Unity Spiritual Life Center Blog

Jesus loved sharing parables as a way of teaching Truth principles. But sometimes His stories sound somewhat strange and even harsh. It is necessary to delve a little deeper, to figure out the metaphysical interpretation and how it relates to our lives.

A perfect example is the story of the unclean spirit, shared in Matthew 12:43-45 and Luke 11:24-26. Jesus shares the story of when an unclean spirit leaves a person; it wanders waterless regions searching for a resting place. Finding none, it decides to go back to the house from which it came. Finding it swept clean and in order, the spirit then brings along seven of his buddies to join him. The end result is that the state of the person is worse than it was before.

Wow! That’s a strange story to read. So let’s explore some of the important elements, for a deeper meaning.

Unclean Spirit: error thoughts or habits that contradict our Divinity and get in the way of our Spiritual growth.

Waterless region: environment that lacks spiritual enrichment.

House: our consciousness.

Swept and put in order: a consciousness that has created a vacuum by recognizing and eliminating error thoughts, without replacing them with spiritual ideas and principles.

Seven: represents completeness in the world of phenomena (unusual or extraordinary)

So let’s take a look at this parable again, with this new information. Here’s what it is saying:

When a person identifies error thinking and, through denials, refutes its power, those error thoughts depart, leaving a void which must be filled. If it is not filled, the bad habits will return, and become even stronger than before, making the person more skeptical and frustrated with the world of appearance than when they started their spiritual journey. This is why it is so critical to create a regular practice of prayer and meditation, coupled with denials and affirmations, to refuel and rejuvenate yourself as you continue strengthening your life built on Truth principles.

3 Keys to Unlock a New Level in Your Spiritual Consciousness

Denials: cleansing your Consciousness by refusing to give any power to your error thoughts;

Affirmations: claiming a mighty spiritual principle and affirming it. Keep in mind, things do not become true because you affirm them; you affirm them because they are Truth!

Prayer and Time in the Silence: providing opportunities to realign, reconnect, and receive Divine guidance, ideas, and inspiration.

When, with good intentions,  you clean up your spiritual act, without creating Truth-based spiritual practices, you will feel like that poor subject of the parable  you will feel too busy to practice Truth principles; too embedded in the world of appearance to focus on Truth; and too skeptical to allow Divine Wisdom and Ideas to flow to you.

But when you create the time to practice denials, affirmations, and time at headquarters, you will have "cleaned your house" and redecorated your thinking and habits, so there is no space for those spirits to come back with their negative buddies! You are aligned and ready to co-create the amazing, healthy, abundant, spiritual life that you deserve by right of Consciousness!

Drs. Bil & Cher Holton are Spiritual Leaders at Unity Spiritual Life Center in Durham, NC, where they practice positive, practical, progressive Christianity. Visit their website at Unity Spiritual Life Center and sign up to receive a complimentary 4-week e-course.

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For lots of people, the Book of Job is a difficult book. It relates the story of a righteous man who loses every precious thing he possesses, who suffers horribly, who seems victimized by the very God he worships. Let’s start with a snapshot of Job’s story. We only have space for a few glimpses although our journey will take us through the entire book of Job, chapters 1 thru 42.

The narrative begins with a description of Job as a man ‘perfect and upright, one that feared God, and turned away from evil.’ (1:1) Job’s goodness is so incredible that God says to Satan in (1:8) ‘There is none like him on earth.’

Satan implies that Job is pious because he has been blessed and protected. Satan says, ‘Put forth thy hand and touch all that he has and he will renounce you to your face.’ (1:11)

Jehovah allows Satan to deprive Job of everything he has in order to test him. Job loses all of his material possessions, his children, his livestock, his servants, everything! Job is crushed, but he still continues to worship God.

When Jehovah rejoices that Job continues to praise Him, Satan mentions that only Job’s possessions and family have been affected. He tells God that if Job himself is afflicted, he will turn from God.

So Jehovah says to Satan, "Behold he is in thy hand, only spare his life." (2:6) Job is smitten with painful sores and boils all over his body (2:7). Chapter 3, verse 25 explains Job’s difficult situation. It says: "What Job feared came upon him." Does this have a familiar ring to it? Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation? Listen to what happens next.

Three of his closest friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) learn of his plight and come to comfort him. Chapters 3-31 contain conversations between Job and his friends.

Eliphaz believes Job is suffering because he has sinned; Bildad ponders that if Job was more upright, he would not be in the trouble he’s in; Zophar rebukes Job for being so self-righteous and fearful, and urges him to repent.

