Spiritual Awareness

Spiritual Awareness I have found many things very helpful in this course and have learned a great deal from all that is offered.  I love how Charles is able to make things so understandable.  I have especially liked this course going through the natural laws and I am still working at seeing how these laws are so interwoven into my everyday life.  It has helped me to become more focused and to understand that we have the power to achieve what our desires and whatever our intention may be.  This enables our lives to flow with love and abundance in all areas. I have also learned from the meditation section and bringing in the Christ Light and allowing it to fill my being.  This has really helped to deepen my love for people and enabling me to see this Light in them as well. I also feel that it has made me much more aware of my higher self and it's relation to my own divinity.  This is always something I have struggled with because I was brought up in a very strict religious home and community and have had to relearn all my truth. I have learned from the chakra lesson and the energies that come from them as well.  I have always been aware of these and their associations to different colors but this lesson has led me to do some extra reading about them and I have learned much from it. I loved the part on the Kandalini and other life force energies taught in lesson 19.  These I have greatly benefited from because I didn't have much knowledge about them before. I was also very interested in learning about the Ascended Masters and their various rays and the energies they can bring to our lives.  I am really going to look into these some more and learn more about them so I can call on them for what they have to offer in my life. I also enjoyed the lesson on Spirit communication.  As a medium I am always in touch with my guides and the spirits of those who have passed and I often get asked how people can sharpen their abilities in these areas and so I love ideas and information that I can give them because it works so differently for everyone. One of the things that has really stuck in my mind through these lessons is not using so much of your own energy but using the energy around you from Ley Lines and Ley nodes and tapping into it.  Also just allowing the energy to come to you.  Remembering this has helped me not to feel as drained and also to control more of the energy that comes to me by doing more grounding. I could go on and on about all that these lessons have meant to me and how they have helped me grow as a person and a medium and my spiritual awareness in my everyday life.  I hope that with my learning I can offer more help and guidance to people around me as my own understanding and awareness grows. Rev. Cindy Roskamp ******************** Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site 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 since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary. Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Spiritual Awareness

Michael S Barth

Doctor of Spiritual Awareness Final Awareness

       This is one of the most interesting classes that I have taken.  In the first lesson, the instructor said that there would be new things we would learn and there would be old things where we would look at them in new ways.  The instructor was definitely right.  I did learn a lot of new things and I am definitely looking at old ways in a new light.  This really blew my socks off when I was going through this course.

            The first thing that got my attention was a quote by Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce.  Chief Joseph said "We are not humans having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience."  This quote by Chief Joseph really hit home with me.  This was the first time I had seen this quote.  It sticks out because it really went against my thinking the first time when I had read it.  But as I went through the course, I realized that Chief Joseph is right.  We are "spiritual beings having a human experience."  We are all spiritual beings that are here to learn lessons that would take a lot longer if we just stayed as spiritual beings.  All of us, as spiritual beings, need to have this human experience to learn the lessons that we need to learn.  These lessons could be such things as dealing with anger or jealousy.

            I liked the lesson on evolution.  At first, I was trying to figure out how evolution had to deal with spiritual awareness and that thought was quickly answered.  I had never considered before that the spirit evolves into higher and higher levels of being.  I had never thought before that as a spiritual being, that we could evolve into higher beings.  In science class, I was always taught about how species evolve to adapt to new environments but never thought that spirits did the same thing to learn new lessons to evolve into higher levels of being.  In the past, I figured that I had been on this planet before because of dreams that I have had and that I have been to places and have said that I have been here before but not in this lifetime.

            I like the section about choice.  I never considered the fact before that we make choices and we can either learn or lose by our choices.  By our choices, we also decide on how we are going to learn the lessons that we have chosen.  This fact was totally new to me and I had never thought about my past and current choices that I have been making.  Over the years, I have learned many lessons through good and bad choices which I never had thought about before taking this course.  Both the good and bad choices have taught me lessons that I needed to learn as a spiritual being.

            The section about balance really got me thinking about myself.  I tend to act in extremes.  With me, there seems to be no middle ground.  One minute, I could be really happy and then the next minute, I could blow up with anger at someone for something that they said or did.  Obviously, this is just one example with me but I need to find balance and try to find that middle ground.  I have been this way as far as I can remember in this lifetime and only since I have been taking this and other courses here at the ULC Seminary has it occurred to me that I need to be more loving and find more balance in my life.

            I loved the section on Universal Laws.  I did not realize that there were so many of them but saw some that I need to apply.  The Law of Abundance is one that I need to apply and have started applying since I started taking this course.  I have started branching out more in my educational pursuits.  The Law of Action is another one I needed to apply because I kept waiting for things to happen but the things never happened.  I have been applying more of this Law of Action such as trying to understand things better and trying to learn about things that I am interested in.

            This course is one that I could keep writing about since I learned a lot of new things and look at things completely different.  This course really got me thinking about things which is great.  I know that I need keep applying the Universal Laws.  Now, I know that I am a spiritual being here learning new lessons that I need to learn so I can keep become a higher and higher level of beings.  This class was wonderful.  I wish I had taken it sooner than when I did but I am glad that I took it now.  I loved all the new things I learned and how this course got me to look at my old ways in a new light.

