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Christmas and Hanukah are almost here and, as always, it gives us a new
opportunity to appreciate the unique blessings that flow to us and
through us during this holy season. Our newsletter begins with the original Christmas story as it is contained in
the Gospels of Luke and Matthew. We also share a surprising historical
perspective on the creation and meaning of the "12 Days of Christmas". We continue with our collection of essays by
Ernest Holmes, with his thoughts on "The Power That Jesus Used". In addition, we offer a collection of inspiring stories centering
around the holiday season, including O. Henry's "Gift of the Magi",
along with the Christmas story, "A Solitary Life". As always, you'll find a new spiritual poem, this one entitled, "Tomorrow" and
a collection of cookie recipes
perfect for the holidays.
For the first time, CLF is now making gift certificates available. If you're considering buying a gift for a friend or
loved one during the holiday season, why not let them select gifts that can genuinely
make a difference in their lives? Give them the choice of products that will continue to inspire, encourage
and uplift throughout the year.
Finally, our newsletter also includes an in-depth look at the history
surrounding Hanukah and an essay on the 12 steps of Christmas. As always, we are so grateful to all of you who visit our
website, and contribute through your generous donations, purchases, emails
and article submissions. Thank you for letting us share this issue
of our newsletter with
you. Wishing you a very merry Christmas, happy Hanukah and a joyous,
abundant new year! William
Simpson
(If you've missed any past issues of our newsletter, or
you'd like to reread an articles or clip that favorite recipe, click
Here.)
Luke
2:1-20
1 In those days a decree went out
from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled.
2 This was the first enrollment, when
Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3 And all went to be enrolled, each to
his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee,
from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called
Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
5 to be enrolled with Mary, his
betrothed, who was with child.
6 And while they were there, the time
came for her to be delivered.
7 And she gave birth to her first-born
son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because
there was no place for them in the inn.
8 And in that region there were
shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to
them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with
fear.
10 And the angel said to them, "Be not
afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to
all the people;
11 for to you is born this day in the
city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this will be a sign for you: you
will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger."
13 And suddenly there was with the
angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on
earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!"
15 When the angels went away from them
into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem
and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."
16 And they went with haste, and found
Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they saw it they made known
the saying which had been told them concerning this child;
18 and all who heard it wondered at
what the shepherds told them.
19 But Mary kept all these things,
pondering them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been
told them.
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem
in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to
Jerusalem
13 When they had gone, an angel of
the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the
child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you,
for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."
19 After Herod died, an angel of the
Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt
Throughout our lives, we have read and wondered about the
miracles of Jesus. But to how many of us has the thought come that this same
power must be available to everyone? We have been so accustomed to thinking
of Jesus as a man filled with love and compassion and human kindness that we
have overlooked something else about him that is equally important. Jesus
had access to a spiritual Power that he used in every way. To him it seemed
the most natural thing in the world that he should be able to tell the
paralyzed man to walk, or multiply the loaves and fishes, or still the wind
and waves. I happen to be one of those who really believe that Jesus
did these things and that we could also do them if we had the know-how. It
takes nothing away from Jesus when we say that in addition to his love and
compassion and his great humanity, we also have access to the same Power,
which enabled him to do such wonderful things. Even his own followers
thought he must have been using a power that no one else possessed; however,
when we study his words carefully, we find that he said that others could do
what he did if they followed the same rules. Jesus was not the great
exception; he was the great example, and he even said that "greater works
than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." What we want to find out, then, is the nature of this
Power that Jesus used, learn how it operates, and then apply it in our own
lives in helping ourselves and also in helping others. I am not thinking
only about the healing miracles when people have been restored to physical