Job reproaches them for their judgmentalness and feels forsaken by his friends and God. "I have been wronged. I cry for help, but there is no justice." (19:7)

Finally Job looks deeply within himself, and then declares in (31:35) "Let the Almighty answer me!" At that moment, his three friends go away and Elihu comes to his rescue. With the arrival of Elihu, Satan backs off. The story ends with Jehovah giving Job twice as much as he had before (42:10) and Job lives happily ever after.

Despite the happy ending, the literal interpretation of this story leaves more questions than answers. Why did Job need to suffer in the first place? Why did God co-conspire with Satan to bring about Job’s suffering? Are we simply pawns in the battle between good and evil? What was God thinking, you might ask?

All of these questions are perfectly natural questions — if we take this extraordinary story literally. The spiritual meaning of Job’s suffering becomes clear when we take a metaphysical look. Metaphysically, the Book of Job is a case study in Mind Action. And as we mentioned earlier, Chapter 3:25 tells us why Job suffered: "What Job feared came upon him."

The people mentioned in the Book of Job are the thoughts, personal qualities, attitudes, and beliefs we hold in our consciousness. Their metaphysical interpretations are as follows:

Zehovah stands for the Christ of us, our God-Self

Satan symbolizes the tendency within each of us to forsake our divinity.

Eliphaz represents our half-hearted desire for spiritual wholeness

Bildad is our on-again/off-again acknowledgment of our Christ potential

Zophar represents our fault-finding nature which blames others for our troubles

Elihu is the Holy Spirit, the still small voice

Job represents that aspect of us that outwardly seems centered and dedicated to truth principles, but inwardly chooses to be deceived by outer appearances and then allows fears, doubts, and a sense of unworthiness to get the best of us.

So, here’s a metaphysical interpretation of the story of Job:

Our God-Self (Zehovah) honors our power of choice, even if it means allowing us to deny our divinity (Satan). When we experience difficult times, the Job in us, (represented by Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zohar) fears the worst in outer appearances and allows those things to get the best of us. However, once we remember that it is our own error thoughts which have caused us to miss the mark; we can go to our Christ Center (Elihu) and listen for that still small voice. In the story, God doubled Job’s prosperity. The number ‘2′ represents the two natures of us, human and divine, becoming one.

So, what can we do when we experience those dark night of the soul experiences?

1. We can change the outer world by changing our inner world . Become aware of what you are really thinking, and claim dominion over your thoughts. Choose to remember your Spiritual nature.
2. We can refuse to give power to outer appearance . When the ‘Job’ in us refuses to give power to outer appearances and accepts our divinity, it will be the second time fire is discovered by the human race - the fire of the discovery of our divinity. At that moment, there will be no more suffering, wars, or dis-ease. What an incredible world that will be!
3. We can claim our oneness with God . We suffer because we believe we are separated from God. And because we believe we are separated from God, we believe we are separate from one another. And because we deny our oneness with one another, we perpetuate a collective error consciousness, which gives power to outer appearances that strengthens our belief in our separation from our God-ness. That belief is the cause of all suffering.

So to avoid suffering, acknowledge and celebrate your oneness with God! Your prosperity, inner peace, and joy will return to you, multiplied!

Drs. Bil & Cher Holton are Spiritual Leaders at Unity Spiritual Life Center in Durham, NC, where they practice positive, practical, progressive Christianity. Visit their website at Unity Spiritual Life Center and sign up to receive a complimentary 4-week e-course.

In Matthew 20:1-16, we read an interesting story that many find confusing and problematic. This selection is the story of the landowner who paid his field workers the same wage when they worked in his vineyard, regardless of how much time they put in. But from a metaphysical standpoint, the story is rich with practical applications for spiritual development.

There are a few curiosities I want to point out before I move from the literal to the metaphysical. The literal perspective leaves us a little inorganic when we discover the landowner’s treatment of the laborers and his attitude toward them.

Verse 1: Come unto me all of you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. This is what the Christ guaranteed us if we follow His teachings. To labor is to rest — rest in the understanding that all of our hard work pays spiritual dividends when we seek to know the Christ of us.

Verse 2: the usual daily wage - The denarius was the typical wage. Today’s equivalent is 25 cents.

Verse 3: He went out about 9 o’clock. Generally work began at 6 a.m., so 9 a. m. would have been the third hour. He went out a second time at noon and again at three and finally at five; 12 noon is the sixth hour, 3 is the ninth hour, and 5 is the eleventh hour (the commonly held belief is that the 11th hour means the last minute, with time running out, etc.)

Verse 7: He hires the ‘eleventh hour group’ and mentions nothing about their wages. He simply tells them to "go and work in my vineyard."

Verse 8: All of the workers were paid at the completion of the day. This would have been in accordance with Leviticus 19:13b, ‘Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight.’ The landowner paid the last workers first and then gave wages to those who worked first. So those who worked all day actually got to watch how  much  those were paid who put in less hours than they did.

