Free Online Ordination: May 2008

Monday, May 26, 2008

Spirit Quest

The Spirit Quest course was not what I expected, it was much better. Everything was explained so well and with humor. I did not make major changes in my life probably because I am on my spiritual path with goals already which led me to taking this course. I was familiar with many of the tools and principles, as I am a Reiki Master Teacher. However, the chapters were beautifully explained. I did learn some new tools which I love and use all the time. The use of the roses and the Golden sun are my favorite. They are simple, you can do them anywhere and their uses are many. I was also was happy to see the chapters on ‘How Spirit Communicates’. It all just fit so well with everything else I am learning from other sources. It validated my spiritual path.

As for a miracle, my whole life has been a miracle but now I am aware of where miracles come from. Spirit guides must have been with me my whole for me to have survived some of the very difficult challenges I had as a child. Until the last few years here in Tucson, I didn’t believe in anything so I have come a long way and I know I have much more to learn and experience. Now I am grateful for everything that happens in my life whether good or bad. There are always lessons to be learned. The following is an example of an event that happened as a child who didn’t understand. I was left with an old man in the middle of the Las Vegas desert for him to baby sit me while my mother and step-father went out. The old man told me to take all my clothes off and get in bed. Something, I now believe was an angel or spirit guide told me to get the keys and lock myself in the car which I did. Today I know what would have happened to me had I stayed in his camper and that was just the first of many miracles I have experienced.

Rev. Anne Marie Brooks

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Spiritualism

Universal Life Church

This course was designed to learn how to minister to the scientific community or even to the traditional religious believer.

As quoted in Lesson 4… “When we tap into that universal God energy we can produce any kind of miracle”. I believe this is true. There were many philosophical viewpoints covered in this course. I thought it interesting that science and Marxism, Socialism and Communism was lopped into the same philosophical

thought patterns though it shouldn’t be surprising as most scientist are atheists. I suppose if one was to minister to the likes of these thought systems in a way, would be nailed to the cross as the author of this course purports through his own testimony. I am happy that my ministering work attracts those who are open to the spiritual path and are perhaps looking for their specialty or new levels of growth to enhance their abilities.

With that said, this course was one of the hardest to get through because it was a dark analogy of what a

“spiritual” person is expected to go through as being nailed to the cross. It sounded more like punishment then the rewards of Light and Love and joy that comes with being spiritual, or an enlightened soul. A soul with spirit. My view is that Christ Jesus bore the cross so we wouldn’t have to.

I especially liked the philosophy of Socrates and Plato… Socrates, “ We must learn to accept the world as it is.” And, through the understanding of Plato, we can often know more about what a person thinks than they know themselves.

If “we are part of a unified whole” (page 5, Lesson 5), then we are like a piece of the pie not the whole pie. God is the whole. We are a piece of the whole form. The next sentence states, “However much we want to think of ourselves as individuals, we are not. and when we die we fall back into the greater whole.”

I don’t think God expects us to be like him, just to be the best EXAMPLE that we can be. I am not a purest and certainly no saint. I am human like anyone else. I bring this up perhaps as a reminder to myself that I am not a Savior, and I have no business trying to be. Taking this approach which I have experienced, can

cause a great deal of suffering, heartache, and disappointment. I understand Faith without works is dead. However, there is no amount of works that will gain you favor in Heaven than GRACE. This is the administration that we now live under. All that is expected once again is to be an example of good and honest living. This is a part of spiritual principles.

Knowledge is power but wisdom is even more powerful. I believe that if we live by or follow our God-given talents, God will bring us together with those who can benefit most from our counsel or spiritual nature.

Dr. Rev. Nancy Kimes

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception

Metaphysical Healing

As with spirit quest – it is impossible to detail all I have learned in this excellent course. To deal with the aspects I found hardest to accept first. My main problem is with the shamanic approach to illness, the view that illness is self-created and that anything can be relieved by the power of thought. While I agree that mental attitude has a great effect on recovery from illness, I can’t accept that illness is self-caused in all cases. There are too many illnesses that just don’t seem to fit the pattern quite apart from accidents, birth abnormalities etc.

This aside, the other methods described in the course are definitely ones that I shall continue to use in the future. For example, I like the concept of past life regression as a tool for healing the present by unraveling complex behavior loops and to explain choices and preferences in the current incarnation. Equally valuable are the methods of energy healing including reiki, which have produced some excellent results in my hands. Combining energy healing with assessment of the aura and of the chakras greatly increases its power. As a rule I find it easier to sense the aura with my hands rather than see it with my eyes, and yet my hands can sense colour as well as areas of high and low energy and areas of damage. The aura is therefore very useful when I want to identify areas in greatest need of treatment, or identify the problem. The chakras as energy centres of the body have a major role in health, and aligning the chakras as part of a healing treatment greatly increases the success.

In my opinion, Teiki (and other energy healing) is a valuable method of healing but it should be noted that Reiki is not a magic cure and it cannot successfully treat every condition. To state otherwise is to mislead and to give false hope, and to promote Teiki as a cure-all for monetary gain is unconscionable. Despite this, Reiki may bring spiritual and mental relief to those with serious and incurable conditions (Rand, 1995). It can be argued that Dr Usui’s views that those who did not respond to Reiki were simply unwilling to accept the cure are far too simplistic. The majority of illnesses, though possibly exacerbated by stress and/or mental health, are caused by external factors beyond the control of the patient. Students of the chakras and the subtle bodies and of shamanism will interrupt here and point out that disease is often manifest in the higher bodies – the mental and etheric, before it becomes manifest in the physical form, and accordingly may be treated at this nascent stage. This is entirely possible, but appearance of disease in these higher bodies does not imply voluntary or even subconscious acquiescence to the illness. I do not subscribe to the view that illness and disability is a form of karmic payback, our Gods and Goddesses are not cruel, vengeful beings and have better ways of teaching us. Maybe there are some people who enjoy ill health for reasons of their own, but the majority will be only too eager to regain health. This unfortunately means that the many patients with life-threatening and incurable illnesses who want nothing more than to survive and will try any method of treatment offered are potentially vulnerable to charlatans.

