Affirmative Partners in Project

Fall Study Program, 2015 Unity Atlanta

By Reverend John A. V. Strickland

Who we are in Truth (otherwise known as our “ self”) is changeless, perfect, whole, deathless and eternal. Our ego/human self can and must be changed so that our human experience more closely aligns with who we really are! -Rev. John A. V. Strickland

Reverend John A. V. Strickland NOTES Preliminary activity: A brief time of social interaction is encour- aged. Depending on when and where the meeting is held there may ______be snacks and beverages provided by the convener or group mem- bers. ______

______Explanation: It is always a good idea to have a little social interaction before each session formally begins. Snacks and beverages are wel- ______come. Please do not serve alcohol. These meetings could be held in the morning, afternoon or evening. They could be held at church, in a ______home, restaurant or some other setting. People may not have had breakfast, lunch or dinner, so a healthy snack can help one get focused ______in the present. A wise spiritual leader once said, “One cannot pray on an empty stomach!” This is so true. Sharing food, water, coffee, tea or soft ______drinks can help one get ready for the prayer time. ______

______Heart Check: Everyone has an opportunity (but is not re- quired) to share briefly (about one minute) what is on ______one’s heart. ______Explanation: We seek to create a safe, open and loving atmosphere, in which all may share what is on their hearts, if they so choose. There ______must be no pressure for people to share if they do not desire to share. ______For purposes of this program, we are asking people to be brief. We are ______not seeking lengthy recitations of everything that is going on. Some- times, in settings such as this, people want to share long stories about ______what is going on in their lives. In some groups this is good, and, in fact, is encouraged. But what we are wanting to accomplish here is the shar- ______ing in an unconditionally loving group of what is on one’s heart at this time. The moderator or chair of each group needs to encourage all who ______desire to share to do so, but not let one or two people dominate the en- tire group process. ______

We want to stay heart-centered and not so much head-centered. ______

______

______

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NOTES If a group has six members and each one shares for a minute, then the ______check-in will take six minutes. From a practical standpoint, there will be a transition from one speaker to the next. We could expect the check ______-in to take ten to fifteen minutes.

______II. The Principles

______God is real. God is here. God is all good. God is for us. ______Explanation: One of the great ideas taught by Charles Fillmore, co- ______founder of Unity, is the need to reform or re-form our God-thought. There have been lots of ideas taught about God. Many people have ______been taught that God is a super-man, who lives in a beautiful palace way up in outer space. Today many people have come to know God as ______a Presence that lives within us. But still people carry with them the idea of a male Deity, who judges us, who sometimes punishes us and ______sometimes gives us blessings. The old thought of God is of a Creator ______who is often absent and who is capricious. We know that God is all good, omnipotent and everywhere present. God is our Creator and loves ______nothing more than to bless us (and all God’s creation) in every needed way! God is always for us, no matter who we are or what we may have ______done or what we may have failed to do. God is for everything that is in creation! God is not for some people or some religions and against oth- ______ers. For some in this program this thought about God will be brand new. For others, this thought about God will be familiar. We want eve- ______ryone to understand the Unity thought about God. Whether they

______choose to accept this idea is up to them. Our job is to help them under- stand what Unity believes about God. God does not judge, condemn or ______punish. God is total, unconditional love. God is for all of us. There is nothing we have done that could make God love us less. And there is ______nothing we could do to make God love us more. God is total perfection and total perfection cannot perceive imperfection. God sees us as ______whole and complete. We are God’s beloved offspring.

______B. The power of partners in prayer is greater than the sum to- tal of the individuals who are praying together. ______

______Explanation: Many truly advanced spiritual teachers have come to the awareness that the combined prayer efforts of a group far exceeds the

30 3 total of that of the individuals. How and why this is so is not entirely Week 7: Affirmative Decrees: clear. But it does not really matter if we totally understand the reason behind this phenomenon. What does matter is that group prayer magni- For myself: fies the prayer power. The ones being prayed with are blessed and the ______ones doing the praying are being blessed! What great news! Some- ______times an individual’s faith has begun to waiver. Perhaps the health con- ______cern is grave, or the finances seem way too low, or the relationship ______seems totally, irretrievably broken. Therefore, the group praying with ______the person can help turn his/her faith in the right direction, the direction ______of God. Remember always that there is nothing too great or too trivial ______for God. The Allness of God is present in everyone, in everything and ______everywhere, at all times. From the tiniest of paper cuts to the most dire ______of medical diagnoses and prognoses, God is present. God is ready, will- ______ing and able to be called on at all times, but we must understand that God can only do for us what God can do through us. Group prayer For my prayer partners: changes us. It changes our consciousness and turns our faith around to ______the right direction. Nothing is impossible for God and nothing is impos- ______sible for us when we are God-focused and God-directed! Believe it. ______We receive in life and experience life according to our beliefs. ______C. We are not here to give advice. We do not say things ______such as: “When I was in this situation, this is how I handled ______the situation.” We are here to give unconditional love and ______affirmative prayer support. ______Explanation: This is not a counseling or coaching session. We are not ______constituted as a group to give advice. We are not here to fix anyone. ______We have come together to listen, love, support and offer affirmative ______prayer. The world-famous psychiatrist and advocate for A Course in ______Miracles, Dr. Jerry Jampolsky, writes in A Mini Course for Live, ______“Many of our attempts to correct others, even when we believe we are ______offering constructive criticism, are really attempts to attack them by ______demonstrating their ‘wrongness’ and our ‘rightness.’ Thus, it may be ______helpful to examine our motivations. Are we teaching love or are we ______demonstrating attack?” Wow! That’s an amazing insight. We might ______feel that we know exactly what the other person needs in the situation ______and we truly want to be helpful. Let’s refrain from offering advice any- ______way. If someone needs advice, let him/her ask for it outside the prayer ______meeting. Again, let us remember we are here to pray affirmatively in

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Week 6: Affirmative Decrees: the Unity way. We affirm Divine guidance from within us. This point tells us what we are here to do. All of us want and seek unconditional love. In the modern world this often seems in short supply, even in a For myself: church setting. There is a group of refugees who left their homeland in ______Asia because of religious persecution. They were given refuge here in ______our area. They needed lots of support. One particular denomination’s ______members offered financial and transportation assistance. They also at- ______tempted to “convert” the new arrivals. The refugees felt that they had ______left their homeland to avoid religious persecution, but, in a way, they ______were being mistreated here because of their religion. I’m sure the de- ______nomination’s followers here meant well and were trying to help. They ______were also trying to grow their religion. What the refugees sorely need- ______ed was unconditional love and assistance getting situated in a new ______country, where they hardly spoke the language. Unity has for 125 years

offered affirmative prayer support to anyone and everyone who is seek- For my prayer partners: ing it. But Unity is not a proselytizing religion. We say, “Here is what ______we have found that makes our lives better. If it works for you, take it ______and use it. If it does not work for you, that is fine too. We bless you in ______your spiritual seeking and pray with you that you may find the practices ______and beliefs that work for you. If any part of our teaching works for you, ______take it and use it, and let the rest go.” ______We manifest, experience and express that on which we ______place our attention. ______Explanation: One of the very basic teachings of Unity is that we mani- ______fest, experience and express that on which we place our attention. ______What do we think and feel most of the time? What do we talk about ______most of the time? Even the casual words spoken over and over again, ______sometimes even in jest, find a way to get expressed in our lives. If we ______are honest, we will see that we are often thinking, feeling and express- ______ing the very things that we do not desire. ______

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5 We manifest, experience and express that on which we place our attention – Part I. Our Thoughts Week 5: Affirmative Decrees:

The power of positive thinking is no cliché, at least when it comes to Alzheimer’s disease risks. That’s the take-home message of new re- For myself: search out of King's College London that has shown that repetitive neg- ______ative thinking — a common symptom of many psychological disorders ______— boosts the risk for the brain-wasting disease. In a paper published in ______the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, the researchers argue that a habit of ______negative thinking over a prolonged period of time harms the brain's ca- ______pacity to think, reason, and form memories — putting individuals at ______greater risk for dementia. ______Such thinking is common in people suffering from depression, anxiety, ______sleep disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and chronic life stress, ______Medical Xpress reports. It not only eats up the finite capacity of brain ______resources, but also triggers a physical stress response in the brain, which over a prolonged period of time may cause damage and reduce For my prayer partners: the brain's resilience to Alzheimer's disease, the British researchers ______found. ______An interesting finding: when the brains of people with Alzheimer’s ______were studied after death, those who lived with a positive outlook, often ______did not develop the symptoms associated with the disease, even though ______the disease was present in the brain. ______We manifest, experience and express that on which we place ______our attention – Part II. Our Words ______Our words can change our lives. Positive words get positive results. ______When I was Director of Silent Unity, the worldwide prayer ministry of ______the Unity Movement, I asked to see letters of answered prayer. The one ______I will share, without sharing names or course, has stayed with me, firm- ______ly in my consciousness for more that twenty-five years. ______A man wrote to express thanks for the affirmative of Silent Uni- ______ty. His severe heart attack occurred in the middle of the night. He re- ______membered little of the incident. He knew he awakened in a hospital ______room and that the doctors told him he had had a major attack with lots ______of damage to the heart. ______

