As I listen to the radio, already they are playing Christmas songs. Even though November feels much too early for me, the songs do bring about a sense of cheer and upliftment - well mostly! Which is a good thing. As, for many of us, the year has been a difficult one, with perhaps the thought: how will this change, how can I get through this, when will life get better?

It is all too easy to feel bogged down, especially when the news focuses on problems far more than solutions and all the good things that are happening. As I reflect on this, especially at this time of year, I believe that something new wishes to be born in us. Life is offering us the opportunity to live in a new way, respond in a new way and serve in a new way. The old ways of living, of exploitation, greed and ‘my needs must be met ahead of yours’, is calling to be changed.

This, in many ways, is what Jesus represents; it is certainly how he lived. As a Jew, he was born into a time when their lives were under strict commandments and laws, 613 to be precise. However, any laws, if lived without love, are meaningless. In Matthew 5:17 it is written that Jesus told his disciples, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish but to fulfil.”

So how do we fulfil the law? With love and wisdom. Seeking to connect with each other and with life in a way where all can be honoured, respected and blessed. This was Jesus’ ministry and it can be ours as well.

As we prepare for Christmas through this season of Advent, to celebrate the birth of Jesus and, as we describe in Unity, the re-birth of the Christ energy within us, we can ask of ourselves, ‘What wants to be born anew in me?’ Take a moment to think about this for yourself. Pausing in our lives, as the Advent season invites us to do, makes space for us to hear the still small voice of God and feel the love that is God, encouraging us and guiding us.

Perhaps there is the desire in you to open your heart more fully with compassion and insight … perhaps there is the desire in you to learn something new to help you serve in a new way … perhaps there is a desire in you to reconnect with the land in a way that is harmonious, inclusive, caring, nurturing and wise.

Whatever it is, God, as the Christ light and energy, is seeking to be born in us, just as this energy was born and lived through Jesus. It may feel like a huge call. However, as we take small steps to enable this, our whole planet will come back into balance and harmony, because we will be living in balance and harmony with each other and ourselves.

So, what wants to be born in you this Christmas? Take time to pray, reflect, listen and realise the Truth that abides in you and how you can live that Truth in your own unique and amazing way. I know, because you are reading these words, that you are making space even now to know this.
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My friends, may your Advent season be a time of renewal through faith, peace, love and joy. In addition, may each one of us know the birth of the Christ energy in us more deeply than ever before. This is the calling. Let us each respond. Have a beautiful and blessed Christmas.

Have you had the experience of someone saying ‘I will pray for you’ because something is wrong and needs fixing? Or experienced someone telling you what you should do, or know, in a certain situation? If you have, you may well become defensive, resentful and push away any of the kindness that may be there. Any implied criticism is not prayer – it is fixing, even if we think we have someone’s good in our heart.
 
However, when prayer is the simple gift of unconditional love; when we recognise that in the midst of human suffering, here is God also, and hold them in the powerful, yet tender, light and love of God, this message of love and support reaches them. In my twenty years of service in Unity’s prayer ministry, this is always the most effective way of prayer. It connects, it loves; it heals us all.
 
Therefore, whenever we have a concern, whether for another or ourselves, let prayer be the silent gift of unconditional love that heals, harmonises, uplifts and restores.
 
In Unity we call this ‘praying from the consciousness of God’. That is, not dwelling on a problem or person who needs sorting out, or changed in some way, but in recognition of our Oneness with Pure Being, abiding here with all of us, as our constant source of love, light and healing.
 
As we take time to let go into the Divine as Pure Love and Wisdom, and open our hearts to All That Is, we truly relax, receive and know the blessings of God.
 
From this experience of Peace, Love, Insight, we can hold our loved ones in this energy and know, without any sense of anxiety, the highest truth for them as well – they are beloved of God, and one with their good, without dictating what that good is.
 
Let us share the gift of love with another through Silent Unity, our prayer ministry, and feel the unconditional gift of love and support we can experience together.
 
