All these relationships are reflecting the love that we are. For my deep belief is that all of us are born of love – Love as a mighty principle and action is the true essence of us all. Yes, we often forget this and dwell in the experience of our separated-self, human-only identity. However, we can move beyond that identification to our True nature when we allow ourselves to be love and share love. We do this already. Christmas has been the perfect time to experience Love given and received. As the song invites us, we can create the experience of Christmas every day of the year. This is how we learn to live out of our Divine nature, our Christ consciousness.
The other thought is … what do we want to be and do in the New Year? So stop for a moment before reading on … take a few moments to go into the quietness of your being and sit here awhile … what experience or understanding is yearning to come forth through you, to live and know? Paul Hasselbeck, Unity minister and author, writes that this desire, this yearning, is God’s love calling us higher, back into ourselves. I am not talking here about a new car or bigger home. I am talking about the experience of abundance, of creativity and joy, of feeling safe and secure, of being free to travel to see loved ones, to work and serve. You may be feeling the calling of a new direction in life. There may be a desire for deeper and more meaningful relationships. There may be a calling to step up and take positive action in some way. As the New Year turns, I feel this energy pulling me. In these short winter days, now is the perfect time to dwell more in the stillness and silence to witness what is calling you forward to be and do this year. As you take time to check in with yourself this month, let Love lead you in your choices and actions. Love as compassion, listening, kindness, gentleness, humility, strength, goodness. As you listen to the inner yearning, the desire, of your heart, know with faith that you can only be led to new and greater good for you, your loved ones and our world. This New Year, may we all be open and receptive to all that is good and true, to Love guiding, connecting and moving us forward in this adventure called Life. Happy New Year to you all. PS Do join us for our online and in person meetings this year – we have already planned a lot to excite you and share with you, including our ongoing Zoom prayer and meditation meetings.
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Play the short video below as a meditation exercise to reflect on love. And if you would like to send in your thoughts on love, what it means to you, we would love to receive them. Rev Kimerie Mapletoft Director of Silent Unity and Daily Word UK
How do you re-centre in peace? How quickly do you notice you are not feeling peaceful and what do you do to help restore inner peace? Perhaps you go for a walk, meditate, exercise or do the ironing! Take a moment to reflect on this …
You may hear in Unity, 'Peace is an inside job'. Certainly, the more we individually practice being peace-filled ourselves, the more we bring peace into the world and the more those around us can respond as peace. People may say, ‘Just choose peace’. Yet if we are feeling angry, resentful, frightened or in grief, this is a difficult choice to make. For me, I first acknowledge my feelings; become present to them without blame or shame, guilt or reproach. Acknowledging our feelings, being present to them in our body, is giving us the space to be fully-present to ourselves – something we rarely do. We often find it easier to push feelings aside or bury them rather than be with them. Yet the power is in being present. Stored or suppressed feelings becomes trapped energy. Becoming present to our feelings allows for their healing and release. Something in us changes. We are changed. My practice (when I remember) is to stop, breathe and be present to the feeling; where it has been stored in my body, without engaging my mind. I can do this, as I know God is here as my strength, wholeness and peace. I breathe, taking in the God energy at the same time. As a result, a sense of relief floods my being. I may get a flash of insight; I may just experience release. Healing happens. Peace is felt and known. This Christmas, if you notice you are becoming stressed or upset, take time to stop, breathe and be present to yourself. For you will experience your Self – and the peace that is within us – underneath everything else. This is the best gift you can give yourself. It is the best gift we can give the world. Let us be the gift of peace this Christmas. "Be still and know that I am God" - Psalm 46:10 Rev Kimerie Mapletoft Director of Silent Unity and Daily Word UK Instead, for me it has been a practice to develop. A practice of taking time in the stillness to know God within, through and as us, “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 A practice of being present to fears, doubts and angst in the stillness, so we can hand them over, let go and move through to the deeper truth: God is the ground of our being and we are One here. A practice of listening to the ‘still small voice’ that whispers in our minds and hearts, ever-present to guide and direct us, connecting into our intuition and insight that blesses us and all those around us. A practice that requires us to follow through – take action in a way that only blesses ourselves and those around us. Because no God-guidance will ever cause deliberate harm to anyone. No insight will criticise or condemn. We are all beloved; we are all one with God; we all have the qualities of Love and Wisdom to bring harmony, balance, joy and peace back into our lives. As we begin Advent together, let us practice building our faith so that we can know as Jesus did, “The father and I are one.” John 10:30 Rev Kimerie Mapletoft Director of Silent Unity and Daily Word UK |
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