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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 Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

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Metaphysics

Spirit Quest Final Essay By Reverend Rob Kenneway Universal Life Church Seminary   I thought today would be a great day to write my final essay for the Spirit Quest course that I have just completed. There's nothing like Christmas day to inspire ones faith to grab hold and take you for the ride of the year. The birds sing louder and the breeze blows fresher. Ever since I was a boy I heard people say that you should watch what you say and do, because it will always come back on you. Well, karma has always been a big part of my life and the lessons that came with it. After reading about karma in this lesson, and practicing or applying those principles, I'm even more of a believer than before. I can notice a change in my life when I'm more careful of how I say and do things each day. Karma has a big part in the happenings in our lives. I think it's Gods way of telling us to do that which is right. The meditation part of the course was a little too bizarre for me. I guess that I'm just not ready for that. I did get a lot out of sitting quiet and still and just thinking about all the negativity and bad things that go on in my life. I've been having some difficulty getting over a divorce for the past two years. When my ex-wife remarried, she moved 3,000 miles away with me five year old daughter Miranda. I was beating myself up pretty badly. I created a glass bulb with all the negative and energy zapping stuff, and smashed it into the walls. My daughter Miranda is my golden sun, the best thing in my life. I've had some personal healing energy that keeps me from putting the blame on and carry on like the wayward son. By not reacting, like I used to, to a very aggravating, pompous and obnoxious supervisor at work, I took away the energy that used to make me want to punch his lights out. Now I understand that I was feeding the energy by reacting to his insults. A lot of people are controlled by the big green monster, and treat others badly when under it's spell. Insecurity also plays a big role in such behavior. I learned quite a lot from the Spirit Quest course, and am a better person because of it. I try to better myself in any way I can and try to be a better representative of the lord above. By knowledge and understanding myself and other people around me, I will be better to myself and the rest of the world. There's much that we don't understand about our world and life itself, but I do understand that we are here for a reason. The biggest part of it is for the good of people and the lord above. Merry Christmas. Reverend Robert A. Kenneway ********************** Ordination with 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 Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary. Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Druidism

Druidism – The Faith of the Ancient Celts of Ireland

     I love to study different cultures.  As a teen, I would read books and magazines about different peoples:  Eskimos, the Cherokee, pygmies, the Polynesians, to name a few.  Recently, I was drawn to Ireland.  My great-grandfather emigrated from Ireland to the U.S. in 1848.  After my father died, I inherited his files on our family history.  About the same time, I read a book, Celtic Evangelism, that tweaked my interest in early Christianity among the Irish.  I then began finding other books about the Celts and the Christian movement during the period of 300 AD to about 600 AD.  There was one piece missing – the Druid religion.

            The Christian mission to Celts was among the first outside of the Roman Empire.  It was also one with little or no bloodshed.  What made the difference?  I suspected that it was partly due to the nature of the religion and culture of the Celtic people.  I was drawn to this course to gain more insight into that process.  I also wanted to learn principles that transcend time to incorporate into the ministry I am called to.

            The primary sources of Druidism are found in the writings of Julius Caesar and other Romans.  Archaeology has filled some of the gaps.  Tombs, artifacts, uncovered corpses, and homes have all given additional insight into the people who practiced Druidism.

            Druidism is a religion that falls under the category of "paganism."   It is a system of worship and spirituality that honors creation.  It includes many gods and goddesses.  It promotes a belief of reincarnation.  This produced warriors who valued life differently than other cultures.  They would be fierce fighters who did not fear death. 

            Both the Druids and Celtic people loved knowledge.  A typical Druid spends a lifetime in study.  Thus, this would promote an emphasis on elders.  There would be respect for these elder Druids to such a degree that they could move with impunity throughout the isles and advise kings without interference.  Kings and royalty would often send their children to be educated by the druids.

            Bards were a very important part of the religion and culture.  Music, poetry, and stories were the media of the Celts. Theirs was a rich oral tradition.  They developed a system of stories and songs designed to pass on learning, tradition, laws and history. 

            The Ovates were the prophets and the physicians of the druids.  They connected the people with the dead.  They were consulted by the people when crops were failing or a business was starting.

            I was able to see the connections between the early Christians and the Druids.  These connections were vital to the advance of Christianity into the Celtic culture.  The following are just some of what I discerned from this course:

            1)  The emphasis on the good of creation is found in much of the writings of the early Christians in Ireland.   This appears to be an influence of Druidism.

            2)  The monasteries established by Christians became a form of university or college for the Irish.  The Christian monks copied not only scriptures but many ancient documents of their world.  The love of learning was carried over from the Celts to the Christians is certainly an influence of Druidism.  It may have been fueled by bards and druids converting to Christianity.

            3)  The early Christians in the British Isles developed a literary form called a "hagiography." These hagiographies were stories of the early saints.  These stories are filled with miracles and wonders that make the early saints appear almost godlike.  Again, I see the influence of the Druid bards.  I recently uncovered a book published in Dublin, Ireland, in 1906 by Richard Eglinton titled, "Bards and Saints."    Note the following excerpt from this work:

But besides the advantage of Patrick's personality, Christianity seems to have been able to profit by an imbroglio arising out of the defection from Druidism, about a century and a half previously, of the great Kjng Cormac, who is said finally to have been slain by the Druids for having renounced their teaching. The bards, we may believe, went mostly with their king, and there was a consequent division between bardism and Druidism which proved highly serviceable to Patrick (Eglinton, 27).