Verses 10-11: The workers who were hired first believed they would receive more, but they received the same amount as those who were hired at the end of the day. If this story is taken literally, you can see the problem here. The laborers who put in a full day’s work didn’t receive any more pay than those who only worked one hour (from 5 to 6 p.m.). It just doesn’t seem fair, does it? Some scholars speculate that those hired later were more experienced and deserved to be paid the same.  Others suggest that those hired later performed different responsibilities requiring more expertise which justified their pay. No matter how you look at it, the literal interpretation is unfair and upsetting.

Verse 15: When the workers who had been on the job the full day objected to the inequity in treatment, the landowner simply replied, ‘Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?’ The landowner explains that he has paid the first group according to his fairness and justice (v.17) and the laborers coming in later according to his good will and generosity (v.15). And then in verse 16 says, as a way of explanation, "So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

What’s interesting about this is if we go back to Matthew 19:30 (which is the end of the conversation Jesus has with His disciples regarding the rich young ruler) Jesus says, "but many who are first will be last, and the last will be first." In Matthew 20:16 He uses the same tact but reverses the clauses, "So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

Taking this passage literally, it seems that Jesus is being a bit cavalier as He tells the story, and that He endorses the landowner’s unfair treatment of the workers. But let’s take a different approach at a more spiritual meaning of the parable!

It should come as no surprise that, metaphysically, this complete story happens in our consciousness. Without being too laborious - excuse the pun, let’s discover what this story means at a higher level of interpretation.

20:1 - For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. The original wording says the,  "kingdom of heaven is like this. "  There’s no comparison of the kingdom to an anthropomorphic being. The metaphysical interpretation of the main characters and concepts follows:

The kingdom of God is the Absoluteness, Is-ness, and Beingness of God. The ‘kingdom of heaven,’ on the other hand, refers to our conscious awareness of our innate divinity.

The vineyard represents the domain of structured truth principles of which we are invited to partake, so we can enjoy the fruits of enhancing our spiritual understanding.

The laborers stand for our thoughts, intentions, and beliefs.

The landowner is our Christ Consciousness.

The ‘usual daily wage’ represents the blessings we receive when we pay attention to divine guidance. The income is the same for everyone. It comes in the form of divine ideas, inner peace, radiant health, confidence, and so on!

Because this story describes how Divine Order works, here is the significance of the last is first, first is last — and three tips for your spiritual growth:

1. Practice Patience and Nonjudgmentalness . If we’re patient and trusting, even when outer appearances seem to say different, we will receive the "usual wage" (the manifested good we desire). The 11th hour indicates the point at which we let God and let go.
2. Practice the Presence . This whole vineyard story illustrates how Divine Order works! It is a three step process: Mind, Idea, and Expression. When we ‘practice the Presence,’ we acknowledge our oneness with our Christ Self at every level of our being. If we ‘practice the Presence,’ Divine Ideas will come. In the ideation process, it is a well-known fact that the most effective ideas usually come last. So the first ideas we have become the catalysts which bring us the "Aha’s" we need to manifest our good.
3. Practice Perseverance . Spirit encourages us to stick with it instead of becoming lukewarm in our Truth walk, which is represented by those laborers who were idle at noon. Jesus is simply clarifying for us to follow the invitation of our Christ Consciousness to harvest our divine ideas in accordance with Divine Order, no matter when our ideas show up (morning, noon, or night); then we canrest in the assurance that we have the wherewithal to manifest anything we desire.

(Luke 10:25-37)

As we researched for this article, we Googled the words “Good Samaritan” and the request brought us over 281,000 references of the Good Samaritan on the Internet. There were thousands of hospitals and medical centers named Good Samaritan, hundreds of Good Samaritan awards, scores of charitable trust funds named Good Samaritan, and a multitude of newspaper articles on Good Samaritan heroics and helpfulness. But what is the source of all these references?

Let’s take a peek at the Biblical Good Samaritan story, and then interpret it metaphysically, to present the real main character to you. You may want to read the whole story before continuing with this article. When you’re finished, come on back. We’ll wait for you!

Let’s start by taking a look at a few specific verses from Luke 10:25-37, to provide some historical background.

