Shifting Our Consciousness

Charles Fillmore, the cofounder of the Unity movement, was a great lover of spirituality. But he was also a great lover of science.

If Charles were alive today, then I believe he would have been all over artificial intelligence and the latest developments in the neurosciences. By no means am I trying to say that he would have approved of everything that is being done in the name of AI and brain research. But even into his 90s Charles kept up with the latest scientific developments of his day.

As a matter of fact, his last book published in the 1940s had the title of Atom-Smashing Power of Mind. If Charles were alive today, I could see him writing about quantum computers, neuro-structures, and affirmative prayer.

He did not believe that there should be a conflict between science and spirituality. And you know what? Many years ago, Saint Augustine believed the same thing. Saint Augustine said that if there was a disagreement between your interpretation of scripture and the latest sound scientific knowledge, then there was something wrong with your interpretation of scripture.

I believe that Rev. Ken Daigle, who is senior minister at Unity of San Francisco, has just published one of the most important New Thought books so far in the 21st century. The book is entitled Unapologetic Manifestation: 5 Steps to Create the Life You Want. Ken’s book follows very much in the tradition of Charles Fillmore, and it embraces the mutual love of spirituality and science.

Ken says that a key reason for writing his book is that so much of the latest work in the fields of neuroscience and psychology are giving sound scientific support for many of the things advocated by the New Thought pioneers many years ago.

At Spiritual Life Center, we have been blessed to have Ken speak to us about his pathbreaking work and to run workshops and classes exploring Unapologetic Manifestation. I believe that there is so much in this that can take SLC, and you individually, to new heights.

Last week I started a series of blogs/columns on Unapologetic Manifestation. This should not be considered as a substitute for reading Ken’s book or taking classes on it. But I think I can add some things that will help these principles to be even more effective in your life and in the life of our spiritual community.

Let’s just remind ourselves of what these five steps are for Unapologetic Manifestation:

1. FOCUS YOUR MIND

2. SHIFT YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS

3. TAKE CONCRETE STEPS

4. SHARE YOUR JOURNEY

5. BE OPEN

In last week’s blog/column, we looked at the first step. Now I would like to share some insights on this crucial second step.

In A Course in Miracles, it is said that the greatest miracle is the shifting and uplifting of our consciousness. This is a more important miracle than even if you could levitate yourself off the floor and safely circle the moon — and then float back to earth.

“To change your life, you must first change your mind — in other words, shift your consciousness,” Ken writes. There is a great rabbinical saying that, 'none of us see the world as it actually is. What we truly see is through what we are and where we are', rabbis noted.

This fact, pointed out by rabbis and others, I believe so often blocks us from manifesting our dreams in the real world. Unfortunately, so many of us have deep inside what I call a CANCEL, CANCEL MACHINE (Yes, I meant there to be two cancels in the proceeding phrase!).

In Mark 11:24 Jesus sums up what affirmative prayer is all about. He says, “When you pray, believe that you have received, and you will receive.” For example, when praying about financial or medical issues, see that innate wholeness. See that inner prosperity and health.

When she had tuberculosis in the 1880s, and doctors told her that she only had perhaps six more months to live, Myrtle Fillmore — also cofounder of Unity— saw that health and wholeness inside of her. She would pray to every part of her body asking for forgiveness that she ever saw herself as the sickly runt of the litter.

Her spiritual healing in her mind was instantaneous, yet it took several years of intense prayer and meditation before a physical cure materialized. But it did materialize! Myrtle Fillmore died in 1931 and it had absolutely nothing to do with tuberculosis!

The problem for so many of us is that we have that CANCEL, CANCEL MACHINE deep inside of us, and it is sending out a very different message to the universe. What is that different message? Well, I think the Beatles captured it very well when they sang “I’m a loser. I’m a loser, and I’m not what I appear to be.”

So all too often, the Universe is getting conflicting messages from us. Which message should the Universe consider as real? The apostle James says that so often we have naught because of the conflicting messages that we are sending out to the Universe.

I believe that a key part of changing and shifting our consciousness happens when we are able to unplug our CANCEL, CANCEL MACHINE. How do we do that, I hear many of you asking?

We do it by having a daily routine of prayer and meditation. Please believe me that this is an investment of your time that will pay you handsome dividends. Find prayers and spiritual writings that profoundly move you. In terms of meditation, you will soon discover that you are not the first person to suffer from Monkey Mind.

My father was a lawyer, and he would always say to me, “Rickey, where there is a will, there are always relatives.” But, he would add, there are always ways of solving these dilemmas. So when the student is ready and serious, the Monkey Mind silencer will always appear!

Silencing the Monkey Mind is NOT a “one and done” proposition. It requires a daily spiritual discipline. It is possible for you to do this!

The rewards will come when you start to notice that your consciousness is shifting and becoming uplifting. Things that used to bug you, now you can take in stride. You actually are the grown-up in the room. Also, you are having to apologize far less for things you said or did, and you are actually feeling peace in difficult situations.

With this shift in consciousness, comes a greater ability to manifest your dreams and hopes. You also discover that you are more often “in the flow” of Divine Order.

As the old Alka-Seltzer commercial used to state, “Try it. You’ll like it.” You will be spending far less time in Victim mode, and much more time in Victor mode. In fact, you will start to often feel like a Vessel of Spirit’s peace no matter what the outside world is doing.

Many blessings,

Rev. Rick