The course offered a lot of very useful advice on setting up a healing practice. I do not intend to use the healing methods learned in this course in a practice setting, reserving them for personal use among family and friends, and for animals. Being trained in main line medicine, these techniques offer a valuable addition to the traditional methods of healing and using a combination of both has dramatic results.

Rev. Sue Bellworthy

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics, as well as courses in Mystical Christianity, Buddhism and Comparative Religion. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

A Course In Miracles

The lesson that touched my heart most deeply was the one about miracles and work. As a healer by vocation, and with strong empathic tendencies, I could relate to this so well. Life is about what we do with it, not for ourselves, but for the greater good, and in doing this we create miracles around us. Modern society has become lost in consumerism, and selfishness, and in doing so has distorted the true purpose of life. Spiritualism has been lost, religion is struggling, and society is decaying as a result. I fear that these lessons really preach to the converted, but maybe all of us who have taken this course will be able to make small changes that will grow and spread, creating a miracle for society as a whole.

This lesson led very readily into the one on addictions and the concept of surrendering things to the higher power, and so gaining relief and peace. This really touched the centre of the lessons, the need for a core belief in a power above, and in the power within us, of freeing and touching these powers and using them to achieve change. Taking this back in the lessons to the creation story, a tale that is told in many forms by many cultures, but one that in all cases shows that we come from the divine power, that we hold the essence of that divine power and that we should respect this power and use it wisely for the greater good of ourselves, of others and of the world. This leads on to the way we use that power. It may be used for healing in ways discussed in the metaphysical healing course, but it may be used to effect change.

Working from the concept that all in creation is energy, then thoughts and emotions are energy, and thoughts made with intent are capable of creating change. This may be done in a ritual setting, as with spell work of the pagan paths; or done in a prayer setting. However performed, words do have enormous power, should be used wisely and may be used with great effect to create change. Here, the power of negative thoughts is often very apparent, thinking and expecting the worst often makes it happen, and conversely, expecting and really believing in the best will bring that about. The conclusion of all this is that miracles are all around us; we have the power to make them happen, and we should grasp that power and use it for the greater good with the blessing of the divine powers above.

Rev. Sue Bellworthy

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Spirit Quest

It is a near impossible challenge to select a few techniques from the many methods described in this course as all have their own unique value. Here I describe just a selection of the methods I tried and found of value.

Spirit Guides and Angels: I initially found it very hard to make contact with my spirit guides and angels, largely, it seems, because of an irrational fear within myself. Having broken through this barrier and reached out to these beings, there was a wonderful feeling of completeness and safety. Although I still find it hard at times to contact my guides and angels, particularly when under immense stress which is when I most need them, I have achieved this on occasion with spectacular results. Inevitably, when returning from the hospital, I just miss my train. On one occasion, when my connection with my angel was strong and when I was desperate to get home, I found myself almost propelled along the station concourse and onto my train with a minute to spare – a real miracle.

I found the roses described in the course to be a perfect symbol. There were the roses to detect lies which I have used effectively on many occasions; the sticky roses or remove stale energy and to intercept bad energy and/or problems; and particularly the roses to absorb bad karma after breaking the pattern like a bundle of sticks. This latter has brought me immense relief from non-specific anxiety. The rose is such a perfect flower, a flower of love and peace, and a flower that is ideal to this purpose.

I regularly use energy healing, taking care to channel the life force or cosmic energy rather than use my own energy, and in doing so have managed to bring relief to many. One recipient had just been diagnosed with first stage cervical cancer, but when she attended the clinic for treatment all traces of the cancer had gone – another miracle.

I find working with the chakras to be a very powerful tool, often spending time balancing the chakras and smoothing the flow of energy to bring relief to some very bad migraines. The chakras are also an invaluable asset to other energy work, and in meditation by opening the upper chakras to gain connection to the spirit. The reading screen as a place for thought has been very useful for my failing memory!

Finally, the female creative energy was a subject I knew nothing about and identifying and taming this source of intuition and feminine powers has been very useful, giving me greater clarity to that female intuition rather than a nameless fear which I experienced previously.

It was a superb course, the few examples above represent a mere fraction of my learning over the past weeks and I shall use all I have learned regularly in my work.

Rev. Sue Bellworthy

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Druidism

I’ve always felt this pull to paganism, witchcraft, and druidism without knowing what that pull was specifically. After researching those differences, Druidism appeared to fit my longing for something other than my Roman Catholic upbringing.

I never understood the notion of one God split into three (Father, Son, Holy Ghost) nor the notion Saints and the Holy Prophets until I studied the Druid pantheon of Gods & Goddesses.

Joseph Campbell and Robert Bly gave me insight into the notion of myths, the hairy old man in the forest and the notion of metaphor to explain our human condition. As Joseph Campbell once explained when asked the difference between monotheism and polytheism, he replied that it’s comparable to saying “the Lights are on” versus “the Light is on”. The difference is in perspective and not the literalness of the words.