• v27: The legal expert responds easily, reiterating the passages from the Torah (Deut 6:5 and Lev 19:18). He wanted to prove he was a student of the law, that he knew his Torah.
• v29: He desired Jesus’ approval to abide by the letter of the law and to restrict who he considered a neighbor. It would be like asking for permission not to help a member of a hate group who was hurt (like a neo-Nazi or a clansman.) The Greek work for neighbor is plesion which is interpreted as “the close one.” It meant people similar to you in social status, religious faith, ethnicity, etc. The lawyer hoped that’s what Jesus meant.
• v30: In this verse, the phrase “a certain man” derives from the Greek Word anthropostis, which means somebody/anyone. Jesus was not going to give the lawyer a way out. The road between Jericho and Jerusalem was dangerous and notorious for bandits. Jericho was below sea level.
• v32: The law was if a person touched a dead body or came into contact with the blood of someone unclean, they would be defiled for seven days and not permitted to carry out their assigned religious duties.
• v33: The Jews abhorred the Samaritans. Samaritans were the descendants of those Jews who remained in northern Israel after it was conquered by Assyria in the 8th Century B.C. They were uncircumcised, intermarried Gentiles, and refused to acknowledge the temple in Jerusalem.
• v37: The lawyer probably paused before he responded to Jesus’ question. He, like other Jews, detested the Samaritans so much he was unable to bring himself to say the word Samaritan. He said, “He that showed mercy.” And Jesus responded, “You got that right.” We’re paraphrasing, of course.

For Jesus, there were no untouchables in the Kingdom of God. And the point He wanted to make to the lawyer - and to us - is to not let our religion to replace our spirituality or compassion. If the only point of Jesus’ parable had been simply promoting a sense of civility and goodwill, it would have been a good message. But it has a much deeper meaning. Let’s take a metaphysical view, so we can add a higher consciousness perspective to the parable.

• Lawyer = our inclination to use the letter of the law to justify our behavior
• Injured Man (the main metaphysical character) = human consciousness; the thoughts, feelings, and actions in all of us
• Jerusalem = Heart-centered consciousness of peace and spirituality
• Jericho = Materially-focused desires which spring from the ego’s fears and selfishness
• Robbers = our selfish, destructive thoughts that deplete our body of its energy and vitality
• Priest and Levite = religious inclinations which fail to see the connection between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law
• Samaritan = the Christ of us
• Oil and wine = oil is love; wine is abundant life
• Inn = pure, receptive Divine thoughts
• Innkeeper = the Holy Spirit
• 2 denarii = the price we pay for reconnecting the human personality with Spirit
• Neighbor = our physical body and emotions which are affected by our thoughts

The metaphysical implications of this parable are quite clear. When we choose to leave the peace and serenity of our spirituality (Jerusalem) and follow the temptations of our material sense consciousness (Jericho), we rob ourselves of our energy and vitality. Our error thinking can take us over dangerous emotional and physical ground, sometimes resulting in life-threatening illnesses.

Our wholeness will be restored when we ramp up our consciousness (the Inn) and accept the wisdom and support that comes from our inner Divinity, which provides comfort through the Holy Spirit.

So you see the parable is not about the Samaritan at all. It is about us.

• It is about our relationship with the Christ of us.
• It relates to our falling in and out of a state of grace.
• It reminds us of our awesome and unfailing oneness to Spirit.
• It encourages us to have Christ thoughts so we can make Christ choices.
• And — it assures us that we shall be comforted.

Drs. Bil & Cher Holton are Spiritual Leaders at Unity Spiritual Life Center in Durham, NC, where they practice positive, practical, progressive Christianity. Visit their website at Unity Spiritual Life Center and sign up to receive a complimentary 4-week e-course.

I can count the times I joined my dad on a fishing expedition on one hand, actually on three fingers. But those three fishing experiences were memorable indeed! I was an inquisitive seven-year-old and was ecstatic about going fishing with my dad.

Whenever I threw out the line, I caught something — and my lines never even hit the lake. On my first attempt, I hooked my father’s favorite fishing hat, yanking it unceremoniously off his head. I remember his initial irritation turning to amusement as he helped me reel his hat in. I also remember how the wet hat looked on his head. He refused to fish without it.

On our second fishing trip, I hooked the back of my shirt — twice! I did manage to catch several fish. It wasn’t many. I remember they were little, and I learned how to talk fisherman’s talk. I discovered what is meant by ‘catch and release.’ If the fish are too small, you throw them back!

I’d catch a tiny cat fish or snag a turtle and look at my dad and ask, ‘Release?’ And he’d nod his agreement. When it came to fishing, I was not giving Dad much to celebrate.

On my third and final fishing expedition with Dad, I snagged his left ear lobe. I didn’t do it on purpose! But I hooked it good! I didn’t need to ask about ‘catch and release’ that time. I remember thinking, "Holy mackerel, is he going to throw me overboard?"

When I look back on those fishing fiascos with my dad, it struck me that our time together was the valuable thing. After I ‘hooked and released’ I wanted to immerse myself in a book, take/jot down notes, and compose something of my own while Dad fished. I didn’t realize it then, but those initial writing projects were the start of my writing vocation.