“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:2
 
Rev Kimerie Mapletoft
Director of Silent Unity and Daily Word UK

Yet the good news is that as we begin to accept our humanity, our foibles, mistakes and errors for what they are, our experience as human beings, learning and growing in a human body, we can move beyond identifying with these errors and claim our divinity. We will be able to say with joy that I am, and you are, a beautiful, creative, inspiring being; a blessing in the world. 

The invitation, in all of this, is for every single one of us to accept our differences, our human mistakes and experiences, to help us see through and beyond them to Spirit that shines brightly within, whenever we open the door to this experience. As we accept our humanity, we can claim our divinity. 

So what can you do this week to deepen the connection with Spirit in you and in those around you?

Rev Kimerie Mapletoft
Director of Silent Unity and Daily Word UK

​I often use this statement to help me feel strengthened and connected, through faith, with all that is good and true.
 
It is my reminder to reconnect with the nurturing strength and power of Mother Nature along with the ever-present wellspring of Divine life, love, strength and peace that is flowing in, through and out of me, into the world.
 
When we feel connected to our Source of goodness, whether described as God, Presence or Universal Love, we find we can withstand whatever is happening around us, or within us, because there is a presence and power here to guide, uplift and transform us. Jesus is the perfect example of this.
 
Whenever I feel knocked around by life or people, I take a moment to breathe and get still, feel my feet on the ground or earth and breathe in the earth energy up through my feet, to fill me as strength and well-being. Then I focus on the flow of divine light and love, as it were coming in through my head and out through my feet into the earth. Connected in this way, a conduit of energy, I am filled, able to beam love and wisdom out through my heart to those around me.
 
It is a simple technique, but easy and so effective. Next time you feel knocked off course, try this exercise and let me know how you get on. If you have other techniques that help you, please email me for us to share on our blog post. I look forward to hearing from you.
 
Rev Kimerie Mapletoft
Director of Silent Unity and Daily Word UK

Well … do you feel that there is a lot going on right now – in the UK and around the world? That life is speeding up; pushing you forward, seemingly chaotic, feeling unsure about the future? Perhaps you feel lost and struggling right now. Alternatively, you may feel alive and uplifted, knowing who you are and your role in life.

Either way, there is one thing guaranteed to support us each day – gratitude. Meister Eckhart, the great 14th C. Christian mystic, wrote, “The only two words we need to say in prayer are ‘thank you’”. Pause a moment … does this resonate with you?

Charles Fillmore, Unity co-founder, said: “Gratitude is a great mind magnet and when it is expressed from the spiritual standpoint it is powerfully augmented.”
What is this spiritual standpoint? It is the understanding and acceptance that, with God as our Source and supply, our good is here for us, even if we cannot see it, ready to fill our awareness and experience in a way that we can see and use.

Yet appreciation, gratitude, is more than mere words – it is a feeling. It is this feeling that is like a mighty magnet, drawing even more of universal good into our experience. Richard and Mary-Alice Jafolla write in Unity’s The Quest, “Feelings are the catalyst and activate the powers which make the changes and do the work.”

Our part is to lift our thoughts away from the problems, demands, fears and distractions of this world, to connect with a deeper, abiding knowing of, as Jesus said, ‘The Father and I are one.’ From a deepening sense of Oneness, we are led forward together.
Gratitude helps us do this. We can always find at least one thing to feel grateful about. This feeling of gratitude begins to shift our minds and hearts to a deeper faith and trust. There is good here. This enables us to see more goodness around us, and experience within us.

Then, as we make this inner shift, we are able to support others and help them know that there is good here and even more good than we can imagine. Especially when we work together.

Right now on planet earth, we are being called to be better stewards of our planet. To take care of ourselves, each other, our climate and the bio-diversity that is so important in a balanced and healthy world. Yet we can only really do this when we feel connected to something greater than ourselves that is uniting us and working through all of us.