Campbell also said that one person’s God is not another person’s God even if it’s the same image; when you are experiencing anything, you are experiencing it through your frame of reference and lifetime of memories and interpret your experience of God accordingly. If your experience is naturally unique to anyone else’s, how could anyone tell you what to believe or what to think or what to worship? In effect, “Your God is not My God so don’t try to force your beliefs onto me!”

Druidism isn’t only a cultural view or belief system; it’s as religious as the oldest recorded religions that call themselves the true religion of God; Judaism, Islam & Christianity. Druidism religious views allowed them to survive the oral traditions and some of the lost knowledge has been passed down through deep meditation and contemplation using Druid methods.

Druidism helped me to believe in reincarnation and in applying its teachings to my own belief system. Using the symbol of a Tree and each of us being a branch of the same tree, connected to the roots and connected to each other through the tree, it makes sense to think we are perpetually learning and experiencing for the sake of all and bringing light and hope to anyone that needs it. Sometimes I may need help, other times I’m helping everyone with their issues; regardless of the direction, it’s about giving and receiving love. The Tree represents our highest ideals, goals and beliefs about love, happiness, joy and peace.

In taking this course on Druidism, I was entertained and enjoyed the differing points of view yet still retained my appreciation and respect that we are all searching for our way back to the root or Source of all life, Love in its many forms.

Swami Michael-ji

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Science of Religion

I have to admit I was not looking forward to this lesson. I do not like philosophy. To me it is just people who are not afraid to speak their opinion and want to get recognized.

I was impressed with what I learned and did get some answers to questions I had and learned some things about myself.

Let me explain this way. I have always been a person that believes totally in God but have a real bad taste in my mouth for churches. When we were young and living in a house with a father who was an alcoholic, my mom taught us her way of believing and what was best for us. We had a cabin that we built as a family growing up. We did not go to church much, but were members of a church. I remember one time our minister came to the house and accused my mom of not raising us right because we were not in church. My little 5 ft mom kicked him right out the door, saying we believe in God, but the things that keeps us together is being up north.

During the week my dad spent all his time in the bar after work, spending money we did not have and never being around when we needed him My mom not having a license had to depend on others to get groceries, hospital emergencies and most things, however when we were up north with no electricity or plumbing we were a family. We played family games, rode snowmobiles, fished, spent time with friends. It was a great way to grow up. The cabin was our house of God. That is were we were a family and felt God keeping us together.

When I met my husband and we decided to get married we went to his church, were his family was very active in the church. We wanted to get married in the yard on his family farm, but the Minister said he would not tip toe through the tulips. The minister said it was not a house of God. How much closer to God can you get than under the sky above.

When we had our children I believed it was right to have them in Sunday school and be confirmed so they could make their own choices. During that time I did teach Sunday school. My son never had much to do with the church, my daughter loved it until she got older and was totally turned off by the same Minister that would not tip toe through the tulips.

I really had a hard time with a minister who did not even acknowledge your presents when you went to church and when he sees you on the street he does not know you are there.

Getting back to the coarse, it taught me why some ministers are the way they are and I can forgive them for it. The to are a product of greed, at least some of them. It still amazes me though how people are because of one philosopher. But then I see it every day in the way people listen to the news with politics, (because it is on the news it is true). I believe in 1% of the news, especially when it come to politics. Words or a lack of them can be a very dangerous thing.

I am an Municipal Judge here in Glenwood City. The law is so much like religion. If you have a good attorney that can take one word in the law and change its meaning, he can get you off. It all has to do with interpretation.

This coarse has also taught me to get my ego in check. I had thought I was doing pretty good in that area, but have since learned I have a long way to go. Trying to build my business of Holistic Pet Pampering. Healing Energy, and all Natural Products has been hard. I have groomed for 15 years and working with the animals and the love I have for them is easy. However building this business with finances and wanting to be financially stable is getting in the way of why I started to begin with. It made me realize I have to just focus on helping as many animals and people as possible and try not to dwell on the finances. It will come. My ego also gets in the way of how I look at some people and being jealous of others successes.

The sad part about all of this, God loves us all unconditionally, but it is the interpretation of his love that causes wars and hate among others. There is some definitely wrong with this.

My sister says I should talk about God more in my teachings of Reiki and healing energy. I refer to the Higher Power. I try to explain that even though my Higher Power is God, It is not everyone’s. I have to keep religion out of it. She has a hard time separating the two. I do tell people I am a Minister and proud to be able to say that, but I specify that I am a Minister of the Body, Mind and Spirit, and the Higher Power. not a Minister of Religion. This coarse helped me to figure that out and explain the difference of the two.

Rev. Kimberly Moe

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Saturday, May 17, 2008

Druidism

For many years I have studied many sources of information on Druids and Celtic society in general. This particular course was especially useful for presenting information from several different authors and thereby allowing the reader to compare different points of view and writing style in presenting the subject. Unfortunately this work, just as all other previous writings on the subject, suffers from the same dilemma. That of the lack of direction and guidance of any real live Druids trained in the original traditions. The old ways of passing down information orally from teacher to pupil did not completely stand the test of time, disease, or the incursions of the Roman and Christian cultures into Celtic society. Therefore any knowledge we have about Druids is second hand at best and colored by the prejudiced attitudes, both for and against the Druids and their style of worship, by the authors.

For instance, when Julius Caesar first wanted to expand the Roman influence into the area of Gaul, popular opinion was decidedly against it. His troops feared the Celtic warriors and with good reason. Their ferocity in battle was well documented and they were some of the first to start using the longer broadsword, as compared to the short-sword which was the main weapon of the Roman infantryman. They even had a larger two-handed great-sword, called a Claymore, that could only be wielded by the largest and strongest warriors.

