Tag Archives: spiritual

The Wonder of You!

As the celebration of Christmas grows near, so too do the signs of the Wonder of Christmas; lights, nativity scenes, shopping and wrapping of special gifts, trimming of trees, and the look of wonder in the eyes of children. It is, as the song suggests, “the most wonderful time of the year.” Until it isn’t.

A day meant to fill our hearts with joy, and hope often gets lost in the stress of meeting expectations, our own and those of the world around us. For some, the day itself may be associated with painful memories or the loss of loved ones. “Where is the wonder?” Your heart may ask.

The Wonder can still be found. It lies in a deeper and richer understanding of the nativity story itself, one that goes beyond the words transcribed on the page. Historians and Bible scholars debate the facts and authenticity of the story. Dates and times do not align with the scarce bits of recorded history from the time. The story seems to be purposeful in connecting Jesus to the lineage of the House of David, which causes some to speculate its intention. But the Wonder is not to be found in aligning historical facts or scriptural prophecies. It is found in the deeper meaning of a story rich with symbolism.

Jesus taught through parables, stories that symbolized elements of the human experience, its challenges, endeavors, and divine potential. His followers would have done the same. They would have incorporated this compelling, symbolic story-telling into their work and embedded it in the most magnificent parable of all, the birth, life, and death of their Master and Way-shower, Jesus.

What then, are the characters and elements of the nativity story trying to tell us? Could each of them be an aspect of our own consciousness giving birth to an expression of God? Could they represent a recognition of ourselves as both fully human and fully divine? Could they describe the seeking of something greater, of hope and faith and joy, found not in a stable but in a humble place within the human heart?

Most of this spectacular story is found in the Gospel of Luke. But an additional, wonder-filled story is relayed in the second chapter of Matthew, where we find wise ones from the east following a star to an unknown place in the west. A songwriter calls it the Star of Wonder. And no doubt it was a wonder.

Imagine what kind of star or sign would cause you to embark on a lengthy and dangerous journey wrought with spitting camels, narrow mountain passages, desert storms, thieves, and a dubious, deceitful king. It would have to be a great sign, a wonder on par with perhaps the Seven Wonders of the World. Bigger than life. Awe-inspiring. Overwhelming. Beautiful. Perhaps an inkling of something wonderful being born, leading you to a place of perfect peace, hope, and wholeness.

This awe-inspiring light, one that would encourage you to traverse all obstacles to discover its source lies within you. The star represents a glimmer of light, an inspiring thought that stimulates the wise ones, the Power of Wisdom within you that sometimes lies dormant. The Star of Wonder is the great light of Spiritual Understanding, offering clarity and guidance.

Where there is light, we can see what we could not see in the darkness. Our way is made clear. This Light of Understanding within you continually guides the wisdom in you through the challenges and difficulties of human life to a place where you can lay down the worldly gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh in exchange for the spiritualized gifts of Infinite Abundance, Divine Love, and a recognition of the eternal nature of the Essence of Life in you and all around you.

The gifts of the wise ones represent capacities that are always within you but are spiritualized or spiritually empowered when brought under the direction of the Christ or Higher-self. These wonders within you are most accessible when you make the journey from your head to your heart, where the Christ of you is continuously born anew and awaits your return in consciousness.

The Wonder of Christmas is not lost. The Wonder is you. You, as an expression of the eternal, all-pervading Essence of Life. Now that is a Wonder that can never be lost, only hidden. Breathe in the glow of the inner star and be guided in all that you do to the peaceful place of absolute wholeness with you.

Have a Wonder-filled Christmas, and enjoy a spectacular new You.

© 2019. Rev. 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 at the Spiritual Life Center in Troy, Michigan and guest speaking at a variety of Unity churches. She is currently working on her second book, Living as the Ark. Learn more about The Mystical Ark at themysticalark.com

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A Council of Nine

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.

Rise and Shine

Alarmclock about to wake her upWhen I was a teenager my mother had a horrific time waking me up in the morning.  She would, call, cajole, yell, push, pull, and most effectively, threaten to run a bath for me and then go downstairs to the basement. This would mean that if the tub overflowed it would be my fault.  Somehow that one did it. I would reluctantly leave my warm cozy bed and head downstairs to turn off the water.  The threat of more work and the trouble I would be in was enough to release whatever dream was holding me captive.

What if we could apply this same principle to our daily lives?  There are some who would say that our earthly experience is a dream itself, that we have fallen asleep to our greater, spiritual selves.  Our dreams are often captivating because we can change the thread of the dream at will.  If it’s a really good one we can stay in it and perhaps even choose the next scene. If it’s frightening we can turn a corner and begin a different dream or simply wake up.

If today, your awake dream is not what you choose to experience, change the scene.  You have the power to do that.  If today the awake dream of the world is frightening, let’s all wake up.  What appears to be immovable is movable through the powers of faith, divine love, wisdom and will.  These are innate powers within each of us. Aligned with the one power, one presence, one activity that animates all of life, we can move mountains, change scenes and see the Truth in one another.  But we must wake up. 

Whatever scene you choose to live today, let it be one that is guided by the harmonizing power of Divine Love. Let it be a day of wakefulness to the divine essence in all beings. Rise and Shine! The water is running and it’s up to you to direct the flow.

© 2017. Eileen DeRosia Patra

 

An Unexpected Journey, part 1

cc.14132367384_525d253cb5_zFor 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. 

As I sit here this afternoon, I find myself excited at returning to the keyboard, ready to write about this journey.  Even though it is not yet complete, the experience has already been and filled with underlying blessings, invisible to many, and often hidden from that runaway horse.  It has been peppered with moments of enlightenment, and moments of the runaway horse heading into a darkening sunset.  But the moments of enlightenment are the moments I am eager to explore and ready to being sharing. 

In November, after a visit with my brother who had been diagnosed with ALS, I returned to find that my husband’s doctor had discovered a suspicious nodule on his lung.  The nodule turned out to be nothing, but the tests revealed a mass in his other lung, and that has led us into this current journey; from Xray, to CT scan, to biopsy, to the severe complications from the biopsy which postponed the recommended surgery.  Now, one could get very upset on this journey. Fear could be the destination of the runaway horse. Or, one could find the blessings along the path.  We have, for the most part, chosen the blessings.  And they are many.  A prolonged wait time for surgery provides more time for his energetic body to return to wholeness; more time for prayer and spiritual healing.  The demands of his current treatment have given us a rare opportunity to spend time together.  It has given us multiple opportunities to witness the face of God in friends, family, and health care professionals. It has given us the opportunity to truly practice our Truth.  And, the dis-ease itself can be seen as a catalyst for a much greater healing that has nothing to do with tumors or lesions or PET scans at all. This healing is of the heart and soul. This healing is a joint venture between two souls committed to a common path; committed to their role in the evolution of the planet.  This healing is an opportunity for growth and transformation in unexpected and miraculous ways.  This healing is a miracle unfolding and I am excited at all that is being revealed.  I look forward to my first Sunday back at Unity of Livonia on March 12, 2017 (EDT) when I share some of the experiences of this journey in my talk titled “Life is Like a Box of Chocolates…”

©2017. Rev. Eileen DeRosia Patra. 

Amazing Days Every Day

amazing-dreamstimefree_2246985“Something Amazing Happens to me Today!” This is the affirmation the members of our ministry are working with this week based on last Sunday’s talk and Pam Grout’s book, “E-Cubed.”  Some truly amazing results have occurred over the past few days for each of us, simply by setting this intention before getting out of bed each morning.

Today, just happens to be Friday the 13th.  It has always been, for me anyway, an amazing day.  And, this has been the result of the intention I set for this day based on an experience from my childhood.

When I was in the 3rd or 4th grade, I was working on a science project and drawing a picture of the solar system.  It was Friday the 13th and I had recently heard that it was an unlucky day.  As I struggled with the drawing, using dishes, glasses, cups and saucers as templates for the planets, I voiced my concerns about this very unlucky situation.  My mother told me that a day could only be unlucky if I believed in such things.  As I struggled with creating the correct proportions of planets with my very limited circular tools, I considered this idea.  And suddenly, everything changed!

My brother, who was married, much older than I but living nearby showed up with a contraption called a compass and showed me how to use it. Amazing!! I could make circles in whatever size I chose! What had been limited and frustrating only moments before became a work of joy.

