Unity Spiritual Life Center Blog

(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.

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In Part 1 of this article, we learned how we are all guilty of being lured by Tourist Traps - on vacations and on our Truth walks. No matter how disappointed you may be by your ventures with New Age products that are all hype and no substance, you can benefit from these adventures. Just try applying three tips we’ve learned from our vacation tourist traps that will help you as you maneuver your way through the Tourist Traps in your Spiritual Journey.

Tip #1: Recognize Tourist Traps for What They Are!

There’s really nothing wrong with Tourist Traps ~ they are just being what they are supposed to be: created to separate you from your money in exchange for some kind of reminder of your trip. We are actually real suckers for tourist trap shops! But we’ve found over the years to know exactly our goals as we stroll through them. We usually go with the intent of simply enjoying the visit, with a strong intention NOT to buy anything. That way, we can enjoy the tacky stuff, ooh and ahh over the gorgeous but overpriced stuff, and totally ignore the outrageous junk. We can walk in and out without any judgment or guilt. After all, we realized it was a Tourist Trap when we went in! And some places that appear to be Tourist Traps can actually be a wonderful surprise once you get inside.

On your Spiritual Journey, it is important to be able to identify Tourist Traps for what they are, as well. Occasionally they are so well disguised that they seem to be part of the journey, when in fact, they are the biggest traps of all. The best way to recognize Tourist Traps on our Spiritual journey is to have very definite goals! Set intentions that are clear and specific. Then, when something comes along to distract you, the first question to always ask is, "This is interesting, but - How will this assist me in my journey toward this goal?" If the answer is it won’t, you are aware it’s just a Tourist Trap, dressed up like something spiritual!

Tip #2: Know your personal temptations!

It’s always interesting when you are with a tour group, to observe what people purchase! You look at some people’s souvenirs, and wonder what they were thinking! Of course, they may be thinking the same thing about your buys! We all have our own temptations! When we realize what our temptations are, we can be very focused when entering a Tourist Trap, to prevent impulse purchases.

As we travel our spiritual life journey, we have similar personal temptations  those concepts that hook us before we know it. Even Charles and Myrtle Fillmore (Unity’s founders) had to deal with this! Here’s what Myrtle admitted, as recorded in Torch-Bearer to Light the Way (pg. 7): "I had always reserved the right in the privacy of my own mind to judge if certain person’s lives accorded well with their professions. It is the hardest to overcome of all the errors I am trying to outgrow-to withhold judgment."

Once we recognize what our personal spiritual tourist trap temptation is: negative thinking, gossip, judgment, spiritual "addiction" (going from one spiritual practice to another, always looking for the next emotional high); judging; etc. - then it is much easier to overcome it.

Begin paying attention to what your tempters are; what is it that takes up your time, and creates an illusion of separation between you and Spirit? Pay attention, and then begin a campaign to refocus your thinking, and avoid those tempting Tourist Traps!

Tip #3: Be aware that sometimes you can actually discover a real gem in the midst of a Tourist Trap!

Getting real, there are times we simply cannot avoid a Tourist Trap. We find ourselves put there, and just have to deal with it. If we keep our eyes open, it is amazing incredible what we can discover! Here’s an example. We were part of a tour group visiting the beautiful city of Pisa. Following the initial group tour, everyone was on their own, with instructions to meet back up at a certain time, at a designated area. We got done a bit early, and found ourselves waiting for everyone else. As you can imagine, there was a full-fledged, bigger-than-life Tourist Trap right at our designated meet area! We strolled in, recognizing it for what it was, and confirming our commitment to avoid giving in to our temptations! We spied a rickety little bookshelf covered with dusty touristy-type statuettes of the Leaning Tower, Moses, and other tourist spots. We were giggling over them, when we noticed a hint of color mixed in with the dust. Low and behold, we pulled out an incredible statue of dancers, going for about $10 American money! Naturally, we walked out with this fabulous bargain!

As you find yourself trapped in situations you’d describe as Spiritual Tourist Traps, be on the lookout for the gem: the lesson you can take from it; the opportunity to practice a principle; the good you can make from it. Then you can leave feeling, as we did, that you got away with a deal, and grew spiritually in the midst of a land mine!