The Celts were tribal and war-like and always fighting among themselves so that the only ones capable of organizing them into an army that would be able to resist the Roman expansion were their Religious leaders, the Druids. Caesar began a campaign of propaganda against the Druids designed to sway public opinion against them. He exaggerated the tales of human sacrifice by the Druids in order to justify invading Gaul and civilizing the barbarians. Although the Druids did practice human sacrifice, the victims were usually ones which were caught raiding their cattle or they were chosen from the Druids themselves and were volunteers. Interesting to note is that the Romans themselves had practiced human sacrifice only about sixty years earlier. Anyway they got a real bad reputation from his propaganda.

Caesar was one-third a general, one-third an inquirer into alien faiths, and one-third a literary leader. He was capable of winning over and making friends with AEduan Diviticus the Druid, and learning from him all that he would tell him about Druidry. Eventually, however, continental Druidry would compromise itself with Rome, and so lose it’s power , despite preserving its forms and temples. In my opinion, mere ritual, without inner wisdom for guidance is just an exercise in theatrics. Unfortunately this is what modern day Druidry has degenerated into.

It was on the sacred Island of Mona (Anglesea) that the most important college of Druid learning was established. Unfortunately the Druids lost everything when the Roman governor, Suetonius Paulinus marched on Anglesea with the intent of exterminating the Druids once and for all.

They were driven out of power. Many of the Druids fled to other parts of the British Isles and their teachings were preserved only by the surviving traditions of the local peoples. Later an attempt was made by some to write down the teachings and recapture the ancient wisdom, but Druidry would never again attain the respect and prestige it held before the Roman conquest..

Maybe this is as it should be. When I first began my studies in Druidism I was told by some more knowledgeable than I, that the reason that the teachings were always in oral form and never written down was that the attitude of the original Druids was such that they truly believed if the teachings were MEANT to survive then they WOULD survive. I think it was also so that the Druids, like other more modern and more organized religious leaders, could retain their control over the uninitiated and uneducated.

It’s difficult for me to believe that they were so short-sighted that they couldn’t foresee the possibility that disease, attrition, famine, or a conquering army might leave them in a position where there were no qualified Druids left to continue their teachings. In any case all we are left with is remnants of the original. In our attempt to understand and practice Druidism we can’t even come close to recreating the past. All we can hope for is to create our own Druidism. In the old Gaelic tongue this is, “Arn dRiocht Fein.”

With that being said I would like to end this paper with what I’ve been taught is a universal Druid prayer:

Grant, o God, thy protection;

And in protection, strength;

And in strength, understanding;

And in understanding, knowledge;

And in knowledge, the knowledge of justice;

And in the knowledge of justice, the love of it;

And in that love, the love of all existences;

And in the love of all existences, the love of God.

God and all goodness.

Rev. Paul D. Stow, Sr.

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The Four Gospels

The Sermon on the Mount has always been one of my favorite parts of scripture. In the words that Christ uses He explains the benefits of walking with Him. There is so much hope for the believer and His words give so many reasons to follow Him. For example:

“The poor in Spirit are in luck, the kingdom of the skies is theirs”. How many more poor people are there (financially strapped) then there are wealthy? To know that there is a hope that all they have to do is believe in something outside what they see. They can see and feel poverty but because Jesus has given them such an amazing hope, that motivates their faith to continue on. These words were a great help during many a time when we were without because we were actually wealthier then most because we had a hope.

How many of us suffer daily with just the circumstances of life and then we are given a reason to go on because of the words Jesus uses here. We are given a reason for doing what is good and right. There is a reward for all of this and it may not be here on earth but we will receive it and the way I see it is that “The kingdom of the skies” is in fact heaven. Christians have been persecuted in one form or another for believing because you can’t always see things with physical eyes. However; when the eyes of your spirit are opened it’s much easier to see the benefits of being that follower of these words. “You are in luck”. I have personal experience with seeing things with my spiritual eyes and I am grateful for each and every experience. These times are like glue that bonds my faith to the continuance of my walk, a reward here on earth.

Christ gives so much encouragement to the masses. “You are the salt of the earth and you are the light of the world”, I wish my earthly father would have been able to give me such an encouragement! To know that I can do the same things that Jesus did, that I can love, to be capable of forgiveness, then I am like Him. I can do, I will do, and our Father in heaven recognizes each and every act of kindness, each and every move we make is recognized by God and our treasures are stored in heaven waiting for us as a reward for following these words. Encouragement will always make someone want to do what’s right.

Then, He lets us all know that there are rules we need to follow. We can’t be like those that do evil. We are to set and example of being “Christ like” and that should be our goal in life: to hunger for justice, to be merciful, to see goodness in others and to be those peacemakers. If we were to post these words on our walls and read them over and over everyday would it make it easier to apply them to our daily walk. Maybe we will but if we write them on our hearts and commit ourselves to follow them, then we will see our hope, we will receive our rewards. Yes, it’s a journey but what a journey it is!

Rev. Renee Cormalis

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more.

Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free, and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.

The ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Shamanism

I have been reading and studying Shamanism ever since I was a child and I have used much of what I have learned to help my clients.

I am a 39 year old professional hypnotist and counselor and I help many people to change habits, unwanted behaviors and to feel better about themselves though private sessions, group sessions and through articles, e-books and recordings.

I like many of the lessons in the 20 week course on Master in Shamanism.

