Tag Archives: Prayer

Beyond The Tomb

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

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What does a 21-day complaint fast mean to me?

woman-954785_1920-1It means taking care with every thought and word I express. Although an adverse thought is not necessarily a “complaint,” it does require carefully acknowledgement and often a shift of consciousness to expressing it in words or actions.

Conversation takes on a much quieter character as we carefully consider our words before speaking them. Likewise, expressing thoughts about what is happening around us, particularly the news, becomes an activity for deep contemplation. If what we focus our attention on is what we create and experience, careful reflection on our thoughts, opinions, perspectives, and responses becomes critically important to our own well-being and that which the world experiences too.

Today, after a brief setback earlier this week, I continue my fast. I notice that there are a number of positive things happening in the world. I give thanks for those and consider them answered prayer. As I look at the things occurring that still cause my heart to ache, my mind to contort my inner Christ to remind me to ‘shift that thought!” I choose to keep the words of complaint and judgment to myself. I express the facts and specific needs, but not the judgement. I take positive action where possible and I choose to look at challenging occurrences in a new Light, one of spiritual unfoldment, and a evolutionary movement within the heart of humankind that leaves no stone unturned, no dark place hidden so that we might release, transform, and ascend to greater heights.

© 2018. Rev. Eileen Patra. Rev. Eileen is an ordained Unity Minister currently serving Unity of Livonia in Livonia, MI. You can view her Sunday messages online at http://www.unityoflivonia.org 

 

The Miracle of Hope

hope-dreamstimefree_30348689HOPE 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.

© 2016. Reverend Eileen DeRosia Patra

Rev. Eileen is an ordained Unity minister currently serving at Unity of Livonia in Livonia, Michigan.

The Laser Beam in Me

laser-cc-845829930_15187093dc_qA LASER, an extraordinary focused beam of Light has truly miraculous capabilities.  Simple waves of Light that usually bounce off of objects of matter, become capable of cutting through the densest structures of steel.  The same powerful LASER beam is capable of the most delicate and intricate medical procedures, isolating and dissolving unhealthy cells or tumors without disturbing the surrounding tissues.  Even the delicate structure of the human eye can be treated with a LASER to improve or restore eyesight.  Like LASER beams, we too are made of Light and we too can achieve miraculous results by focusing and concentrating our thoughts and awareness on that which we wish to experience.  Faith is the tool that gathers the Light in us, Prayer and Affirmations concentrate our awareness, dissolving what is not aligned with the Light in us.  Through this heightened and focused awareness, we can cut through seemingly immovable obstacles.  We can perform the intricate procedure of dissolving thoughts and beliefs that keep us small.  Through the focused awareness of ourselves as Light, as offspring of the Light of God, we become like LASERs, cutting through the delicate veil that separates the world of form from the vastness of Beingness; and suddenly, we see with pinpoint accuracy, the Oneness of God that has always there all along.  The LASER beam of Light focused on God shining through, reveals the Kingdom of the Heavens that has surrounded us from the beginning but we have failed to see.

© 2016. Reverend Eileen DeRosia Patra

Rev. Eileen is an ordained Unity minister currently serving at Unity of Livonia in Livonia, Michigan. 

