Dear Beautiful Soul,
In our gathering on Sunday, January 12, 2020, I talked about using the creative power of our thinking to heal the world because creating a world where all are honoured calls us to expand beyond our personal experience. I shared about Muso, an organization dedicated to eliminating preventable deaths rooted in poverty. I learned about Muso through an interview by Kate Bowler on her podcast Everything Happens.
Muso began to ask empowering questions like: what would it look like if we could reimagine healthcare delivery? What if we could cure delay? They began to think differently because "no one should die waiting for healthcare."
Here at the Centre for Spiritual Living, we believe that thoughts are things. They're seeds we plant in the fertile soil of mind and without barrier, they outpicture in the world. We teach people how to use the creative process and remove barriers in order to have a new experience of health, love, purpose, prosperity, joy, connection, etc. in their personal lives.
We can apply the same creative process to our collective experience. We can ask empowering questions and begin to think differently about systemic problems like racism, sexism, sizism, ageism, etc.
Now this might sound "too big" but we know that everything begins in consciousness. So whose consciousness do you think that means?! It means me. It means you. It means that each one of us can take responsibility for problems we didn't personally create in order to do our part in cultivating a new consciousness that brings about a new experience where everyone benefits. Why? Because just like Kate Bowler and Dr. Ari Johnson said in their conversation: we're far more connected than we appear. We're all neighbors and we're closer than we think. In our philosophy, we believe we are one, that we are all individualized and unique expressions of the One Life. So not only are we connected by our shared humanity, but also by our common divinity.
How can you get started? Here are three ways:
1. Choose the most authentic, empowering thoughts you can. Does your thinking empower you and others? Is it moving you and your community toward your desired state of being or away from it? In applying this to our collective experience, do you know what your desired state of being is? For example, something that I'm passionate about is gender equity. My vision is: Women, and those who identify as women, are safe to express themselves authentically, to lead and innovate, and are respected, valued, celebrated, and paid equitably with the same opportunities as men.
2. Love yourself and others. Letting go of control, embrace your power, take responsibility, and open up to love and empathy. Listen to understand the experience of others from a place of compassion and possibility. Removing barriers to our collective good requires us to be aware of the experiences of others. Muso had such amazing success in part because they asked the people they're serving what barriers they were facing. They didn't blame them for their circumstances. Instead, they saw a system that was failing them, a system that knowingly or unknowingly was structured to exclude poor people. They listened. And then they showed us that we have the collective power to change the systems we live in.
3. Act. As Kate Bowler says in her podcast, it is time to recognize that we belong together. Our happiness is intrinsically tied to one another's. My flourishing is tied to yours, your pain is tied to me. More than ten years ago, Dr. Ari Johnson went into action "because love can't wait." Today, as you reflect on your life, your loved ones, of those in your community, your country, and the world, ask yourself:
What is Love calling me to do?
And then follow the tugs on your heartstrings. Your passion is guiding you. Your heart knows. You can make a difference. Right now.
Much Love,
Cassandra
Cassandra Rae, spiritual director
Centre for Spiritual Living White Rock
In person gatherings every Sunday at 10:30 am (doors open at 10:00)
Sunnyside Community Hall
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