I think my favorite lessons were the first week and the last week with a few others in between. Much of this course was a review and that is always helpful and some of the information may have been unique to this course and added to my overall knowledge and skill to which I am grateful :)

The thing I liked least about the course was that sometimes the next week would not be in my mail box or there would be sections missing and I thank you for helping me, Amy. I was more interested in the techniques of shaman and how there were similaritities throughout cultures and less interested in some of the historical aspects, yet this also was useful information and worth knowing.

Lesson 20 was especially interesting because it touched on how being a Shaman fits into my other practices and reviews how one becomes a Shaman. I have studied other courses and even trained with people in person and yet I am always wanting to learn more and I like the idea of having a reward of a degree after completing the course. Learning is much more important to me than a piece of paper or degree yet it is a nice touch that adds momentum to study and practice. My main focus is on hypnotic story telling and hypnotic techniques and shamanic rituals such as saging, smudging to cleanse clients and their homes or offices, etc. I use sage, herbs and shamanic rituals for clients who are open to this or who ask for

this specifically.

Lucid Dreaming is another important part of being a shaman and I like how the course compared

mediums and shamans. How the shaman has practiced control over their states so that they can achieve a level of "heightened awareness" ( I also use a wide spread vision technique which I have anchored through NLP and Hypnosis so all I have to do is trigger the anchor and I am in that state )

On my intake form I ask about a persons spiritual beliefs and how open they are to alternative therapies.

For clients who write or say that they are more science and main stream I give them a more standard, clinical hypnotherapy session, where as with those who are more spiritual I incorporate more shamanic healing and alternatice ideas including medicinal herbs and techniques from chi gung and energy medicine and eft ( emotial freedom technique )

Some clients will get what they need by doing "regression" "forgiveness" "chair therapy" and "parts therapy"

where as someone who comes looking for more of a spiritual based path will get similar powerful benefits from finding their "spirit guide" "power animal" and experiencing "soul retrieval and integration"

Either way they get what they came for and what they most need to feel better about themselves and either way I was a guide that helped them to help themselves. I am very happy to be able to help myself and others and I am looking into more ways to improve my marketing so that I can help even more people.

Overall, I was pleased with most of the 20 lessons and I am looking forward to being an even better shaman and helping my loved ones and clients even more now that I learned more and reviewed many important aspects of shamanism.

By Rev. Michael Twomey

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Four Gospels

This paper is written about a story from Luke Chapter 18. ( Pharisee and tax-collector )

There was once a pharisee and a tax-collector who went to the temple at the same time to pray. This pharisee prayed to God, thanking Him that he was glad to be so much better then the tax-collector who was behind him. Mr. Holier Than Thou Pharisee was telling God how great of a man he was and all the good things he did for the community and his church. While basking in his own glory, he was trashing this guy behind him. In fact, he was probably listing every single reason why he didn't like him and how awful he thought he was ( I've done that before).

In the mean time, this so-called sinner was too ashamed of himself to even come to the front of the sanctuary at the alter to pray (at alone look at God if he could see Him). Yet he was brave enough to go to God's house and pray. This sinner admitted to God all the things he had done wrong and expressed his own remorse for his actions. In turn God forgave him, because He saw that this man was truly repenting of his bad conduct. (REPENT means to "turn away from")

Most Christians who are "TRADITIONAL" in their faith are no different from the pharisees back in Jesus's days on earth. Traditional Christians believe or at least think that if you go to church three or four times a week in your best suit, dump a lot of money in the offering plate each time it passes by you, listen to nothing but "CHRISTIAN MUSIC", send your kids to "CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS", and talk about Jesus ALL DAY LONG in every conversation from the minute they wake up til you go to bed, you're on the way to the beautiful pearly gates of heaven.

In the eyes of most "TRADITIONAL CHRISTIANS", if you do not do everything "CHRISTIAN", you are going to this most awful place called; "HELL!" I call this NONSENSE; "THE CHRISTIAN GHETTO". The "CHRISTIAN GHETTO" HAS ABSOLUTELY NO REAL MEANING TO IT WHATSOEVER! All it means to "TRADITIONAL CHRISTIANS", is that it's a security blanket. They seem to think that when they get to the judgment bar (where God sits) after they die, they can say to Him;

"LOOK! I sent my kids to CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS and only allowed my kids to play with other CHRISTIAN KIDS! Shouldn't that count for anything on my behalf?!"

WHAT I'M ABOUT TO SAY IN THE PARAGRAPH BELOW MAY BE OFFENSIVE TO SOME, BUT IT'S HOW I FEEL.

Not only do I think this ideology is retarded, but it's the most RIDICULOUS ideology for someone to have. Not only is it RIDICULOUS, but it tells me that people with this type of thinking are VERY INSECURE ABOUT THEMSELVES!

AGAIN, IF WHAT I SAID IN THE ABOVE PARAGRAPH IS OFFENSIVE TO SOME ONE, I APOLOGIZE. THIS IS HOW I FEEL.

People who claim Christianity, but DO NOT claim the traditional thinking, KNOW that God loves each person unconditionally ( including themselves ). God not only loves us unconditionally, but He also forgives us for every sin we commit. They also KNOW that God is not going to condemn them for electing HILLARY CLINTON for President OF THE UNITED STATES instead of John McCain. God does not care how we dress, how often we attend church, how big of a check we drop in the collection plate, or if our kids marry outside their race.

What God cares about, is these two simple things: "Love thy neighbor as you love thyself" and "Love the Lord your God with all thy heart, soul, and mind". By following the "TEN COMMANDMENTS" we are following these two great commandments listed. Even if we fall short in obeying these commandments, God will give us GRACE. This is because, God KNOW's that sooner or later we're going to break one, two, or more of these commandments. After all, He KNOW's that we're not perfect! This is why He sent His son Jesus Christ to earth as a human being just like us. Except Jesus Christ came in a different time era before you and I did. However, it still applies to US!

