Carpenters 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
There is no loss really as we are all one in Spirit. The essence of Life that animates us is eternal. We simply transform or transition from beings of form to being beyond form. This is beautiful. It is reassuring. And it does not fill the hole created when someone we love dearly moves beyond form. Our hearts become heavy and sometimes feel closed and compressed. We may ache for the physical form which we have associated with the responsive, loving mind we cherish. So, how then do we heal the hole? 
The pursuit of happiness is not fulfilled by the freedom to express hate. Hate is a derivative of fear. One hates what one deems an enemy, that which one fears will somehow hurt them or diminish them. Hate is an aspect of the “fight” response to fear. Only when fear is acknowledged, soothed and brought into alignment with the assurance of Divine Love can there be an experience of true happiness. All else is but a shield to assuage a perceived fear.
For those of you who generally follow my posts you may have noticed I’ve been on a blogging hiatus. I’ve found myself on a path I could not have predicted as my husband’s journey of healing has taken the spotlight in our lives. As a firm believer in the power of the mind to create our experiences and of the natural state of wholeness that underlies any appearance of illness, a sudden health challenge should be a simple matter, right? Well, in fact, it is simple, but the mind is a complicated aspect of our consciousness, not easily harnessed. It can be like a wild horse taking flight … in a variety of possible directions. 
When I REMEMBER I become one with what may seem to have come apart. In the greater picture, nothing is ever disconnected, but in my mind or perception something may appear that way. I may feel disconnected from my spiritual nature. I may have lost touch with cherished memories. I may have lost touch with friends or loved ones by a move, a change of workplace, a conflict, or their transition from the physical realm. Whatever the cause, I have the ability to REMEMBER and draw the essence of that relationship into my conscious awareness. I can REMEMBER the sweetness of the first meeting with a beloved spouse. I can REMEMBER the first moment I held my precious child in my arms. I can REMEMBER the great joy of a childhood friendship. And in that moment, I reconnect. I experience oneness once again with what seemed lost, separate or grown apart. I once again feel the great gift of connection. And, I can REMEMBER that I am one with all beings; one with the Source of all things, one with the Allness of God. And in that holy instant I am REMEMBERED; all parts once again whole. In that moment I know that all members, all parts of the whole, all moments in time, all feelings, qualities and blessings are forever one in the mind and heart of God and I am enormously blessed and instantly made whole.
My Miracle today is that I found my heart! Not just metaphorically, though that is true as well. I found a beautiful gold heart necklace that was hidden in the inner folds of a jewelry pouch I carry when I travel. I had forgotten I even had this golden heart. I have a silver one too and thought the gold one was a faulty memory. This morning, as I prepared that pouch for my visit with my brother I felt something buried deep within the layers of fabric. I couldn’t reach it through the four different zippered pockets. I had to reach down into a small opening between the zipper and the seam. I wasn’t even sure what I was feeling until I pulled it free. So much like my own heart, it can become lost in the folds of emotions and put away in a drawer. I may wear a silver heart, one that is almost as lovely as the gold, but not quite. Gold is the color of Spiritual Understanding. As an element it is pliable yet strong. Gold is a mixture of red which represents life and yellow which represents wisdom and a touch of silvery glitter that represents the power of will aligned with Spirit. I found my heart today and it is still gold. I found my heart today and I open it wide to let God in. I found my heart today and I let it sparkle and expand to envelop you in Love and Light. 
The Changing Leaves are always a miraculous sight for those of us in climates that provide this annual display of colorful foliage. The predictable transformation has become synonymous with change and a reminder that there is always new life, new growth just beyond what appears to be death. What is truly remarkable about the process is what causes the change in colors. As the hours of daylight become less, the tree responds to an inner signal. The signal is not to drop its leaves although that is what occurs. The signal is to begin new growth. The tree begins to direct its resources to new growth, to the buds that will occur in the spring. This focus on the new growth in turn diminishes the flow of nutrients to the current leaves and they respond by fading, falling and preparing the space for the new buds. As always, when I look at the falling leaves I know that new life will occur in the spring but today I recognize that the forming of new buds has already begun. In life, as I see something fading away, I know on an inner level that something new is forming within me. What falls away prepares the space for what is being called forth in me. This is the miracle of transformation that occurs in the trees, in my life and in the world. 
HOPE is a doorway to the miraculous. HOPE is our ability to expect a positive outcome when there seems to be little evidence of it. HOPE is the first glimmer of Faith that causes us to take action. The woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment HOPED that she would be healed. After 12 years of hemorrhaging, she saw a glimmer of HOPE in Him and His growing reputation as a miraculous healer. Jesus told her that her Faith had made her well. Faith is HOPE in action. It is HOPE that causes the quickening of Faith, Strength and Will. When we look out into the world and wonder how we can stop the hemorrhaging, it is this miraculous ability to have HOPE that stirs the greater power of the Christ in us to take positive action in order to manifest the peace, harmony and wholeness we wish to see and experience. Through HOPE we know that our prayer intentions are more than just a plea to a chaotic universe. Through HOPE we establish ourselves in the power and presence of the invisible Source of all peace and harmony. We align our minds and hearts with the All-ness of God and our Faith returns us to the wholeness from which we come. Today is the day to have HOPE and move in the direction of this miraculous stimulus for healing
Eileen Patra 