27 6 Week 3: Affirmative Decrees: His prospects were not good. Yet, within a week he had made a remark- able recovery and was released from the hospital. For myself: ______When he got home he was going through his mail and he saw a letter ______addressed to him from Silent Unity. He said to himself, “How wonder- ______ful! Some friend has asked Silent Unity to pray for me.” The letter ______from Silent Unity told him that they were praying with him, night and ______day, and that they were holding this thought: “We give thanks that God ______is in you and your medical care team. You are whole, well and pain- ______free. Your heart is strong and beats with perfect rhythm.” This was his ______affirmative prayer for the healing of his heart. They asked him to con- tinue praying this prayer with Silent Unity for the next thirty days. He did not know who, among his friends, had asked Silent Unity to pray For my prayer partners: for him. But he was grateful. And he continued to pray that prayer. ______A couple of weeks later he received his phone bill. He was shocked to ______learn that there was a phone call to Silent Unity at 2:38 A.M. on the ______morning of his heart attack. He realized that not only had he called for ______an ambulance, he had also called Silent Unity in his time of great pain ______and great need. But the heart attack had been so severe that he had lost ______the memory of making the call. Silent Unity was there for him. They ______spoke positive words of healing to him and then sent him a letter to fol- ______low-up after their prayer time. ______He made a full recovery and his doctors were totally amazed that he ______could and did make that recovery. Affirmative prayer was the differ- ______ence. Affirmative prayer worked for him and it can work for you! Be- ______lieve it! Miracles are happening now! ______We manifest, experience and express that on which we place ______our attention – Part III. Our Actions ______There is a story told about a famous monastery which has fallen on hard times. Once a great order, its many buildings had been filled with young monks, but now it was nearly deserted. Visitors no longer came there to be nourished by prayer. A handful of old monks shuffled through the cloisters and praised God with heavy hearts. It was just a

matter of time until their community would die out.

7 26 On the edge of the monastery woods, an old rabbi had built a little hut. No one ever spoke with him, but the monks felt somehow assured by Week 3: Affirmative Decrees: his prayerful presence. As the leader, the Abbot of the monastery agonized over the future, it For myself: occurred to him to go visit the rabbi. Perhaps he could offer some word ______of advice. So one day after morning prayers, the Abbot set out to visit ______the rabbi. ______As he approached the hut, the Abbot saw the rabbi standing in the door- ______way, his arms outstretched in welcome. And the rabbi motioned the ______Abbot to enter. ______They sat there for a moment in silence, until finally the rabbi said: “You ______and your brothers are serving God with heavy hearts. You have come to ______ask a teaching of me. I will give you this teaching, but you can only ______repeat it once. After that no one must say it aloud again.” ______The rabbi looked straight at the abbot and said, “The Messiah is among ______you.” For a while all was silent. Then the rabbi said, “Now you must go.” The abbot left without a word. The next morning, the abbot called his monks together in the chapter For my prayer partners: room. He told them he had received a teaching from “the rabbi who ______walks in the woods”, and that after he told it his teaching was never ______again to be spoken aloud. Then he looked at each of his brothers and ______said, “The rabbi said that the Messiah is among us!” ______In the days, and weeks, and months that followed, the monks pondered ______this riddle, and wondered what it could mean. The messiah is among ______US? Could he have possibly have meant one of us here at the monas- ______tery? If that is the case then which one of us is it? Do you suppose that ______he meant the Abbot? If he meant anyone then he must have meant the ______Abbot. He has been our leader for more than a generation. ______On the other hand he might have meant Brother Thomas. Certainly ______Brother Thomas is a holy man. Everyone knows and respects Brother ______Thomas’ keen spirituality and insight. ______Certainly he could not have meant brother Elred. Elred gets very ______crotchety at times. But, when you look back on it, Elred is almost al- ______ways right, often VERY right. Maybe the rabbi did mean brother Elred. ______

______

25 8 Week 2: Affirmative Decrees: But surely not brother Phillip. Phillip is so passive, a real nobody. But then, almost mysteriously, he has a gift for somehow always being there For myself: when you need him. Maybe Phillip is the messiah. ______As they contemplated in this manner, the old monks began to treat each ______other with extraordinary respect, on the off chance that one of them ______might actually be the messiah. ______As time went by there was a gentle, whole-hearted, human quality ______about them which was hard to describe but easy to notice. They lived ______with each other as people who had finally found something. But they ______prayed and read the Scriptures together as people who were always ______looking for something. ______Now, because the forest in which it is situated is very beautiful, it so ______happened that people did still occasionally come to visit the monastery. ______They came to picnic on the lawn, to wander among the paths, even now and again to go into the dilapidated chapel to meditate. Hardly knowing For my prayer partners: why, they began to come back to the monastery more frequently – to ______picnic, to play, to pray. As they did so, even without being conscious of ______it, they sensed this aura of extraordinary humility and respect that now ______began to surround the old monks, and seemed to radiate out from them ______and permeate the place. There was something strangely attractive, even ______compelling about it. They began to bring friends to show them this spe- ______cial place. Before long, people were coming from far and wide to be ______nourished by the prayer life of the monks. ______Some of the younger men who came to visit started talking to the old ______monks. After a while one asked if he could join them. Then another. ______And then another. More and more young men were asking, once again, ______to become part of the community. Within a few years, the monastery ______had once again become a striving order and, thanks to the rabbi’s gift, a ______vibrant center of light and spirituality in that area. ______Being ever vigilant is so important. Charles Fillmore believed that all ______thoughts are creative, all thoughts are formative. He also believed that ______prayer is the most concentrated form of thought. Prayer has the highest ______vibratory rate of thought. So, prayerful thoughts or thoughts held in ______meditation have great power to overcome the thoughts, ideas, words and feelings we have been holding and speaking in our regular ordinary moments throughout the day. This is why a focused prayer time with a positive and loving prayer group can be so helpful in turning our lives around.

