"I was thinking about my own home, and whether I could look at it through metaphysical eyes. How could I use the material aspects of my home to enhance my spiritual journey?
​
I live in what is called a studio flat. I have 3 rooms - a bathroom, a kitchen and a combination of lounge and bedroom, which I call a bed-sitting room. So if I go through each of these rooms, what do they remind me about my connection with the Divine?

Entrance hallway - brings to mind the book by Unity minister Ellen Debenport called Hell in the Hallway - Light at the Door. Its theme, as I understand it, is about the time in-between decisions, when we are uncertain about what will come next. So I see my hallway as the entrance to the interior of my home, and until I make the decision as to which door to go through, I am in a moment of uncertainty. But I am still home, and we are still home with God during those moments of indecision.
 
Bathroom toilet - if I open the door on my left I am in my bathroom/toilet, the place of cleanliness and release. Here I am reminded of the importance of releasing anything that is standing in the way of my good, anything that no longer serves me. Holding on to negative thoughts about ourselves keeps us down and when we do let go, we feel lighter, both physically and spiritually.
This is also the place of cleanliness. I use water to take a shower or cleanse my face or wash my hands. Water is a symbol of life, we talk about living water, and it reminds me of being in the flow, of life, of the consciousness of God, of being home with God.
 
Kitchen - standing outside my bathroom, turning to the left, I open the door to the kitchen. The kitchen is where we keep and prepare our food, the nourishment for our body. We decide what we are going to have and create a meal for ourselves. It reminds me to keep and use food that will nourish me physically and emotionally. If I get the balance off, there is the challenge of indigestion!
There is also food for the soul, which feeds our connection with God. I am reminded that there can be spiritual indigestion as well, if I take in too much, and not give myself time for absorption, and quiet times of reflection.
 
Bed-sitting room : standing outside my kitchen, the door to the left leads to my bed-sitting room. It's where I am engaged with reading, with music and with entertainment. It contains my television, books, records, computer. They are my windows to the world, particularly so during the pandemic and restrictions. I find inspiration and support here.

I also have my bed, which for me is where I can be rested, refreshed and renewed. That is where the balance is - to be inspired and motivated, to take that to a quiet place, and let it unfold for the highest and best. To take it home with God.
So that's how I use my physical home to symbolically connect with my spiritual home - my home with God.
 
I guess most people may live in houses or larger spaces that I have, with other rooms that might be reminders of spiritual aspects of our lives.
 
For example:
 Dining room  - a place to gain nourishment and share meals - to take what comes to us in inspiration and share it willingly with the world
Basement - this could be a place of storage, for things we don't use very often, for ideas that are not part of our everyday living but perhaps we are reluctant to totally release
Attic - another place of storage, but perhaps of treasured things. As a basement thought takes us below, so an attic thought takes us above.
Conservatory - a place mostly filled with light because of the windows - a place of resting and feeling the lightness of things, feeling our own lightness of being.
Garage - a place where motor vehicles can be kept; we use that for travelling, more storage of things needed from time to time, that help with renewal and repair
 
Looking at a home in a metaphysical way, that works on the principle of using our human experiences to take us to spiritual expression."
Nancy Sandoval - Unity Teacher 
 

When lockdown started, I made a commitment to myself that I would be a different person when it ended. Have you ever done something like this?

Having made this commitment, I recognised that part of me did not always want to change.  We get comfortable with where we are and who we think we are, even if we do not like it! Sometimes, when my energy is low, I recognise that it feels easier to react in the old way, even though I know it does not work and I may feel bad afterwards.

When this happens, compassion to ourselves is the best answer. Because, as human beings, we are always doing the best that we can in each moment.
What I have come to realise however, is that I want to do and feel better!

Part of this has been the realisation that when I react quickly without thinking, I am doing so because in the past I made my experiences mean something that may not be true.  For example, when I was about 8 months old, my parents had to leave me in hospital, as I was quite ill. Apparently, I held out my arms to them, but they had to walk away and leave me there. My interpretation of this was a feeling of rejection and being unlovable. Subsequently, when people seemed to turn away, the old feeling of rejection resurfaced. I would either then reject them as well and walk away, or do anything I could to get them to like me.  At the time, my parents were not rejecting me – they were trying to help me.  However, my feeling and interpretation of the event had unconsciously affected my life and was re-enacted, time and again.

Now, through wonderful release and healing work, instead of responding through the old feeling of rejection, I have found myself set free. This took wise and loving practice, which continues as an ongoing commitment to my Self to stay present and feel the Presence: my Source, God.
Albert Einstein famously said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again – expecting different results.”  I certainly experienced this without knowing why.
However, we can bring the new light of understanding on what is happening.  It takes conscious effort to do so and step up, as it were, to be our True Self. Yet we can say ‘Yes’ to who we truly are and want to be.
Jesus said in John 8:32, “… you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” What is the truth? We discover this in ourselves and for ourselves. Perhaps this is our life journey and experience - to discover our truth and live it. For me, it is that we are each radiant beings, who have forgotten what we are, yet are seeking to remember.

