit that is ever present in the Kingdom within. I am exceedingly grateful for each and everyone who goes within to commune with Spirit and transcend the world of effects and the Peace, Harmony, Love and Abundance that are manifest as the gift of Spirit which are our birthright and divine inheritance. And I release my word unto the Law where it is already known in the mind of God. I know that my word will not return unto me void. I do give thanks that this is so and so it is!

Treatment for July 27, 2016

Striving for Perfection

Treatment by Suzanne Delahaie, RScP

We just saw a rerun of the delightful Opera Cosi fan Tutti. We really enjoyed it. Danielle de Niese as the servant Despina stole the show. Isabel Leonard and Susanna Philips as the two sisters were great. The quality of acting has improved greatly in Operas, since we were younger. I am in this prayer recognizing the striving for perfection as humanity grows towards greater and greater union with God. It is seen in all areas of human endeavor: acting, sports, and technology (just to name a few)

I know that there is only one, one mind, one spirit. I know that this spirit moves and has its being in and through us. Our being is God. Our life is God’s life. I know that this being as God impels us to higher and greater manifestation of its life. It seen in all aspects of life. This compulsion to be better, as in the words of Rickie Byers Beckwith, is to make us “… an opening for God. To make me Stronger” This opening for God is that which makes us strive. I know that this striving for higher and better makes all of us better. I know that this truth is seen in all areas of life. I do give thanks for this divine compulsion to be better, to come closer and closer to what we can become. I know that this is so. And So it IS.

Treatment for July 20, 2016

We Affirm and Know and Live Love, Peace, Harmony, and Joy.

Treatment by Tim Phares, RScP

Evening is setting in. I had the pleasure of paneling a new practitioner yesterday. Today at our center we had an ice cream social. (As Daniel Nahmod said, everybody likes ice cream.) And yet we see disturbing events in the world.

We try not to rush to judgment, but we feel the need to do something and say something. Whether the events are in Minneapolis, Baton Rouge, or Dallas, there is no making rational sense of them. Yet in the minds of those involved, they make total sense.

Some will run to check all the politically correct boxes. But that doesn’t help the situation. Some will react against that reaction. That doesn’t solve the problem either.

And I remember that when you approach a problem at the level of a problem, it continues to be a problem.

So what can we do? Well, we can go on enjoying ice cream socials and the flow of life, and we can apply practitioner consciousness.

So we pray. Because that can help.

There is only One Life. That is the Life of God. It expresses as, through, in, and around all. It is all. It is the life of every man, woman, and child, every living being, everything that is. It is Love, Peace, Harmony, Joy.

That Life is each of our lives. it is us. We are It.

So we affirm and know and live love, peace, harmony, and joy. Always. In every circumstance. We know that life is ongoing, that nothing ever really dies, that we merely move to a new level of consciousness, to a new expression. And yet, the perception of death, of killing, of tragedy colors our world. We know the reality of that grief, even as we know the Truth behind it. We know that joy shows up wherever there is sorrow, even if it only shows up for the moment as ice cream. We know that peace shows up where there is strife. We know that harmony shows up where there is discord. We know that love shows up in the face of hate. And we know that this Truth is universal. We open eyes and minds to see this, to touch and transform it.

I am grateful for Love, Peace, Harmony, and Joy. I am grateful for the outpicturing of these things in the world.

And so, knowing that in the words of Julian or Norwich, “All is well and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well”, I simply release this Word, knowing that the Truth is always operating and Divine Order is always working. So I know that it is done, done well, and done now and always.

And SO it IS

Treatment for July 10, 2016

Star Trek: Beyond – What Anger Will Do

The other day, Suzanne and I went to see Star Trek: Beyond. As long-time Trekkers (Suzanne especially), we were eager to see the latest in the Star Trek reboot series.

The movie has many typical Trek elements. As usual, the Enterprise gets in a major scrape. On a mission, the Enterprise gets drawn into uncharted territory. They pick up a distress signal. As it approaches the planet, the Enterprise is attacked by a large cluster of hostile ships. They are under the command of an alien named Krall, who has a deep-seated hatred of the Federation. Krall is after a bio-weapon called the Abronath. But Krall finds it has already been taken.

Krall captures Uhura and Sulu, along with the rest of the crew. After Krall threatens to kill Sulu, a crew member, Ensign Syl, gives up the weapon. Krall takes Uhura and Syl into a chamber where he unleashes the Abronath, causing Syl to disintegrate.

Scotty encounters an inhabitant of the planet named Jaylah, who inhabits an early-generation crashed Federation ship called the USS Franklin. Jaylah traps Kirk and Chekhov, but releases them when Scotty says they’re part of his crew. Scotty, meanwhile, fixes the transporter on the Franklin, enabling him to transport Spock and McCoy there.

Unfortunately, Uhura and most of the crew are at Krall’s headquarters, and Scotty says he can’t transport them from there. So they head to Krall’s headquarters. Kirk creates a diversion while the rest fight Krall’s men. Krall and his men head towards Yorktown, where he can activate the Abronath. The crew heads to Yorktown also, and a battle ensues.

Eventually, they find information leading to Krall’s true identity from decades ago. I won’t reveal it to avoid spoiling the plot, but suffice it to say that Krall has what he considers very good reasons to carry a long-standing anger at the Federation (you may agree), and he was not always the monster that he is when the Enterprise finds him.

It is that anger that turned him into the vicious monster. He has been stewing in this anger (perhaps legitimate) for decades and it has warped him. Kirk, of course, tries to save him from what he has become, but to no avail.

Needless to say, Kirk and the Enterprise crew save the day, but again, I don’t want to spoil the plot. Suffice it to say that Krall meets a very unhappy fate. The crew then helps Jaylah get into Star Fleet Academy.

