Category Archives: Balance

Happy? St. Patrick’s Day

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I wondered this morning why we say Happy St. Patrick’s Day. We could just as easily say Blessed St. Patrick’s Day. What makes this a happy day? (Besides the abundance of green beer?) In fact, what makes us happy any day?

I have a Happy Scale in my new day planner. Each morning I am supposed to rate my happiness from one to ten, with ten being the happiest I can be. I used this for a while before I noticed I never circled the number ten. I was mainly landing on eights and nines because I was working through something in my personal life. I was saving the ten for the day that situation would be resolved. It was as if I had determined I simply could not be totally happy until this issue was worked out in a way that could make me happy.

How absurd is that? Nothing makes us happy. Happiness is a choice. I heard someone say recently, “If you wait until everything in your life is okay before you can be happy, you’ll never be happy.” I was deeply touched by the wisdom of these words. They made me wonder if it was advisable to rate my happiness at all. By doing so, wasn’t I affirming a level of happiness less than I wanted to experience? What if I just circled 10 every morning and lived into that intention? I think this is a far more powerful way to use this scale.

If nothing can actually make us happy, how do we go about being happy? Affirming happiness would undoubtedly be a vital step. But more, looking within to acknowledge what we are and who we’ve come here to be can reconnect us to our divinity and a far greater experience of happiness. Whatever is happening in our human experience cannot compare to the oneness and wholeness we know when we look within to our divinity.

Perhaps that is how we might think of St. Patrick’s Day. A day to affirm the happiness of Spirit, of knowing on the deepest level that we are one with all that is and that nothing can disturb this indwelling peace and joy.

St. Patrick was born Irish. He became the patron saint and champion of Ireland through his actions. He was born in Scotland and was kidnapped and sold into slavery by Irish pirates. When he escaped, he attended a monastery. Then he returned to Ireland to preach the gospel, build churches, and drive away the metaphorical snakes. Metaphorical snakes because Ireland never had snakes. The reverence afforded to St. Patrick is for driving out that which caused pain and suffering by drawing people closer to their divine heritage. In doing so, he changed how people thought, how they felt, and the actions they took.  Maybe this is why Irish Eyes Are Laughing!

When we say Happy St. Patrick’s Day today, let us remember to drive out the snaky thoughts of limitation, separation, and duality. Let us build the sanctuary of our hearts into a cathedral of Light and love. Let us be reminded of our divinity and connection to others, and let those thoughts guide us into a greater experience of happiness and joy.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day and multiple blessings on this day of celebrating the divinity of all. May pots of golden light shower you with love, Light, and wholeness.

“May the strength of God guide us, may the wisdom of God instruct us, may the hand of God protect us, may the word of God direct us. Be always ours this day and for evermore.” – Saint Patrick.

Rev. Eileen Patra

Erin Go Bragh

Physically Apart – Together in Heart

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Physically Apart – Together in Heart

Although COVID-19 has limited our physical gatherings and much of our day-to-day activities, it has not separated us in either Spirit or Heart. We have been able to connect through the wonders of technology, including video calls and live streaming church services.  Additionally, we have been encouraged to go outside, to walk our dogs, to take walks with people with whom we live. And here is what I’ve noticed on those walks.

There is a peaceful quiet in the neighborhood that feels simultaneously good and somehow foreign. I don’t remember when I’ve felt such a powerful stillness in the city. I suspect it was some lifetime ago, as a child playing in a neighbors yard. It is quiet, the birds are singing profusely, and neighbors are stopping what they are doing to say hello. And not just hello. There is a smile, a look of knowing of one another’s need to feel connected that leaks through that smile and touches my heart. In this time apart, we are truly connected by the heart.

Did you know that when two humans interact with one another, their heartbeats begin to synchronize? It seems that close physical proximity draws our heart energy into a matching rhythm. But this coherence of heart does not have to remain limited to physical proximity.

When we take time apart – not from one another – but from daily tasks, media reports, and worry, by going within to that very same heart space, we connect. We connect with our spiritual being, the divine spark that dwells within each of us. We connect through a network of Spirit that exceeds the Cloud, hosted by the Allness that we sometimes refer to as God, Allah, Spirit, or the One.

