Seminary Program

This is where we post the essays from many of our Universal Life Church Seminary students. When students finish a ULC course, they write a comprehensive essay about their experiences with the course, what they learned, didn't learn, were inspired by, etc. Here are their essays.

Search This Blog

Friday, May 12, 2006

Spiritual Awareness

Spiritual Awareness ProgramAs I would sit weekly reading and re-reading my lessons for the Masters In Awareness course I was struck not by the new-ness of information that it was imparting to me but by the verification that these are universal and eternal lessons. I did not have a real « a-ha » moment but spent a great deal of time nodding my head in agreement. Agreement in that this course was a continuation and affirmation of all my previous studies. It brought to light the validity of starting from the very beginning in finding my sacred space and making it my refuge to commune with the Spirit and my own spirit and give myself the ability to absorb the lessons I need to learn.


I firmly believe in two emotions and two emotions only : Love and Fear. And that was no more evident than in the lesson on Dealing with Fear. If you hone down each emotion to its essence you will see any negative feelings – hate, jealousy, anxiousness, anxiety, greed, can be distilled down to fear. Conversely, if you examine all positive emotions you will see their essence is intrinsically love – joy, elation, empathy, admiration, et al. With that knowledge you can examine your reactions and actions and make a concerted effort to come from a place of love and heal that which comes from a place of fear… but that knowledge can’t be attained overnight.


My 7 year old son and I were having a discussion about energy and energy fields around people and he just couldn’t wrap his mind around it at first. He had come into my room and was standing over me, my eyes were closed, and I said « Hi, honey ». He asked how I could have possibly known he was there. I told him I felt his energy. I asked him to close his eyes and be still for a moment, then I put my face close to his, he squealed that he could feel me ! I also explained that energy was in everything and some energy fields are quite big and some are quite close to the person or thing and it depended on their life force. To him this was a revelation, to me it was a further example of our interconnectedness. But it also is a prime example of how energy can be exchanged from entity to entity. A room of negative people can permeate a positive person’s energy and it takes a lot of work to protect one’s self from absorbing that energy. Energy is so blatantly moved around on very unconscious and sometime conscious levels. No wonder our world is filled with so much destruction and misery. Energy can influence so insidiously. However, I do believe there is a shift in the universal consciousness taking place and the horrors of our universe are slowly being recognized. Thus, those on the path to enlightenment are endeavoring to purge the negative energy or at the very least show how the power of loving energy can practically move mountains.

Intuition is a powerful tool to assist us in living more spirit driven lives and making good choices that affect us personally, within our community, and on our planet. When we can tap into our intuitive centre and quieten ourselves long enough to acknowledge the signs and directions we should take, I believe our lives can be on a more inspired path. The challenge is not to dismiss our intuition as just wishful thinking, coincidence, fantasy, or an overactive imagination. As children we are so pure and unspoiled by the bombardment of « can’t, don’t, shouldn’t, impossible » et al. Children are receptive vessels to their surroundings, completely. And those surroundings are from many planes. They open their minds to gentle nudgings from places they may not understand but then again, do not question. They are taught to hate and fear and judge. It is amazing to see a child with no judgment ask someone in a wheel chair why they are there or question everything or challenge everything. In their innocence confrontation does not exist just curiosity and wonder. My son used to talk about the spirit in our attic when he was 1 ½. He described the man in detail and the man’s sadness. He would not go in the attic by himself not because he was afraid this person he saw would do him harm but because the man was so sad and he wanted us to help him feel better. AMAZING.

I find myself more and more being introduced to like-minded people. People on a path of self renewal and discovery. A casual word to a friend, a chance meeting on the street, a conversation that takes a prophetic turn. When I least expect it, the right thing happens at the right time to supply me with answers, direction, inspiration and guidance. Therefore, when I make a point of tuning in to my Higher Power and making the effort to absorb that which I need to know, there is a paradigm shift in the atmosphere around me. An almost surreal transcendence of that which is earth bound and that which is ethereal. Once I am able to blend the two as seamlessly as possible in this realm, I find a blissful calm comes over me and I can handle whatever comes my way. I am in sync with the universe. And when there is no flow I know I am out of balance and not taping into the Higher Power for guidance. Or at the very least not keeping myself receptive to Spirit. Granted, it is a long, sometimes arduous journey but one worth making. One that teaches me something everyday. One that will hopefully radiate from me and make me a positive force in the universe.


For now I see our spirituality not so much tied into any formal religious affiliation but as a way to live more thoughtful, compassionate, non-judgmental and loving lives. Being open to the journey without fear and confident we are provided for in every aspect.



Rev. KaZ Brownlee


*******************************

The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church  minister supplies. Since being ordained with the Universal Life Church for so many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've watch the huge change and growth that has continued to happen.



Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

No comments: