Rev. Rebecca

Q & A

2010-07-13T17:38:39Z

This of what you speak, ….. What if you don’t have “the Christ within you” ?? I don’t think I’m worthy to have “the Christ” within me ! I always wonder if going to Communion even “counts” !

* * * * * * *

My friend,

How often have you sung the hymn, “Yahweh, I know You are near, standing always at my side…where can I run from your Love? If I climb to the heavens You are there. If I fly to the sunrise or sail beyond the sea, still I’d find You there”?

Those beautiful words come from the Psalms. The point of the psalmist was clear: there is nowhere you can go that God is not. If God is omnipresent (‘omni’ meaning everywhere or all-encompassing) then that includes inside you. The whole of God is present in every point of space and time simultaneously. You cannot have ‘part’ of God inside you. The Sacred Presence is there in every cell of your being, every beating of your heart, every movement of your body, every breath you take. It is the animating Presence of your Being, the very Life force within you. Were It not within you, you would cease to Be.

The voice you hear telling you that you’re ‘not worthy’ is the voice of the ‘satan’ – not some embodiment of evil as it has come to be known, but as Jesus used the word in its original sense: the ‘accuser’ – the accusing voice of your own ego-self telling you that you are not good enough or worthy enough and that you need to be more. That is the original sin (error in consciousness).

The fall of adam (man) and eve (woman) took place when they ate of the tree of the ‘knowledge of good and evil’. They began to think in terms of duality and separation. Up to that point, they were living in bliss in communion with the all-encompassing Presence in Paradise (their consciousness). So where did this ‘evil’ that they suddenly came to know exist? Only in their own minds when they began to judge as ‘evil’ God’s creation, all of which God had declared to be ‘good’ from the beginning. They declared that which came forth from the Divine Source to be unworthy just as you are doing now.

The Christ (anointed one) is the first-born of God. It is the Presence of God within and expressing Itself as each of us.

Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”? If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came, and scripture cannot be set aside, can you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated (made sacred, holy – whole) and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, “I am the Son of God?”

Like begets like. God begets god. The Upanishads say “This is perfect. That is perfect. Perfect comes from perfect. Take perfect from perfect, the remainder is perfect.” You come from God. You cannot get imperfection from that which is perfect.

You always exist in communion with the Divine. How you experience that communion is completely up to you. You can experience It as a judgmental, authoritarian ruler with Whom you feel you are unfit to interact or you can experience It as Love, your True and Higher Self. Your state of consciousness will determine that. “As you think in your heart, so are you,” it’s been said. Jesus said, “Let it be done unto you as you have believed.” It’s your choice and if your choice, why then choose a path that makes you feel worthless?

Thanks for writing.

breathe Peace ~

Rev. Rebecca

Season for the Earth: What Happens When You Don’t Have a Relationship to the Land?

2010-05-19T16:22:31Z

Video from the Global Oneness Project featuring Chris Peters, director of the Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development, a non-profit organization promoting and maintaining the uniqueness of Native peoples throughout the Americas.

Chris talks about how European Americans must develop a spiritual connection to the land in order to avert a great ecological crisis. We must learn to have greater respect for our home and honor the connection we have to all of life, including that of the planet.

breathe Peace ~

Rev. Rebecca

Mother’s Day: A Call for Peace

2010-05-09T15:01:12Z

Arise, then, women of this day!
Arise all women who have hearts,
Whether your baptism be that of water or of tears
Say firmly:

“We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands shall not come to us reeking of carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of
charity, mercy and patience.

“We women of one country
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.”

From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says, “Disarm, Disarm!”
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice!
Blood does not wipe out dishonor
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have of ten forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons of war.

Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.

Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.

Let them then solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace,
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God.

In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality
May be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient
And at the earliest period consistent with its objects
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions.
The great and general interests of peace.

– Julia Ward Howe

Howe, who had previously written the “Battle Hymn of the Republic”, was so disturbed by the carnage of the Civil War and grieved by the destruction of families and the loss of their sons to war that she issued a call for an International Mother’s Day for peace and unity.

Howe’s version of Mother’s Day caught on for about three years before it faded away, mostly because she couldn’t afford to continue paying for the celebrations herself. The cause was taken up by Anna Reeves Jarvis, leader of a West Virginia women’s group. After Jarvis died, her daughter, Anna M. Jarvis not only campaigned for the official recognition of Mother’s Day but spent her entire life fighting its commercialization. She felt that business interests were expoiting the holiday and taking focus away from its intended purpose: peace.

Jarvis died in a mental hospital in 1948 childless, penniless from her continued legal battles, and blind..

Season for the Earth: The Story of Bottled Water

2010-04-30T14:57:05Z

The following is the newsest film from The Story of Stuff Project. Find our more at www.storyofstuff.org/bottledwater.

breathe Peace ~

Rev. Rebecca

Season for the Earth

2010-04-18T04:56:37Z

“The Better World Handbook is the definitive guide for the average person wanting to make a positive difference in the world. Our book is specifically designed for well-intentioned people who may be too busy to be actively involved in social change organizations. Our intention is to reach people who normally would not consider themselves activists, people who care about creating a more just and socially responsible world for everyone but don’t know where to begin.” – from The Better World Handbook website

The first section of the book, titled “Building A Better World,” discusses the cycle of cynicism and the things that make us feel overwhelmed by and powerless against the problems we face, thus causing us to become apathetic. But the authors don’t leave us there. They show us how to break out of cynicism and become more hopeful by letting go of blame and taking responsibility for who and how we are in the world.

Section two defines what the authors call the “7 Foundations of a Better World:” economic fairness, comprehensive peace, ecological sustainability, deep democracy, social justice, culture of simplicity, and revitalized community. Section three then lays out action steps both large and small that can be taken in all areas of our lives to create a better world for all of us.