A Miracle A Day, Day 84

toilet.cc.8801986560_173fa40664_z (1)TOILETS are another miracle of human ingenuity.  We have discovered a way to utilize the natural resource of water to wash away … well, “you know what.”  Metaphysically, we can appreciate TOILETS as the ability to flush away the “you know what” from our minds.  And, the ability to flush what is no longer useful in our minds or our lives is a miracle indeed.  But further, hold on to your hats here; God speaks to me through TOILETS!  OK, not a mysterious deep voice coming up through the plumbing, but in a subtler way.  The most dramatic episode of this occurred during my ministerial studies when I was asked to give the Sunday sermon while my minister was away.  Having worked with youth for many years I got excited about the idea of bringing the metaphysics of Oz to the adult congregation.  But then, a bunch of “you know what” started to gather in my mind.  What if they think it’s too childish of a message? What if they don’t get it?  What if I’m not good enough to pull this off?  Maybe the Wizard of Oz is just not the right theme?”  Well, as God would have it, I was still working in the secular world as a graphic artist running backstage PowerPoint presentations at large scale business meetings.  The week before I was to give the talk I traveled to Las Vegas for one of these conferences.  As I entered the hotel where the meeting was to be held, the background music playing was “If I Only Had a Brain.”  The hotel was the MGM Grand, and the way to our conference room just happened to sport a yellow-brick road.  Well, I began to gather God was assuring me my topic was just fine.  But as I entered my room later that evening there were still remnants of doubt pooling around in my head.  As I entered the bathroom, I noticed the TOILET.  Remember the TOILETS?  The brand stamped on the back of the toilet was, you guessed it, Toto!  That seriously flushed away any doubt still lingering within me.  And so, believe it or not, TOILETS are a miracle and God uses them to speak to me.

© 2016. Reverend Eileen DeRosia Patra

A Miracle A Day, Day 63

hands.cc.5207435789_e2d3a3501e_zHANDS, a miraculous aspect of the physical body, provides us the ability to grasp, to pull, to push and to touch.  We use our hands to type, to fasten our clothing, to plant, grow, harvest and eat our food.  Our HANDS give us the ability to open doors and to create, build and operate all kinds of mechanical innovations.  HANDS give us the ability to touch.  They give us the ability to shake HANDS with others, to join HANDS in song, in protest, and in prayer.  With the fascinating structure of HANDS we can touch the soft skin of an infant, stroke the face of a loved one, and wipe the tears from another’s eyes.  We can lift weights, tools, and a child who has fallen and scraped a knee.  Our HANDS are more than the intricate structure of bone, cartilage and ligaments however.  They are also the housing of powerful energy centers.   Through our HANDS and fingertips, energy can be received, appropriated and projected.  Through our HANDS we can heal, direct, give and receive.  With HANDS we bless our food, our bodies and all that we choose to consecrate.  HANDS are a miracle and no doubt reflect what we might call the invisible but infinitely powerful HANDS of God.

© 2016. Reverend Eileen DeRosia Patra

A Miracle A Day, Day 54

dreamstime_xs_60080953 (cropped)DISCERNMENT, the ability to hold two or more perspectives and choose from an inner knowing of the highest good, is the miracle of Divine Wisdom flowing through.  When faced with challenging choices, we can focus our attention on the challenge or we can take some quiet time to connect with a greater Power within us.  Releasing images of outcomes formed by fear, we can focus our attention on a higher good.  We can use our past experiences, filter them with Love, Wisdom and an expanded understanding of our oneness in Spirit to make healthy and centered choices.  Balance scales are a widely used icon for judgment and rightly so.  It is from a balanced consciousness, with all spiritual faculties awakened and working together that we most fully utilize our power to Discern.

© 2016. Reverend Eileen DeRosia Patra  

I Love A Parade

paradeI 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.

From frivolity, to politics, to honor, parades have a rich and colorful history dating back as far as Mesopotamian rulers who paraded their conquests as a show of power.  One rather famous parade of power is that of the Israelites around the city of Jericho causing the wall of the city to tumble down.  

The parade was led by seven priests, carrying seven trumpets, parading around the city for seven days, and then seven times on the seventh day. Seven indicates completion.  In the description of the Jericho parade, seven appears five times suggesting all levels of being and all senses aligned, marching together, in a harmonious movement, shouting words of power.

Imagine the sight of the Israelite priests in their priestly garb following a great golden ark like a float in a parade.  Imagine the movement of this assembly along a unified route around and around the city. Imagine the sound of the trumpets playing and the shouts of the people.  Imagine a vibration so profound that the walls of the city begin to vibrate and disintegrate.  That is a display of Power!

The battle of Jericho is an intriguing event in the history of the Israelites.  But the more interesting story is the one beyond the historical account.  The metaphysics of the story reveal a powerful tool for spiritual unfoldment.

The priests are Levites, the tribe that does not own land, that which is not attached to matter.  The repetition of the number seven represents all levels of being and all physical senses working in unison.  The seven trumpets, blown on the seventh day represent the WORD, the vibration, an affirmation of all that is Spiritual and whole.   

Jericho was the first Israelite conquest following forty years in the wilderness escaping bondage in Egypt.  From bondage to victory, Israel continued conquering other lands, always preparing for the next battle.  Until Jesus, the one who was to save them, who turned out not to be a warrior. Jesus held a higher ideal than victory.  He demonstrated being a vessel of God with no sides, no judgment, no battle.  Out of this vessel consciousness awakens the CHRIST, fully at one with Spirit.

Today we stand at the edge of an awakening Christ consciousness, knowing that in Spirit there is no land to conquer, only harmony and wholeness to be revealed. Let the walls of resistance come tumbling down. Form a parade of Sights, Sounds and Movement at all levels of being.  See only floats of oneness.  March in alignment with Truth at all levels of being.   Sound the trumpets, affirming Truth in all that you speak.  Let the walls come tumbling down to reveal our oneness in the kingdom that has no ends, no walls, and no-thing to conquer.

© 2016.  Reverend Eileen DeRosia Patra

Rev. Eileen is an ordained Unity minister currently serving Unity of Livonia in Livonia, Michigan

A Miracle A Day, Day 44

face-985964_960_720EMPATHY, the ability to share another’s feelings as if they are our own lifts us into a higher realm of consciousness that more fully manifests our oneness.  Aligned with this higher realm of principle, EMPATHY has all the attributes of a miracle. Last night I witnessed an incredible display of this aspect of human consciousness as hundreds, if not thousands of people responded to a prayer request on Facebook.  It was clear that everyone responding could feel the feelings of the person requesting prayer.  Each person could imagine themselves in the same experience.  The outpouring of love and prayer and affirmations for healing was incredible.  EMPATHY drew together a massive number of people into a common prayer intention.  In the words of Jesus “… where two or more of you are gathered in my name, there I AM…”  This drawing together through the power of EMPATHY made visible a conscious communion with the Christ in each responder.  The power of this collective prayer consciousness is right now manifesting in right and perfect ways, drawing the wholeness of those involved into visible form.  EMPATHY is a miracle that draws together that which is already one, so that our oneness in Spirit is made more visible.

© 2016. Reverend Eileen DeRosia Patra

Rev. Eileen is an ordained Unity minister currently serving at Unity of Livonia in Livonia, Michigan.  To view the entire Miracle A Day series, visit her Facebook page.

A Miracle A Day, Day 42

wellThe WELLSPRING within is the miracle of Oneness with Spirit, the source of Life, Harmony and Joy.  Deep within each of us is a place where joy never ceases, where peace and harmony are the constant state of being.  When we draw on this invisible Source, we access the Water of Life that Jesus spoke of to the Samaritan woman at the well.   This powerful conversation is often understood as Jesus’ demonstration of inclusiveness.  Although it is certainly that, the conversation reveals much more.  Ultimately, this conversation reveals a whole new perspective of God as Spirit, as comforter, as the quencher of all thirst. As we come to understand that the Christ Mind that was in Jesus is also in each of us we find that the WELLSPRING that quenches all thirst is within us and it never runs dry. This is the miracle we will explore at tonight’s Meditation and Metaphysical Musings service at Unity of Livonia at 7:00 pm.  Come rest awhile in the WELLSPRING within and experience the miracle within you.

Rev. Eileen is an ordained Unity minister currently serving at Unity of Livonia in Livonia, Michigan.  To view the entire Miracle A Day series, visit her Facebook page.