Gratitude will do this. Let us find something different to be grateful for every day through November. Feel into the joy and sense of appreciation and upliftment this encourages. Perhaps journal, with art work, your blessings and joy. (Join our class.) Watch for more things to be grateful for in your life, and know you are being the catalyst for someone else to feel grateful and experience their good.

Together, as we share our abilities, time and gifts with others around us, we will find a way to help bring back balance and harmony in our world. We will support each other in using less, helping more and finding so much joy in doing this, that our gratitude overflows.

This is how life is changed. Let us be the change we wish to seek. Let gratitude be the tool to get us there.

How do you respond to this statement? Is it yes, in theory that is great but … Or, … I will when such and such has happened … We want to say yes, but we often put all sorts of things in the way of this first.

It is the same with the perfect activity of God working in, through and as us. We may say yes to the idea of it, but find it hard actually to do it: To say ‘Yes’ to God.

As I reflect on this, I believe it is because we find it hard to trust that God is here for our good. At some point, the idea was put into our minds that yes, God will love us ... when we are perfect. If I am a good girl, or good boy, or good person, you will love me. It is a thought that always keeps us striving for something that feels out of reach. 

Yet Scripture tells us repeatedly, that even though we make mistakes, God is always here for us as our good. (Genesis 50:20, Deuteronomy 1:25, 2 Samuel 7:28, 2 Corinthians 9:8, Philippians 2:13, 1 Timothy 4:4 and more.)

So, let us make the experience of ‘God as good’ real in our lives. Let us say ‘Yes!’ to God as our good. For this is saying yes to life and everything that is here for us abundantly, when we seek to experience the kingdom of God. (Mt. 6:33)

This is the invitation this week. Decide to say yes to God as good, letting go of what you think the solution or action needs to be, and witnessing how God as good guides you, opens doors for you that you did not even know where there. Especially when seeking to know and experience good here for everyone, not just the select few.

For me, this is being born again. This is realising true joy, peace, love, abundance. The invitation, in every moment, is to say yes to God, yes to life. So let’s do it, together.

I would love to hear how saying yes to God, yes to life, brings forth new good for you. Comment below with your experiences and let me know if you would like them shared for others to be inspired as well. 

Rev Kimerie Mapletoft
Director of Silent Unity and Daily Word UK

​Recently I woke up at 2.30am, and, unable to sleep, wrote the following words, inspired by a Richard Rohr book, Immortal Diamond.
Once more, my mind had engaged in its chatter – grabbing my attention now that I was quiet. I found myself unable to rest back into sleep. However, I also recognised that my mind (ego-self) was into self-attack mode. It sounds heavy, but the voice was saying; must do this better, work harder, express myself clearer, get all these jobs done etc. I realised that unconsciously I was making myself wrong, subtly but effectively. In fact it reminded me of comments I would get from some of my teachers at school – could do better! My mind is always telling me – you could do better. Phew. As if there is not enough going on without this subtle voice in my head, kicking off at night-time.
 
What I recognised, which was a blessing and release, was that when I allow this to happen, and focus on fixing my humanity (or someone else’s), I am not practising the silence; I am not focused on God as good. Yet this is the key to our awakening, or salvation.
 
When we focus on God within, through and as us, when we open our minds and hearts in silent awe and reverence, to the majesty and mystery of God, we are changed.
 
Instead of me trying to work harder, be clearer, kinder etc., I find I do this naturally and experience God as my source of clarity, confidence and ability.
 
It is good to be the best that we can be. However, when we strive, thinking ‘I have to fix me’, we are in the way of our goodness flowing. When we surrender into Divine Heart, into love and wisdom, we are uplifted, renewed, restored into our true nature, our Christ nature, and the good for everyone naturally flows. As my dear friend, Isabel used to say, ‘we are being done’!
 
Therefore, I encourage myself, and you, to stop trying to fix ourselves to be better. The ego-mind will keep us here forever. Instead, practice opening, softening and melting into God Mind/Heart. Allow yourself to make this inner divine connection and notice how you begin to respond. It is the pure activity of God in us, as us, that changes us.
 