This was what was calling me. Further, I knew that my effort, attention and energy was needed to stay the path. I really wanted to be free and be the happiest and healthiest Self I could possibly be.
The journey is still ongoing; will probably always be ongoing as we awaken to our beautiful, luminous, creative Selves. Below I share some of my realisations that may support you:

• My ‘work’ or joy is to release the emotional pain and suffering I have put in the way of my experience of God and my Self.
• I do this by becoming aware of my old beliefs that keep the emotions in place.
• I recognise that I put these in place to protect me and keep me safe from the world, but this also keeps me separate from my Self and God.
• God is unconditional love, far greater and more joyful than I can possibly imagine.
• God is the Ground of my Being, and I am one with God. Like the Prodigal Son story, God is here waiting with open arms to receive me back to my Self.
• Having released the old way, I connect with a new way, a new understanding, which is revealed through me.
• My thoughts, words and actions become my practice to keep this connection alive and real.
• I need and want the support of spiritual community to keep me on track.
• For, as we share who and what we are, we experience our truth more fully.
• I stay on this journey with curiosity, courage and compassion.

​In the Gospel of John, Jesus as the Christ energy spoke about being the way, the truth and the life. This powerful revelation became the guidance and inspiration that changed Saul to Paul, leading him to create and support communities around the Mediterranean Sea to encourage others to know the same.
Building spiritual community is becoming very important to me now. We are all on this journey of remembering and awakening to who and what we are. Charles Fillmore (Unity co-founder with his wife Myrtle) spoke of us all searching for God, even if we do not know it. For me, this is the search for Love, which is ‘who and what we already are’.
So let us come together to encourage, support and recognise the radiant, beautiful, creative beings that we are. To bring our vulnerability and doubts yes, knowing we can release them, to truly shine, love, create and share the joy we are here to live and experience together.  Let us set ourselves free.

After a few teething problems with the website (thank you for your patience and understanding) it is now successfully launched and being received with some great comments. Do get excited with us and check it out: www.unityuk.org.

We would also love your comments and feedback. As part of our service to you, we update our website regularly, with new events, videos and free resources to support you and our Unity family. In addition, if there were something you would like to see, do let us know.

This has been a big change for us in Unity.  Have you noticed that change is the one constant in the universe? We can almost guarantee that, just as we think our lives are sorted out and going in the right direction, they change again! This is something I have experienced repeatedly.

Sometimes it is exciting and something we want. However sometimes it feels like it is the last thing we want. We may resist what is happening and may even rile against our fate! We may cry, ‘Why did this happen?’ or ‘Why did God not stop this from happening?’ We may even pray for the old situation to return, perhaps feeling frightened and overwhelmed. If this is your experience, it is important to acknowledge your feelings without believing the thoughts that go with them.

However, just as seasons change to keep the natural world healthy, in balance, so our lives must change to keep us healthy, and in balance, even though it may not feel like it at the time. Continuous growth in ourselves as human and spiritual beings is part of our soul desire. This growth often involves challenges and change – yet it is the call higher.
For in each event that we experience, we are being invited to go deeper into our True, Christ self. This to release the inner splendour that has always been within us, yet sometimes only really experienced when life seems to throw us a curve ball!

If something is happening in our lives, like Covid-19 and its consequences, that we cannot control, we can go within, to our deeper self, and ask to see how we can respond in a way that loves, empowers and connects us with each other and our world in a more positive, graceful way.

We can practice releasing our old ways of responding; loving and letting go of the part of us that wants life to be a certain way; opening instead to the limitless possibilities that are inherent in each moment in time and point in space, this to reveal our inner beauty and depth of being. Suddenly, we can be present to ourselves and each other in ways never experienced before. From this viewpoint, we can now see the change as an opportunity to know ourselves as the next best version of who we came here to be.

If you are going through change and uncertainty, we warmly invite you to join our first Unity home retreat. Its focus is to help us move from uncertainty to faith through the experience of being always at home with God.

Further, with Lent starting this month, our Unity Lent booklet is designed to support us in releasing the old responses we wish to let go of, to reveal our true, beautiful and graceful self. So join us through Lent with our daily readings, and let the inner change in ourselves bless our world and all we experience together.

Rev Kimerie Mapletoft
Director of Silent Unity and Daily Word UK

Rev. Kimerie Mapletoft writes…..
With all that is happening in the UK and worldwide, Unity in the UK is doing even more to affirm and know our spiritual comfort, strength, guidance and healing, within and beyond our community. We have been holding all in prayer since this began and our prayers continue.

Indeed it is more important than ever to come together in prayer, sharing and developing our spiritual practice that builds our human connections and deepens our connection with God in the midst of us.

Together we stand strong in faith, in and through every experience, knowing God IS our strength, help and support.  GOD IS STILL GOOD.

Our prayer line and ministry continue to work, undaunted and faith-filled, supporting every person individually and everyone’s prayer life as a whole.

We will also continue to build our vital online, live-streamed services: offering classes, workshops, and providing prayer services, open to all every single day of the week. All these manifest and celebrate the spiritual connection, which gives us our name: Unity.

We continue to receive calls, emails and letters and will respond to them all. Our faith in God is, if anything, even greater, for we know that in every situation we turn to God first. And God as good is always here.
 
We will also of course be continuing to mail out our bi-monthly Daily Word and Unity Magazine, doing the very best we can to get it to you on time.
Look out for more updates on the website. And be assured, our prayers and faith remain undaunted and faith filled. Join us.
 
To email our prayer ministry: silent.unity@unityuk.org To call the prayer ministry: 01628 628916.

Love and blessings to you all, Kimerie