Whether we obey His teachings or not, is our choice. If we decide to worship in a one-million dollar church building wearing our best suit on Sunday morning is our choice. If we decide to worship on Friday evening in the forest, wearing cut-off blue jean shorts and a tank top while holding a can of bud-light in our hand ( I prefer Budweiser Select ), that's our choice. What we wear and who we hang out with is our choice.

Following Jesus Christ does not mean that I have to follow all these RIDICULOUS rituals and dogmas. It means that I have a relationship with my creator, and what I do ( as long as it's legal and not breaking "Choose that which is right" ) is between me and Him/Her.

People with "TRADITIONAL CHRISTIAN" beliefs make me wonder if they even have an idea of what the true gospel of Jesus Christ teaches.

This concludes my paper on THE FOUR GOSPELS course.

Rev. Troy Graham

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Shamanism

The course was interesting and well written. It followed a good progression of facts and was easy to study. It was interesting to learn of the history of Shamanism and see how many areas have the same beliefs. I used self experiences, histories of Native American tribal and nation practices, William A. Oquilluk’s “People of Kauwerak, Legends of the Northern Eskimo” and internet articles as additional reading. I have an extensive library on North American Native history and culture that I can draw upon. Since my interests do involve the North American Indigenous I lean toward the study of shamanistic practices among these peoples but welcomed the teaching of other areas in the lessons.

The fact that the term Shaman came from the northern parts of the world was also interesting and new to me. The term Shamanism has come to mean any practice by cultures that involve communication with the spirits and the ability to heal using natural means. Although many of the tribes and nations of the North American Natives have a culture that embraces these practices not all can be traced to the North or as having come over the land bridge from the Asian. Many did and not all traveled on and remained in the northern parts of the continent.

I was interested to see that Shamanism began as a woman’s religion as so many of the primitive religions. It seems only right as guidance and healing were considered to be female duties of early peoples. The men were to provide for the groups and the women to maintain the people’s culture and spiritual practices. .

The indigenous of the Southwestern United States still believe in Skinwalkers and the idea that there are good and evil beings that have the abilities to practice shamanistic rituals. The idea of Skinwalkers and corpse dust for bad and healing of spirit for good seem to follow what was learned centuries ago. Can one who practices the old way summon animal spirits? Can a Skinwalker exist? Belief in any thing can make it happen. Think of the practices of being able to make a person ill or well if they believe hard enough and you are capable of doing so. As for lack of mental stability being a prerequisite of being a Shaman it seems that if one is displaying what is not considered normal actions the people around them would think them unbalanced. In many Native American Tribes and Nations it was/is the ‘different ones” that were/are looked up to as being close to the spirit world.

My personal experience with Faith Healing and Shamanism was while I was living at Northeast Cape, St Lawrence Island (Sivuqaq), Alaska. The children and I had moved there in the fall of 1970 and stayed there about two years with their father. The people of the island are Siberian Yup’ik and not related to the mainland Alaskan Yupik, Inuepiaq or to the Inuit of the Canadian Regions. St Lawrence Island is thought by many to be the remaining above the Bering Sea remnant of the Land Bridge between Asia and the North American continent. In the early 1900s modern religion and reindeer were brought to the Island. The reindeer were to be raised and the funds made from selling the meat and hides as pelts or in craft work were to make the natives self sufficient. The reindeer flourished on the island and became a staple for food and commerce. The religion intermingled with the old way beliefs of the island.

In the 1960’s the US Government built a microwave relay station at Northeast Cape. This was about 45 miles from Savoonga and 85 miles (the length of the island) from Gambell which is 36 miles from Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. During this time some of the people were employed at the station. Many of the old ways were left behind but not by all the inhabitants. They were as excited to learn of the ways of the outside world as we were to learn what they were willing to teach us of their ways in their own good time. The people as a means of protecting their heritage told the visitors what they wanted them to learn and because it was considered polite what they thought the person asking the question wanted to hear.

Because of the isolation of the population there was not a truly organized form of religion and the people used what had been gathered from the missionaries, the outsiders who brought their faiths and cultures to the island, and the remaining culture and religion that have been practiced for possibly centuries. A few of the older women still bore the tattoos that had been sewed into their faces and hands as a way to give health and honor. The women thought they were beautiful and looked different from the men, they thought these would be pretty pictures for the after life. One of the most powerful items used in religious practices to color pigment in the tattoos colored in lampblack and urine to protect them from spirits. (This practice when out of favor in the 1920s) Urine played a great part in the practice health and keeping the spirits away it was used by the healers as a means of protection and to heal. Oil dripping from a lamp (usually seal or whale blubber) was another great item used against the spirits. Graphite has similar powers and guards human kind from evil spirits and from sickness brought by them. Animal spirits continued to be spoken to when a kill was made to thank them for providing for the people by giving their life for others. Dancing to special drum music was very important and when the Northern Lights shown in the sky a special drum was used and a special dance done as the lights were thought to be the way to the above. These were things I was told and saw. While on the island a village that had been abandoned (because of serious illnesses brought to the island by sailors) was searched and many old items were found by the native peoples to include small dolls and animal figures said to be part of ceremonies. It was interesting to see these items that were shown to me.

