February – Self-Awareness is Not Enough

Sunday, February 4

What is Religion?

Religion, Ernest Holmes writes, is our attitude toward God. “This attitude is based on our concept of the relationship which exists between God the Universal Spirit and humankind, the individual spirit. If we believe that God is some far-off Divine Being from whom we are isolated, we shall give up in despair or our entire endeavor will be in seeking a reconciliation and reunion with this Divine Being.”

Religion, then, may be thought of as the practices we engage in that link us back to the truth of our being, that we are one with the Living Spirit, an intimate, close, personal, presence. Without a deep sense of what this Spiritual Universe means to us, it is difficult to pray effectively.

This Wednesday, February 7, I will begin the free eleven-week class series based on Ernest Holmes’s It’s Up To You, in which we will explore the practical application of Science of Mind to help us explore our relationship with the spiritual universe and thereby bring more joy into our world.

All are welcome, no registration required.

Warmly,

Edward Viljoen

Thinking Affirmatively

Sunday, January 28, 2018

Ernest Holmes, our founder, writes in Living the Science of Mind, “There is a Power for Good in the Universe greater than you are, and you can use it.” He writes that we are connected to each other by this invisible and creative force and that by learning to use it effectively we can bring about5 more peace in our world.

Wednesday, January 31, is when we are celebrating the Season for Nonviolence with a keynote address by Kazu Haga a Kingian Nonviolence trainer based in Oakland, California. Born in Japan, he has been involved in many social change movements since he was 17. He is the founder and coordinator of East Point Peace Academy and is on the board of Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, PeaceWorkers, and the OneLife Institute.

Starting in February, I will be offering a free eleven-week course based on Ernest Holmes’s book; It’s Up To You. All are welcome, no registration required. Classes begin at 7 pm on Wednesdays.

Warm regards,

Edward Viljoen

Science, Superstition, and Common Sense

Sunday, January 21, 2018

If you would you reading along with the topics for this year’s Sunday messages you can find the assigned pages from Living the Science of Mind on our website, www.cslsr.org, under Service>2018 Speakers and Topics.

This week’s reading addresses the tendency humankind has to be superstitious and the impact of focusing negatively on habitual thought patterns. It suggests that we turn from this tendency, and consciously cultivate a new body of thought by daily saying to ourselves something like this:

I am not bound by the superstitions of the human race. I no longer fear God or the Universe in which I live. I have implicit confidence in the Supreme Good, and I permit It to flow through me and to bless everything I contact.

This Wednesday at 7 pm, Dr. Kim Kaiser completes his series of free classes on how to use the Science of Mind. All are welcome.

Warm regards,

Edward Viljoen

Science of Mind – Using it

Sunday, January 14, 2018

In Living the Science of Mind, Ernest Holmes writes “Spiritual Power is of no particular value to us until we use It. We must not only be conscious of this Power; we must be actively conscious of It. This is one of the first lessons we learn in spiritual science.”

To be actively conscious of the spiritual powers that surround us means that we have a relationship with it. Better still, it means that we accept that we are part of the spiritual universe and that when we think, we give direction to Its creative nature. Not only do we participate in creation, but we can also be guided by it when we take the time to listen to it and feel its presence in everything.

We must have a deep acceptance of the Divine Presence, and out of the power generated in this realization speak our word of prayer with complete conviction.

To learn more about The Science of Mind and how to use it in your life, consider attending the free classes taught each Wednesday evening by Dr. Kim Kaiser.

Warm regards,

Edward Viljoen

What is Science of Mind

Sunday, January 7, 2018

2018 Marks the 100 year anniversary of teaching Science of Mind in the world. We are celebrating this milestone with the year-long theme, Living the Science of Mind. Each week we will suggest a reading from Ernest Holmes to help focus our study of this beautiful teaching that helps us accept that our thought is creative because of what is alive in us.

On page 1 of Living the Science of Mind Dr. Holmes writes:

“The Science of Mind is intensely practical because it teaches us how to use the Mind Principle for definite purposes, such as helping those who are sick, impoverished, or unhappy. Each one of us should learn to become a practitioner of this science, a demonstrator of its Principle, a conscious user of its Power. Power already exists, but the existence of Power is of no particular value to us until we use it. We must not only be conscious of Power, but we must be actively conscious of it. This is one of the first lessons we learn in the Science of Mind.”

To learn more about The Science of Mind and how to use it in your life, consider attending the free classes taught each Wednesday evening by Dr. Kim Kaiser.

Warm regards,

Edward Viljoen

Spiritual Value: Love as Community Service

September 24 - Spiritual Value: Love as Community Service

We should have no objection to any form of healing, for anything that helps to overcome suffering is good, whether it be a pill or a prayer. We believe in any method which produces results, for each has its place in the Whole.

Ernest Holmes

What ways do you contribute to the alleviation of suffering in the world?

Photo by Kychan

Spiritual Value: Love as Community Service

September 17

But faith without works is dead. We should not only pray, we should act, each contributing the best [they] have to the common purpose, each willing to make any sacrifice necessary – not a sacrifice reluctantly made, but as one who offers all [they] have for two great purposes – one, in a certain sense, a selfish one, for we all desire self-preservation, the other, in the greater sense, that there can be no individual self-preservation without the preservation of all.

Ernest Holmes

What does selfless-service mean to you?

Photo by Daryan Shgamkhali

September 10 - Spiritual Value: Love as Community Service

The world is saturated with Divinity, immersed in Reality, and filled with possibility. We must take this divine possibility and mold it into a present actuality in everyday experience. This is the way to freedom, the pathway to peace and happiness.

Ernest Holmes

How do you imagine divine possibility can be molded into everyday experience?

Photo by Jenn Evelyn Ann

September's Spiritual Value: Love as Community Service

We dedicate our time, talent, treasure, and expertise to the healthy and joyful evolution of our spiritual community, the community in which we live, and the greater community of the world.

Spiritual Living, while focusing on inner personal growth, leads each individual to the realization that they are not only one with the Universal Mind of Creation, but also with everything and everyone. Out of this sense of kinship rises a natural desire to share, help, and nurture, and the understanding that none of us is free if one of us is not free.

This month provides the opportunity to explore the balance between inner personal work and contribution to the world through service.

September 3

It is quite a burden lifted when we realize that we do not have to move the world – it is going to move anyway. This realization does not lessen our duty or social obligation. It clarifies it. It enables us to do joyously, and free from morbidity, that which we should do in the social state.

Ernest Holmes

What do you think your duty or social obligation is?

Photo by Cristian Newman