My father liked to catch fish — and I liked to catch ideas. Later I learned they’re the same thing. I also discovered that most fishermen catch their best fish by the tale — TALE — and I learned nothing grows as fast as a fish from the time it bites until it slips away.

I’ve got another fish story for you. It is found in the Gospel of John — John 21:1-6. But it is more than just a fish story. It’s about how the brain functions.

If you take this story at face value, seven fishermen took the advice of a person who never fished in the pond, so to speak. Obviously, there’s more to the story than meets the eye. Metaphysically, this story has incredible truths to teach us:

There are seven disciples mentioned: Simon Peter (faith), John (love), Thomas (understanding), Nathaniel — who is the same as Bartholomew — (imagination),  James, son of Jebedee (wisdom), and two more anonymous disciples who were most likely Simon, the Cananaean (Zeal), and James, son of Alphaeus (order). These seven disciples symbolize the spiritual qualities which assist us in manifesting ideas.

Sea of Tiberias = the spiritual insights we can gain when we put our spiritual powers to work

Fish = spiritual ideas. (In verse 11 it says the disciples caught 153 large fish — which they didn’t ‘catch and release’ — 153 represents the number of known species of fish at the time of this Gospel story. When we connect with Spirit, we have access to an inexhaustible supply of ideas)

Net = Our mind, which catches ideas

Fishing at night from the left side of the boat = literally means we are fishing in the dark if we try to comprehend spiritual principles from a left-brained material consciousness

Right Side = Always symbolizes the side of truth. It also stands for the right side of our brain, our intuitive side, our creativity.

So, when we work out of our sense consciousness (Fish at night), we find ourselves working like crazy, but end up empty. However, when we connect with Spirit and practice truth principles (fish from the right side of the boat), we can tap into an inexhaustible supply of Divine Ideas which bring us the prosperity, peace and joy we want.

Holy mackerel! All we have to do is harmonize both sides of our brain to capture Divine Ideas.  It just takes using a little bit of our "net" worth.

Drs. Bil & Cher Holton are Spiritual Leaders at Unity Spiritual Life Center in Durham, NC, where they practice positive, practical, progressive Christianity. Visit their website at Unity Spiritual Life Center and sign up to receive a complimentary 4-week e-course.

We invite you to consider three ideas as they relate to your life:

Everyone has the same life purpose: We are here to fully demonstrate the Christ within.

We have all got the same decision to make: We can choose to accept our Divinity and follow the guidance that comes from our Christ Consciousness — or not.

There is only one story in the Bible: That story is about how we use more won’t power than will power when it comes to “expressing our divinity.”

The following illustration is an example of our on-and-off-again relationship. The story comes from the 8th Chapter of John’s Gospel, verses 2-11:

1. Early in the morning He came again to the temple: (When we are centered in Spirit, we begin every morning connected to our Christ Nature. Jesus stands  for that aspect in us that understands  our Christ potential and is our unfolding pattern of excellence.) All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them: (As we intentionally “practice the Presence,” the more guidance we will receive.)

2. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand before all of them: (Our judgmentalness. which often is really hypocrisy, is represented by the Pharisees. This attitude tries to keep us mired in the letter of the law so we remain in the tight box of dogma and doctrine. Our personality attempts to discredit our receptivity to Truth principles,  represented by the woman, by pointing out our failures.)

3. They said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery: (Guarded by its self-righteousness duplicity, our ego even manufactures ways to make us feel less spiritual, while at the same time hypocritically hiding behind its own shortcomings.)

4. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They said this to test Him, so that they might have some charge to bring against Him: (Moses as an adult represents that within us that aligns more with the letter of the law instead of the spirit of the law. Our judgmental nature tests our spiritual growth because it wants us to adhere to the status quo.)

5. Jesus bent down and wrote with His finger on the sand. (This symbolizes our Christ Self lowering itself into our sense chakra to cleanse it. We  re-awaken to the realization that we are spiritual beings having a human experience.)

6. When they continued questioning Him, He straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to cast  a stone at her.” (We remind ourselves that our old tapes have no power over us.)

7. And once again He bent down and wrote on the ground: (Our ‘I Am’ Consciousness lowers Itself a second time to strengthen us and to lead us into a right relationship with our Christ Nature.)

8. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders: (When the Spirit moves, its incredible vibration dissolves  even the strongest, most encrusted beliefs, assumptions and prejudices,  causing them to lose their impact and disappear.) And Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before Him: (Once we put the noise of our judgmentalness aside we stand firm in our awareness of our true nature).

9. Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”:  (When we allow that still, small voice to direct us, we  have power over any and all negativity).

10. She said, “No one, Sir.”: (We can say emphatically, through affirmations and denials, that nothing can separate us from our good). And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”: (Our Christ nature sees only the good in us. Once we become consciously one with our Christ nature, by going to our heart center, we will hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil. All we need to do is practice more will power than won’t power so we do not miss the mark.)