            4)  The Celtic culture and the Druids placed a higher value on women than other cultures of their time.  St. Brigit established a double monastery and it is believed she was ordained a bishop as well.  The fact that she was not hindered in her work suggests that the culture was still open to women leadership in Christianity as they were under Druidism.

            5)  Community and family were valued by the Celts and Druids.  This concept carried over into Christianity.  The typical monastery was constructed along the lines of Celtic custom.  The monasteries in time became towns as those who converted moved to be closer to their "new family" in Christ. 

            6)  The relative freedom that the monks, priests, and bishops enjoyed in the Isles appears to be a hold over form the freedom that the Ovates, Bards, and Druids enjoyed among the Celts.

            Overall, I enjoyed what I learned from this course.  There is much to like.  The discussions on the Druid forum were encouraging.  This course caused me to continue my search for more on Druids and also opened me up to study paganism – another course on my list!

Rev. Daniel Moore

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As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site 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 since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

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Shamanism

Shamanism by  REV. KURT FONDRIEST

Reading the various lessons on shamanism enabled me to understand how this form of consciousness has evolved throughout the years.  It also had a profound impact on how I view my own metaphysical- christian faith.

     Shamanism for me is a connection made by an individual and his or her relationship to the environment on a physical, spiritual and mental level.  It is expressed through various rituals and symbols that become part of one's daily life.  It is an opening of one's awareness of the various elements of earth and our relationship with our earth mother.

     As a Metaphysical Christian I can see certain historical figures fulfilling the role of "Shaman", however the most prominent one would be St. Francis of Assisi.  This figure has always been a spiritual role model for me.  The connection that St. Francis made with nature is more then just historical but more metaphysical.

     This gentle man finds the spirit of all within the wild of an untamed nature.  The church at the time saw him as a heretic. He  left the ornate structures of religion to discover inner faith among what religious society found unacceptable.  He challenged the way his contemporaries viewed the hand of God.

     The church cast Francis  into exile for his belief "That God is all".  He builds his basilica not out of the prestige bricks or stones, but rather out of mud , rocks and sticks.  His congregation is not that of the wealthy but that of the animals of the forest.

     In many ways, St Francis becomes a spiritual Robin Hood.  He understands that the "EGO" is what causes the fall of ones faith.  He communes with nature to discovered where faith truly is " Everything in nature" including man himself being nature.  This was not accepted by the church leaders, that heaven exists in the realm of nature.  Francis saw that nature was the physical attribute of heaven.  This understanding could enlighten the symbol of the trinity which are physical, mental and spiritual.

     His order of the Franciscan priests and nuns, still exists today as a testament to the belief of the awareness in the "NOW".  I truly believe this priest was in essence the definition of shamanism.

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

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site 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.

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Paganism

Master of Paganism Essay

Sue Bellworthy

Where to start? This was such an immense course that it impossible to pick just certain fragments for this short essay. The course was very much an overview – a quick dash through the practices of paganism, but was no less valuable for this. Perhaps one of the most powerful lessons was that on sacred space – the ways of creating a special and sacred place wherever you want it, moving the place of devotion or spiritual exercise from the Churches, making it real, personal and accessible. The lesson on sacred nature follows on from this – emphasizing that the divine is everywhere and may be found in every thing – living or inanimate, in all parts of creation.

Fundamental to paganism is the Great Rite, the hieros gamos or divine union. This represents the union of the Goddess and the God, the act that precipitated creation. It is regularly re-enacted in ritual in symbolic form plunging the athame (male principle) into the chalice (female principle). A seemingly simple act but one that is so very powerful. Although sometimes enacted in the flesh, usually by couples in private, the hieros gamos is more usually celebrated in the symbolic form. Historically, hieros gamos may be seen throughout history in many different pantheons the world over. It has been suggested that Mary Magdalene was a priestess of Ianna ( who were sometimes referred to as prostitutes in the old, not modern, meaning) and that she performed the hieros gamos with Jesus and thereafter became His wife according to custom.

No review of paganism would be complete without discussing magickal workings, the use of intent – the energy of the mind, to create an effect. This process may be helped by correspondences – for example candles of an appropriate colour or use of crystals, to all augment the power. Ethics are all important here, based on the wiccan rede. The fundamental ethos is that all magickal working should be ethical, intended for good and should "harm none". Many pagans adopt the policy of limiting magick to acts that create good such as healing, and avoid harmless workings of a more frivolous nature. Key to this passage is the power of the mind, the concept that all is energy, and that thought is also energy, and that energy fields of different things are affected by contact with another. Thus the energy   can alter the energy field of the "target" achieving the effect.

In conclusion I can only congratulate  and thank the course creator for such an interesting and complete study of paganism.

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

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site 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.

