St. Paul

"Master of St. Paul". The subject and title seems a bit ironic because of St. Paul's service and dedication to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Non the less I found this course to be informative and I enjoyed the weekly assignments. The teaching techniques used are effective in that they make the student research the course material. I do find however that Lesson 16 "Admitting that you are a Sinner", to be more of a sermon and less of a lesson. It seems to be a bit more personal to the instructor than to the student. The lesson would be better served in my opinion if the focus on sin was from various perspectives using more study on actual transgression as in the Old Testament on the transgression of law.

However when studying the life of arguably the greatest missionary, theologian and writer of the early church this course does a good job of covering Paul as one of the most important figures in the New Testament. Paul's gospel indicted all of humanity for the crime of rejecting God and His rightful authority. Under the influence of Adam's sin, mankind plunged into the depths of depravity so that they were utterly unable to the righteous demands of God and deserved only the wrath of God. Consequently, the sinners only hope was the gospel which embodied God's power to save those who had faith in Christ which was the focus of Paul's gospel. Paul affirmed Jesus' humanity and His deity and the fact the Jesus was a physical descendant from the from the line of David.

In his years as a Pharisee, Paul's initial and adamant rejection of Jesus as the Messiah may largely have been motivated by Jesus' ignorable death. Death by crucifixion was indicative of divine curse. Certainly the Messiah could not have died under the curse of God. But when Paul wrote his first epistle, this death curse was recognized as the grounds for substitutionary atonement. (Gal.3:10-14) Paul explained that the idea of a crucified Messiah was a stumbling block to the Jews. This gospel would later lead to plotting his death and several attempts on his life. Yet through all of his life's challenges after his conversion he never spoke in anger or arrogance but always in love and patience. But he knew that he would suffer after his vision from God, "This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before Gentiles, kings and the sons of Israel. I will certainly show him how much he must suffer for MY name !".

Paul's missions were initially met with suspicion from Church leaders but Barnabas intervened in is behalf and when meeting with Peter and James, the Lord's brother, and he is on his way to teach for several years. The pillars of the Church Peter, John, and James approved the no-Law gospel preached by Paul and his focus on Gentile evangelism. "No-law" of course referring to Paul and Branabas' journey to Jerusalem to settle the circumcision matter. Still as a result of this matter, the Law-free gospel does not encourage unrighteous behavior in believers.

History tells us that Paul was probably a man of above intelligence considering his years of Rabbinic training and by his own words in Gal.1:14, "I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors". Though zealous, his knowledge would have taken a great deal of reading, work and study. Yet after Christ appeared to him as the resurrected and glorified Christ in blinding radiance on his way to Damascus, Saul immediately surrendered to His authority and went into the city to await further orders. There his blindness was healed and he received the Holy Spirit and accepted believers baptism.

I take great solace and comfort in the example set by Paul. His amazing display of courage and faith to endure the prison's, the death threats, ship wrecks and other situations that may have never been recorded in the annals of history are truly are a testament of his never ending faith and belief in God's work. His gospel of salvation that is so freely given to humankind through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and our union with Jesus through faith is our liberation from sin, death, and allows us to help one another mature, to serve Christ, and glorify Him, which is the highest purpose.

I thank you once again for offering this course.

Gods blessings upon you all.

Rev. Dennis Zerull

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

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.

Celestine Prophecy

The Insight Into Awareness course is based on the ten insights presented in the Celestine Prophecy. It is a wonderful course that can be easily applied to provide intense spiritual growth. I loved this course!

The First Insight is the awakening. It talks about an awakening that is currently occurring on the planet. There is a critical mass of people who are experiencing their lives as a spiritual unfolding through meaningful and mysterious coincidences. As we begin to pay attention to the coincidences, we notice more of them. This is the realization that the divine is leading us in a particular direction to fulfill our mission. Many times we do not recognize the “blessing in disguise” until later. An example in my life was when I decided to take a class in herbal medicine. I loved it and thought it was fun, so I became involved in an herbal apprenticeship class for 7 months. I still wanted to know more after that 7 month class, so I decided to look for a degree program and found one that fit my needs (and budget). Five years later, I have a doctorate in natural health and will open a business in a few years when the finances allow for it. This will help me fulfill my mission of helping others with their health and stress.