This story is about you and us and everyone on the planet. It reminds us to remember the Truth of who we really are, so we can express and enjoy our innate Divinity, the Godness that is present at our birth.

There is a great story that demonstrates the advice Jesus gave His followers when He sent them out to tell people the good news - the news that the Kingdom of God is within. It is about a struggle between the Wind and the Sun, about who was the strongest. The Wind thought he was stronger because of his destructive might in tornadoes, hurricanes, sand storms, and thunder storms. He pointed out his ability to transform a simple cigarette or lightning strike into a raging forest fire which could level hundreds of thousands of acres of woods.

There was not a day that went by without the Wind bragging of his power. The Sun grew tired of the Wind’s arrogance and planned to settle the matter once and for all. He challenged the Wind to a contest.

"Look, you old wind bag," bragged the Sun, "I’m going to prove you are not as powerful or influential as you think you are."

"Oh, you are, are you? Just how do you plan to do that?" taunted the Wind.

"See that elderly Truth Student down there taking a walk?"

The Wind whirled himself around to get a better look. The Wind smiled his joy and sent a taunting gust of wind to throw the Truth Student off balance.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Yes, I observe him. Kinda wimpy isn’t he? Surely you can find a better subject than that pathetic old Truth Seeker!"

The Sun’s voice did not change as he leveled his dare. "I dare you to blow the Student’s jacket off his back."

"Ha! You’re making this much too easy. In a short while," he boasted, "I will rule Heaven and Earth."

He began to blow, gently at first, to disorient the Truth Seeker. To his amazement, the man clung to his jacket. The Wind blew harder, sending the man ricocheting to and fro across the street - but the elderly Truth student grasped his jacket even tighter! The harder the Wind blew, the more the man resisted.

The Truth Student’s tenacity angered the Wind, so he sent huge gusts of wind, which pushed the gentleman into parked cars and against the sides of buildings. But the man would not release his jacket. One more fierce gust of wind blew the man’s hat off and knocked him to the ground, but the man clung to his jacket even harder.

Finally, the Wind gave up and challenged the Sun to succeed where he had failed.

The Sun smiled and sent radiant rays of warmth upon the Truth Student. The man stood up and brushed off his jacket and trousers, grateful for the change in the weather. In a short while, he began to perspire. Beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead and neck.

The sun sent even more radiant light and warmth upon the Truth Seeker who first unzipped his jacket and finally removed it.

The Sun’s "soft sell" approach was much more persuasive, wouldn’t you say? The Wind’s agenda was to blow the coat off the man against his will. The Wind had mixed up loving invitation with harsh influence.

The Sun, on the other hand, understood the essence of tactful influence and that the greatest kind of persuasion is showing warmth, kindness, and understanding through letting its light shine - instead of intimidation, power, judgmentalness, or humiliation.

The Sun applied the same secret Jesus practiced when He warned His disciples not to force Truth principles on others. He recommended a soft metaphysical approach. The message is in three of the four Gospels, so it is a valuable teaching. It appears in Matt. 10:7;10-14; Mark 6: 7-11; and Luke 9: 1-5.

The literal translation is fairly straightforward. Share the Truth with those who are ready to hear it. If you meet with resistance or disinterest, don’t force things. Shake the dust off your sandals and non-judgmentally move forward on your Truth journey.

Metaphysically, this story is rich in timeless wisdom. I’ll explain the key words and concepts first and then offer a metaphysical interpretation:

Jesus: that within us which recognizes and conscientiously works to fulfill our Christ Potential

Kingdom of Heaven: Christ Consciousness

Twelve disciples: the twelve higher consciousness powers within us

Town or village: a group of accepted attitudes, a belief system, a particular point of view, socially accepted behaviors

House: individual human consciousness

Shake the dust off your feet: denying the power of the superficiality of materialism or the unhealthy lure of outer appearances to cloud our spiritual understanding

Metaphysically, there are three valuable lessons with a spiritual meaning:

1.As we apply our growing awareness of Truth principles (the 12 powers, each standing for one of the 12 disciples, which are quickened by our (I Am-ness) to our current beliefs and habitual ways of thinking, we will experience some internal resistance. It is natural to experience some inner fighting whenever we are expanding our spiritual awareness.

2.Some of our beliefs will be easy to change. Others may take a while. Be patient with yourself as you refocus your thinking to the new, greater spiritual Truth.

3.When we encounter resistant thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs, we need to deny the power of materialistic inclinations to cloud our understanding (shake the dust from our feet) and continue to walk the spiritual path on practical feet.