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Spiritual Awareness

Awareness Essay

Rev. Sue Bellworthy

1.      A new spiritual awakening is occurring in human culture, an awakening brought about by a critical mass of individuals who experience their lives as a spiritual unfolding, a journey in which we are led forward by mysterious coincidences.  What sense of Awareness can be gained by adopting the First Insight into your present lifestyle?

The first insight tells us that there are no coincidences, that there are mysterious forces around us that impinge on our lives and that by becoming aware of these we can shape our lives into a more productive and satisfying form. We are not victims of fate, for we have the power to change our lives. The skill is in recognising the external forces and using these in a positive manner rather than allowing them free-rein over us. We need to learn to listen to that inner voice of intuition. There have certainly been many occasions when I failed to heed that inner voice and later wished that I had. So, for me, I will use the first insight to bring me a greater awareness of those things beyond the physical that impact on our lives. I shall develop that inner voice of intuition and shall learn to listen to it, and I shall use all these things to guide my spiritual growth and practice, drawing on all these forces so that I might use them in a good and positive way.

2.      This awakening represents the creation of a new, more complete worldview, which replaces a five-hundred-year-old preoccupation with secular survival and comfort.  While this technological preoccupation was an important step, our awakening to life coincidences is opening us up to the real purpose of human life on this planet and the real nature of our universe.  How or when did you begin to question traditional religious views?  What, if any, reactions did those around you have to those questions you posed?                                                                        

I suppose that I have always been unhappy with traditional religion although it took me a long time to find the path that suited me. It was really thanks to the internet that this finally became possible. The traditional view of an aged God in human form controlling our lives in the manner of the Olympian Gods was an awkward concept, as was the view that man held superiority over all other things – which I found an arrogant attitude. I was also aware of the hypocrisy among many church goers who viewed themselves as "good Christians" but didn't show it in their behaviour. I had always felt closest to deity outside, in the wonder of the whole of creation, for that is where the wonder of deity is to be found. Turning away from the supposed mainstream religion is never easy, and, like many, I have kept my religious and spiritual life secret. Many are too quick to judge, too unwilling to understand other faiths and it is safer to avoid precipitating prejudice. This xenophobic attitude permeates so much of society and is the cause of so much violence, discrimination and war. It is time that society as a whole opened its eyes and adopted a new, accepting and peaceful attitude. Maybe one day it will come, but for now it is a distant dream.

3.      Too often humans cut themselves off from the greater source of this energy and so feel weak and insecure.  To gain energy we tend to manipulate or force others to give us attention and thus energy.  When we successfully dominate others in this way, we feel more powerful, but they are left weakened and often fight back. Competition for scarce human energy is the cause of all conflict between people.  Discuss the lessons of the Fourth Insight in how it affects your life.  What does this Insight teach you about the reasons why humans treat each other in such a violent manner? 

The fourth insight teaches us about power, what it is and how we use it for good or ill. But it shows us that we can gain energy and power without drawing it from others, and it shows us how to avoid being drained by other people. There was a recent re-run of a 1960s experiment which had demonstrated how much people enjoy torture. Sadly, the new experiment produced exactly the same results – a sad reflection on humanity. The quest for domination is seen everywhere – within families, within communities, in the work place, among world leaders, and even in the playground. No part of life is exempt. And yet we do not need to follow this route, nor do we need to lay ourselves open to the psychic vampires, or just give too much of ourselves (my usual action). By thinking about our actions, by connecting with the spiritual world, by generating power within and using appropriate shielding, we can gain all the power we need without harm to anyone, and we can protect ourselves from others.   But we need to go one step further, we need to show others how to act in a similar way and this is the long, slow process, but it is something that I am actively trying to do even if it is sadly often a case of "preaching to the converted", there are moments of breakthrough.

4.      Insecurity and violence end when we experience an inner connection with divine energy within, a connection described by the mystics of all traditions.  A sense of lightness -- buoyancy -- and the constant sensation of love are measures of this connection.  If these measures are present, the connection is real.  If not, it is only pretended.  What method would you use to assist a congregant in learning how he/she can open and share positive energy with others?  Give example of how and when they can do this.

There are so many ways of gaining this connection. One method I use is through guided meditation, taking the congregant on a soft and spiritual journey, in which they can begin to experience that divine connection for there is that moment when conscious visualisation takes on a life of its own and becomes true connection with the divine. Giving the congregant an experience of this connection and the ability to achieve it for themselves is an important first step, but is not the only one. I would also work through prayer – not the ones repeated mindlessly by rote, but new prayers worked out with the congregant that are meaningful. Often saying these regularly and meaningfully with the aid of prayer beads can take the individual to that place of divine connection. As with all things, practice is essential and the connection will become faster and stronger with time. As for sharing with others, the congregant will notice that others are automatically affected simply by the change in his/her attitude, and in his/her energy and aura. The congregant may well be drawn to share the techniques, but this may not always be appropriate and often it is best to simply let the energies flow as they will, rejoicing in their own new-found spiritual place and allowing the benefits of that to filter through to others.

5.      Knowing our personal mission further enhances the flow of mysterious coincidences as we are guided toward our destinies.  First we have a question, then dreams, day-dreams, and intuitions lead us toward the answer, which usually are synchronistically provided by the wisdom of another human being. For you as a minister, what is the lesson found in the Seventh Insight. And how will you use this knowledge in your work?

