Good morning.
Today’s reading includes our acknowledgement of two principles from
The Spiritualist Church of Canada
Principle 5…
Personal Responsibility for the Creation of Our Reality, through Thought, Word and Deed.
And Principle 7…
Eternal Progress Open to Every Soul
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1
Good Morning Everyone!
I recently read a book called The In-Betweens,
The Spiritualists, Mediums and Legends of
Camp Etna by Mira Ptacin. The book is about a
small Spiritualist camp in the woods of Maine
which first started in 1876. Incredibly, this
Spiritualist camp, along with others in the
United States, continues to be in operation.
I am going to start off with a poem from The In-
Betweens called “I Will” by Estelle Dudley. It
was first presented through Camp Etna’s
Pollyanna Club in November 1916. Some of the language is
quite different from how we speak today so you
will have to listen carefully…
“I will start anew this morning with a higher fairer creed.
I will cease to stand complaining of my ruthless neighbour’s greed.
I will cease to sit repining while my duties’ call is clear.
I will waste no moment whining and my heart shall know no fear.
I will look sometimes about me for things that merit praise.
I will search for hidden beauties that elude the grumblers’ gaze.
I will try to find contentment in the paths that I must tread.
I will cease to have resentment when another moves ahead.
I will not be swayed by envy where my rival’s strength is shown.
I will not deny his merit but I’ll strive to prove my own.
I will try to see the beauties spread before me rain or shine.
I will cease to preach your duty and be more concerned with mine.”
I loved that poem immediately when I read it. It
made me smile. I was struck by the fact that
even 100 years ago, members of the Spiritualist
church were stressing the importance of taking
personal responsibility for our thoughts, words
and actions. I felt connection with these
believers who had gone on before.
I thought that poem would be a good starting
point for my talk today. Re-reading that poem,
I went through a mental checklist and being
totally honest with myself, thought, “Yeah,
sometimes I feel fear. Yeah, sometimes I am
envious of others’ talents. Yeah, sometimes I
resent what others have. And yeah, in all
honesty, sometimes I am whiny according to my
husband.”
Thinking more about that poem… while it
coached me on how I was to think
about what I do and don’t have
in my own life, it lacked in the how.
How am I to draw on Infinite Spirit, Divine
Creator to change the quality of my thoughts,
words and deeds?
Thinking back to the basics, in my daily life, I
must make time for rest, proper diet, movement
of my human body, joyful activities, connection
with loved ones and meditation. I do my best to
make these activities the fundamentals of my
daily life.
Add to these the importance of our community
of support. In The In Betweens, one of the
Camp Etna mediums, Angie Welch was quoted
and said about her being part of Camp Etna,
“When I finally came back, I did it so I could
continue to find out who I was, and now my role
here is to be present. When you come through
the gates of Etna, you go into another world.
Here at Camp Etna, time stands still. The
grounds are healing. It is protected and we are
building it back up to be protected. Like right
now, we have new people coming in, new
mediums, younger ones, and they are coming in
because they have found their people. And
maybe that’s the reason I’m here now; I’m here
to help change the energy of this place. There is
a whole group of us right now doing it. We are
bringing in the new.”
The big ideas I got from Angie’s quote are:
Keep company with good people.
Maximize the time you spend with people you enjoy.
Connect with others who radiate positivity and
have similar interests.
You will be energized and part of something
special.
Even with following my daily life basics however
and being part of our community, I still
sometimes feel like I am NOT connected to
Infinite Spirit. When I feel disconnected and
instead draw on my own energies, I am like an
out of tune instrument and not a clear channel
for Infinite Spirit. My thoughts, words
and actions lack the sincerity, lightness and
joy only Infinite Spirit can deliver.
So how do I draw on Infinite Spirit to give me
the resources to lighten my thoughts, words and
actions so that I can be a clear channel in this
world?
First I acknowledge my own limitations. While I
am a spiritual being, I am living in a human body
and a very human world. As a human, I get
tired. At times, I feel hurt or betrayed. I may
feel unfairly treated, I experience losses of loved
ones or things that I treasure. I sometimes
worry about things I can’t control or that I might
miss important decisions for my well being or
the well being of others.
When I have these human emotions and
experiences, I find it hard to think, speak
and act as the happy representative I should
be for the Spiritualist Church of the Light, part of
the Spiritualist Church of Canada. I am
tempted to judge myself for my human
imperfections.
At times like these, I must make quiet time
for myself, even if it is a quick stop in the
bathroom. Remember, me first, me second, me
third.
Regarding my human imperfections, I am
called to “love them” and be gentle. Just as a
parent would lovingly create safe space for their
child to feel and process their emotions, I am
called to create a loving and safe space for my
healing. I place my hands over my heart, I
breathe in and I breathe out. I ask Infinite Spirit,
Divine Creator of All that Is, to provide me with
self healing. Healing from Spirit and Angels is
available to me.
I also received some guidance on this from a
book called Your Life After Death by Michael G.
Reccia. Regarding my human imperfections, I
say to myself “that area needs to change but it is
part of me and I embrace it. In my quiet times
and my meditations”, I breathe. And “I bathe in
love and Light” the parts of me I would see shift.
I do not fear them. I embrace and bathe in love
and Light all parts of myself and I breathe.
In this healing space where I do not fear
parts of myself that need to be released,
Infinite Spirit helps me to release these parts in
their right time, so that I can progress.
We have the promise of Eternal Progress open
to every Soul. And I remember that I am
timeless and eternal. Creator can stretch my
little two minute stop in the bathroom to give
me the time I need to breathe and reconnect to
Infinite Spirit, Divine Creator of All that Is.
May Creator bless you all. And I thank my
guides for all the help I received with this talk.