24 9 , one of the greatest metaphysical thinkers and teachers of Week 1: Affirmative Decrees: the 20th century wrote a magnificent piece called The Golden Key. In it he advocates the changing of one’s focus from lack or what is missing For myself: to God. Think about God instead, he teaches. He calls this approach ______scientific prayer or “The Golden Key”. Whenever you have a problem, ______tell yourself, “I am going to ‘Golden Key’ it, ” and think about God, all ______that you know about God, instead of the problem. The wonderful organ- ______ization The HeartMath Institute teaches us to focus on unconditional ______love instead of the problem. They call this approach “A Heart Lock-in”. ______Many thousands of people have changed their lives using either of these ______two approaches or some similar variation. Dr. Jerry Jampolsky, ampli- ______fying the teachings of , writes, “Teach only love, ______for that is what you are.” We know from the New Testament that God is love. We are God’s offspring. We are constituted of the same spiritu- al DNA as God. Therefore, the ultimate reality of each of us is that we For my prayer partners: are love. Think about that! ______

______III. The brief meditative focus (about 3 - 5 minutes) ______We need to have a quiet moment of before we truly get into ______the prayer process. We suggest that you focus on five things: God, ______thanksgiving, loving, forgiving and letting go and letting God be God. ______Dwelling on God as we understand God. ______Explanation: We focus on God. Earlier we mentioned the idea of re- ______forming our God-thought, as suggested by Charles Fillmore. This is a ______great idea! And that said, every one of us, even in Unity, has a unique ______understanding of God. Yes, God is within us. And yes, God is “out ______there” somewhere in the farthest reaches of the universe. Ed Rabel, one ______of the premier metaphysical teachers in the history of Unity, once ______shocked a class by saying, “None of you prays to God.” The class pro- ______tested strongly. And Mr. Rabel retorted, “You do not pray to God. You ______pray to your highest God-thought.” He was right, of course. We need ______to keep expanding our God-thought. The magnificent author, speaker, ______minister Eric Butterworth used to advise his followers to stop praying to ______God altogether. Oh, he believed fully in God. But his focus was always ______on God within, completely inseparable from us. He advised us to get ______centered in God and then (and only then) speak powerful words of ______truth. However you conceive of God and prayer, always keep growing. But do focus on God every day! ______

23 10 B. Thanksgiving [we give thanks for all things, even before Sabbath: we see the demonstrations.].

We observe the Sabbath right now as we rest in the realization and certain knowledge that our work is done. Thank You, God. Explanation: We seek to cultivate an attitude of gratitude in all things and experiences. We are taught from an early age to give thanks for Explanation: Sabbath is a time to let go, to rest, to let God be God in us gifts or blessings we receive. Jesus the Christ taught a new idea: Give and in our lives. We have done the work. Now we rest. It is sort of thanks even before you get the thing you desire. He gave thanks before like mixing all the ingredients for a delicious cake. Then we put it in multiplying the loaves and the fishes to feed thousands of people. He the oven and let it bake. We don’t continue to check on it every few gave thanks before He raised Lazarus from the dead. Note: He gave minutes. We rest. We let it bake. thanks before the demonstration. Giving thanks does not change God one iota. God is already prepared to give us the desired blessings. Giv- A few years ago, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta, held a symposium ing thanks changes us. We told you earlier that God can only do for us titled, “Cardiac Self-Care for Clergy”. The clergy members were what God can do through us. Giving thanks opens our minds and hearts asked, “How many of you observe a Sabbath?” All the hands went so that God can do God’s great works through us. We ought not see up. The facilitator asked the question another way, “I don’t mean giving thanks as a cute little parlor trick of metaphysics that allows us how many of you provide a Sabbath service for your congregations. to get the goodies! Let us see giving thanks as a predominant thought How many of you observe a personal Sabbath each week?” Very pattern, a persistently held attitude of mind. There was convicted felon few hands went up. The first book of the Bible, Genesis, speaks of who had a wholesale change of attitude. He began to give thanks for a Sabbath. The story tells us that God needed a Sabbath after creat- everything. He began to praise God, every day at all times. If he had a ing the world. The truth is, God has never taken a day off and never cold, he was thankful. If the food was bad, he was thankful. If had been will. God does not need a Sabbath. We human beings need a Sab- mistreated by the other prisoners, the guards, family or the legal system, bath. The point it: when we do our part, God always does God’s he gave thanks. He also had a strong desire to become a chaplain in the part. We have come together to pray in an affirmative way. We United States Army. There was no way a convicted felon could be- have visualized a better world. We have listened to and affirmed come a chaplain in the Arm. He gave thanks anyway. One day, the each other. We the meeting holy and we have agreed to keep sacred guards came to get him. He was told that he was a free man and that his confidences. We have done our work. Now we rest. We trust God. prison record had been expunged. According to the law, he was a free We are grateful. man and was no longer a convicted felon. He went to seminary. He be- came a chaplain. He had a very distinguished record of service during Closing Circle: The group holds hand and decrees: the Vietnam War. He sought nothing in the outer, really. He sought only to give praise and thanksgiving every day for everything. His life We now shake hands with God and God’s Infinite Universe. changed when he allowed God to be God in him. And he blessed the We are affirmative partners in prayer. We are ready to go lives of countless soldiers in the most difficult of times. His attitude of forth empowered by God and our affirmative prayer part- gratitude did not change God. It changed him. The energies in him ners to do the things that ought to be done by us. Yay shifted. And when the energies in him shifted, his whole world shifted. God!