The seventh insight teaches me that all things have purpose and that we are masters of our own destiny. All the strange coincidences and synchronicities in our lives are meaningful and may be used for positive gain. Whether these guidances come from the divine or via another person is immaterial, the important thing is to connect with all that is happening and to direct it to the desired outcome. As a minister, I shall use the lessons of the seventh insight to guide my spiritual development and my ministry. I shall learn to form a greater connection with these forces, to draw on them and to use them wisely. Through them I shall pass on the benefits to my  congregants. The seventh insight is a learning process, and is one that is very important. Like all the insights I shall adopt it and work with it to achieve maximum benefit. 

6.                  As we all evolve toward the best completion of our spiritual missions, the technological means of survival will be fully automated as humans focus instead on synchronistic growth.  Such growth will move humans into ever-higher energy states, ultimately transforming our bodies into spiritual form and uniting this dimension of existence with the afterlife dimension, ending the cycle of birth and death.  How will society change in the coming millennium as a result of the growth in awareness and conscious evolution?  What is the reason for people being here on this planet?  What is the spiritual intent and meaning of life?

If the growth in awareness and conscious evolution continues and gathers pace we can hope to see a new awakening, a new dawn of greater peace and understanding, a new world of light and happiness. I hope with all my heart that we will reach this stage and will do all I can to aid this process. As for our purpose on this planet. The lesson teaches that we are here to take part in the cosmic evolution and to teach less developed souls than ourselves, taking them towards this awakening. My own view is that we are also here as guardians of our planet – not as masters but rather as caretakers, a role at which we have so far failed miserably. The human mind is yet poorly developed. Research has shown that we use only a minute percentage of the mind power available to us. What wonders will be achieved if we can tap into this enormous resource, how will we and our planet develop as a result? But it is important that this resource is used for good, and maybe this is why the awakening is so slow. It is our job to guide this process through our ministry. What is the spiritual intent and meaning of life? Some would say it is to reach the ultimate state of enlightenment. Maybe this is so, but I believe that we also need to make a positive impact during our lives on our planet and others. We are part of the plan for true cosmic and global awareness. In our ministry we need to foster this development, and we must learn to maintain and strengthen that link with the cosmic energy and with deity.

7.      What is the idea behind becoming multi-sensored beings?  How can you achieve that personally and how can all the lessons in this course help you in your life both as an individual on your own spiritual journey, and as a minister working with congregants in your capacity as a spiritual counselor? There is more to the world than our 5 senses can show us, and as a result there is so much that we are missing. Learning to use our other occult senses is an important step in spiritual development – allowing us to connect to deity, to the planet and to human awareness, and bring about positive change in ourselves, in others and in our world. The lessons in this course have been a revelation, crystallising some things that I had discovered myself, and bringing many other new insights and ways of looking at things. Our spiritual journeys are ongoing, and these lessons will continue to help me as I progress on my own journey. It is through the practice and understanding of the insights that I can creat a new inner awareness and strength, and use this to guide and strengthen my ministry. The lessons in the course have provided many ideas that are adaptable for spiritual lessons in my ministry and has sparked ideas for many more. My aims are both personal spiritual growth and teaching others to achieve that growth; to work for peace and to protect our world. These insights will aid that process.

 

8.      Overall, what have you taken from these lessons?  Discuss the various activities and your reaction to them.  Which ones do you feel were most effective, and which, if any, would you consider using in your work with your congregants?

Overall, the lessons have given me another viewpoint, another way of looking at things and so have made clear many things that were previously hazy. The insights are something I shall keep with me always, building on them and growing with them.

There were so many superb activities that it is hard to choose between them and I believe that all will find their place. Examples are the techniques for teaching children, the assignment for capturing a moment of joy and holding onto that feeling, drawing it from the memory and feeling it again; or the exercise teaching increased awareness – of messages, of energy of others, of the whole pattern of life, or the dream work, the practice of mindfulness, the awareness of fears, the awareness of things that influence personal energy flow. All these techniques are perfect to incorporate into spiritual practice, either directly or after adaptation. They all make small and simple exercises that can be slipped into the general lesson, allowing them to work on the subconscious, while bringing the conscious mind to bear. This has been a superb course – my thanks to ULC and to the course creator.

May blessings surround you and your families.

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Ordination with 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 Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

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Master of Religion

Master of Religion Overview of Class This course was a very interesting and demanding course.  The reason being is it caught my attention and I couldn't wait for more information concerning each topic.  The first topic that I was intrigue by was religion.  Religion can be determine and use in so many ways.   Some churches get caught up in customs, rules, and traditions.  I don't think God attended for us to live this way.  I know it is all about him.  But how can we make it all about God?  I believe in your lesson it stated: study God's word and apply it to your life.  I think that is a excellent idea.  Sometimes we think if we just read it we got it… But you must study….and apply what you have learned to your life.. Second course Christianity and abortion.  Why is Christianity so important?  Are we really learning about God?  Do we study about God?  Are we really Christian?  Being a Christian is very important to me.  Why? Because that is who I am and what I stand for.   I'm seeking God, searching for him and learning about him. Do I seek him enough… no because I'm so busy with everyday life with job, career, family, and children, and church?  Do I devote my time with him (Jesus Christ) yes, in the early morning to pray, mediate and study.  Also during my quiet time…  But I must put God first in everything I do .     Its all about him and my relationship with God. The third course is the final course about government.  Yes, we are taught to obey the law of the land.  This right in the sight of God and for Christian its good for us.   Sometimes we see and hear things about our government we are not so proud of.  But as you stated we must pray for our leaders, government, law enforcement, political leaders, and president.  The president is the leader so must pray for him mightily.  He has a great calling on his life.  We must pray that God put Godly and spiritual people in their lives so they will make right choices.   In closing this course is great and I learned several different things.  I look forward in taking more courses.  ********************** Ordination with 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 Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary. Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Buddhism