In the Allness, there is an infinite connection; each of us is like a strand of Light reaching outward into the world of form and returning back again. In this turning back again, we find rest, wholeness, and a thing called dominion.

In the Book of Genesis, God grants humankind dominion the earth and all the things that creep upon it. The most basic interpretation of this passage reveals a gift, one that allows humanity to rise to the top of the food chain. But there is so much more to this message.

Dominion means the ability to control or govern. Metaphysically, the plants, animals, and things that creep represent thoughts, words, and actions. Thoughts and ideas that are fruitful and in coherence with the Allness produce experiences of abundance, creativity, and well-being. Thoughts out of alignment with the wholeness of God may, when given much attention, create experiences that lack wholeness and well being.

Created in the image and likeness of the power that created the universe, we, too, are creative. Our thoughts, words, and actions create our experiences, the quality of our relationships, and ultimately, our world.

Certainly, fleeting thoughts like “what would happen if a dinosaur entered the room right now?” are not likely to manifest. Why? Because we don’t give those kinds of thoughts, much attention. They pass through our minds, we smile or frown, and then we think something else.

It’s the thoughts we give a great deal of attention to, the ones we allow to occupy our minds and hearts, that produce more of the same. Our thoughts are contagious. They grow and multiply – and they tend to manifest in our bodies, our experiences, and our world. So, why not choose those thoughts carefully, from a higher consciousness?

What if Love and all the ways it harmonizes, draws together, and replicates itself, were our most prominent thought? What if kindness and compassion and the assurance of abundance occupied the most significant space in our minds and hearts?

The thought would become contagious. It would expand and open those channels of Light that connect us one heart to another. The resulting energy would become so strong that nothing could interrupt the flow of Love and Light from one heart to the other. Nothing out of alignment with this integral connection with God would have any power or ability to manifest or replicate. We would be choosing to exercise dominion over all that manifests in the world. We would know that, at times, we may be physically apart, but always, we are together in the heart and mind of God.

© 2020. Eileen Patra.

Eileen Patra is an ordained Unity minister and the author of The Mystical Ark: A Vessel of Blessings. She is currently serving as co-minister of the Spiritual Life Center in Troy, Michigan, and working on her second book, Living as the Ark.

A Blue Heron Crossed My Path

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This morning, as I looked out the kitchen window of our cabin, I saw my Blue Heron. He doesn’t belong to me in an ownership way. No one can own a heron. They are free and independent beings. But this heron has graced the shore of our lake since before we bought the place. I’m sure it is not the same heron. Probably an offspring, maybe several generations later, but there is always just the one. Sometimes he flies by. Sometimes he lands on our raft, called Monkey Island. Most often, though, he just walks the shore as if he is taking a morning stroll. Hunting is more likely, but his grace and beauty convey a stroll.

Today, as I watched this glorious being on his daily constitutional, I stopped what I was doing and attempted to unite with him energetically. The endeavor became my morning meditation. I watched, then close my eyes and imagined being there next to him, asking if I could join him. I inquired what his message was for me, and he stopped. He stopped right in front of Monkey Island and stood for the longest time. I thought perhaps he saw me and perceived a threat. Or, maybe he heard me and was either considering my request or seeking to answer my question.

The first word I heard was “patience.” He stood utterly motionless for what seemed like hours. I watched the water move about him in circular currents, one merging with the other. It was a beautiful sight to see. A painting I may attempt someday. The heron stood as if frozen in time, as the currents moved past him and all around him. They encircled him then subsided. Still, there he stood like a statue, unmoving, one eye peering in my direction. “I’m not a predator,” I said.

“Your eyes tell me otherwise.” He replied.

I stood still, allowing him to perceive that I was not a threat, just curious and receptive. Then I saw the other thing that held him captive in that spot. It was Monkey Island, an obstacle. He stood before the obstacle and waited for what seemed like an eternity to me. I hadn’t noticed the raft as an obstacle before. I think I heard him call it that. “Obstacle.”