The Second Insight is called the “longer now”. People are becoming more aware of the purpose of our lives on this planet and the real nature of the universe. We are spiritual beings with a spiritual nature. This new focus replaces the preoccupation with technology and the gaining of material comforts. In the past, I was always focused on my career, being promoted and being a super-achiever. At a point in time (when my Dad passed away), I became much more focused on spirituality. My focus increased considerably when my mother passed away a couple of years later.

The Third Insight is about energy and the fact that our universe is composed of dynamic energy, not matter as we had previously thought. This energy is sacred and through projections, people can focus this energy and increase the number and pace of the coincidences. Wherever we focus our energy, is where the energy flows. I became aware of this truth with my Reiki training and am now a Reiki master. With the constant use of Reiki, my understanding of this truth expands.

The Fourth Insight makes us aware that we are in a struggle for power. Too often we cut ourselves off from the source of energy. We tend to compete for other people’s energy by wanting attention. This competition for scarce human energy is what causes conflict. This insight explains why there is conflict within families—especially between parents and children.

The Fifth Insight teaches us that when we tap the source of divine energy within us, all of the conflict and violence ceases. This is the message of the mystics. Once we make this connection, we feel light and a constant sensation of love. I have found one way of making this connection is through meditation and Reiki.

The Sixth Insight show us when we tend to lose connection… usually when we are under stress. We become aware of when we manipulate other people’s energy and steal it. The more we become aware of when we are connected and when we lose connection, the more connected we will stay.

We also must recognize what our parents gave us, how we are using it and then clear the past so we can eliminate our control dramas. This opens us up to aligning with our spiritual path more clearly. I find I lose connection when under stress. I am trying to become more aware of every situation in which I do this.

The Seventh Insight is about engaging the flow of energy once we become aware of our personal mission. Once we are in the flow of energy, the coincidences increase, we daydream and have meaningful dreams to find answers to our questions. At some point there will be synchronicities that when we have a question, it will be answered intuitively by another person. This has occurred for me on several occasions. Usually, the answer comes from my husband a day or so before I ask the question!

The Eight Insight teaches us the interpersonal ethic and how to conduct our relationships. We need to uplift everyone that comes into our lives and be careful not to lose our inner connection with our romantic relationships. It is easy to become co-dependent on another’s energy. It teaches how to project energy to others and handle family situations. This is one insight that I will use from now on.

The Ninth Insight is about our evolution to spiritual beings through synchronistic growth and attainment of higher energy states. We will eventually end the cycle of birth and death and will unite the afterlife dimension with the physical dimension of earth. I work with Reiki to continually attain higher energy states.

The Tenth Insight is about fulfilling our birth vision in remembering how to live this spirituality on earth. This spirituality is what all humans have strived to accomplish. Once we remember that we are here on assignment, we will pull a fuller vision of what we wanted to accomplish while on earth and be able to live it. I have the vision of what I wanted to accomplish and that is helping others through counseling. Living it on a daily basis is a challenge.

As I have a strong interest in the Celestine Vision, I went a little further and found that there is now an Eleventh Insight that talks about extending prayer fields. Every religion and sacred writing refers to the power of prayer, positive thinking, etc. Using a prayer form of holding a vision of intention for a spiritual world, we are helping to transform the world into spiritual form. I have been participating in a global prayer forum where many people hold a positive vision for the world together.

There is a Twelfth Insight under development. Stay tuned!

Rev. Patricia Buben

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

The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Spiritual Awareness, 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.

Comparative Religion

The discipline of comparative religion is a field that studies the practice and evolution of religion. There is little emphasis placed on the personal practice of religion, nor is there any pressure to follow a particular religion. I must say that this is one of the finest courses offered by the ULC Seminary and I would very highly recommend it to anyone seeking a greater understanding of the abstract practice and the functional phenomenon of religion.