Rev Kimerie Mapletoft
Director of Silent Unity and Daily Word UK

"When you become aware of silence, immediately there is that state
of inner still alertness. You are present...”
- Eckhart Tolle, Stillness Speaks

​For this week’s Thought for the week we have selected a talk and meditation by Unity teacher Isabel Compton. Isabel sadly made her transition in August this year, and we share this recording in memory of Isabel with deep love and gratitude for all the joy and wisdom she shared in Unity and in her life.
 
In this talk titled ‘Going within’ and recorded at Unity Maidenhead in September 2019 Isabel explores stillness, meditation and presence in a range of ways.
 
Drawing from the book ‘Stillness Speaks by Eckhardt Tolle, the Japanese concept of ‘Satori’ translated as ‘awakening’ along with quotes from Unity teacher and co-founder Myrtle Fillmore.
The talk ends with a guided meditation to begin to experience a little of this sense of stillness
 
With love and blessing, 

Ruth Humphreys
Daily Word UK Editor 

Do you, like me, sometimes put a lot of mental pressure on yourself, or take on the cares of the world? It is all too easy to let this pressure take us over and then feel exhausted, especially if there is a lot going on in our lives, as there is for many of us right now.
 
However, when we let ourselves rest in the thought and feeling of I am enough and let the rest go, the ‘enough’ in us grows without pressure or force and Grace shines through.
 
Right now, whatever is happening in your life or around you, take time to surrender into peace, by easing into and through any turbulent thoughts or feelings, to land in the Grace and peace that is God as the Ground of Being, here, in your midst.
 
Daily Word put it beautifully recently: Fearful or anxious energy is like a lake’s choppy waves on a windy day. The serenity of my soul is like the water at depth that always remains calm and still.
 
The peace that passes all understanding is always here, underneath and within the activities of the world, when we look for it. For this peace lies within us. Thus the invitation is, with faith, move through the discomfort without identifying with it. Practice, I let go and let God, and God as Grace and peace will emerge. You are enough.
 
Rev. Kimerie Mapletoft,
Director of Silent Unity and Daily Word UK

Are you new to Unity and would like to know more about prayer in Unity?  Visit our prayer resources page. We also have a wealth of booklets and books on the subject!
 
PS Please share this with anyone whom you think may receive it.

Brought up in traditional Christianity, I was taught that as human beings, we are sinners who must keep apologising for our mistakes, with Jesus as the only son of God. Is this a message you heard, or continue to relate to?

Those of you who have been reading these weekly thoughts, know that I rejected church as a child, as I rejected this ethos. Even as a teenager, I believed we are all beloved of God, all children of God and here to somehow find God in our personal experience. I moved into the practice of meditation, although struggled to keep my mind silent and still, let alone sitting cross-legged on the floor for longer than five minutes!

When I came into Unity, messages like the one today were not just mind and heart-opening, they shifted me entirely. Here at last was an organisation that was expanding my thinking and experience - opening me into a way of life and living that would 'set me free'. Set me free from what? From my little self.

I invite you this week, to use this affirmation as an 'I am' statement: I am the vehicle through which God-awareness flows. 

Write it down in your journal and spend a few minutes each day writing your thoughts that flow from this one. They could be anything from, 'no way is this true' to the deep realisation that Jesus taught us all: 'The father and I are one'. Just sit, keep writing and see what comes forth from within you.

Make this personal and real for you. Jesus came to show us the way for us to have our own personal experience of God - and to know, as author and Unity minister Eric Butterworth wrote: Within every person is the unborn possibility of limitless growth, and ours is the privilege of giving birth to it. (Celebrate Yourself) 

In his letter to the Colossians Paul wrote it this way: ... the mystery hidden for ages and generations... which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (1:26,27) 

Rev. Kimerie Mapletoft, 
Director of Silent Unity and Daily Word UK

Are you new to Unity and would like to know more? We have a wealth of booklets and books on the subject!