VISION: A Center For Spiritual Living

The communal art project known as traditional Christmas has many layers of tradition, it belongs to no one. It is the creation of myth, and artists, and our deep desire to connect.
In this dark time of the year, our clarity comes. Our willingness to give away all that we have, so that we can claim the treasure of life for ourselves is made manifest.

We acknowledge the wound, the hurt, the pain. It was real. It happened. But we don`t stay there. We are meant to go through it. That is where the growth and freedom lies. Not in the wallowing, but in the healing.
We are able to be gentle with others when we learn to be gentle with ourselves. When we release our condemnation of our own unskilled behaviors, it is easier to allow others to have theirs.

What we are forgiving is always in the past. When we hold onto the past, we are not in our power, not growing. We acknowledge the event, the pain. Then we move on.
We live in a reflective universe. We cannot hold another in condemnation without suffering for the thought. Spirit holds nothing against us. It is we who demand satisfaction for the idea of being wronged.

Our fears are meant to be conquered, not collected. Fear keeps us small. We run into our leading edge, and we detour off into coping behaviors that keep us from pushing through.
We are here to experience all of life. The only healing of our fears comes from a restoration of our faith. Pray, meditate, take a class, call a Practitioner. Unleash your inner superhero, and conquer what is holding you back.

We need to check in with our heart. Being true to ourselves means being present.
We must reach beyond our comfort zone and connect with others. Not in an intrusive, uncomfortable way. But in simple acts of acknowledgement and being present.

Fear is a belief that God is not present, that we are alone, and must defend our lives and our bodies, alone.
Fear can be healthy. Fear keeps us from getting hurt. But fears are meant to be overcome, not collected.

Today is all we have. The eternal moment, unfolding forever. Spirit is engendered and embodied in all we see, do and think. Everywhere is holy ground. Every interaction is sacred.
We cannot withhold our light, our good, and expect not to suffer for it. The circulation of the love of God is the life blood of the Universe.

We are surrounded by good in the high times, and the challenging times. Life is not a series of hills and valleys. It is railroad tracks, positive and negative. Our focus defines our experience.
The stories we tell about our lives are the affirmations of our lives. We become stuck in a narrative of our own creation. And we are at choice, in every moment, to change the course of the story.

We must understand the consciousness of our perspective. Are we looking back, or looking ahead? Rooted in fear, or rooted in faith? Is this a universe of winners and losers? Where God has favorites?
We must beware of the idolatry of certainty. To look for enemies, to long for a past that never existed. These are the paths that lead to exclusion and Us vs Them thinking.

We say 'God is good', but often that's conditional; it's good when it's going our way. When things go badly, we get to blame God.
We need a higher perspective. That God is the goodness. Not an attribute of personality, but the embodiment of life.