Rev. Kythera Ann takes a very mature and exceptionally delicate approach to what could be a very volatile subject and provides an exceptional amount of information in a manner that allows to student to observe and analyze not only the information about world religions, but also their how own beliefs and belief system came into being, in both an academic and personal manner, allowing for the individual to develop a greater sense of what their own beliefs really are, and how they practice their chosen religion.

I gained a much greater understanding of the active exercise of religion and how religion is practiced both historically and world-wide. The instructor’s ability to collect, analyze and connect related themes from diverse religions, times and cultures; and then present these concepts in a manner that does not offend, is quite impressive. I looked forward to the many links and other ancillary information the instructor provided for me to examine and consider and I actively studied and researched as much as possible to gain a greater understanding of both the concepts she presented in her discourses and the underlying themes that connected these sometimes disparate-seeming concepts.

Although the amount of work required is difficult to coordinate into an already overburdened schedule, it is well worth the effort – I went with less sleep, was late for work, missed meals and still felt rewarded and satisfied, knowing that I was being provided an excellent education on a topic that has been my interest for many years.

Rev. Kythera Ann’s discourses on sacred space and place were a marvelous overview of what makes a particular location important to a religion. The opportunity to examine maps, numerous images, extensive links and thoughtful descriptions really opened up the concept of ‘holy place’ for me, allowing me the opportunity to more fully develop my own sense of what is sacred space.

Regretfully, the only way I can suggest to make this course any better would be to have it occur in real-time – this would allow for students to actively engage in discussion about the finer points of the discourses. But, with the hectic schedules that many of us have, the luxury of logging on to an live e-course regularly is just not feasible. I believe that the ULC Seminary message boards will have to remain the compromise solution on this.

I would gladly take other courses from this instructor and would strongly recommend that others do so as well. I cannot state strongly enough how through, sensitive and well presented this course was. Without reservations, I would recommend this course to everyone within the ULC Seminary.

Douglas Grant

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

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.

Christian Religion

Wow, this course really challenged me. I am not a Christian and there were many times throughout this course where I threw down my printouts in disgust over the ludicrous things that were being presented to me “holy.” Having said that, I learned a great deal about Christianity, both as it is practiced, and the sometimes convoluted path that it follows to connect its tenets to that practice. I can also say that I have a much greater understanding of the Christian Bible and found much within it to make it a ‘good book.’

Although I doubt whether I will ever agree with many of the beliefs that Christianity holds, the fundamental principles of fellowship, charity and community are very positive. To be provided the opportunity observe the early roots of the Christian religion and its formative text was an enlightening experience. I discovered that, like any religion, there are great moments and terrible moments and it is the combination of these that has allowed Christianity to become the largest religion currently in existence.

I must say that I was quite disappointed with the manner in which this course was presented. The instructor is obviously a strong proponent for Christianity and peppers all of their discussions with arguments for the conversion to the Christian faith. In an academic environment, this is abhorrent to me. I feel that this course should be considered for revision, I feel that this course comes dangerously close to being propaganda for a religion. Although I have not taken any courses specific to other religions, I would hope that I either 1. do not find the same bias there or 2. find the exact same bias universally presented. Anything less than one of these items would be to allow one religion to seek supremacy over another.

Be very careful if you take this course, it might change your mind.

Rev. Douglas Grant

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

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.

ULC Monastery Not Affiliated with headquarters

CHANGES AT THE UNIVERSAL LIFE CHURCH

ULC - Universal Life Church & Online Seminary This is an important announcement regarding some changes that have been happening at the Universal Life Church.

For additional, independent verification of what's going on, click Monastery.

As some of you are aware, the ulc.org site has changed hands. Due to a series of unconfirmed circumstances, there was an abrupt change of leadership and ownership of the ulc.org domain name and site. It is currently in the control of George Freeman and his associates, currently signing the site as 'Br. Martin'. The circumstances of this change are in dispute among the parties. With the announcement going out, I felt it necessary to add a page to the Seminary site to let people know what's going on.