My interest in this class on Buddhism came about because of my interest in daily meditation, mindfulness, the books of the latest Dalai Lama, and the way I feel the God or spirit connection through nature and my garden. I have taken a local class in Buddhist meditation and connected greatly with the special classes on mindful walking and eating, as I have a practice of both walking and eating fast. Each practice has brought about a slowing down that has brought a special awareness of simple things of joy that have added much peace to a otherwise sometimes stressful life.       As I studied the weekly classes I liked the simple ways taught of kindness, compassion and a path to peace though non violence.  While my fundamental Christian family would not like the idea of me as comparing Jesus and Buddha as brothers, for most who have grown up with knowledge of just their own faith can never see beyond their own teachings, I personally, began to see each in a new light after this study.  I could see Jesus and the Buddha as almost twins or best friends of like minds in many ways, but as with my on Christian religion (that I find myself disappointed in at times) I found myself thinking as Jesus or the original Buddha might if each returned to day to evaluated or grade the current spiritual practices carried out in their behalf.  I feel sure that each would be highly disappointed and would no doubt give both spiritual paths a D minus when it came to caring forth the original mission of each man.  Jesus did not like the emphases on rules of his Jewish heritage that miss the point of love, compassion, forgiveness and love and perhaps the Buddha heard so much about all the Hindi gods and all their rules that he did not even want to utter the name God when it came to spiritual faith for he felt even that word had been misused so much it left the real meaning of a higher power wanting for something more.  AND YET look at both faith each have come down to proving ones faith by the keeping of rules, rules and rules.    I heard a lecture lately where the speaker said, that when mankind could study all faith and find common ground and not criticism of one being better than the other then perhaps the world would grow a little closer to peace.  I listened and thought to myself perhaps both Jesus and the Buddha saw this too and tried to help guide mankind's heart and eyes to viewing all mankind as one with the focus on Love and Soul and not the ego and rules, rules, rules.     I found myself wondering as we all become more and more educated and study all the many faiths maybe we will see the common ground and not the differences and move a little closer to peace. It would be nice to think that could come soon, though Jesus lived over 2000 years ago and Buddha long before him, and yet all things began with a vision and a dream and we must continue to carry their dreams forward for a better future for all mankind. Rev. Linda Francis ******************** Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button. As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site 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 since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary. Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Spiritual Awareness

Spiritual Awareness   As a Reiki III Master I have practice positive healing energies on both myself and others for many year but the Spiritual awareness class had made me aware of other channels of energy as well and how to work with them.  Often what appeared at first to be heath issues has turned out to be negative energies draining the body that are being sent by others.  Thus now I cleanse the negative energies before I even start to use healing energies, often this alone restores health to the body. When I find this the case then I teach the person to do this for themselves for if we have enemies they continue sending us these negative energies as long as they have them their selves and want to blame others for it.  Using the system taught in this class I have coupled it with a positive energy of love to aid the negative person to gain healing too if they so choose.  I find seldom does the negative energy stop by just telling it to stop thus I send back what they have received and triple it if necessary so they feel the pain the are sending but then I place a crown of thorns around that individual where the thick energy is trapped from being sent out again but then I go a step forward and send an energy of white light and love through the thorns as love energy is light and can move easily and the negative is a heavy, thick energy and cannot pass through the thorns.  Thus for a while the person sending out this negative energy is weakening themselves to the point they must stop sending it out, for it only rebounds and then in the weakened stage they become still and can finally feel the strength of the love energy I am sending to them and thus not only is the person I am working with finds healing the other person does too if they are willing to let go of their anger and do so.  Often these are not bad, mean people but folks who feel trapped in life and cannot find a way out and  thus they find others to blame and send out this pain to them as a sub conscious call for help themselves. This new Spiritual Awareness has served me well and hopefully will do so for the many I am called on to help, as well.  Rev. Linda Francis ********************** 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

Spirituality

Doctor of Spirituality Mid-Term Essay

Rev. Michael Barth

This course on the miracle of prayer has totally changed my view on prayer. I had always thought that prayer was talking with God but never realized that prayer is also a way we show love to God and how God shows love to us. I did not realize that we have free will to listen to God, but at some point we will all listen to God. The revelation of love was something totally new to me. I thought that this section would explain what love is but could not explain the meaning of love and used the analogy of breathing as why love could not be loved. Learning that love is all-encompassing and that there is no opposite of love really shocked me since I think it terms of opposite like good/evil, wealthy/poor, etc. I learned that we cannot have any fear if we are to show true love. Any self-doubt and/or fear takes away from any true love we try to show.