22 11 C. Loving [We focus on giving love for all people and all situa- prayer groups see that the answer is, yes! Human beings need shelter. tions.]. We can only live in the outer world in a limited range from cold to heat. Explanation: Loving is the highest and best way to live our lives. If Let us be compassionate in seeing that all who need shelter, have shel- God is love and we are love, then we must be loving. We are speaking ter. Clothing is essential for human beings. We have tremendous pro- of mature, generous, unconditional, freely given love, without thought duction capabilities for clothing. Let us see all human beings having of return. We are not talking of needy love or conditional love. We are adequate clothing. not talking of love that says, “I will love you if you give me what I want.” Wayne Dyer, in his first great book, Your Erroneous Zones, Good education, good health care and a real opportunity for success and writes (and I am paraphrasing from memory), “Love means allowing fulfillment. All people need a good education. This is not just reading, those you care for to be what they choose for themselves, without in- writing and arithmetic, but life skills. Those of us in the fields of con- sisting that they satisfy you.” Victor Frankl in Man’s Search for Mean- sciousness-raising activities know how important it is for people to learn ing, says (again I am paraphrasing), “Immature love says, ‘I love you to meditate, to learn to tap into intuition, to learn to love all people, in because I need you.’ Mature love says, ‘I need you because I love addition to the classical education programs. Let us see all people hav- you.’ ” One spiritual leader says, “Love is the desire for only good to ing the opportunity for good education. Good health care is vital. This come to all God’s creation.” Mr. Fillmore referred to love as one of the prayer project is not about getting involved in the political discussions twelve powers given to all human beings. It is defined as the harmoniz- about how health care is funded and provided. Let us simply see that the ing, unifying, equalizing, binding ideas in God’s Divine Mind. The health care needs of the world are met. Everyone needs to feel that he/ paradox here is that love both binds and frees us. Love holds all the she can be successful and fulfilled in life. Again, we are not talking universe together. Martha Giudici, another great Unity teacher, called about political solutions here. We are talking about “seeing” all people, love “spiritual glue”. What we know is that the world needs more spir- all God’s children, as having a real opportunity to live a successful and itual, unconditional love being expressed. It is a good idea to focus on fulfilling life. Part of the reason for wars and civil strife is that the so- real love in a meditative moment every time we get together at the be- called “have-nots” believe that the “haves” have taken from them what ginning of the prayer circle process. is rightfully theirs or have prevented them from having a real opportuni- D. Forgiving [We give-for, that is, we give good energy in ty for success in life. Again, all people are God’s children and, there- return for any perceived wrongs.]. fore, all have a right to “the tree of life”. Let us see all as having the Explanation: Focusing on forgiving everyone for every perceived opportunity for a full and successful life. wrong is one of the noblest, most healing and most prospering activities that a human being can undertake. Jesus really intended to teach only two things: Love and do not judge. But He soon realized that we would forget those two all-important teachings. Therefore, He added a third IX. Group visualization: teaching: forgive. You can go to the best seminary in the world. You can study spiritual philosophies from the East, the West, inner space We choose to see God in everyone, in every situation, at all times. and outer space and you will never find a more complete teaching than these three: love, do not judge, do forgive. This life experience is really Explanation: For a brief moment before we close, let us do what Eric all about energy. Are you going to choke down the flow of energy in Butterworth suggested: see the world aright. We visualize the world, all your life, your body, your finances and relationships or are you going to its people and all its creature as they can be: perfect, whole, prosperous, open your joyful, loving and free.

12 21 Explanation: We reiterate that one by one, every person has the oppor- minds and hearts wide to let God love, heal and prosper you and those tunity to offer his/her affirmative decree. After each one speaks, the around you? Yes, you have been hurt by others. Yes, we all have. group follows with the above affirmation. Then they move on to the Sometimes we have been intentionally hurt and sometimes unintention- next member who wishes to speak his/her affirmative decree. Some ally. But holding onto the hurt through un-forgiveness binds to us the may choose not to speak an affirmative decree. No one should feel very thing we do not desire (physical and emotional illness, poverty and pressured to make such a decree, but everyone should have the oppor- un-loving relationships). Charles Fillmore told us that if we practiced tunity to do so. Please understand that this type of prayer may feel ten or fifteen minutes of forgiveness every evening before going to awkward at first. Stick with it. Trust the process. Note, as the group is sleep, we would be healed of every illness known to humankind. He making its decree, the group itself is modeling the process. We begin and his beloved wife Myrtle experienced miraculous healings and pros- by giving thanks. We state the name of God and the location. We af- perity demonstrations through practicing affirmative prayer and for- firmatively decree the desired outcome. We make the statement in the giveness. Forgiveness means something more than just forgetting. It present tense. means giving something positive in return for the hurt that was given to The group now makes a global affirmative decree: us. This whole idea may sound counter-intuitive and just plain wrong. We are grateful that God provides for our world and everyone in it It sounds that way to the human mind, the ego. The ego resists forgiv- peace, love and compassion; ample food, shelter and clothing; good ing. The human mind, in some strange way would rather suffer and be- education; good health care and a real opportunity for success and lieve that it is justified in refusing to forgive than it would to let God’s fulfillment. love and healing energy flow through us to give something good back Explanation: We have cared for one another in the group. Now let’s to the other. The world, now more than ever before, needs people to expand our affirmative prayer project to include the whole world. We learn the healing, prospering, peace-making power of forgiveness. If we use the same process: giving thanks; stating the name and location of will not make this practice part of our lives, part of our consciousness, God; stating the desired result; keeping the prayer in the present tense. part of our spiritual philosophy, then who will? The changing of our Peace, love and compassion: The world needs peace, love and compas- lives through changing our consciousness is totally up to us. No one sion. Peace does not come from armaments or the cessation of external can or should do this for us. Focus on forgiveness on a daily basis and war. Peace must be found within every person. Love is the greatest your life will change. The energy of your life will shift. Your heart and healer and blessing of all. We come to understand that God is not just a mind will expand. The doors to God and God’s uplifting universe will super person who loves, but God is the love itself. When we love we finally be open. Try it for yourself. This life lesson is begging you, are expressing God. Compassion is putting the love we feel into ac- “Prove me now.” You will see what a difference it makes in your life. tion. Every compassionate action we do is a Godly action. We see Don’t delay. Start now. peace, love and compassion now. Ample food, shelter and clothing: At a recent Parliament of the E. Letting go and letting God be God in us, through us, for World’s Religions, we learned that for the first time in the history of us and as us. the planet we have the means to grow and distribute enough food to feed everyone on the planet! The question is: do we have the will to do Explanation: Yes, we are committed to the affirmative prayer process. it? Let us in our prayer groups see And there is also great value in letting go and letting God be God. This is not a case of either/or. It is the case of both/and. We must get still, meditate and get very clear on what we are seeking. Did not Jesus tell us to ask? Of course, He did. But there is also a time of letting go. We make our intentions known. Catherine Ponder, one of the world’s greatest spiritual prosperity teachers, advises, “Get definite about pros- perity (or healing, or love, or a job, or a house, or