For many years, the ulc.org site was owned by Daniel Zimmerman. Many of you have had dealings with him and have formed your own opinions as to his honesty and integrity. Until recently, the ulc.org site (known as The Monastery) was an authorized site affiliated with headquarters.

As of August 1, 2006, that is no longer the case. From that point on, if you were ordained at the ulc.org site, your ordination was not sent to headquarters, nor were you recorded as being a legal minister with the Universal Life Church. If you have any links on your own website to the ulc.org site, I strongly urge you to change the links to www.ulcseminary.org, or to headquarters, to avoid sending anyone to a site that might confuse people as to its true intentions.

The new site still implies a connection between them and ULC Headquarters in Modesto, but no such affiliation exists. We fear this is going to be causing a lot of confusion and misunderstandings among the ministers of the ULC and we hope that, over time, word will spread and those who wish to affiliate with the ULC will steer clear. I believe that Andre Hensley, at headquarters, will be issuing (or may have already issued) a press release, Wikipedia has been changed, and the word is spreading.

Any products you purchase from that site do not have the sanction of headquarters, nor the blessing of the Bureau for Private Post-secondary and Vocational Education, so proceed with that awareness.

If you are worried in any way that your ordination is in question, please re-ordain yourself on this site or at headquarters directly. Only those ordinations done after Aug. 1st, 2006, on the ulc.org site are in question. To affiliate yourself with this site, please make sure you are signed up to receive the newsletter so you will be kept abreast of everything happening with the ulc.

I hope this answers your questions. If you have any others, please feel free to ask me at amy@ulcseminary.org.

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

To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for free, for life, right now, click on the Free Online Ordination link.

Rev. Long created the ULC seminary site to help ministers learn and grow their ministries. The Seminary offers a huge catalog of materials for ministers of the Universal Life Church. 

Comparative Religion

What I gained from this course.

Comparative Religion Final Essay by Rev. Barbara Stewart

This was an interesting course. I am completing the course with a much better understanding of the history of religion. It is quite amazing how religion has evolved throughout the ages. I found that I had a great opportunity to learn religions vocabulary that I had not taken time to learn – which gives me a much more keen sense of connectability with other religions.

I also believe I have a better focus on building my ministerial relationship with others of varied religion. I hope to share this information to help build bridges between our different cultures so that we might all have humankind’s best interest at heart.

What you liked best in this course.

This course was designed very well. I believe it was written in very understandable language, even when it was dealing with complex material.

The way the different religions were detailed from their similarities to their differences was clear, interesting and enlightening. I also appreciated the additional informational resources and assignments at the end of each lesson. All of that additional material is a wonderful resource to further my studies. I plan to add many of those books and websites to my library at home, and the one I am compiling on my internet site.

I also enjoyed the activities section. My discussion group found some of the activities very insightful.

What you liked least about this course.

I live in a rural area in the middle of Kansas. Believe it or not, we are still on dial up so our internet connection is quite slow. Just opening the lesson, took sometimes up to 30 minutes. The lessons with a large number of graphics took even longer to load.

How you think these discourses could be improved.

My reference above regarding the slow download time would be my first recommendation to improve the readability and functionality of the discourses. Maybe you could consider making the main discourse with either smaller resolution graphics, or just add the graphics as an option at the bottom of the page along with the reference materials. In regards to the discourse material, I believe it was very well written as an introduction to Comparative Religion and I do not have any recommendations for improvement.

Any other comments.

I greatly appreciate the fact that you are offering this and other discourses online for us to learn from. As I mentioned earlier, being from central Kansas, can be a challenge in regards to having access to fast internet technology. It can also be a challenge to find classes and workshops in our area to learn this type of material. Online opportunities such as this, help to keep us connected to material and studies with people from around the world. Thank you!

Would you be interested in taking other courses from Rev. Kythera Ann?