health. For while this is wonderful and good, there is much more to life
than merely getting rid of a pain. Jesus had access to some kind of Power
that was available for every purpose. He had access to an Intelligence that
guided him in everything he did. And he had a deep inward peace and feeling
of security that removed all confusion and doubt and uncertainty from his
mind. What we want to find is the key that unlocks the doorway
to the Power greater than we are. What we want to do is to discover the
secret, which he so plainly told us was a certain kind of relationship he
had to God, who, he said, was present everywhere and was also within him and
within everyone. We are accustomed to thinking of the powers and energies
in nature, and we know that the whole field of modern science is devoted to
the discovery of these powers and learning how to apply them for our
everyday needs. We also know that these powers which science uncovers have
always existed, they were always there waiting to be used, and always ready
to respond when we use them rightly. We think of a scientific man as one who uses a power of
nature. We do not say that he possesses it as a personal thing. For, of
course, this would not be true. What we say is that science discovers the
power, unlocks its energy, and then uses it for definite purposes for the
betterment of humanity. What we really mean by this is that there are
certain physical laws and physical powers in nature, which are greater than
we are but which can be used, and that these powers operate for us as though
they were our servants. We employ them; we do not implore them. That is, we
do not beseech them, we do not coerce them, and, as a matter of fact, we do
not even concentrate them. We merely use them. But Jesus had access to another kind of power, which he
called the Power of the Spirit. We cannot doubt but that there are spiritual
powers which act like physical ones; that act for us and in a certain sense
become our servants when we have first leaned how they operate. But in doing
this, we must always comply with them, for the secrets of nature are
disclosed, and the powers of nature can be used only when we first comply
with the way they work. Of all people in the world, the true scientist is
the most humble. He stands in reverence and awe before the wonders of a
self-operating universe that operates independently of his will, his
coercion, or even his desire. When it was discovered that a hen lays a certain number
of eggs and then sits on them and hatches out chickens, someone had the
foresight to realize that you can have as many hens as you want to
sit on as many eggs as they can cover and produce as many chickens as are
desirable, provided you actually put the hen and the eggs together. Here is
an example of the way nature works, with complete independence of our
thoughts and our will and our desires, but always with this in mind, that
when we comply with the way she works, we receive the benefit. Jesus worked in a different kind of laboratory. He
understood a different set of laws, and because he used these laws, a power
was delivered to him that has amazed the world. It is our purpose to
rediscover these laws, find out how they work, and apply them for every
legitimate purpose, and then reap the benefit for us and for others. Of
course, in doing this, it is necessary that we follow the example of the one
who really knew. The only reason we have to suppose that Jesus knew is that
he proved his claim. What we should do, then, is to find out exactly what
Jesus believed, and why, and how he used this secret of the ages so
effectively. The first thing we shall learn is that Jesus believed
himself to be one with God, and he believed that the Divine Presence was
right where he was. He communed with this Presence through prayers and
meditation until it was the most real thing to him in life. We find, then,
that the whole background of his teaching starts with the idea that there is
such a Presence and such a Power; that the Presence is accessible to all of
us, and that the Power can be used by anyone who has faith in it. This is no doubt the greatest secret of the ages. It is
the miracle of the answer to prayer. It is the miracle of Life itself. We
need to believe that you and I, so little and so alone, do have access to a
Power that has the possibility of making everything in our lives happy and
harmonious if we cooperate with it. Right here, I would
like to inject this thought – for it is one that so many people express –
how can we believe in a Power that we can neither touch nor taste nor
handle? The answer to this is simple enough. Let us go right back
to the hen sitting on her eggs. Neither you nor I nor the hen ever put a
chicken in an egg, nor did we ever take one out. The hen, instinctively, by
some method of which she is not consciously aware, follows the law of her
own life. She lays the eggs and then she sits on them, and nature performs
the miracle for her. The Power, which does this, cannot be touched or tasted
or handled. It cannot be seen. And yet, we are so used to it that we never
question the results. We build incubators and set the eggs in them, and
subject them to a certain heat for a certain period of time, with complete
assurance, with absolute faith, because experience has taught us that we can
do this and have chicks hatch. So it is with every law that we use. No one has ever seen
the powers of nature. We only see how they work, and we accept them with the
simplicity of a child. Again someone might ask: How can we believe in a
Divine Presence when we have not seen it? The answer to this also is simple.