20 13 transportation) so that prosperity gets definite about you.” God cannot get into a cluttered or wishy-washy mind or consciousness. And still Speak your affirmative decree aloud with power. there is tremendous value in letting go and letting God… Dr. Larry Dos- sey, M.D., says his research on effective prayer indicates that the most D. Decree the answered prayer in the present moment. powerful prayers are the non-directive prayers. He means a prayer such Example: I decree that the healing power of God in my friend is as, “Not my will, but thy will be done.” There are times for stating making him whole and well right now! clearly what we seek to manifest. And there are times when we must let go and let God be God. When we speak of letting go and letting God be Explanation: We have touched on this idea earlier, and it bears further God, we are not speaking of a God outside of us. We are not speaking discussion. Let’s say a person Bill, has a broken leg. You can see that of a heavenly puppet master. We are not speaking of a genie in the sky. it is broken. The doctor sees that it is broken. And Bill knows that it is We are speaking of an innate, totally loving, totally giving spiritually broken. This is the human fact. So, why don’t we affirm that the leg creative energy that is in us, for us and never separate from us (except in heals quickly and speedily and completely? This would be a fine affir- our occasional misguided thinking). So, let us clearly know what we mation. And that affirmation says to the sub-conscious mind that the want, then turn our wants over to the Higher Power within us, trust and healing will happen sometime later. If we can spiritually “see” the leg give thanks. Then rest. And be not attached to the hows, whys or out- already whole and well, the healing occurs at a much quicker pace. comes. Breathe deeply. Let it all go. Eric Butterworth, used to teach, on the subject of prayer, “Our job is IV. Sacred Confidence: What we share in this meeting is not to set the world aright, but to see it rightly. If we see a man as he is, held in sacred confidence. Nothing is repeated outside this we hold him back. If we see him as he can be, we help him become meeting. better.” We are not attempting a “parlor trick” or a “mind game” when Explanation: One of the most important aspects of these group prayer we see the desired result in the present. Jesus taught us to see the fields meetings is confidentiality. We do not discuss what is said in these already ready for the harvest. There are those who would say that Je- meetings outside the meeting. This is essential to creating a safe space sus’ healing miracles with miracles of “time compression”. He shrunk for all to participate openly. If a person feels that he/she will be dis- the amount of time for the lame or the blind to be healed. He said, cussed with others outside of the meeting, that person will not feel safe “Follow me,” and “do the things that I have done.” We are not playing in sharing openly and honestly. The great thing about a safe, confiden- mind games here, we are involving ourselves in a sacred spiritual prac- tial prayer group is that the participants have the opportunity to share tice. We are teaching ourselves and practicing the art of seeing the way what is on their hearts in a way and in a place that may be the only place God sees. God is perfection and God, therefore, cannot perceive imper- they can share in their lives. So we create a safe, respectful, honoring fection. When we learn to practice spiritual seeing, we become chan- environment for all people. This sacred trust is a deeply moving experi- nels through which God can heal, prosper, love, create peace, create ence. Paraphrasing an advertising campaign for a vacation destination, order, create harmony and the like through us. We can be channels for “What goes on here, stays here.” God when we see God in every situation in the present moment.

VII. The group makes this affirmative decree each time an individual makes his/her affirmative decree:

We are grateful that God in the midst of you is responding to your sincere heart’s desire now.

14 19 to the sky to thank God way up there somewhere. God is within. But V. For the purposes of these meetings, prayers are in the guess what? God is also way up there somewhere. The point of locat- form of affirmative decrees. We do not speak of lack, ill- ing God in our prayer time is to know that God is mighty in the midst of ness, unhappiness or anything missing. We speak our sin- us. Eric Butterworth used to say, in working with someone’s healing cere hearts’ desires. All decrees are held in sacred trust, need, “There is an Allness in the illness.” He was saying that the All- with honor. ness of God is within the exact place where healing is needed. There is an Allness in the bank account. There is an Allness in the family that Explanation: This may be a new way of praying for some people in the needs to know who to give and receive love. There is the Allness of group. We are not saying that other ways of praying are wrong. But we God in every point, in every space and in every time. Decree with pow- are teaching the Unity way of affirmative prayer. This way was discov- er that the Allness of God is present and active in everything that your ered and developed by Charles and 125 years ago. It is heart could desire. In truth, every sincere desire of the heart is evidence still used today at Unity’s worldwide prayer ministry Silent Unity. [As of God, knocking at the door of your heart, letting you know that God an aside, if you ever need prayer, any time, night or day, 365 days a has something good in store for you. God is just waiting for you to open year, you can call Silent Unity, toll-free at 1 800 NOW PRAY, which is your mind and heart to your good. Decree your good right now! 1 800 669-7729. They will listen with their hearts and offer you an af- C. Affirmatively decree the desired outcome or manifesta- firmative prayer. It works!] Unity veered away from begging, beseech- tion. ing prayer a long time ago. We do not criticize those who pray that Example: I appreciate that the Indwelling Presence of God is lead- way, but we have found that affirmative prayer is most effective for us. ing me to my right and perfect employment. You see, prayer is not to beg a distant, capricious God for favors. The Explanation: We are reiterating the practice of affirming the desired purpose of prayer is to align our human, mortal, ego minds with the result. We don’t pray for the sick person. We affirm wholeness for that infinite, all-good, all-loving, all-powerful mind of God. God is totally person. Once, in the early days of the Unity movement, finances were a positive. God is the great YES! in the universe and in our lives. We challenge. They did not know if they had enough money to pay the em- have found that our prayers have great power when they are voiced ployees. A worker ran to Myrtle Fillmore and asked her to offer a pray- with positive, affirmative language. And, yes, the Fillmores believed in er that the money holds out. She said, “No, we must pray that our faith the power of the spoken word to transform our lives. holds out.” She knew that in financial crises, money is never the issue. Faith is the issue. Consciousness is the issue. We are all endowed with The great Unity minister and author, Charles Roth taught an amazingly all the faith we need. But where do we place that faith? Do we place it powerful technique. Allow us to share it now. First, one would write a in lack or illness or unhappiness? If we do, then we manifest or draw to list on one side of a piece of paper of all the things that are missing, us lack, illness or unhappiness. Through our affirmative decrees and negative, problematic, painful or just plain not working. These might with the help of others who love and accept us unconditionally, we are be the following: not enough money, unhappy relationships, illness, building consciousness and we are directing our faith in the unlimited lack of direction and so forth. One the other side of the paper one power of God. There has never been lack of any good thing in God. would write the opposite or the positive thing that is desired. Using the There has never been illness in God. There has never been unhappiness, above examples one would write these opposites: plenty of money, strife or hatred in God. We affirm that God in us (or God in our loved happy relationships, perfect health, Divinely inspired direction, and so ones, or God in our country, or God in the economy, etc.) is for us and forth. Are you getting the idea? If we focus on the negatives, the things is providing us with exactly what we desire, what we decree, what we that are missing, we are putting our energy on the very things we do not think about, what we feel and what we talk about. want, the things we want to be rid of. So, we acknowledge what is not working in our lives, but we don’t continue to place our energy there. We place our energy on the positive opposites, and