Yes, I would. I would also be interested to know if I can use this material, referencing Rev. Kythera Ann as the author in small study groups in my area. I have started a ‘Circle of Intention’ Spirit Quest group and this information would be of great value to the group.

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

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.

Spirit Quest

I joined the Universal Life Church by requesting ordination on September 3, 2007, because I had been out of active parish ministry for several years, yet, from time to time people asked me to perform weddings, and I felt that I should be connected to and be in good standing with an ordaining body. At the time, I was worshiping in a Lutheran church, but I was ordained in the United Methodist Church many years ago. Little did I know that my affiliation with a church that had no specific theology would lead me on a spiritual journey that I thought had been completed many years ago.

My spiritual journey began as a young teenager questioning our church’s contention that we had the “truth” and everyone else in the world was in darkness. At the time, our church had a worldwide membership of about half of a million, with a global population approaching three billion. The concept that God had a message that was revealed to such a small percentage of the total human population was troubling to me. I received instruction in our faith three times. Our pastor, who was the head pastor of a church with a membership in excess of two thousand five hundred, took a great deal of time with me when I was sixteen, trying to convince me to become baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He even told my mother that if I wasn't baptized, the loss of my soul would be upon her head. After one year of work, I still refused baptism. Although I lived in a university community, and all my neighbors and family members were members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, I was not convinced.

After college, I entered the United States Air Force during the heart of the Vietnam conflict. I continued my spiritual journey by reading the works of Indian and Chinese philosophers and studying Buddhism. I also took instruction in the Roman Catholic Faith, as I had been told as a child that Roman Catholics had torture chambers in their churches, for the time when they would turn against Seventh-day Adventists to torture and kill us. Instruction in the faith lead to baptism in the Roman Catholic Church, though I never totally accepted all their theology. As I look back on my life, I see it more as a protest to my early indoctrination. I have found lots of bingo players in the church, but never once did I locate a torture chamber, and few Catholics have even heard of a Seventh-day Adventist. The one element I learned to love was the liturgical tradition and ceremony of the Church.

In 1975, following the fall of Saigon, I was transferred to Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, where I met a practicing Buddhist at a workshop. He invited me to a meeting, they fed me, and I practiced Buddhism for about two years, learning a great deal, but feeling that I had moved to an alien tradition before fully exploring my own. I spent the last two years on active duty worshiping in the Episcopal Church in Colorado Springs.

In 1980, I received a call to ministry in a Methodist church and returned to California. I served the congregation for eight years, and then moved into Social Work. When my program went away, I moved into teaching. Through the years, I continued to worship with Christian congregations, and continued my ministry as a teacher and preacher. When my daughters asked me the tough questions and I gave honest answers, it became clear that I was really very liberal and had a universal view on spiritual matters. I had not given much thought to the fact that my spiritual views had continued to evolve. It simply became clear, when I was answering questions, that some of my views had become quite heretical.

After receiving ordination in the Universal Life Church, I set out to discover as much as I could about the organization and beliefs. I took several courses through the headquarters and developed a clear understanding of Bishop Henley’s ideas. When I discovered the ULC Seminary, I took four courses, including Spirit Quest. Although I had not expected to undergo a radical paradigm shift, it occurred over the eight months of this course. For the first time, I was able to harmonize all my ideas under one roof. All the religious ideas, from indigenous, to Eastern and Western that had been incorporated into my spirituality, finally fit into a systematic whole. Metaphysics works to tie everything together for me. Furthermore, through meditation, I was able to experience the reality of my new belief system.

Whenever I am stressed, which occurs quite frequently as a high school teacher, I ground myself and create a protection rose. It is amazing how much easier it has become to deal with the negative energy that flows from and between my students. I clear out the energy at the end of each class. Although there is still conflict form time to time, I have experienced a great reduction, and please understand that many of my students are gang members from opposing gangs. Most of my students are from a low socioeconomic background and many experience physical and psychological abuse at home. What amazes me is that they can function as well as they do. With the implementation of many of your techniques, I am able to survive the year.