How can we believe in the law of attraction and repulsion, which we have not
seen? How can we believe that a magnet will attract iron since we do not see
the power of attraction that draws it? No one has ever seen love or human
affection; no one has seen kindness and tolerance and human understanding;
but we have all felt them, and we have no more doubt of their existence than
we do of our own being. I do not think we need to be concerned with the fact that
we do not see God other than in His creation, or that we have not seen the
forces of nature other than in and through what they do. When Jesus told us
that we should have faith, he was not telling us about something that is
impossible for us attain, for Jesus was the most simple and direct of men,
and he knew that faith is a natural attitude of mind. It is the very
simplicity of his teaching that eludes us. As a matter of fact, it is so
easy that it is hard, so simple that it is difficult, so direct that we fail to
catch its significance. For whether or not we know it, we all have faith. We
are merely mostly using it in reverse. So Jesus told us that there is a Divine Presence that
will guide us if we let it. And he told us that there is a Power that will
operate for us if we believe that It will. But he also told us that this
Presence is love and this Power is good and that we cannot hope to derive
the greatest benefit from the Presence as Divine guidance, or the Power as
the operation of Divine Love, until we first greet the Presence in love and
use the Power for good. So far as I know, he laid down no instructions other
than these: God is love and God is good. Therefore, Divine Power is
delivered to us only in such degree as we love and as we are constructive.
All the prayers or the will of man can neither add to nor
take from the powers of nature. This is so self-evident that one cannot even
argue against it. What we have to do, then, is to invite the Presence and
use the Power. We invite the Divine Presence every time we think about It in
love and with true humility. We draw inspiration into our minds and into our
imaginations and loose it through our actions when we recognize this
Presence, and we benefit from the use of the Power when we comply with the
way it works. Here is where our great experiment in using the Power
that Jesus understood starts. This is the very beginning of it. We must
believe that there is a Divine Presence. Of course, our belief does not
create It; it merely acknowledges It. It is this acknowledgment of the
Divine Presence that Jesus was referring to when he said: "…your Father
knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." The artist believes in the presence of beauty. He invites
it into his thought and will and imagination; he makes himself open to it.
Our acknowledgement of the Presence of God should be as simple as this and
as direct. No matter what we are doing, we should start with this basic
thought: "God is all there is. God is right where I am. Divine Intelligence
is now directing me. I not only invite It, I believe It is here. There is
nothing in me that can deny me the privilege of receiving this Divine
guidance. There is Something in me that knows what to do under every
circumstance, knows how to meet every situation, knows how to overcome every
obstacle. I am in partnership with the infinite Mind that creates everything
and sustains everything. I am one with God." We should entertain thoughts like these until they become
habitual; that is, until nothing in us denies them. It is not going to take
any more faith than we now have, for one of the greatest lessons we can
learn about faith is that we always possess it. But too often, we are using
it negatively. As a matter of fact, we are always affirming something, be it
for good or ill. We are always either saying, "I can," or "I cannot." What
we need to do is to eliminate the negative and accentuate the positive. In
doing this, we shall gradually acquire the habit of affirmative thinking.
To this belief that there is a Divine Presence that is
guiding us and leading us gently but certainly on the pathway to success and
happiness and wholeness, we must also come to believe that there is a Power
that always goes with this recognition of the Divine Presence. We must have
faith that this Power operates on our word. But, of course, we do not see
Its operation. We do not touch It or taste It or handle It, but we can feel
It. It is this deep underlying conviction and feeling that we must acquire.