Dr’s. Bil & Cher Holton are Spiritual Leaders at Unity Spiritual Life Center in Durham, NC, where they practice positive, practical, progressive Christianity. Visit their website at Unity Spiritual Life Center and sign up to receive a complimentary 4-week e-course.

A well-dressed young man saw a breath-takingly gorgeous woman walk past Chicos in the mall. He was so smitten that he followed her as she made her way toward the center of the mall.

The lady observed his reflection in the store windows as she passed them and finally turned and demanded: “Why are you following me?”

He responded innocently, “Because you are the most gorgeous woman I have ever observed, and I’ve fallen madly in love with you at first sight.”

The woman smiled and answered,” I believe you need to look behind you at my younger sister who is ten times more attractive than I.”

The excited suitor turned around quickly and noticed what he considered to be an average looking girl walking toward him.

“She’s no where near as attractive as you,” he lamented. “You tricked me!”

“No, you tricked me,” she countered. “If you were so madly in love with me, why did you turn around?”

“I…Ah…Well…Ah…”

His answer was a case of a ‘Definitely Maybe’! He claimed he definitely thought the young woman was the greatest thing since sliced bread — but next he thought maybe there’s better sliced bread.

What is amazing is, people do that all of the time. ‘Definitely Maybe’ people live their lives through a chronic ‘yes — no’ perspective. They short-change themselves because they ‘under mind’ who they are. They are decisively indecisive.

• Sure I can. Maybe not!
• I absolutely want that. Okay, maybe I don’t.
• I will never do that again. Or maybe….

“We are unable to serve two masters,” Jesus shares in Matt. 6:24, “for either we will despise the one, and love the other; or else follow one and hate the other. We cannot serve God and physical substance.”

What Jesus is saying is: ‘definitely maybe’ doesn’t work. You cannot steal second base with your foot on first. You cannot squeeze orange juice out of a peach. You cannot put the toothpaste you have squeezed out back into the tube. And you cannot walk the spiritual path on materialistic feet.

A ‘definitely maybe’ mind set typically ends up sending mixed messages. The following story is an example. A televangelist stopped a couple of girl scouts at the street corner and asked for directions to the post office.

“Down this street three blocks. You’ll pass girl scouts selling cookies, so buy some, then turn to your right,” the oldest youngster replied.

“You appear to be a smart young lady,” said the televangelist. “Have you ever watched my nationally televised show?”

“Nope”

“Well, if you will watch Channel 22 tomorrow morning with your folks, I’ll tell you how to get to Heaven.”

“Aw, I doubt it mister. You don’t even know how to get to the post office.”

What sort of mixed messages would we send if we affirm, on the one hand, that there is only One Presence, One Power, and One Intelligence in the Universe and then at the first sign of trouble give power to outer situations?

What if we say we are one with the Inexhaustible Source of our abundant supply — and then worry constantly about money?

We have the power to be persistent about our truth walks. We also possess the power to give away that power. Some folks like sliced bread. Others like an uncut loaf of bread. Some individuals choose slices of Truth. Others want the whole Truth — unbiased, uninterpreted, and non-dogmatic — so they can render their own interpretations. The important thing is to be able to stand for something instead of falling for anything.

One of the toughest jobs we've ever done as corporate teambuilding consultants was to help a very large health care organization "come clean." The person who hired us was the senior executive Vice-President of Customer Care.  We had worked with her before when she was an exec with another Fortune 100 company.  When she left there she took us with her.

In her new role she was mandated to resurrect a customer care department that was hemorrhaging.  After conducting the usual internal audits and  interviews, systems assessments, 360 feedback, and customer surveys, we identified key pathologies, conducted aggressive team development sessions, stirred up the proverbial hornets nest; and, when all was said and done, made several recommendations, including what amounted to a 25% reduction in force.  Our client acted on our recommendations and cleaned house.

You can imagine the upheaval, the surprise and disbelief that ran through her division.  But it was necessary, because of the old beliefs and ideologies that ran head-on into the new vision.  Not everyone embraced it! It was tough, but six months later, her Customer Care  Division won a national award for service excellence.

We witnessed a similar housecleaning at Unity Village Spiritual Education and Enrichment Center.  Students attended from all over the world and from all walks of life.  Most were from a combination of Christian and New Thought backgrounds and many were in some kind of life transition.

The 'coming clean' we're referring to usually came during days 4 or 5.  After almost a week of mind boggling class discussions, homework, team projects, and peer discussions about Truth principles, the Bible, and metaphysics, a few of the students (probably 30%) suffered meltdowns.

The Unity term for this meltdown is chemicalization.  When we receive life-changing information that blows our mind, our old programming resists the new information and we experience an internal upheaval. 