In many respects, this course has been life changing for me. I am more relaxed and am gaining understanding of my purpose in this existence. I look forward to beginning a new course as I continue on my spiritual journey.

Rev. Richard Alan Helmerson

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

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.

COMPARATIVE RELIGION

Comparative Religion

I do not have any religious training and have not attended "churches". I have however maintained my own connection to nature and with what I call my spirituality which encompasses all of me and my work and my world. This course was my first exposure to some of this material and I really enjoyed it. I had heard many of the terms and concepts but appreciated the broader perspective and simply written language.

I gained a much broader perspective from this course on Eastern and Western religious thought. I was able to connect the truths contained in each tradition or religion and to use that in working with my clients and to continue my own learning and understanding. I can reach out to others with more confidence. The clients I work with are multicultural/religious/non-religious. I am a person who works to assist people in reclaiming their personal power and to reach for others by listening deeply.

I learned definitions and concepts in an organized way and liked the way the course was outlined and progressed. I liked the exploration of less dominant belief systems and the history of the cultures and how religion was formed. I liked the charts, photos and historical information. The graphs and illustrations added to my understanding.

I appreciated the comparing and contrasting through text, picture and stories. I remember the comparing of the Flood Stories in all the different religions. And really liked the honoring of the goddess tradition. This is perhaps the area that I have studied the most.

Some of the terminology and intellectual definitions and discussions on technical issues, although I found them necessary, I did not find that as interesting like - Esoteric vs Exoteric. I did, however, like the discussions on the Esoteric Traditions more.

I learned about differences between prayer, meditation and contemplation - which many people interchange. I liked reading information that I had only briefly read about like the word 'Amen'. I appreciated how chants and mantra's are natural and have been used to transcend religious traditions all over the world. I liked that I could click on a link and hear music. I did not know that viewing a written copy of a mantra is said to have the same effect.

I attended a chant workshop that Rabbi Shefa Gold held here in Houston. I liked the sample meditation which allows for anyone to meditate. I have not typically liked to meditate and studying the material I began to sit sometimes. I can clear my mind very quickly and think that I meditate already but not like most people.

I liked how the course bounced back and forth between modern and ancient texts, photo's, graphics. And made comparisons, like the link to the end times perspectives. I liked that each discourse compared and contrasted and gave supporting information and history.

I liked the resources and activities and found that not only did I have many of them but I was able to enlarge my library and even read a few like the Egyptian Book of the Dead which I did not have. I was able to go back and review many of the books that I already have read like Joel Goldsmith's work The Art of Mediation, one of my first books over 20 years ago and Thomas Merton's Contemplative Prayer and my very first book When God was a Woman by Merlin Stone. I liked following many of the links to broaden my perspective.

I especially liked the Jewish perspective and resources. I have been studying Jewish Renewal and appreciate leaders like Rabbi's Shefa Gold, David Cooper, Arthur Waskow, Starhawk and Sylvia Boorstein among others. Jewish Mysticism is most interesting to me as a spiritual practice and rounds out my Wiccan and Women's Spirituality studies. The discourse on Shamanic traditions clarified the existence in almost all cultures of nature spirits and angels.

I liked the whole course, found it very interesting and often wanted the course to come more often than weekly. I looked forward to Sunday's. It seemed to be well researched and I learned what the course intended - to broaden my understanding and to reach for people who might come from a different religious tradition. It has helped to be knowledgeable when listening to a person and understanding from a deeper perspective what they are speaking about. In clarifying for myself or them that I understand it assists in connecting.

Thank you for providing such a comprehensive course, well written, illustrated, documented and comprehensive. I would be interested in other courses. 

Rev. Linda Bedre

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

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.