The people were all members of the Presbyterian faith but as stated before they maintained many of the old ways and beliefs. While we were there they had burials on the hillside that only members of the community could attend. We would hear the drums and singing and see the “special people” wearing the Gginaaqwaaq (Spirit Masks) but did not want to ask too many questions. We respected the people that had welcomed us to the island so did not ask questions about such private happenings. I was asked to have a Bible study with the elders during my time there even as we were witnessing the old ways being practiced.

I personally was at a ceremony although because I was so ill I don’t remember what was real and part of the fever dreams I was having. I had been sick with what was later diagnosed as very serious case of pneumonia for about ten days. There was a very intense storm and since the only means of getting to the island was by airplane no medication could be delivered or dropped at the airport. I was asked by one of our elder friends if they could bring a “special person” to our home to help me. I was so ill that I was willing to allow any type of treatment at that point. The friend and some of the village members came to the house in their best parkas, with their ceremonial dance mittens and drums. The started the drum beat and it seems it went on for a very long time. They sang in Yup’ik and moved in time to the music I soon felt very peaceful. Then the “Special Person” come into the room and made motions over me and sang another song or two on his own. He sat next to me and although he did not touch me I felt a special presence – he had me drink something from a cup and then he instructed one of the women to stay near. I was very tired and fell into a peaceful sleep for the first time in days. When I awoke I was well on my way to recovery. What happened I don’t know --- did I remember it clearly? I don’t know ---- it just happened and I got well. Three days later the plane landed and I was taken to Nome, Alaska. The hospital told me that with the reports they had received of my high temperature and illness they did to expect me to come over except in a bag. I stayed a few days and when home. The people of the village and I never talked about what happened again as it would be a breach of etiquette. We left the island in 1972.

The Yup’ik believe that they were created by EllamYua who granted them their language, culture, history and spiritual world and they are to maintain these things to the best of their ability. I hope that with the changing world the old ways will be preserved. The people of St Lawrence are now threatened by the climatic changes and much of their land is being taken by the Bering Sea as are areas on the mainland of Alaska. It would be a shame to see all the old ways and life styles gone.

Do I believe that there are peoples that have the abilities of the Shaman? Yes I do. There is much in this world we do not comprehend and have become too busy to study and understand. What is not understood is often looked upon as wrong or not worth study.

Rev. Sharon J. Mayer

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DRUIDISM

I would first like to thank Amy for all her hard work. I really enjoyed this course. This course brought a lot of insight to me. I never learned much about the Druids, but I have had knowledge of some Celtic history. I liked the history of the Druids.

This course started with the history of the Druids. The first accounts or known records of the Druid Society came about in the time of ancient Rome around 400’s BCE. This was near the Black Sea. The accounts by Roman historian’s show that Druids were not true a religion, but rather a Society of people in the midst of pre-Christianity. They were a professional culture located in various sections of the Celtic Nations of Western Europe and the British Isles.

Among the tribes there were three classes of men or women held in special honor: 1. The bardoi (bards) who were the singers and poets. 2. The ovateis (ovate) who were the interpreters and seers of sacrifice and natural philosophy. 3. The druidai (druidic) who, in addition to the science of nature, also studied moral philosophy.

The Druids followed much of the Celtic cultures and ways of life, by their Celtic Wheel of the Year, or Sabbats and their Religious faith. From the Celtic Tree of Life they found their knowledge for everything continued in a circle, and everyone within the cycle had a connection. Animals, plants, water, sky; it all joined together to create a rhythm and harmony that still exists in the Druids Society today.

There are people, still today, that believe that Christianity or other religions are not for them, but they want religion in their lives. They believe Celtic spirituality is a viable and healthy alternative for them.

I enjoyed learning about the traditional areas of the Druidic practice. There is no initiation into any of these groups. I didn’t find any part of this course that I disliked. I must talk a little about the groups in the Society, because it was so fascinating.

The Bards were musicians, and poets who sang or told the history, laws and heroic tales. They were seers, diviners, dream-weavers and word magicians. Bards were “the keepers” of tradition, of the memory of the tribe. They were the custodians of the sacredness of the Word. They were educated for many years, some 12 to 20 years.

The Ovate conducts prophecy and divination, the healing arts and awareness of the Otherworld. They learned the power of seeing and envisioning. They seeked understanding through the study of herbs, plants and the physical healing energies of the earth. They worked with the processes of death and regeneration. They specialized in divination, conversing with the ancestors, and prophesying with the future.

The Druids were the leaders of the society. They were admired for their long education. Some training took 20 years. The Druids are teachers, modern day priests, ambassadors, astronomers, genealogists, philosophers, musicians, theologians, scientists, poets and judges. They also lead all public rituals.

The Celtic’s had over 56 major Gods and Goddesses. They were very interesting. I would like to have known how to pronounce some of their names.

One other area of interest was their Celtic Tree Calendar. It was based on the moon. The Druids revered all things in nature, so to know your moons, your trees and alphabet helped you in harvesting and celebrating good times to marry.

This course has so much information, everyone will enjoy taking it. It is a must course to take.

Blessings to you all,

Rev. Nancy Rutledge

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Four Gospels

I've never been very good at writing, but here goes. Before I begin I'd like a few moments for some background. I initially heard about the ULC on some TV show where the host got himself ordained online and performed a wedding ceremony for some of his production staff. I decided to do the same, however the certificate that spat out of my printer looked kind of cheesy and I didn't do much with my new status as Reverend, until recently. I had a chance to perform my first wedding so I ordered a wall credential to show the county. I must be a shallow person because seeing my name on a fancier document suddenly triggered a change in me, the ordination suddenly stopped being a joke and that's when I decided to start taking some seminary courses.