On this spiritual journey we call life, you are going to run into all kinds of Tourist Traps, designed to create within you an illusion of separation from Spirit. Just recognize them for what they are, be very aware of your personal temptations, and always be on the lookout for the gems! We wish you safe and joyful travels!

‘Tourist trap’ is a familiar phrase to any vacationer. Every city, every resort, every vacation spot in the world has them. If you’re not careful, you’ll spend a lot of money purchasing items that you just don’t need.

The phrase ‘tourist trap’ describes any business or group of businesses specifically designed to separate tourists from their money. The quality of those products and the price one is willing to pay is in the eye of the beholder. And, I might add, based on the size of the wallet or purse of the traveler.

For example, a recent Associated Press release announced that the next great tourist trap could be the Moon. The company who pioneered commercial space travel by sending "tourists" to the International Space Station is planning a new mission: rocketing people around the far side of the moon.

The price of a round-trip ticket: $100 million.

The first mission by Space Adventures could occur in the next year, and is planned as a first step to an eventual lunar landing by private citizens.

"For the first time in history, a private company is organizing a mission to the moon," Space Adventures CEO Eric Anderson said, a day after the space shuttle Discovery safely returned to Earth.

Anderson reported he already has prospective "private explorers" who anticipate the trip and can afford the ticket.

For many people, tourist traps are part of the vacation experience. For others, the trips themselves are part of the trap.

Swiss psychologist Carl Jung had this to say:

"People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own souls. They will practice yoga and all its exercises, observe a strict regime of diet, learn theosophy by heart, mechanically repeat mystic texts from the literature of the world, adopt the sayings and follow the example of the latest guru - all because they cannot get on with themselves, and have not the slightest faith that anything useful could ever come out of their own lives."

That quote was recorded 50 years ago. We feel he is referring to a different kind of tourist trap - the trap we fall into when we buy into New Thought messages which cause hiccups on our truth walks.

Because we are higher consciousness explorers - people attracted to the deeper meaning of life - our journeys into the world of New Thought can become huge traps, if we buy into touristy things like:

• The latest snake oil sold by individuals who know just enough about higher consciousness stuff to be dangerous;
• Clever sayings and sound bytes which can take bites out of our spiritual growth;
• Close-minded religious fundamentalism which ignores our God-ordained divinity;
• Negative, self-defeating behavior which blocks our good;
• And, yes, we’re going to say it - questionable and misleading literal translations of Biblical scripture which keep alive the myth of our separation from Spirit.

These tourist traps are like the couple driving an RV, who got hopelessly bogged down in an unexpected muddy ditch along a dirt road. After a few minutes, a local farmer happened by on his tractor and offered to pull them out for $45.

After the motor home was back on dry ground, the man said to the farmer, "At those prices, I bet you’re pulling vehicles out of this mud day and night."

"Can’t," replied the farmer. "At night I’m busy filling the hole with water."

It’s the classic business strategy of creating a need and then filling it. It’s a business philosophy based on purely hip pocket interest.

Remember the definition of tourist traps? They are any business or group of businesses specifically designed to separate tourists from their money. From a metaphysical perspective, a tourist trap is any misleading teaching or philosophy, attitude, or activity designed to separate truth students from their money and, as it turns out, from their spiritual growth.

On our vacations into higher consciousness, we will no doubt find ourselves doing lots of touristy things. We have gone to our share of disappointing workshops and questionable seminars. We’ve read our fair share of substandard books that did not live up to their hype. But we also realize tourist traps are part of the journey. Our caution is not to turn them into THE journey.

Just as there are exciting finds in the proverbial tourist trap, there are truth nuggets in commercialized New Thought as well. In Part Two of this article, you will learn how to locate them, and put them to practice in your Truth walk.

This article is about lint-free living. L I N T - free living. It’s about moving past bothersome lint. Sometimes you have to pick it off or flick it off. Some people use a lint-free roller that has sticky paper which gets rid of the unwanted lint. Other people use Scotch Tape to lift lint off clothing. We’ve even seen people use clear packaging tape to dispose of lint.