A Course In Miracles

Let me first begin by thanking Dr. Siani for this most insightful and truly enlightening course. It has been a pleasure to take this journey with her. I have learned much and will apply these teachings along with those taught by other wonderful spiritual leaders and teachers. I believe that we all come from one source and at some point when our current form is longer present or needed we will return to this same source. I know this source to be God. The knowing needs no explanation from a book or any other outside source but comes from deep within the unmanifested space between my thoughts, the inner space that cannot be explained. "The peace that passeth all understanding " as St. Paul wrote. I therefore place my trust in Gods hands and listen to His voice which directs my efforts an directs my mind on a daily basis even when my ego wants to take over. "Nothing real can be threatened, nothing unreal can exist. Herein lies the peace of God". "This is the fundamental distinction between the real and unreal" as the Course in Miracles reads. This has been the fundamental basis of my journey in this unreal world of perception. To know is a wonderful truth. A truth of love. A truth of God.

The Course states that "Perfect loves casts out fear, if fear exists, then there is not perfect love. But: Only perfect love exists. If there is fear, it produces a state that does not exist". What a simple yet perfect truth which is overlooked because of our unconsciousness. This simple truth produces the state of "miracle readiness" which is a basis for Metaphysics. Of course Metaphysics by its very nature dates back to Aristotle himself who introduced the idea of matter in general to the Western world and the nature of the mind to the body. This than raises central questions of Metaphysics. Mind and matter, identity and change,space and time, religion and spirituality.

But what is Metaphysics? By definition Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy investigating principles of reality transcending those of any particular science, traditionally, cosmology and ontology. It is concerned with explaining the ultimate truth of being and the world. The meaning derived from the Greek words meta' and physika' have overtime become meta to mean beyond; above; transcending and physics referring to those works on matter. Therefore, metaphysics is also the study of that which transcends physics. There are three parts which comprise Metaphysics.

First being Ontology of the study of Being and existence which include definitions and classification of entities, physical or mental, the nature of their properties, and the nature of change.

Second. Natural theology, the study of God which involves topics the nature of religion and the world, existence of the divine, questions about Creation and numerous religious and spiritual issues that concern the humankind in general.

Third. Universal science or first philosophy. "Being in terms of "being". Topics such as causality, substance, species and elements, as well as notions of relation, interaction, and finitude.

In most cases, subjects that can be taken with regards to any of the metaphysics questions are endorsed by one or another philosopher or student. In some cases, subjects of metaphysical scholarship have been found to be entirely physical and natural, thus making them part physics proper as is the case with Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity. There are those of course who are critical of Metaphysics. This is in part attributed to the ego and the lack of understanding based on fear. It does not matter what the opinions are to me because I accept them as they are. This is to accept the unacceptable or not to accept the unacceptable. This is the choice we all inherently share.

I submit and have learned that one can only be present because that is all there ever is. No past or future will ever change the fact that there is only the present. The future will come as the present and things accomplished in the past were done in the present. The present is where God exists. This is the meaning of "I am the Alpha and the Omega" or as Jesus said "before Abraham was I am ". This is beautifully illustrated in this course by Dr. Siani. Humankind has become addicted and become a prisoner of its own thought. The non stop thinking and creating of illusions. There can be no spiritual awakening until this creating of illusions coupled by fear ceases. There can be no God consciousness until we let go absolutely of ego. We may get glimpses of it until we allow our thinking to once again take over. The key is to practice presence. Allowing things to happen and not trying to force the true nature of things not in our control. Patience, love, surrender and forgivness. "Miracles happen to miracle minded people". This is a lesson that have relearned in this course. Miracles are all around us. It is in the knowing that they occur and it is in the knowing that we receive them.

As I continue my journey I try and look within rather than only without. The inner awareness that awakens the formless essence of who we truly are is only part of the God consciousness that we all posses. The ultimate transformation that will eventually occur in us all goes far beyond any human understanding. Yet this transformation must occur in order to close the gap of separation from God. When this occurs nothing unreal can exist and nothing real can be threatened.

I send you my love and may God bless you all on your journey.

by Rev. Dennis Walter Zerull

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

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.