Our definition for this chemicalization experience is 'spiritual Alka Seltzer.' Alka Seltzer is a great metaphor for that stirring up of things to burn off the old ideas and create that relief of a higher spiritual awareness: chemicalization.

That's what we believe is happening in Matt. 21:12-14.  Jesus has just made His triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  Read Matt.21:12-14 to see what happens.

Here is the metaphysical meaning.  You may want to fasten your seatbelts:

We believe this event describes a chemicalization experience! A spiritual Alka Seltzer moment.  It happens inside our heads.  It is a consciousness shift, a spiritual deepening.  When we are in that state of receptivity we are ready for spiritual growth, ready for the Indwelling Christ to speak to us.

Growth usually comes when our Christ potential (our Jesus quality) creates dissonance in our old belief system (represented by the money changers) and turns our old beliefs upside down (the tables).   When this happens, we experience chemicalization - Spiritual Alka Seltzer.

As we grow on our spiritual journeys, we are bound to run into moments when our old beliefs run head-on into our new-found understanding … and we may experience some form of chemicalization.

Go back in your memory bank to some difficult experience you have moved through in your life.   Not something you are struggling with now, but something from your past.   Pick something specific.   Recall (without the emotional baggage) the struggle and difficulty of living through the situation.  Consider how you grew - personally, professionally, and spiritually from the experience.

Once we drop in a few Spiritual Alka Seltzers we feel the sizzle of enthusiasm, the plop, plop of expectancy, and the fizz of the faith-lift we receive as our lives are  transformed forever!

Ernest Hemingway tells the story about a young man who wrongs his father and then runs away from home to Madrid. Out of great love for his son, the father posts ads in a half dozen or so Madrid newspapers.

"Paco, meet me at the Hotel Montana, 12 noon Tuesday. All is forgiven. Papa."

When the father gets to the hotel, he finds 650 young men named Paco waiting for their fathers.

Forgiveness, it seems, is a universal human need. At its core it is the need to be pardoned, to be released from the emotional strain of having wronged someone or having been wronged by someone. At its essence it means going from bitter to better.

Forgiveness requires an emotional correction. It is an empathic response to a wrong doing. It constitutes an act of extraordinary consideration which oftentimes seems much too lenient, if not down right foolish. But forgiveness is not a doormat philosophy. Forgiveness doesn't mean consent. Forgiveness is an act of release. Essentially it is emotional amnesty. It is truly going from bitter to better… from adversary to ambassador.

That's what Fiorello La Guardia, Mayor of New York did when he relieved a judge for the evening and took the bench himself in one of the poorest wards of the city. A case came up where a grandmother had been arrested for stealing bread to feed her grandchildren.

La Guardia told her, "Unfortunately, you are guilty, and I've got to sentence you. I'm fining you $10 or 10 days in jail."

And then LaGuardia pulled a $10 dollar bill out of his own pocket and gave it to the astonished grandmother.

"I'm going to forgive you this time," said the Mayor, "but I don't want to see you here again."

Then he fined everybody in the courtroom for helping to create a city where grandmothers have to steal bread to feed their grandchildren.

The bailiff passed the hat and the woman left the courthouse that evening both reprimanded and thankful. Not only had her fine been paid, but she left with $47.50 in her purse.

"We must forgive as we would be forgiven," says Emile Cady in her classic Unity book, Lessons in Truth. "To forgive does not mean to arrive at a place of indifference… To forgive is to give some definite good in return for a wrong experienced."

"Emotional wounds cannot heal until we forgive, "says Rosemary Ellen Guiley, in her book Prayer Works. "When we forgive, we experience a tremendous healing of body, mind, and spirit. It doesn't matter whether we forgive a fresh wound or an old hurt; the liberating effect of forgiveness is the same."

Jesus was asked by Peter in Matt. 18:21-22: "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven."

The Christ's answer in verse 22 is somewhat startling. If taken literally it appears we are being asked to forgive as much as 490 times. But we're missing the point if we think Jesus is talking about a literal number.

Forgiving someone - or asking someone for forgiveness is an extraordinary human act of compassion and surrender. And yet it is something we must do for our own good…for our own sanity… for our own peace of mind. Forgiveness frees us from the past and keeps feelings of revenge, resentment, and anger from eating at us, from cannibalizing us.

There is another, more profound, meaning for forgiveness. Metaphysically, forgiveness means giving up the false for the true. Another way of saying that is it means giving up our fixation with fiction. The kind of fiction we're referring to is our attachment to anything which blocks our spiritual growth.

And if it takes 7 times, or 700 times, or 7,000,000 times - to give up a false belief, to give up a false conclusion, to give up a self-defeating course of action or long-standing resentment, then that's the amount of time Spirit gives us to get it right.

And getting it right means forgiving it right… right from the get go. That means going from bitter into better.