A Lent in Time

It is hard to believe that Lent is starting this week, but Ash Wednesday will be celebrated on Wednesday, February 18th, this year.

It will also, of course, be an early Palm Sunday (March 29th) and an early Easter (April 5th). I hope the Easter bunny will be dressing warmly this year. In fact, at Spiritual Life Center we are planning to add a sunrise service this year (details to follow).

I hope you will join us for the SLC Ash Wednesday service, which will start at 7 p.m. It will be an interesting metaphysical take on the Lenten Cycle culminating with our Phoenix Rising ceremony.

In all candor I don’t know anybody who would say that Lent is their favorite holiday time. Being raised in a Jewish home, I examined Lenten practices of my Christian friends. Some gave up candy during Lent, and others gave up going to the movies. Many of the adults of my childhood friends gave up alcohol during Lent.

I remember many of my friends of Scandinavian descent, ate something called lutefisk between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Lutefisk is made out of a white fish— often cod — which has been thoroughly salted.

I was told that eating lutefisk during Lent was an acquired taste. Unfortunately, I never acquired this taste!

However, whether it was giving up candy, cake, ice cream, movies, alcohol, etc., all of this was supposed to bring you closer to God. I suppose in some cases these Lenten sacrifices actually worked and accomplished this stated goal. But from my observations (and reading about it) I think it is fair to say that, in many cases, all this denial did not fill the bill.

That is why I think it is so important to turn to something that Charles Fillmore, the cofounder of the Unity movement, wrote about the subject. Charles’ book Keep a True Lent was published five years after his transition. But I believe it shows us a way of turning the Lenten Cycle into something really meaningful.

In this book he suggests that there is a far more powerful way to keep a true Lent than by giving up lattes and gelatos. What is much more effective in fostering our spiritual growth is to use this time to give up error thoughts.

What are error thoughts, you might ask? They are such thoughts as: scarcity, lack, if something is good it will be taken away from me, fear, resentment, shame, blame, not feeling good enough, not feeling forgiven, feeling lower than pond scum, feeling that you were born under a bad sign, feeling that nobody likes you and everybody hates you, you’re gonna eat some worms, etc.

Mr. Fillmore pointed out that when we are in the grips of error thoughts, it is very hard to be at the top of your spiritual game. Error thoughts can be like clouds blocking out the sun. When we moved to Sacramento, we were told that we could leave our snow shovels back east. But given the foggy mornings that we often have in the Sacramento Valley, I wish I had a fog shovel to clear away the low hanging clouds so we could see the sun.

That is what Charles is suggesting we do during the Lenten period. He shows us how we can first become truly aware and conscious of our error thoughts and their impact on our spiritual walk. Then he notes ways and methods by which we can reduce, and eventually eliminate, the grip of many error thoughts.

One way of doing this so-called shadow work is by getting involved in the QUANTUM LIVING PROCESS championed by Revs. Gary and Jane Simmons. The SLC board actually took a QUANTUM LIVING COURSE with Revs. Simmons in the fall. It is a good way of better understanding how error thoughts can creep into our lives and that we can do something positive about this.

Quantum Living Coach, Elaine Laroa will be teaching a QUANTUM LIVING CLASS class at SLC beginning in March. Get an introduction to the Quantum Living Process with Elaine on Wednesday, March 4th. Or register for her six week course by clicking here. I hope you will seriously consider taking this class.

I think THE DAILY WORD really captures the power and vision about what Lent can be and do. The affirmation and wording for February 18th runs as follows:

“I welcome Lent as a season of spiritual renewal... Just as my home may become cluttered with things I no longer need or want, my consciousness may become cluttered with beliefs that no longer serve me… I welcome the season of Lent as an opportunity to refresh and renew my spiritual life.

With compassion and discernment, I identify what to release. Through prayer and meditation, I fast from negative or destructive thinking… Letting go of the past and looking forward to my renewal, I begin my Lenten journey.”

Then THE DAILY WORD reminds us of one of my favorite passages in all of The Bible. It is where the apostle Paul says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds” (Romans 12:2).

May you take the time to enjoy the blessings of Lent.

Many blessings,

Rev Rick