The way that God is described is a new concept of God to me. I grew up in a non-denominational Christian family and had a pretty traditional of God. To me, God looked like us, was punishing, and to be feared. Like a lot of people, I also thought there was a heaven and hell. Heaven was where the good people went to be with God and the bad people would spend eternity in Hell. The concept of God being all love and all encompassing was a radically different way to look at God. I liked how the love of God is described as pure, perfect, abundant, changeless, limitless, indestructible, joy, and peace. Before taking this course, I never had considered myself a son of God, but now I do. Also, I never considered Gods purpose for me which is to extend love. I have always lived life the way I wanted to and if I didn't spread love, I didn't care. I didn't even care if I had spread hate or other ill-will with other people. Now I know that God's love is all-encompassing and that I need to spread it around this planet.

The blood sacrifices in Lesson 3 got me thinking quite a bit. How and why would God need blood sacrifices to atone for sins? This lesson answered these questions by telling me that blood sacrifice was a human invention. Before this lesson, I thought that God had already condemned this world for all its transgressions that have occurred and God would punish us all. I had never considered the fact that God has already forgiven us. The fact that this course has altered my thinking about is great because now I think that God is a loving and merciful God. I liked how Jesus was used in the course on how perfect innocence cannot be destroyed because perfect innocence is indestructible which gave Jesus the power to overcome death. I liked how Jesus is described as a son of God, like us, and not part of God, unlike some Christian sects who say Jesus is part of the Trinity. Just the fact that Jesus is our brother and will help people bridge the gap between themselves and God is reassuring to me. I too, have prayed in Jesus name and have not understood why we always said "In Jesus name we pray. Amen." Now I know that we are calling on the power of God and remembering and calling on Jesus' promises to us.

In Lesson 4, I learned that I was one of the many people who was using forgiveness to destroy. I would forgive people for harming me because I felt that they were below or inferior to me. Also, I would forgive people if they did something in return such as I will forgive you if you stop stealing from me or give back what you have stolen from me. I have also forgiven people because I felt that they were just like me or were very similar to me and what I had done to others. I also had used the third type of forgiveness described in this lesson as the martyr. I would suffer in silence at the hands of other people and then have people look at what I have to go through. I realize that these types of forgiveness are not true forgiveness because I will be expecting something in return for my forgiveness, will be letting myself still feel guilty about forgiveness, will be self condemning myself, or will be trying to destroy another person. I never knew that true forgiveness involved mercy from God or help from God. Also, I never considered that true forgiveness changes us and not the other person with whom we are forgiving. I also had a real problem with forgiving people who had committed really bad acts or bad behavior. I remember growing up and being in 6th grade when a school shooting took place at an elementary school in our school district in Winnetka, IL. 

After the shooting happened, the person that had been killed was a person that I had met the night before at a baseball game because his older brother was on my team. I was unable to forgive the person who did the shooting because of all the harm that it caused the people involved and the community. The family of the young boy that had been killed was very distraught and was in shambles. This shooting scared me and robbed me of my peace but have learned in this lesson that I need God to help me forgive myself and the shooter. Also, I let this shooter rob me of my peace of mind at the time too. I liked how this lesson teaches how there is no sin and that we have to look through Christ's vision instead and respond with love. I loved the 3 steps of forgiveness in this lesson too which I am working on incorporating into my life right now

The Holy Spirit is a concept that I have always had a problem getting. I have always been trying to figure out what the Holy Spirit really means to me. This course has helped a lot because it gives some symbolism of what the Holy Spirit is, such as fire being purification and wind being inspiration. I realize now that the Holy Spirit can be represented by different symbols. I liked the section on how the Holy Spirit functions. I never knew that the Holy Spirit functions as a completion of the redemption of mankind or for healing our mistaken perception. I learned also that the Holy Spirit is a mediator between our illusions and the truth and also helps us with our separation with God. I know that there are a lot of illusions that I see and need help seeing God's truth in what is happening. Also, I know that for myself, I need the Holy Spirit to help me bridge the separation between God and myself since I definitely am not living the Godliest life possible. I know that the Holy Spirit is teaching me more about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, honesty, and much more since I am allowing the Holy Spirit to work within me. As a kid, I was really impatient, angry, hateful, and would flat out lie to people. As I have gotten older and since taking this course, the Holy Spirit has been teaching me patience, peacefulness, love, and honesty. I still have a long ways to go and still have a lot of teaching from the Holy Spirit, but I am making good progress. I definitely need the Holy Spirit in prayer to bridge the separation between myself and God and also for taking up my false thoughts that I have. During prayer now, I try to be one with God instead of telling God how things need to be done and when to be done.

In this course, I have also learned what true prayer is. I grew up thinking that prayer was when I asked something from God and always thought that prayer began with me. Growing up, I would ask God for many things just like asking Santa Claus to bring me many gifts for Christmas. I never thought that prayer began with God and is a way of communicating with God and being in communion with God. Also, I thought that my prayers were often not answered or heard by God because I never received what I had prayed for. Now I know that prayer is to fix me and my issues and will be done in God's time. Also, my prayers are heard by God and are also answered by God in his way and most likely the answer isn't what I wanted like a fancy car showing up in my driveway or a lot of money appearing in my bank account. Substitution is something I also learned too. I thought that having money or material things would bring me happiness and would often pray for money and material things but realize that I am just substituting things here for real happiness which already exists within me.