What is the lesson of this movie, aside from never mess with James T. Kirk and the Enterprise? It’s a very stark reminder of the power of anger, of how it can warp us if we let ourselves stew in it rather than letting it go. Krall is transformed by his anger at the Federation into the monster we see for most of the movie. Had he just let go of his righteous indignation, he might have been able to make a better life on the planet, perhaps lifted himself and the inhabitants. Instead, he became the vicious Krall, who is a danger to everyone.

Being angry is occasionally justified and always destructive. But it’s best to let it pass through, or become a stimulus to constructive action. When you hold onto it, it is extremely harmful. Letting go can empower your life; holding on can bring out the worst you have. As Raymond Charles Barker tells us in a chapter title from The Science of Successful Living, “Resentment Is Ruin”. Let it go, and you can “live long and prosper.”

This is definitely a movie you will enjoy and it will teach, as well. It’s one to see.

Ups and Downs of Life

Treatment by Ed Preston, RScP

Prelude

Well, life has its ups and downs. This week I’ve been down because of the Dallas shootings. But, I had an up getting word that a hero of mine, Shariff Abdullah, has a new book trilogy coming out. He taught about Nonviolent Communication years ago. A good friend also went into surgery to have his bladder removed because of cancer. A downer. Yesterday he was pronounced “Cancer Free” so it’s up from here on. And they all go on from here.

Treatment

I sit here now just knowing that Divine Life has both Ups and Downs. It is all God at work. Sometimes we can’t see the good so we think “downer”. Just as often, we see the Good and think, “Ah, an Up”. I find my peace by simply recognizing and accepting it all as Divine, as God at work in our life here on this Earth.

Both the Ups and the Downs allow me to feel my Unity with others. I am One with the people of Dallas; I am One with Shariff Abdullah, I am One with my friend, both before and after his surgery, who is again “Cancer free”. And it goes on and on, my feeling my Oneness with everyone going through the Ups and Downs of life. I accept that Oneness constantly.

I realize that both shock and joy connect me with those involved in either or both. I focus on that sense of connection and rise above the Ups and Downs of life to just know that All is Good and All it God.

I gratefully accept those Ups and Downs, knowing that I have ways of becoming grateful for both. I just accept my gratitude as deeply rooted in the Ups and Downs of life and I am just Grateful for Life, overall. I simply say, thank you Spirit for the power of these words to bring Life to us all, knowing “these words” include “Up” and “Down” in life.

So, I release these words into the Law of the Universe, simply trusting that “Up” and “Down” are both Divine.

And so it is, Amen!

Treatment for July 9, 2016

The Ultimate Freedom

Treatment by Rich Kurasiewicz, RScP

Recently we experienced the Summer Solstice and the first day of Summer, and as we come up on the 4th of July holiday: school’s out, summer vacations and fun are in. Let’s not forget our Independence Day and freedom! While it is significant that we live in a country where we have freedom, we also are free spiritually to choose what we think. As Ernest Holmes said, thoughts are things and we are co-creators of our lives as individualized expressions of the divine. We can change our lives by changing our thinking–this is the ultimate freedom! We can change our thinking through daily spiritual practices by focusing on the Truth that sets us free, living from within out and not letting external circumstances (effects) drive us. We can achieve what we can visualize and believe! And so we pray….

God is the One Power and Presence, the entire Universe, the Creator and the Creation, All Life and everything there is. God is omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent; God is All-Good! And, I am that I am—the divine is in me and I am in it. I am One of the Father and the entire Universe. I am created in the spiritual image and likeness of God. I am a co-Creator; I am perfect, whole and complete!

Just as I am perfect, whole and complete, each and everyone is perfect, whole, complete, eternal and immortal–a spiritual and individualized expression of the divine. I declare that each and everyone is the activity of God as Love and Joy in the world and a blessing to themselves and everyone they come into contact with as we are divinely guided, directed, led and protected to our highest good and greatest yet to be. I know that we see Good in everyone and everything and are grateful for the manifold blessings already in our lives or are manifesting through faith and prayer. I know that each and everyone is aware of and focused on the Truth that sets them free as we live in the freedom of an expanding consciousness of the Truth. I know that each and everyone is grateful for the freedoms of living in this nation and which further expands our consciousness. Good and more Good manifests abundantly and we accept it with gratitude. It is the Father’s great pleasure to give us the Kingdom!

I am so very grateful for the Truth, the blessings and the Good that are present in our lives and our nation. And I release my word unto the Law where it is already known in the mind of God. I know that my word will not return unto me void. I do give thanks that this is so and so it is!

Treatment for June 27, 2016

The Dance of Life

Treatment by Suzanne Delahaie, RScP

This is a special day: a full moon on Summer Solstice. This combination only happens every 30 years.

Every day is a special day, though some times circumstances and combinations make a rare occasion.

I know that there is only one. That one brings newness to all. I appreciate this one, as I know that it is actively being me. This one is being all that I know, all that I see, and all that is. In the wake of what appears to be unlike that which I know to be good, I bless all of the actors in the dance of life. The dance that I appreciate from the still point within.

As T.S. Eliot wrote

Except for the point, the still point, there would be no dance. And there is only the dance.

The dance of life is that which I know as All there is. In this dance there is a newness and a point of joy, the cosmic joy, which is the energy of the life that is.

I appreciate this life of God, this life of the one that is all.

Locally, I know that we are guided to a new experience. I anticipate with a openness of mind and heart and an expectation of newness as Celebration Center moves forward to embrace the new.

Living in joyous expectation, I give thanks for the awareness of change, and the awareness of joy in that change.

I release my word, knowing that it is true, and that it is all good.

Love

Treatment for June 20, 2016

Load More Entries