To get some "street cred". I hope to start my own ministry some day, but until I get some more classes under my belt I have no business occupying a pulpit.

As for the course, kudos to who ever chose the text, it was an easy read. It was much like a novel. I didn't get any particular trouble or comfort from the course, instead I got perspective. This was a particularly difficult time to pursue studies. My father-in-law became very ill and succumbed to the illness and passed away. It was difficult for us to watch him suffer and we frequently asked God why? This may seem like a cold response but why not? In John 3:16 it is said that God sent his only begotten Son for our salvation, and roughly 33 years later he died for all of our sins for now and forever. Where does the perspective come in? I've always been confused why if Jesus suffered and died for our sins then why do we centuries later have suffering? My only answer is this, God has a reason for everything he does, perhaps the suffering he allows is as a reminder of what his Son went thru for us. After all any discomfort we "mere mortals" go thru is but a small fraction of the humiliation and suffering that Jesus went thru for our salvation.

I enjoyed the course and can't wait till the next one which will likely be the Comparative Religion Course.

by Rev. Taras Bobiwsky

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Spirit Quest

My essay is by way of response to the course and how it has affected me for good.

Techniques: I found the various techniques of value, as often programs do not always address the “how to” component of metaphysics. The Rope as a way to ground myself and let go of unwanted ideas; The centre of my head - sitting in a space ship and seeing the screens before me helped me visualize; Protection Rose - visualizing a Rose and letting negatives flow into it and then destroying them. Later techniques….

These all enabled me to tap into my Intuitive side for spiritual growth. The creative, is one way into the intuitive self.

Teachings: Some concepts really challenged me, among them:

I am a perfect spiritual being on a unique course.

Me taking charge of my life instead of my life taking charge of me.

Setting goals at other levels than the final one, e.g. to become exposed to simple Visualization.

Your intention drives the force of my being.

I am forgiven for EVERYTHING! – after using the forgiveness letter.

Love is what comes around. What “comes around goes around”. The energy I’m

Created from is eternal. This was brought home when my daughter paid for our accommodation when we visited her in Italy!

I was able from these to get a better sense of myself, as unique, able to grow and change, potentially perfect and forgiven by God, the All. Since then I have been realizing my goals and helping others to set and reach theirs.

My Beliefs – what I call my “operational theology”. As a former minister, I thought I had worked my way to what I believed in my heart, what I really operate from. Questioning my decisions and thoughts, Discourse #15 showed me how much they are based in relationships, the way I’ve been responded to. As I step back and see the people involved, I am thankful for their interest in me without having to accept any longer their values. Example: An elderly couple encouraged me in my Christian faith as a young man. It was a fundamentalist faith. Gradually I moved away, yet inwardly their kindness kept pulling me back to their faith. I have been able to visualize them and my telling them my truth now – which they accepted with love. Life is a complicated game!

How Spirit Communicates was very exciting for me, as I have loved colour and music, worked with it and used colour to communicate to others the aliveness of all things. I had not thought of numbers before. This is communication on the spiritual level, especially when I mix and match things, make connections using colour and music. I’m working on the numbers as a way of communication.

I’ve learned that I’m becoming a present time person, putting energy into what I want. Looking to the past, previously, has helped me gain from it. Forgiveness has set me free from having to obey its impulses. Keeping my goals in the present time has progressed using the rose grounding method. I’ve changed my feelings about myself from bad to perfect – the mantra- : God loves you. You were created in perfection, by perfection, for perfection. Your success is guaranteed - Has enabled this.

Overall I have got freed up to use my energies creatively, to imagine what I want to become – “a fully alive, fully divine man”. I watch my words as they are powerful to attract, so that I say more of what I want. In short this course has brought me onto new ground where spring has broken out!

Rev. John A Simpson

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Sunday, May 11, 2008

Spirit Quest

Yes I do choose to accept it.

Its been an amazing 8 months and I've learned a lot. I like the idea that we are all perfect spiritual beings on a unique course. We only get out of life what we put into it. Seems to Me my Mother taught Me that as well.

I really enjoyed the lesson on forgiveness. It certainly is true that "holding onto a grudge is like drinking poison and waiting for that person your holding a grudge against to die." Learning how to forgive is something we should all strive to work at a little more. I know from My own life experience,starting with My parents and now with My Wife forgiveness has always been hard for Me,but yet so essential for My health,peace and well being. With all the conflicts in the world today it is My hope and My prayer that more forgiveness is used and tried for the sake of the human race.

When I read the lesson on affirmations I learned that we should only tell are selves things that are true to us. I've done affirmations off and on all My life with only moderate results. It only makes sense now that I think about it to only use affirmations that ring true for yourself or your deep subconscious mind won,t accept it. In the back of My mind I know I've read about this affirmation method before,just never really tried it,DA! I certainly will be using it more now though. I guess that's what a spirit quest is all about.

Getting unstuck,discourse#23 was beneficial for Me as well. I can remember being stuck in the past in certain situations and even today there's certain things I,m stuck in. Life is certainly about learning there's no way around it. Life will present us with the same lessons over and over again until WE catch on,its that simple. Life in a way is like a school of hard knocks one way or another we are all going to learn,some a little slower some a little faster. If we find ourselves stuck in a situation in life,life is teaching us something and we have to dig ourselves out an learn from it.The tools discussed in discourse#23 will help with this I have no doubt.

Well it truly has been a spirit quest, I've learned a lot and its been fun. One thing I will never forget!

"You are a perfect being.

God loves you.

You were created in perfection,

by perfection,

for perfection.

Your success is guaranteed."

by Rev. Terry G. Rempel

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