But this is not difficult. It is just a question of
training the mind to believe in and understand spiritual Law in exactly the
same manner that it believes in and understands the operation of physical
law. If it were something too difficult, then it would be beyond our reach,
and we should become discouraged even before we started. The whole thing has
to be kept simple and direct and sincere. The Power that Jesus used was a
spiritual Power. He knew that it operated on or through his word of faith,
and he had such a complete reliance on it that he did not hesitate to tell
the paralyzed man to get up and walk. It is not the words that Jesus used that performed the
miracle. It was his inner conviction of the Power that operated on and in
and through his words. He called this faith and belief, and in so doing,
reduced it to a mental attitude or to a way of thinking that we can all
understand. There is Something that operates on our belief and acts exactly
like a law, because It is a law and tends to bring about conditions, which
correspond to our faith, our belief, and our way of thinking. Frequently, when we begin to use this Power consciously,
we find that our thoughts are unruly. In one moment we affirm some good we
desire and in the very next moment, we deny what we have affirmed. In this
way, we are a mental house divided against itself. We may as well recognize
this fact because it is an important one. But in recognizing it, there is no
occasion for us to despair. For we know that thinking is really a movement
of the mind upon itself, right where we are, and we are the thinker.
Therefore, we can change out thoughts. This is why Jesus told us that sometimes only prayer and
fasting can bring about the desired result. He did not mean that God listens
because we do a lot of talking. What he meant was that we should pray
affirmatively and fast when it comes to negative thinking. This is the
sacrifice we make in the surrender of our doubts and fears to the great
affirmations of life. To pray without ceasing means to continue in an
affirmative attitude of mind and to fast means to refrain from all negative
thoughts and ideas. There must come a new impulse to the mind, a new way of
looking at things. This is what Jesus called the new birth. He referred to
this when he said that we must be born again, we must be born of the Spirit,
which means being born into a complete conviction of the Presence and the
Power and the Activity of God in and through us. The results that follow
this new birth are automatic, and this is why Jesus told us that if we would
seek the kingdom of God first, everything else would be added. What a wonderful adventure lies before us. How grateful
we should be for the opportunity to live and love and work and play. We
should have a keen sense of anticipation and enthusiasm because we know that
we are working with a spiritual Power greater than we are, a Law of Mind
that is available to create every good thing in life. I believe this is the
secret to this power Jesus demonstrated and to the understanding of his
teachings. We may call this faith, we may call it religion, we may call it
worship. It is all this and more, too. But in reality, it resolves itself
into a simple, sincere, and direct approach to God and to the Law of Mind.
The world is in search of the answer to its problems.
Frustrated and distraught, disillusioned and chagrined, today it stands on
the brink of two possibilities – to be, or not to be. The world today is
shocked by the realization of what it has brought on itself. Nothing is more
certain than that we have failed, and as never before, millions of people
are ready to try something else, that something that for far too long has
been neglected, that something which alone can make it whole. Nothing is
more certain than that we must rediscover the secret of the ages, this
coming into close cooperation with the Presence that made us and the Power
that sustains us. Along this pathway alone lies the hope of humanity. This,
and this only, is the road to peace, to prosperity, and to happiness.
The Conscious Living Foundation has just released its recording of one
of Ernest Holmes most famous books, "Creative Mind and Success".
To learn more about the recording and hear several FREE selections on such
topics as: - How to attract friends Just click
Here. If you enjoy our inspirational stories and articles, be sure to visit
our website for more:
News:
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Here. Essay:
The Twelve Steps of Christmas by
KC Mulville
The Conscious Word is an
email newsletter sent directly to you each day. Each issue contains
an inspirational affirmation designed to help uplift your spirits and
support your conscious efforts at personal and spiritual growth and
development.
By practicing the
affirmation which we email to you, for 3 to 4 minutes a day, you create an
effective tool that will help you experience an ongoing positive change in
your life.
We all
“know” many things. However, “knowing” something, in and of itself,
does not make it “true” to us. We can read all about oranges; we can
look at pictures of oranges and we can talk to people who have eaten
oranges. But, until we taste the orange ourselves, we do not truly
understand the full truth about what an orange is. Likewise, we
can experience the “truth”, the real nature, of many more subtle and
essential concepts by “tasting” them. One of the capabilities of an
affirmation is to provide us with a “taste” of the subject matter of the
affirmation. However,
something else is also at work in an affirmation. One of the secrets
of the universe is that when a human believes something is so, it becomes
what he or she believes. Jesus said
“Verily I say unto you, if ye have faith and doubt not, ye shall not only
do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this
mountain, `Be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea,' it shall be
done. And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing,
ye shall receive.” (Book of Matthew verses 21 and 22) The key
words in this quote are “If ye have faith and doubt not..” and “all things
whatsoever ye shall ask believing..” Jesus is
describing this receptivity of the universe to human belief.