I wonder if he will go around it or fly over it, I thought.

No sooner had the thought left my head than he lifted his foot above the water, stretched his head up high, and slowly, purposefully moved around the raft. He walked over the yellow rope fastening it to the shore for the winter. He ducked under the little plank we use as a bridge to it. He gracefully lifted his feet over the second yellow rope as if it were not even there. He then continued his walk along the shore, past the pine trees that border our yard from our neighbors, and then out of sight.

A heron crossed my path today. He shared his grandeur with me. He allowed me to watch and admire him. His message was patience, observation, and purposeful steps around obstacles. I feel blessed and inspired. Thank you, dear Blue Heron. You are mine, but more, you are yours, and you are everyone’s, a blessing in the form of Light, feathers, warmth, patience, and beauty.

© 2019. Eileen Patra. Eileen Patra is the author of “The Mystical Ark: A Vessel of Blessings” available at www.themysticalark.com and other fine retailers. She is also an ordained Unity minister guest speaking around the country bringing her message of Love, Light and Hope to people everywhere.

Photo courtesy of Scottslm/Pixabay

A Council of Nine

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I heard these words this morning as sat in prayer for our planet: A Council of Nine. The words coincided with this question: What if we stopped fighting globalization and embraced it? What if we stopped trying to make one country or another great and made our planet great? Becoming one global community is the natural progression of an evolving species able to recognize their common ground. The constant battle for who is right and who is the mightiest must give way to a recognition of our common source, common needs, and common desires.

What if we stopped? Right now? What if we stopped this insane cycle of victim and victor consciousness and stepped into an elevated awareness? The goals, the desires, the deep needs of our hearts can never be met while this cycle continues. It is only in letting go of those childish ways that we mature as spiritual beings. As human beings, for that matter.

It is time to embrace one another. To honor one another’s history, to respect one another’s spiritual beliefs – or lack of them – and recognize we are one people. living on one planet, amid infinite universes. Together, we are strong, alive, and living our purpose. Divided, we step out of the rhythm and harmony of life, and we fall.

What is the Council of Nine? I’m still allowing those words to meander through my mind. Does it represent the seven chakras with an additional one for the earth and one for the sky? Perhaps. Do they represent nine aspects of human consciousness common to all sentient beings? Possibly. Does it represent nine highly evolved human beings, each representing a group of people here on earth – seven continents, one ocean, and one connecting the earth to the universe? A concept to ponder to be sure.

For today, I sit in an awareness that I am a spiritual being having a minimum of seven spiritual centers actively moving throughout my physical and energetic bodies, each connecting me through the ethers to all other beings. I focus too on the energy center below and the energy center above connecting me to earth and sky. I affirm my oneness with all that is and seek to find the subtly expanding light of individuals awakening everywhere. The threads of light connecting us create a great web of life, love, and universal harmony. This is the greatness upon which we must turn our attention. We are one, though some may not know it yet. We are one, and all is evolving and unfolding in perfect divine order.

© 2019. Eileen Patra.

Eileen Patra is an ordained Unity minister and the author of The Mystical Ark: A Vessel of Blessings available at www.themysticalark.com and other fine retailers.

In the NoThingness

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What I Found in the NoThingness

As I tried to change my Facebook cover this morning, something went – well – seemingly, wrong. I was trying to post something profound and comforting in response to the 911 anniversary, and my Cover went completely black. An error message came up, and both my previous photo and the ones I was trying to add were gone. I was using my phone to access my page, and nothing seemed to work. My FB cover would show Nothing until I was able to get to my computer and an internet connection. 

However, it was in this apparent mishap that something profound was actually revealed to me. While my FB Cover was showing Nothing, I realized that it is in the NoThingness that we find the SomeThingness that makes all the difference. The Truth is, there is no statement, no picture, no words to convey that make sense of what happened here in the US on 911. But in the NoThingness, we find the SomeThingness, the All-ness that makes sense of EveryThing. We find our connection with our Source, the Essence of Life that breathes us into existence.

Life, in its wholeness and in its Source is eternal; growing, multiplying, and being continuously fruitful. In our humanness, wholeness is not always what we see, or feel, or express. Attached to the things of life more than that which breathes life into existence, many experiences seem fruitless, pointless, and even downright evil. But in the NoThingness, the Breath of Life appears, and suddenly, there is no separation between you, and me, and all that is. In the NoThingness, we find the SomeThingness that makes sense of EveryThing.

Once this Truth was revealed to me, I was able to post the quote I had planned for my FB Cover this morning.

“May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may my thoughts, words, and actions contribute in some way to happiness and freedom for all.” 

~ Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

Although the words do not make sense of the nonsensical, nor do they replace the sense of security that was lost that day, they do tell us the consciousness we need to hold to make our world a place that more fully expresses the All-ness that gives us life. This is the consciousness that will help us co-create a world that works for and honors the SomeThingness in All.

© 2019. Eileen Patra

Wake Up! It’s Time to be You!

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Wake Up! It’s Time to be You!

I was a typical, rebellious, and always-in-need-of-more-sleep, teenager. My mother had a heck of a time getting me out of bed in the morning – or even the afternoon on weekends. Perhaps you can relate. Perhaps you can hear that voice that called you repeatedly, “Wake up. You’ll be late for school.” Or, as I would often hear, “Wake up. The early bird catches the worm.” Like I had any intention of eating worms!

Today, I wake up before the sun rises. It’s something that happens to some of us as we enter our golden years. Maybe they’re golden because we’ve started catching those worms. I don’t know, but I do know it’s time to wake up. Not because it’s time for school. Not because there are worms to catch. But because it’s time to be you.

“I am awake.” You say. How could I be anything other than me?” You ask. But are you truly awake to who you really are? Are you awake to all that you are intended to be? Are you awake and catching the unique and glorious role you play in the grander scheme of life?

You are an individualized expression of the Divine. You are an integral part of a greater whole. Everything you think, do and say is vital to the life and well being of the whole. It is impossible to be separate from this wholeness. But you can, and many of us often are, asleep to it.

We live in a world that functions on separation. What we see with our physical eyes and experience with our physical feelings tells us – no – convinces us that we are alone, completely independent from one another. But this is not the truth of you.

I watched a video yesterday of an aerial view of trees moving in the breeze. It was a fascinating image. The trees moved in such unison they appeared to be one organism, breathing in absolute harmony. In essence, they are exactly that; one organism breathing in harmony. Yet, from our everyday perspective, each one appears to be a separate tree.

So it is with our human expressions of life; one organism appearing as separate beings, having unique shapes, sizes, and personalities. Yet, from a higher perspective, all are one living, breathing expression of the Essence of Life.

When you are truly awake to your role in this magnificent whole, you can no longer feel alone. You lose the desire to judge, to fight, or to be better-than. Instead, you desire and exude harmony. Your harmonizing efforts may seem small at first, unimportant, unproductive. But every thought, every movement, every action stimulates a reaction in the whole. Like a tree responding to the wind, its movement creating an additional breeze influencing the movement of the one next to it, what you do stimulates a response from the person next to you.

Our world has been moving in a state of disharmony long enough. Nothing that you do in this life is as vital as recognizing the power of the Divine within you and living from this awakened state of being. When you reawaken every single day, every single moment and breathe this harmonized thought into expression, you make a difference in the world around you. As harmony is reflected back to you, your understanding and desire for unity increases and you move in even greater harmony. The feeling and awareness grow.

It’s time. It’s past time. Wake up and be you. The world needs you right now.

© 2019. Eileen Patra. All rights reserved.

Eileen Patra is an author, inspirational speaker, and retired Unity minister. She is the author of the life-changing metaphysical and visionary novel, The Mystical Ark, available from retailers and wholesalers everywhere including:

IndieBound        Amazon        Barnes & Noble         Ingram          Scribd    Kobo

Is There Room in Your Closet?

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Does your closet sometimes get so full that you have trouble locating what you would like to wear? This happens to me more often than I care to admit. An overflowing closet might be exciting if everything in it were something I actually wanted to wear. But no, many of the items just take up space making it difficult to find what I am looking for.

A closet is not unlike the human mind. Like a mind, it stores necessary things as well as those that are no longer useful. Even when not conscious of the items held there, they sit, waiting, taking up space. And like a closet, the mind is unlikely to relinquish the things it holds unless there is a conscious the choice to let them go. We often hold thoughts and ideas about ourselves, about others, and about the world that are no longer useful, that in fact, cause so much crowding in our consciousness that little space remains for the creative thoughts that would cause us to thrive.

Think about that old tattered shirt in your closet. It’s there every time you open the door. You know the one; the one you push out of the way over and over again trying to find something more appealing. You know you would rather wash an entire load of clothes than wear it, yet there it hangs, taking up space, mocking your inability to surrender it to the giveaway bag. What thought, idea, or belief is lingering in your consciousness taking up space like that tattered old shirt? What belief about yourself is filling your consciousness day and night leaving little room for the peace and joy you seek?

If you are seeking joy, but holding thoughts of anger, fear, guilt, remorse, or regret, there is little room for joy to seep in. There is of course nothing wrong with having these thoughts or feelings. They are a part of our human experience and often helpful in defining ourselves. But holding onto them until they become a tattered memory squeezing out the joy we seek is counterproductive to a life that thrives. You are intended to thrive. You are intended to experience joy. You were meant to “be fruitful and multiply.”

Whatever that thought is, you really don’t need it anymore. You know you don’t. Take it out of there right now. Take a good look at it and realize it does not define you. It is not who and what you are. It is just some fleeting idea that crossed your mind one day and decided to settle there. Let it go. Drop it in the giveaway bin or set it on the porch and call the universe to come and pick it up. You haven’t needed it in years.

And now quickly, before it wanders back in there, replace it with something else – perhaps its absolute opposite. It might feel strange at first, but over time the new thought will become a comfortable part of your attire.

© 2019. Eileen Patra

A Sabbath of the Soul

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(photo provided by: Pixabay: jillwellingtonphotography)

While considering what was “perfect” about the summers of my childhood, I recalled a consistent theme.  The summers I deemed to be perfect were timeless. There were no schedules to keep, no piles of homework, no vocabulary lists, no math, no science projects, and very few places to be.

As adults, living in a time-bound world, schedules keep us on task, tasks demand lists, and there are many places to go and be. But I wonder if, in the midst of all of this activity, we might recreate that sense of timelessness we once enjoyed as children? I think we can.

Recreating the timelessness of childhood requires just three things, a willingness to stop for just a moment and breathe, remembering that time is an illusion governed by the planet we inhabit, and letting go of all our thoughts, concerns, and lists for just a little while – even a single moment.

In this way, we command time to stand still. We shift from thinking and doing to being, and we open ourselves to the timelessness of Spirit. We remember what Moses called the Sabbath, a time of rest that, according to Jesus, was made for you and me.

Take a moment today, maybe even right now to “Remember the Sabbath” that lives right there inside of you. Take a momentary Sabbath of the Soul.

© 2019. Eileen DeRosia Patra, OUM, LUT, CSE

Eileen Patra is an ordained Unity minister and the author of the soon to be released book, The Mystical Ark: A Vessel of Blessings

(photo provided by: Pixabay: jillwellingtonphotography)

Get a “Lovel” on That

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LOVEL2.building-1080599_1920Carpenters and builders use a phrase, “Get a level on that,” which means placing a tool called a level on the surface of cabinets, shelving, and flooring to be sure they are not tipped too far in one direction or another. In other words, everything is balanced; you can drop a ball on the floor, and it will not roll to one side of the room or the other, and books will not fall off the shelves.

A level is a handy tool for building things that are balanced. But what if there was a useful tool for creating balance in life? What if you could similarly use the power of Love? What if we could get a “Lovel,” on things that might be out of balance in our lives?

Imagine this tool as a flat measuring stick with a bubble in the middle much like a carpenter’s level, but the bubble is more than an empty space in a tube of liquid. The bubble is a heart, representing an open space within you, filled with love.

Charles Fillmore, co-founder of Unity, a New Thought spiritual movement, claimed that “Love is the great harmonizing power of the universe.” Love is not just an emotion. It is not only a romantic or familial connection to another person. It is a powerful resource within us, and it is essentially the stuff we are made of. The essence of this indwelling power of Love is harmony, the bringing together of two into one.

So how can that power be utilized as a “Lovel,” or a tool for balance? We could tune into the heart-shaped space within us to view everything through the harmonizing power of Love. Seeing things through the eyes of Love is more than placing rose-colored glasses over one’s eyes. It activates a flow of harmony which brings balance to the whole being. It doesn’t change the person, place, or thing that we are getting a “Lovel,” on.” It changes us.

Opening up to our inner “Lovel,” changes our energy, our perception, and the power we give to whatever is occurring. This three-fold transformation harmonizes our own thoughts, words, and actions. The very energy that we project then has a harmonizing effect on the person, place or thing that we are experiencing. Sometimes this effect is immediate and obvious, other times it is subtle, a gentle stirring in another’s soul that we cannot see, but have had a role in activating it.

Regardless of the effect on the outer experience, the activation of the harmonizing power of Love within us brings us into a more harmonized, balanced state of being. And isn’t that what we are really after? Living our lives in harmony and balance? It seems that the simple act of getting a “Lovel,” on life might make all the difference in our lives and ultimately in the world. Won’t you get a “Lovel,” on something today? It will make all the difference.

© 2019. Eileen DeRosia Patra, OUM, LUT, CSE

Eileen Patra is an ordained Unity minister, inspirational speaker, and the author of the soon to be released book, The Mystical Ark: A Vessel of Blessings

What will you leave behind in 2018?

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freedom-2053281_1920-2The close of a calendar year is a traditional time for reflection; a review of the year’s finest moments and its challenges. In preparation for a new year there are often a number of things we choose to leave behind. Perhaps you’ve experienced a loss, a physical challenge, a relationship issue, a career bump, or a financial upset. Then there are the things we experience together; divisiveness in government, hurricanes, out of control fires, tsunamis, terrorism, and mass shootings. Who wouldn’t want to leave these things behind?

It is unlikely anyone would want to take the challenges of 2018 into the new year, but perhaps the truth is 2019 will present its own challenges. The question is what will you leave behind that will better equip you for the year to come. What gift will you discover in your experiences that will allow you to walk through the obstacles that appear with ease and grace?

Although we may want to leave behind the events themselves, we would be better served if we could determine the underlying emotions that caused the events to disturb our peace. The most common are fear and anger.

Fear has its purpose. It is a physiological response to danger – but it does not know how to differentiate between real danger and imagined danger. Leaving behind unwarranted fear would allow us to face what comes before us with a greater sense of balance and clarity. To leave fear behind it must be replaced by something greater. Perhaps that is a knowledge that nothing can harm the Truth of you – that you are an eternal spiritual being having a physical experience.

Anger also has a purpose. It is an energy that causes us to initiate change when something appears to be out of order. Yet anger can be detrimental when it is not directed toward positive change. It can consume our energies and greatly disturb our peace. Leaving behind unproductive anger would make room for focusing our spiritual nature toward positive change. This would allow us to tune in to the more harmonious energy of Love and project a higher vibration into the world. Love is far more powerful and initiates long lasting transformation.

What will you leave behind as the new year approaches?  I choose to leave behind unwarranted fear and replace it with knowing God within me is more powerful than anything that comes before me. I choose to leave behind anger and replace it with Love.

Perhaps you would like to join me this Sunday, December 30th at 10:00 am for Unity of Livonia’s Burning Bowl service. We will explore the things we choose to leave behind, write them on a special ashless piece of paper and place them in the burning bowl flame. In the twinkling of any eye they will disappear and give us an opportunity to create an affirmation to carry into the new year. Hope to see you there!