Oftentimes one of your friends will remove a piece of lint from your clothing. ("Oh," they say, "you’ve got a piece of lint there, I got it! It was a piece of lint.)

Nobody likes lint on his or her clothing. We are even going to ask you to refrain from picking lint off your clothing while you’re reading this article.

Seriously, though, all of this L I N T discussion is raised to make a point. The L I N T - free living we are talking about is really an acronym which stands for Listless Impoverished Negative Thinking.

It’s the type of thinking that spoils our consciousness and soils our spiritual walk. It’s the kind of thinking that negates our goodness and conceals our Godness.

Listless Impoverished Negative Thinking comes from a consciousness of lack, fear, resentment, and discouragement. People who have PhD’s in this kind of LINT say things like:

"I can’t do that!"

"I’m not smart enough."

"I’m too out of shape."

"I’ve been a failure all of my life."

"I don’t have much to offer."

"I don’t I can’t I’m not" Those people wear their LINT like a badge.

In its simplest form, Listless Impoverished Negative Thinking expresses itself as racism, sexism, violence, gossip, envy, and jealousy. These types of LINT are caustic. They embed themselves in the fabric of our consciousness and are difficult to extract.

Complicated — but not impossible! The Hebrew Testament story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego gives us the recipe for lint-free living. You may remember the story. It appears in the 3rd chapter of the book of Daniel in the Old Testament.

It is the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who are friends of Daniel. They refuse to worship the golden image of King Nebuchadnezzar, and are thrown into a fiery furnace. In an amazing turn of events, they remain untouched by the fire, and they are joined in the furnace by a fourth individual. When the king sees they have not been destroyed by the fire, he permits them to come out and places them in high positions of authority.

From a Unity perspective, this is what the story means:

King Nebuchadnezzar represents a condescending ego

Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image signifies our egotistical, supercilious nature

Shadrach is that quality within us that represents humbleness

Meshach symbolizes an unfailing appreciation for the truth

Abednego means a high degree of spiritual wisdom

4th person denotes the Indwelling Christ

Fiery furnace is the all consuming, destructive power of negative thinking which filters our life experiences

So what does the story mean for us? When we experience an intense, consuming negative outlook (the furnace), we tend to give power to outer appearances.

However, if we remember who we really are if we remain humble to the direction of Spirit, stand firm in our unfailing love for truth, and seek a deeper understanding of principle, we will receive the guidance we need from the Christ of us, that uplifting Presence within us.

We don’t need to fear anything. We don’t need to bow to anyone or anything, or to any form of Listless Impoverished Negative Thinking. We are divine beings that have phenomenal spiritual abilities and inner capacities that can empower us over any physical situation.

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.

Cher’s fishing expeditions can be counted on ONE FINGER! And it was not with her father, from whom she inherited her lack of fishing interest! It was with her maternal grandfather. He was a carpenter by trade, and in addition to the house that her mother still lives in, he also created his own fishing boat. My wife decided one summer that she would enjoy going fishing with him. But her concept of going fishing was to carry along the transistor radio (remember those?) and crank the music up loud! As you can imagine, her fishing adventure didn’t go too well! Her grandfather determined the music would scare away the fish ~ and Cher was adamant that it would attract them! Needless to say, my wife lost that battle, and lived through one of the most boring afternoons in her memory! Luckily, she has tons more joyous memories of times with her grandfather!

We both get much more energized about fishing for Divine Ideas  and we know we have access to an abundance of Divine Ideas! There is NO problem that does not have a solution  if we approach it the right way. But too often, we are like the disciples in John 21:1-6. who worked like crazy - yet came up empty. What does it take to connect with Divine substance which holds everything we need? For the disciples, it took a net, tossed on the right side of the boat. Here’s a spiritual net designed to catch so many Divine Ideas that you will just have to say, "Holy Mackerel!"