18 15 thereby, we draw to us the energy that is required to acquire what we do changes the one doing the praying. It opens the consciousness to re- want in our lives. That’s the principle that has worked miracles in mil- ceive. Keeping the statement positive convinces the sub-conscious lions of lives over the past 125 years. mind that we really do desire this thing we are affirming. Pay particular We also want to add a word about timing. We must make our affirma- attention to your feelings while you are making your decree. The for- tions in the present tense. We do not make our in the fu- mula for empowering our lives and our prayers is thinking plus feeling ture. For example, we do not affirm, “I will be well soon. I will have equals demonstration or manifestation. Be careful not to cancel out plenty of money someday. I will have happy, loving relationships in the your thoughts and spoken words with negative feelings. Sometimes we future.” We make these decrees in this manner: “I give thanks for my might affirm prosperity and at the same time be feeling: “I am not wor- perfect health now. I give thanks that I am prosperous now. I am grate- thy” or “This will never work”. Part of the reason for group prayer is to ful for my beautiful, happy, loving relationships this very moment.” help us overcome our negative feelings about ourselves, others, the You see, we have a powerful sub-conscious mind, which is very much world or even God. Unfortunately there are those times when we have like a computer. It gives back to us whatever we put into it. If we put felt that we did not deserve blessings, that others have mistreated us or garbage in, we get garbage out. If we put good stuff in, we get good that God has abandoned us. Our feelings will ultimately follow our pre- stuff out. If we tell the sub-conscious mind that someday we will have dominantly-held thoughts, attitudes and believes. But sometimes it takes what we desire, that someday is always at a future time, that we never a while to overcome a lifetime of negative programming. You can do it. seem to reach. So, decree what you do want with thanksgiving now, Stick with it! Your good is now on the way to you! and God and the universe will rush in to support you, uplift you and bless you. This is the way of consciousness. And working with others B. State the name or nature of God and God’s location. who honor you and believe in you and decree the positive things with Example: I give thanks that God in me [provides the affirmation you is the way to strengthen your consciousness and help you create the that I am now decree- life you truly desire and truly deserve. ing______. VI. The form of the affirmative decrees: Explanation: When the group has completed the first four steps, it is Explanation: The Reverend Stretton Smith created a magnificent spir- time for each person to speak his/her affirmative decrees. In the old- itual program for demonstrating prosperity. It is called The 4T Prosperi- fashioned way of prayer groups, we would call these the prayer re- ty Program. In this program he teaches what he saw as the Silent Unity quests. Note here that each person has the opportunity to state in the Way to Pray. He called it 3-Column Prayer: Column 1: State the name affirmative his/her decrees. One at a time, after each person speaks his/ of God. Column 2: State the location of God. Column 3: State the de- her decrees, the group will make its positive decree, as stated in number sired result. We have modified that practice by adding thanksgiving at VII. the beginning. Stretton observed that saying the name of God, however Begin with giving thanks. For example, state something we think of God, is a positive and helpful practice. There are lots of like: I give thanks [Then state the affirmation, such as names for God, Love, Omnipotence, Divine Mind, Spirit, and so on. “for healing” or “or for prosperity” and so on.] Use the name that works for you. In the Bible, names usually stood for ______the nature of the person or place. So, what is the nature of God, in your ______understanding? Is it love, all-good, everywhere present divine energy? ______. You choose what your highest understanding of God is, and use that. Explanation: This form of praying or affirming may seem a little stilted Stretton also found it helpful to state God’s location. This is an interest- or contrived at first. Keep an open mind, the beginner’s mind. Thanks- ing idea. Many people think of God as “The Man Upstairs”. Eric But- giving terworth used to cringe when he would watch

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