Their website includes the top ten actions you can take, the best gas stations, and a shopping guide.

Note: I am in no way affiliated with this book nor do I receive any compensation from its sale.

breathe Peace ~

Rev. Rebecca

Season for the Earth

2010-04-16T16:31:46Z

“If you live in a city, you don’t need to own a car.”

William Clay Ford, Jr. – Chair, Ford Motor Co. Ltd.

Visit http://www.carsharing.net/ to learn more.

breathe Peace ~

Rev. Rebecca

Season for Nonviolence: Conclusion

2010-04-04T13:51:29Z

Conclusion: April 4

Today, the memorial anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., marks the conclusion of the 2010 Season for Nonviolence. I am grateful for your participation and I pray the daily reflections and actions have inspired you to move your life in the direction of Peace. The Season may have officially ended but in Truth, it must be attended to moment by moment, day by day, and week by week throughout the year. The posts are archived here, so please feel free to come back to them as often as you wish. Just click on the “Season for Nonviolence” tag on the left side of the screen. Start from Day 1 and begin again, or choose a day at random and see what Spirit has to say to you.

As you move forward along the path, remember to shed those emotions and memories that weigh you down. Let go of the negative thinking that holds you back. Let your journey be one of great Joy and exuberance. Let Love guide you along the way and allow the Divine Mind to direct your words and actions. Move forward with boldness, conviction, tenacity, and courage; for the Presence is there in every moment, in every step, in every breath and in the beating of your heart. When you align yourself in body, mind, and spirit with the Presence, the very power of the Universe will move on your behalf to uphold you and support you toward your goal. Press on toward the mark of the high call of God which is the fullness of the Christ Consciousness in you.

Walk with compassion and mercy; walk with tenderness and gentleness. Be open to Love’s prompting. Speak Truth where you see false thinking and negative emotion manifesting. Enter into dialogue with another to understand. Be a peacemaker. Intervene when you see violence and injustice happening. Where there is injury, give pardon. Where you have caused injury, seek forgiveness. Be genuine. Allow the healing work of Spirit to move freely.

Walk with honor and integrity. Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no’. Walk your talk; let your actions and words and emotions be in harmonic resonance with each other. Be responsible for the choices you make and for the consequences of those choices.

Walk in awe and wonder at the marvelous diversity and beauty of God in all Its forms and know that even in our seeming differences, we are One Presence. Develop a Oneness Consciousness. Hurt not the earth, neither the seas, nor the trees. Care for the earth on which you tread, for every step you take is upon Holy Ground. Smile and give thanks in gratitude and appreciation for all that has been given for your use. Take no more than you need. Try to replenish that which you have taken.

As you have been given, so freely and generously give. Give of your time and talents in service to Love. Tithe your treasure to the place that has spiritually fed you and give back a portion of what you have received. Step into the flow of giving. Giving is part of your True Nature. Let It reveal Itself in you and through you.

Divine One, Source of our being, we humbly acknowledge Your Presence in ourselves and in each other.

Let us put on Your Divine Mind. Let us see with Your Eyes, listen with Your Ears, speak with Your Voice, and reach out in loving gentleness with Your Hands.

We breathe in You, the precious gift of Life as our hearts pulse together in harmony with All That Is.

May we realize our common identity as your children and may we work together for the Highest Good. May we set aside our selfish egos and live from the Higher Self within. May we realize the Kingdom is not ‘out there’ somewhere, but is within us all, here and now and that True power is in Loving and serving each other.

Let us change the world without by first changing our perspective on the world within us, shifting our consciousness so we are in tune with Your Divine Mind. May Your Sacred Light so illumine the dark corners of our lives that the shadowy illusions that cause us to fear will fade away until all we see is You.

May Love Be. May Peace Be.

Let it be so. And so it is.

breathe Peace ~

Rev. Rebecca

Life is a Celebration

2010-04-03T14:38:01Z

In the spirit of celebration…

breathe Peace ~

Rev. Rebecca

Season for Nonviolence: Day 64

2010-04-03T14:29:47Z

Day 64: April 3

The thought for today is CELEBRATION.

As we have discovered so often during this 65-day walk, Peace cannot be forced upon the world from without; it must well up from within the heart and mind of every person. As more and more individual hearts and minds commit to Peace, the collective energy becomes increasingly powerful. Only then will true Peace manifest and blossom in the world.

Consider that, nearly 2000 years ago, one man had a vision. That one man attracted 12 more who made a commitment to that vision and turned their world upside-down. In the Name of Peace, it can happen again. Open your eyes to see! Open your heart to Love!

Celebrate yourselves and celebrate one another! Celebrate all that you are capable of doing and Being! Celebrate the Peace-filled world that you desire to help create!

I celebrate you, my brothers and sisters, who walk with me on this journey of Unity and Oneness. Your commitment to nonviolence in your thoughts, words, feelings, and actions is admirable and I bless each and every one of you. Peace on earth can happen in our lifetime if we believe it can. The choice always has been and always will be ours to make this world what we want it to be.

breathe Peace ~

Rev. Rebecca

Season for Nonviolence: Day 63

2010-04-02T16:02:26Z

Day 63: April 2

The thought for today is RELEASE.

Resentment. Blame. Judgment. Regret. Hurt feelings. Mistakes. Egoism. Control. Greed. Feelings of superiority or inferiority. Craving. Insolence. Fear. Doubt. Your story. Self-loathing. Unforgivingness. Revenge.

Let go of the things that do not serve your Highest Good or the cause of Peace..

breathe Peace ~

Rev. Rebecca