N = Narrow your focus

How many times do we get a great idea, and then proceed to talk ourselves out of it because of all the ridiculous issues we allow ourselves to get distracted by? Here’s an analogy: Whenever I watch basketball, I continue to be impressed at how the majority of these professionals can perform so well at the foul line, with the fans for the opposing team waving their arms, cheering and jeering, making all kinds of disruptive commotion. How do they do it? They narrow their focus. Larry Bird, winner of an incredible number of foul shooting titles, said it best, in his book, Drive: The Story of My Life. He said, "You’ve got to concentrate every time.  When I go to the line, I am always thinking, ‘All net. No rim or anything else. Just all net!’" That’s narrowing your focus. You only see what is important, what relates to your successful achievement. Everything else just disappears from your radar!

The best technique to narrow your focus is to spend some time at Headquarters. This should be your initial response to any overwhelming problem. When you receive some bad news, or run into a difficult situation, or  find yourself staring head-on at a problem that looks like an insurmountable mountain, and you experience the tension building, the worries starting, the imagination going wild — just stop! Take a few deep breaths, and then go somewhere where you can spend at least 15 minutes in the Silence. I literally say (yes, out loud), "Okay God" (I’m talking to my indwelling Spirit), "This is yours! My human self cannot see any solutions, but I will not allow this situation to have power over me. I let go of my hold on it, and give it over to you for divine solutions." Then I go into the Silence. Without exception, I come out of that experience with new ideas. They may seem weird or impractical, but I jot them down and give them thought. And if I don’t have ideas, I simply affirm that Divine Ideas are flowing to me, and I release all worry about this issue. Believe me, the ideas do start flowing!

E = Expect Solutions

One of the neatest things about Truth principles is that we don’t wish we’ll get results - we KNOW! And knowing what we know, we must approach our fishing excursions from that state of expectancy! When you expect something, you set your intention ~ and things just start showing up!

T = Take action!

The John 21:1-6 story shares that in order for the disciples to pull in that record-setting load of fish, they had to do something! Jesus didn’t just snap his fingers and cause the fish to appear. He told them what to do  and even though they were a little skeptical (we’ve fished all night right in this area and haven’t had a bite!), they followed His direction, and experienced outrageous success! You can discuss Divine Ideas all day long ~ but to see results, you must take action.

We are surrounded by Divine Ideas! But we often get so caught up in the busyness of paralysis of analysis and dealing with the distractions from the world of appearance, that we completely miss the Ideas! When you find yourself running on empty, and no solutions seem to be coming, it’s time for you to recall the NET formula.

Fish from the right side of the boat by going to Headquarters, then Narrow your focus, Expect solutions, and Take action! It really represents the Trinity: We go into the Silence and narrow our focus by becoming one with Divine Mind ~ that’s the Father; with our state of expectancy, we receive an idea ~ that’s the Son; and then we take action, which is the expression of those Divine Ideas ~ that’s the Holy Spirit. And then we take a step back and see what we’ve created, and we just have to exclaim: "Holy Mackerel!"

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.

We orchestrate our experiences by the power of our thinking. Everything in the manifest realm has its beginning in thought.

The seat in which you are sitting was once a ‘Fig Newton’ in someone’s imagination. The clothes you are wearing were once a spark in someone’s thoughts. This article was once a figment in my imagination.

Everything you can see and touch has its start in thought. This is the Law of Mind Action. You already have a well-grounded understanding for thought power or you wouldn’t have been attracted to this article at all.

The reality of the matter is - we are what we think and we think what we are! Proverbs 23:7 tells us: “For as (we) think in our heart, so are (we).”

The brilliant Theosophist, Dr. Annie Besant, had this to say:

“(We) fix the normal vibration-rate of our minds. Thoughts which do not harmonize with that rate will be flung aside when they touch the mind. If (we) think truth, a lie cannot lodge itself in (our) mind; if we think love, hate cannot disturb us; if we think wisdom, ignorance cannot paralyze us. Here alone is safety and power. The mind must not be allowed to vibrate as it pleases, because that means it will answer to any passing vibration.”

Her last statement warns us to pay attention to what we think. “The mind,” she says, “must not be allowed to vibrate as it pleases, for that means that it will answer to any passing vibration.”