I also learned a lot about the different levels of prayers that we use. I never had thought about the different types of prayers as being higher or lower than another type of prayer. I am used to using the prayer of need followed by the prayer of freedom. I cannot recall using prayer of joining or prayers of humility when communicating with God. With the prayer of need, I am usually asking God for help with something like helping me deal with my depression or helping someone I know that is dealing with serious illness. I also was given a thought provoking statement about prayers for our enemies. I never thought before that considering someone as an enemy was also reinforcing my own guilt and rejecting God since I would be rejecting one of God's children. Prayer of freedom is a type of prayer that I have used to help me release guilt that I have over something or to release myself from a self-imposed imprisonment of some kind. I think I might have used some prayer of joining but not in a positive way. I have always prayed for God to do this or that to someone who has harmed me in some way. I now realize that this isn't something that God is going to do to one of his children. I don't think I have used the prayer of humility because of the fear of letting things go. For some reason, I have also felt a need to control things or a certain amount of things in my life but I know now that I have to let go and let God do his work with me so I can go do things that will be in love.

The lesson on the power of prayer was very interesting to me. I have read in the newspaper and have watched the news where scientific studies have shown to heal people and also increase the life expectancy of people who had strong faith and prayer. This lesson explained to me why these studies have shown these results. I had never considered before that each thought that I have produces a chemical reaction in the brain and that the brain does not determine between good and bad thoughts in which to produce these chemical reactions. I also never thought about taking responsibility for my thoughts and try to change the way I think. The sections on unanswered prayers struck home with me since I often believed that my prayers were going unanswered but now realize that my prayers are answered but not the way I wanted them to be answered. I realize that I just maybe afraid to see God's answer or just not be accepting of God's answer that he has provided to me.

I liked the section on magic versus miracles since it explained the difference. I did not realize that magic is an attempt where a person or thing would apparently use super natural powers that were exempted or overruled the laws of the universe whereas miracles appeared within the laws of the universe and are thought to be of divine origin. I never thought that miracles were all the same. I thought that one miracle would be greater than another but the lesson taught me the one miracle is no more difficult or harder than another miracle. I also like how miracles can shift perception. I could use a shift in perception from my ego's thinking to the Holy Spirits thinking. This lesson also pointed out the miracles point out the truth and that no illusion can threaten the truth. This lesson also pointed out that I need to be more miracle ready than I am presently ready for. Unfortunately, I am still thinking a lot from my ego and would not recognize a miracle right now if one were to happen.

This course so far has really jolted the way I have thought about prayer and miracles. I have been inspired by this course to actually start reading the book A Course in Miracles. So far, I have found this course and the book to be of great help to me and I have found it fascinating on how the book came to be. This course is a lot easier for me to understand than the book is due to the way it is written. I have gone to the A Course in Miracles website and now get the newsletter from the Foundation of Inner Peace. This course has really got me thinking on how I think and pray and have located a study group that deals with A Course in Miracles. This course is teaching me a lot and I am glad that I am taking it currently and have been incorporating things in the course into my everyday life which has been very helpful with dealing with issues such as depression, relationships, and guilt that I have. I definitely think this course is well worth the time and effort.

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

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site 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 since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Metaphysical Healing

Metaphysical Healing Course Final Essay Rev. Lindsay Baldassano I began this course a few months ago during a time when I was seeking to refresh my Reiki practice and further my knowledge and understanding of subtle energies and healing. I was very excited about the new seminary program being offered by ULC and am still excited to continue learning in this fashion. I have always been a student at heart and actually looked forward to having to do homework again and having the chance to collect my thoughts about a topic and put the words down, to both express the lesson and what I have taken from it. The range of topics and intensity of knowledge being passed on was impressive for an online course. Teaching such a physical practice as healing can be a challenge when done through a non-physical medium like the Internet. While this course could not provide every little nuance of the hand-on aspects of the healing work, it certainly provided the internal assessment tools to be able to discern when and how you are connected to the Divine energies. These are important tools for healers beginning on their first forays into the healing arts. The thought that the energy bodies and organs of a person is analogous to the physical circulatory system is an extremely important concept to grasp in modern energy medicine. There is a still a dichotomy of information types out in today's field in the States. We are still placed between purely intuitive energy medicine and the energy medicine concepts which are trying to be furthered by the scientific communities. I do feel that once we have a way to better talk about what is perceived and what science can prove with what equipment they have (our current equipment may not be able to read the types of information our bodies perceive and interpret naturally), we will better be able to define our energy systems and their components. It was also very exciting to hear of the advances in the field of professional Traditional healers. It is my hope that this trend continues through out the world, so that in time it is the standard, rather than the exception that we are all assessed and treated holistically. Thank you for offering this course, it was well worth the time and investment it took to make this course an option for me! ********************** Ordination with 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 Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary. Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar