The angels in Jesus’ tomb asked Mary Magdalene, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” Why indeed do we seek new life, a new way of being, while continuing to do what we have always done? Why do we seek freedom among the thoughts, words and actions that have held us captive?
To live beyond what might seem like a tomb, we must be willing to bless what has passed and then look beyond it. A tomb experience in life can be anything that draws us apart for a while and provides an opportunity for growth and realignment with Spirit. A process of deep and lasting change is revealed when we explore four stages of transformation that take place in the tomb; renunciation, retreat, resurrection and realization.
On the cross, Jesus renounced the world as his source and commended his Spirit to God. He took the final step toward overcoming the greatest block to transformation; the belief that life is created and sustained by the world. What is demonstrated for us through the crucifixion and resurrection is that Life is independent of the world. Life, the flow of Spirit within us, creates the world according to our ability and willingness to allow Truth to be expressed through us.
Jesus was laid in a tomb, retreating from the world for three days. Three is symbolic of completion in Spirit, soul and body. Resurrection is instant, simultaneous in Spirit, but soul and body require a time of unfolding. When we pray, our prayers are answered the instant we release them to Spirit. Yet, most often, a time of quiet reflection and letting go is required for our prayers to fully manifest in our minds, hearts and body.
Mary returns to the tomb with the intention of blessing what she believes is lost. The willingness to bless what has passed away rolls away the stone and opens the way for divine inspiration. When we bless what has passed for the opportunities of growth and realignment provided, blockages are removed and our way is made clear.
Mary did not realize that the gardener was Jesus until he spoke to her. When he did, she ran to inform the others. When we realize something we incorporate the new information at all levels of being. Only then is deep and lasting change made possible. The risen Christ sent his followers to convert the nations. To convert is to change. To convert the nations is to change everything. Realization happens in us when we recognize the Christ as the Life within each of us and then inform every level of our being to live this Truth. When we live this Truth everything is made new and we live beyond the tomb.
© 2016. Reverend Eileen DeRosia Patra
The crocodile trainer uses a distraction to maintain a safe distance from its powerful jaws. He enters the pen and throws the croc a piece of rope to chew on while he maneuvers to a safe place from which to feed and appease this fearsome beast. 
“More precious than jewels,” is the noble woman according to the Book of Proverbs. But, in a previous chapter, the same writer tells us that “Wisdom” is more precious than jewels. Wisdom, also named Sophia in ancient texts, is the feminine aspect of the Divine, so desiring to know God that she gave birth to humankind. She is the Divine Mother, whispering pearls of wisdom and often personified by the mother figures and nurturers in our lives.
In this wondrous time of year, we witness the wonders of the first snow fall, of holiday lights and decorations, the glitter, the activity of giving, the excitement of children as they anticipate visits from Santa and extra days off from school. We hear the sounds of familiar carols playing in stores and churches and on car radios. And perhaps we hear these familiar words, “Star of Wonder, Star of Night, … guide us to thy perfect Light.” It is a song describing the journey of the Magi following a great and mysterious Light to the birth of the Christ, a sacred and glorious event in the story of humankind.
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
MOTIVATION is the inner impulse that moves us forward toward an intended goal or desire. In its most spiritual expression it is the awakened power of Zeal or Enthusiasm directed from a Higher consciousness or awareness. When I am aware of a higher activity at work in my life and in the world I can direct this inner impulse toward a greater good. Many are stirred or “called” to manifest peace and harmony in the world. Few remember that to manifest peace, one must BE peace. MOTIVATION is a miraculous aspect of the human consciousness. It moves us from a state of inertia to a state of activity. Directed by the Christ Mind or Higher Consciousness, filtered through the Powers of Love and Understanding, SPIRITUAL MOTIVATION moves us from a state of desire to a state of Being that which we desire.
BRIDGES are a miracle of human ingenuity. A bridge allows passage across great expanses of water or great chasms in the earth. BRIDGES are wonderful feats of engineering, and they are replicas of BRIDGES within us. Our brains create BRIDGES, or neural pathways, connecting various neurons, and increasing our capacity to acquire, store and take new action on new information. There is a mighty but invisible BRIDGE from head to heart that connects the Power of Divine Love with the thinking and feeling natures, creating greater balance and healthier, more compassionate choices in our lives. And then, there is an innate BRIDGE, seldom fully traversed, that provides a pathway from the personal consciousness to the higher or Christ consciousness. Stepping across this BRIDGE, we bring the personal consciousness under the direction of the Christ Mind and we are transformed. 
ALIGNMENT, the ability to arrange items or ideas in a correct or appropriate position, creates a portal for miracles to occur. When baby ducks align themselves behind their mother, they travel in safety as they learn the ways of a duck. When sea locks are aligned, the levels of two bodies of water are equalized, providing safe passage for ships. When a chiropractor aligns the discs in one’s spine, there is a greater experience of comfort and health. When we align our thoughts, words and actions with the greater self, the Christ Mind in us, we create a passageway for God to be more fully expressed and we find that indeed, “… all things come together for good.” ALIGNMENT is a miraculous ability bestowed upon humankind and expressed throughout the manifest world. What we ALIGN with is a choice, for choice is also bestowed upon us. What will you align with today?
HAIR in its many colors and textures is a richly unique and self-expressive physical characteristic. HAIR is miraculous in its ability to protect us from harsh elements and it ability to interpret the environment and communicate a variety to signals to the brain. It may stand on end when there is a potential for danger or send a ripple of wonder through us at an especially synchronous moment. HAIR may send a tingling sensation through the entire body when particularly moving words, thoughts or experiences connect us with an awareness of something greater than ourselves. HAIR is an extension of both the physical and the energetic body. Metaphysically, HAIR symbolizes our thoughts and the energy patterns we exude. Even those with no hair on their heads emanate strands of thought energy. In Luke 12:7 Jesus says, “But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid …” If we consider HAIR as thoughts, we might find the statement unsettling, as if each thought was predestined by an esoteric God. However, when we consider God as indwelling and everywhere present, we discover the divine nature within that precedes all thought, all experience, all that we have come to believe about ourselves. This is a Self that knows our joy. This is a Self that know our pain. And this is a Self that knew us before we were born, before there was anything but the perfect pattern of wholeness at the very root of being. Perhaps HAIR is simply the physical manifestation of our reaching out from the very root of our being and perhaps this root is a Self that would be worth getting to know.
I Love a parade! From Memorial Day to Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day; and the Rose Bowl Parade they all have these three things in common; the sights, the sounds and the motion.
Eileen Patra 