However, there are requirements for this belief to be effective.
Jesus says we must have “faith” without doubt and that we must “believe”
as we ask. James
Allen’s famous premise “As a man Thinketh, so it is” expresses this same
truth. In essence,
when we become utterly convinced of the truth of something, which means we
have absolutely no doubts about it, the universe will be molded and shaped
to match our conviction. The challenging part is to find a way to
become convinced of something that is not yet actualized. To
cultivate our faith. This is where affirmations can help. By taking a
thought or collection of thoughts and impressing them deeply upon the mind
with persistence and concentration, a conviction can be
cultivated. Developing our own personal convictions, especially
about ourselves, and then deepening and persisting in those convictions is
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Here for more information. This time give the gift of a deeper spiritual life and
increased personal growth. In our attempt
to offer new products and services which support your efforts at personal and
spiritual growth, The Conscious Living Foundation is now offering for the first
time, tours and pilgrimages to various parts of the world. Our first
effort in this direction, is the following collection of escorted tours to
India: Tour No. 1 - Exotic
India:
Nowhere
on Earth does humanity present itself in such a dizzying, creative burst of
cultures and religions, races and tongues. Every aspect of the country presents
itself on a massive, exaggerated scale, worthy in comparison only to the
superlative mountains that overshadow it. Visit - DELHI – AGRA –
JAIPUR – JODHPUR -MANVAR– DELHI- -KOLKATA (formerly
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tour features 4 and 5 star hotels, to give you a taste of the
Raj. Next Exotic India Escorted Tour: February 10 -
24, 2007 For a complete itinerary and
details, click
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Tour No. 2 - Pilgrimage To India - A Journey of the
Heart:
You will thrill at seeing
the lofty Himalayan mountains and you will blissfully float on the ancient holy
Ganges River, but even greater experiences await you! On this soul-etching
pilgrimage, you will soar in gratitude as you take the dust of Babaji’s Cave or
sit under the litchi tree where The Master taught on the sacred grounds of
Ranchi. Your heart will know the grandeur of immersion in lofty thoughts
of The Great Ones as you visit the spots hallowed by Them, and you will be
floating in joy each time you give your heart in stillness to the spiritual
vibrations that abound in these holy places. If you are wanting a
spiritual boost or a new beginning, this journey of the heart is a trip of a
lifetime, and for many the pilgrimage experience gives a new perspective on
their spiritual life; it is a dream fulfilled for those wanting to say with The
Guru ‘…I am hallowed, my body touched that sod.” Next Pilgrimage: Jan.
13 - Feb. 10, 2007 There are 2, 3 and 4 week itineraries
available. Click
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Contents:
The Original Christmas
Story:
Luke 2:1-20 and
Matthew 2:1-8
Matthew 2:1-8
2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We
saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with
him.
4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and
teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.
5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet
has written:
6 "`But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least
among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be
the shepherd of my people Israel.' "
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact
time the star had appeared.
8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for
the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go
and worship him."8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a
careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so
that I too may go and worship him."
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star
they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the
place where the child was.
10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and
they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and
presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.
12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they
returned to their country by another route.
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left
for Egypt,
15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what
the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was
furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its
vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time
he had learned from the Magi.
17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 "A voice is
heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her
children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."
20 and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land
of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead."
21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of
Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of
his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a
dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee,
23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled
what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."
Essay: The Power That Jesus Used
by Ernest Holmes
- An affirmation on love
- The power of words
- Old age and opportunity
- Money as a spiritual idea
- How to know just what to do
- Developing Intuition
- What we will attract
Articles on Personal Growth, Health and Positive
Change - Click
Here.