Druidism

My Connection to Druidism and What I Learned From the Course

The study of Druidism was one I took on initially because of my grandmother. Maud Elizabeth Toward Jemison was from Great Britain and moved to Canada in 1900 to live on her own. She was a very tall and beautiful woman and although she had no formal education beyond the basic schooling of her time she was well learned and very intelligent. She married my grandfather, Thomas Melville Jemison, in 1909 and moved from Canada to Spokane, Washington. She never spoke much about her history but would often speak of the old ways. Nana, as I called her, definitely appreciated the natural life and kept a special garden. The thing that always amazed me was that she just seemed to know things that others did not. She kept to herself most of the time but has abilities I never saw with others. When asked she would just answer “they are the old ways.” I never understood what she was speaking of until I started learning about my heritage and this is what brought me to the study of Druidism.

Because the Druids used an oral history it is very hard to follow the migration of the clan or group over the early years of history. History states that the Galatians in Asia were the peoples later know as the Celts and it is know that they practiced human sacrifice at a central shrine Druneneton (oak-sanctuary.) Despite this indication of veneration for the oak, there is no evidence the Druids existed among the Galatians. Although it is thought by Diodorus that the learned men of Galatia were what were later called Druids He did not call them by name but used the term philosophers and told of them being able to do many things to include being versed in the divine things. He states in battle they stood between the two waring parties to try to gain peace and were also able to place spells on wild animals. The latter history of the Druids is much easier to pick up after the travels of the Celts to what is now The British Isles and this is where we find the truth and the fantasy of what the Druid is to many peoples. In his introduction to The Druids, Peter Berresford Ellis quotes the French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss who said: “There are no final truths; the scientific mind does not so much provide the right answers as ask the right questions.” And as Peter Ellis points out to understand Druid history and practices, many correct questions must be asked.

I find my self thinking of Gandalf the Wizard in the Tolkien novels or Merlin of Arthurian legend when I think of the Druids. This of course is the romantic notion of the learned old man who helps people to learn right from wrong and gives tales to bring understanding. It is the idea that there is a back and white to all events and with understanding it is possible to find a correct answer. When I study my family history I can see the connection the people of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales had with the old beliefs. I can see the elder or Druid standing up at time of battle or at a time when a reading of law must be given. I also can see the poets, musicians, seers, and diviners that were traveling the lands. It is said that what is called Celtic Christianity has many hold-over ideas of Druid practices. The ideas were taken as part of the church holidays and practices when the Romans were in control of what is now the British Isles. During the 18th Century there was resurgence in the Druid ideals and the romantic notions of the 19th Century perpetuated this.

There is of course other sides to the Druids and as archeological findings show a more complete history with evidence of their early history we will have a better picture of the early life of these peoples. It seems that each year more is found and a truer picture is unfolding of how they lived, their beliefs, and what was actually taught to others. As scientific processes advance so does out understanding of peoples of long ago. I have also studied this part of the culture of the Druid and the Celtic Peoples.

There are many Groves, as organizations of Druids are called, now in many countries. Several groups offer the training in song, story, and practices necessary to advance through the profession of Druid training. Total training can take many years to advance and have knowledge of all the gifts.

The Druids were leaders of society and the left many ideas for others to follow. I have often wondered if the abilities of peoples who came to what is now North American did not bring many of the teachings given to them by the Druids of old. The healing, the ability to tell a good story while teaching, the way of living off the land, etc. Some of the early settlers were thought of as not being part of the city mainstream but their ability to live, teach, and help others in many ways show a special training that was received at some point in their lives in the old country. One does not need to be a scholar to learn if taught properly in a manner that can be understood by all.

The class was a pleasure to take and has led me to other areas to continue my study of Druid history and practices. I found that each lesson built on the one before it and gave time to fully understand a concept before a new one was offered. Because of my heritage I will take the information that was given in the class and continue my studies.

Simon James. , The World of the Celts, Thames and Hudson, , page 41

Gerhard Herm, The Celts, St Martins Press, page 56

Peter Berresford Ellis, The Druids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co page 11

Rev. Sharon J. Mayer

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

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.