Unity Community

Blessings and Belief

By Unity Community web master, Malayna Dawn

As someone who likes to recycle, I keep my page-a day calendars to use as scratch paper. And since I usually have a calendar with positive messages of some sort, I get to be inspired all over again!  Today I was consolidating a few lists (I'm a list maker, too) and noticed a recurring theme - BLESSINGS.

These are from The Secret calendar, from a few years ago. The first one was for September 28th:

"The dictionary defines blessing as 'invoking divine favor and conferring well-being or prosperity,' so begin right now to invoke the power of blessing in your life, and bless everything and everyone.

Likewise with praising, for when you are praising someone or something you are giving love, and as you emit that magnificent frequency, it will return to you a hundredfold."

The next is from August 27th:

"Praise and bless everything in your life! When you are priaising or blessing you are on the highest frequency of love.  In the Bible, the Hebrews used the act of blessing to bring forth health, wealth and happiness.  They knew the power of blessing."

And finally, adding another layer, the page for July 4th:

"See the things that you want as already yours. Know that they will come to you at need.  Then let them come.  Don't fret and worry about them. Don't think about your lack of them. Think of them as yours, as belonging to you, as already in your posession." - Robert Collier (1885 - 1950)

These ideas are not new to us in Unity, but a reminder is always nice.  And when serendipity seems to be sending me the same message repeatedly, I figure I'd be wise to listen!

So join me as I love it all, bless it all, praise it all!  Infuse your past, present, and future with "health, wealth and prosperity" and call it all good. I know it's all good!

Enjoy!

Imagination Can Save The World

As we continue exploring the Twelve Spiritual Powers with Unity, we come to June--the month designated for the spiritual power of Imagination. Its corresponding affirmation is : 

I envision good unfolding in every area of my life!

As part of the celebration, our choir sang “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory (starring Gene Wilder from 1971).  

“If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it.
Anything you want to, do it!
Wanta change the world?
There's nothing To it”

Artwork from creativechick.com called "Kiss My Face"

Both the affirmation and the song lyrics point to the power of imagination in how we experience the world. But imagination is more than just a pair of rose colored glasses or pleasant daydreams of the future. It’s the basis of goal setting and using the Law of Attraction. (Click here for an explanation of The Law of Attraction that I wrote for The DailyOM.com) It’s the beginning of the creation of your life – which is why imagination is part of what we call create-ivity. It may be your most powerful tool.

Most people think of imagination in terms of art. In art, we can create worlds that may not exist in what we know as “reality”, but they do exist...once we create them! In books and movies, on stage and in paintings, etc. they become real, or at the very least, a shared vision. If you’ve ever seen Cirque du Soleil, you know that fantastical worlds can be created for us to enter, if only for a few hours at a time. Walt Disney created an entire kingdom, no, empire, from his imagination, and it has become part of the mythology of our day.

Myths and stories guide us under normal circumstances, but imagination can actually save your life.  In the book La Prisonniere, also called Stolen Lives, a family that was imprisoned in the Moroccan desert for 20 years managed to stay alive and fairly sane because one of them was a storyteller. Then their imaginations helped them to devise an escape plan, and to eventually reclaim their freedom.

In the movie “What Dreams May Come” (1998) that I just caught again on cable, your imagination and what you believe is possible is how you create your own heaven, or your hell. So in this case, your imagination might even save your soul.

Sculpture called “Industry” from Queen's University, Belfast.--->

With your every thought you are using your imagination, whether the vision you hold is positive or negative, creative or destructive, or in the past or future. So imagination has a myriad of real-world applications as well – from designing a building to inventing machinery, from making a meal to theorizing the existence of the atom or black holes.

We are also using our imaginations negatively when we imagine the worst, have low expectations, or cling too much to our worst case scenarios instead of entertaining the possibilities and coming up with creative solutions.

The best illustrations I’ve seen on how imagination can shape our world are from the films The Secret and What the Bleep Do We Know? Check them out, and then come join us at Unity Community Church in Reseda, California as we discuss further applications of our wild and wonderful imaginations!

Malayna Dawn is UCC's webmaster as well as a freelance writer and author. Acting as a modern-day shaman she aims to help people navigate their way through their inner and outer worlds using symbolism, stories and metaphor. Entertain the possibilities and make life an enjoyable adventure by reading her blog, Symbolic Themes  or her novel, Echoes Across Time! 

A Complaint Free World - A Review

The following is a reprint of an two-part article originally written by Malayna Dawn for the Daily Mantra. It is now available on Self Growth.com. 

Part I – The Concept

In the new book, A Complaint Free World, Unity minister Will Bowen challenges us to go 21 days without complaining, criticizing or gossiping. It began as an idea for his Sunday sermon at the Unity Church in Kansas City, Missouri and caught on quickly. From the local newspaper to Oprah, this simple idea is catching people's attention.

While "What the Bleep..." and "The Secret" have shown us that our thoughts have the power to create our lives, this book gives us the tools to begin monitoring and changing our thoughts with a simple concept. "Our thoughts create our world and our words indicate our thoughts" Bowen explains. "When we control our words by eradicating complaining, we create our lives with intention and attract what we desire."

The process begins by taking notice of what we say. Then, by combining self-monitoring with a physical action, we can really begin to see just how often we engage in negative speech that doesn't serve us. The book's website offers purple rubber bracelets that can be moved from one wrist to another, though Bowen says that we can use any such device that works for us. Whether it's moving a stone from one pocket to another or a paper weight across the desk, the important thing is to connect to some action that allows us to track our progress.

The goal is to go 21 days in a row without moving your designated object, 21 days being the amount of time it takes to form a new habit. Bowen himself says that he found that his personal best after one week was to move his bracelet five times in a day, though his bracelet's movements shot back up to a total of twelve the very next day. He noticed that he could do better around some people than others, and began looking more deeply into his relationships.

Knowing that complaining attracts more of the same into my life makes me willing to see how this simple idea can bring my true desires into being. I don't want to wait for my purple bracelet to arrive from Kansas City, so I'm going to pick a bracelet or rubber band and begin immediately. I'll let you know how I've fared after 7 days while I continue to read the book. Wish me luck!


Part II: The Experience

After deciding to try being complaint-free for just seven days, I must say that I am happier. Anecdotes from the book helped me to maintain my cool in traffic, like the idea that cars going slowly in front of me are merely the universe’s "pace cars" though I am not in a race, and are meant to slow me down for my own safety. Or the story about people honking their horns if they’re happy, which gave me a reason to laugh when people honked at me, rather than taking it personally, which I'd usually have done. Instead, I'd just think to myself, “They must be really happy,” and move on.

To be honest, I delayed writing this article because I hadn’t found a device that worked to remind me consistently. I wanted to take off the bracelet (the memory aid recommended by the book's author) when I got home along with the rest of my jewelry, so I’d use a hair band, but I'd end up putting it in my hair.

Despite these minor problems, I was able to see the impact of the familiar principles of positive thinking had taken hold, and that the ideas depicted in films like "What The Bleep Do We Know?" and "The Secret" had seeped into my subconscious, preparing me for this challenge. I was already monitoring my thoughts and speech, and, with the help of the book, found myself considering before speaking if what I was about to say counted as a complaint. If I thought it might, I'd try to word it differently, whether I had something on my wrist or not.

The book gives a lot of in-depth analysis to help each of us decide for ourselves what counts as a complaint, but the bottom line is intention. Will Bowen, the instigator and author of "A Complaint Free World" offers this quote from motivational writer Eckhart Tolle which may just sum it up:

“Complaining is not to be confused with informing someone of a mistake or deficiency so that it can be put right. And to refrain from complaining doesn’t necessarily mean putting up with bad quality or behavior. There is no ego in telling the waiter your soup is cold and needs to be heated up – if you stick to the facts, which are always neutral. ‘How dare you serve me cold soup…?’ That’s complaining.”

In the movie "The Secret", Jack Canfield explains, “The Law of Attraction says ‘We’ll give you whatever you say and focus on’ so if you’re complaining about how bad it is, what you’re creating is more of how bad it is.”

That is the basic concept behind becoming complaint-free: to create more good in our lives and the world by focusing our attention and energy on the positive, on constructive ideas, and on gratitude. "The Complaint Free World" book really can help us to reach that goal by giving us a place to start, supportive explanations, and a way to measure the change in our lives. I recommend that you pick up your copy and begin your journey as soon as possible. I’m still on my quest for 21 days free of complaint, criticism or gossip. But I know that even greater happiness lies ahead!

Our Unity Community is now taking the challenge of A Complaint Free World. Join us in our new location in Reseda!