In other words, we’ve got to Feng ShuiShui our thinking.

When we fill our minds with the appropriate thoughts, arranged in the correct order, our choices and actions will be the perfect choices and actions. Our decisions will come from the right place, and the right place is from our Christ Consciousness.

Correct thinking comes from Divine thinking. Emmet Fox tells us: “Negative thoughts and feelings are like a spark that falls on your coat sleeve. Brush it off and it will do no damage. Let it linger and it will burn a hole.”

Charles Fillmore said in his provocative book, Atom-Smashing Power of Mind: “The most important issue before (us) today is the development of (our) spiritual (mindset) and through it unity with God The taproot of all our confusion is our failure to use our mind intelligently. The gods determining our faith are our own minds working on our brain cells and on the world. This will eventually be found to be true, and the discovery of the law of Mind Action will be the greatest revelation of all time.”

If he were writing today, he might say, “We’ve got to Feng Shui our thinking!”

Inquire of yourself what you desire out of life:

Do you want to be joyful?  Healthy?  Feng Shui your thinking!

Do you want to enjoy abundant prosperity?  Feng Shui your thinking!

Would you like to have financial security and be incredibly giving? Feng Shui your thinking!

Can you imagine yourself contributing significantly to your favorite ministry? Feng Shui your thinking!

Can you envision yourself in the perfect work for you and expressing your incredible gifts?  Feng Shui your thinking!

Have you found the perfect relationship? Someone who is the perfect life partner for you?  Feng Shui your thinking!

If you haven’t experienced those things already then - Feng Shui your thinking!

Charles Fillmore, co-founder of Unity, shared, “The most important issue before (us) today is the development of (our) spiritual (mindset) and through it unity with God The taproot of all our confusion is our failure to use our mind intelligently. The gods determining our faith are our own minds working on our brain cells and on the world. This will eventually be found to be true, and the discovery of the law of Mind Action will be the greatest revelation of all time.”

So, Feng Shui your thinking. And create the life you deserve to have.

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.

We love the Biblical story of Jesus feeding the multitudes because it is so inspiring! It contains the formula for never-ending prosperity. Jesus shares it so clearly –step by step! It’s as simple as A–B–C!

Writing about prosperity always reminds us of Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert cartoon. We saw an interview with him in Fast Company magazine, where he said that his business plan was very basic: to make more than I spend! Now, there’s a down to earth, no nonsense prosperity plan!

As you formalize your prosperity plan, here’s the formula to guarantee continuous prosperity flowing in your life:

A: Acknowledge your abilities, not your weaknesses!

When we get into difficulty, it is so easy to focus on limitation — on the proverbial  problem. But Jesus demonstrated that it is more important to focus on the opportunities. The disciples were centered on the issue of feeding 5,000-25,000 people. But Jesus said, “Let’s provide them something to eat!” In the Gospel of Mark, He asks: “How many loaves do you have?” He is demonstrating the need to focus on what we have. He is asking the disciples to imagine what CAN be done, rather than on what can’t be accomplished.

Keep yourself in the frame of consciousness of always being focused on potential rather than the problem. One way is to create Attitude of Gratitude Lists, at the point of a stressful situation. On this list, you can pinpoint specific things for which you are grateful. This literally transforms your consciousness into a more positive frame of reference.

B: Bless everything you possess.

The initial thing Jesus did was bless the loaves and fish that were offered. It was not a begging prayer — for example ‘Oh, God, make this be enough to feed all these people!’ It was a prayer of gratitude. He had no doubt there was plenty, because He understood the principle of Mind Action.

C: Claim and share your prosperity!

It is important to move your feet — step out on faith, knowing our prosperity is manifesting. Jesus handed the bread and fish to the disciples and instructed them to distribute it. The small amount of bread and fish must have looked kind of puny — and perhaps the disciples thought Jesus had lost it! But they followed His instruction! And not only was everyone  fed, there were twelve baskets of overflow!

So, don’t ever see mountains of limitation. Instead see peaks of potential. And don’t ever, ever, ever confuse your net worth with your self worth.