Today, as my husband and I wait for a phone call that will likely mark the beginning of a path some would call challenging, I am affirming “Something Amazingly Awesome Happens to us today!” and I believe it.  Friday the 13th has never failed to offer me something wonderful.  Whatever the message we receive today, I know there will be opportunities to expand and the circle of Divine Love to be expressed through this is unlimited. The circumference of our experience will be determined in proportion to our intention of living in this infinite, spiritual principle; “There is only one Power, one Presence, one Activity in our lives and in the multi-verse and we are one in it.”  Today and every day are amazing opportunities to be the expression of this one Power and Presence that I call God.

© 2017. Rev. Eileen Patra

Rev. Eileen is an ordained Unity minister currently serving as the Spiritual Leader of Unity of Livonia in Livonia, Michigan. 

Return to Center

MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERAThink about how a PENDULUM works.  It is drawn from its center by a force or energy.  Eventually, after swinging to and fro, it will return to center as the force of gravity pulls it back. If more force or energy is applied to the original swing, the return to center will be delayed.  The workings of a PENDULUM are predictable and simultaneously miraculous; predictable as a law of physics, miraculous in its manifestation of Truth.  Spiritually, we are sometimes pulled from our center by outside energies and experiences.  But just as predictable as the return of the PENDULUM, we too return to center.  The miracle occurs when we make the conscious choice to defy the pull of outer energies and return right here, right now to our spiritual center.  The laws of physics are predictable, but the Law of Principle, the nature of God, the power of God within us, transcends the laws of physics.  This we experience as the miraculous.  Today I remember the miracle of the PENDULUM and I apply the force of Spirit upon the PENDULUM of emotion and I return quickly and easily to center.  From this place in the center of me I let my light shine that others may see the presence of God and be returned to center as well. 

© 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 119

tent-cc-7732621858_74d3e3b1fd_mTENTS seemed quite a miraculous thing to me as a child.  I recall pinning a blanket to the top of the fence in a neighbor’s yard, stretching it out and holding the lower edge with rocks to form my own little refuge from the world.  Inside the TENT we could hide, giggle, tell stories and share secrets. It was a world unto itself, yet temporary, easily moved to another place for another day.  Have you ever thought about the physical forms that we walk around in as being like those TENTS?  Our bodies provide a virtual TENT in which we can find a bit of refuge from the vastness of the universe.  They are a private place in which we hold our own personal thoughts and ideas.  We tell ourselves stories about the world and our lives.  Sometimes we laugh and sometimes we cry.  And when we close our eyes we can close out the physical world around us and reconnect with the vastness of the universe, with the very essence of Life which is greater than all the stories we tell ourselves.  A TENT is a miraculous idea providing shelter wherever we go.  Our bodies, the physical body, the energy body, and the spiritual body, provide a place of refuge too. Within them we can close the door to outer appearances aligning our minds with the Mind of God, the ultimate shelter that transcends time and space and all that has appeared before us.

© 2016. Reverend Eileen DeRosia Patra

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

Spiritual Motivation

7984171587_2816bbfc63_mMOTIVATION 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.

© 2016. Reverend Eileen DeRosia Patra

Rev. Eileen is an ordained Unity minister currently serving at Unity of Livonia in Livonia, MichiganThis Blog on Spiritual Motivation is an excerpt from the Spiritual Message “A Zest for Life” to be presented at Unity of Livonia Sunday, October 9th at 10:00 am

A Miracle A Day, Day 75

Dreams Road Sign

DREAMS are the resulting miracle of the power of Imagination.  What can compare with the human capacity to DREAM?  In our waking moments we DREAM of what has not yet come into being and focusing our thoughts and energies on them we often bring them into manifestation.  Our sleep is punctuated with DREAMS that release the energies of the day, work out the problems parading through our minds, and inspire us with higher realms of thought.  It seems the capacity to DREAM, whether they are lucid or merely a foggy image, is the power that moves us ever forward on our spiritual path.  Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, was the dreamer.  Through his DREAMS he warned Egypt of drought and famine.  Through is DREAMS he lifted himself from prison and reunited the tribes of Israel.  Through our DREAMS, we too escape perceived bondage, drought and famine.  Through the power to DREAM and activate the power of Imagination we too reunite the tribes of Israel which are our spiritual powers.  Reunited, awakened in Spirit, we enter the promised land bringing that which we only DREAM of into the manifest world. 

© 2016. Reverend Eileen DeRosia Patra