Inspiring Stories - Click
Here.
Affirmations - Click
Here.
Spiritual Poems - Click
Here. 
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If you want to know the true spirit of Christmas, put yourself in the
sandals of the people who were around at the first one.
The Romans ruled the Jews. They ruled with the same subtlety as Tony
Soprano. Things went well as long as you kept quiet, or as long as Tony
didn’t have a spat of rage over something that had nothing to do with
you. The Romans erupted in rage from time to time, and that was just
your tough luck. The local magistrate was Herod, who ruled only by the
Romans’ consent. Compared to other despots, Herod wasn’t bad, but
despotism is a low standard. After all, Herod’s response to a possible
new king was to slaughter every firstborn child. These were dark men,
and they brought dark times.
Remember, the Jews were proud, but they’d been kicked around for a few
centuries. It all went downhill after David; a thousand years of
problems followed. First, they fought among themselves, leaving them
weak. Prophets kept warning the Jews, but the Jews kept killing them.
The Assyrians bullied them, and then the Babylonians. The Babylonians
even held them captive for a while. Eventually the Jews wandered back to
the Promised Land, only to have Alexander the Great storm through. Then
came the Romans, and that’s where things stood.
Put yourself in the sandals (grateful to have them) of those Jews at the
time. Consider how you would have felt. You would have felt weak,
abused, and helpless. You also felt a little guilty. Why? Before David,
the Jews considered Yahweh their king. Installing a king, for the Jews,
would insult Yahweh. Later, though, the Jews watched as other nations
rose up, and those nations had kings. The Jews got afraid, and they
wanted political power, so they risked insulting Yahweh and made Saul
king. Saul didn’t work out, but his successor David was a huge hit.
David was one king, one brief moment of peace, and then it all crashed.
By Jesus’ time, the Jews regretted all this. They came to think that
their helplessness was payback. The Jews were helpless, and it was their
own fault.
You can’t understand what a savior means until you need saving yourself.
The Spirit of Christmas isn’t about giving presents. It isn’t about warm
wishes and sentimental gush. It isn’t about families gathered around a
fireplace, spending one day posing as Hallmark people. It isn’t about
football, or eating large birds, or winter sugar treats. It isn’t about
tolerance.
The Spirit of Christmas is about being saved. It’s about feeling guilty
and helpless, and reaching up with open arms, pleading for rescue. It’s
about hitting rock bottom. It’s about moral exhaustion. It’s about
knowing that much stronger people surround you, and they enjoy kicking
you where it hurts. The Christmas Spirit is about finally realizing that
no matter how clever, how compassionate, how handsome, how educated, how
rich, or how well connected, the bad guys are stronger. You can’t win.
They’re just too strong. The Romans win because they don’t care about
you, and they don’t hesitate if they think they can gain any small
advantage. They’ll kill you if they feel like it, and you can't stop it.
Like it or not, you can’t win on your own.
Once you grasp that spirit, and you hit rock bottom, what can you do?
(1) We admitted we were powerless --that our lives had become
unmanageable. (2) Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves
could restore us to sanity. (3) Made a decision to turn our will and our
lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Dickens understood the Christmas Spirit. Think of Scrooge in the
graveyard, seeing his own grave, weeping, and begging the dark spirit to
give him one more chance. What had Scrooge experienced?
(4) Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. (5)
Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact
nature of our wrongs. (6) Were entirely ready to have God remove all
these defects of character. (7) Humbly asked Him to remove our
shortcomings.
The spirit of Christmas is forgiveness. When we realize how weak we are,
we beg for a savior. The savior comes, not to defeat the bullies and
rescue us from the strong, but to rescue us from ourselves. God didn’t
come as a general; he came as an innocent child. We don’t receive power
and strength to make war on our enemies; we simply receive forgiveness.
Scrooge immediately went out to all the people he’d harmed. He brought
gifts to Bob Cratchett’s house and took care of Tiny Tim, but most
importantly, he asked their forgiveness. He returned to his nephew and
repented. The Christmas Spirit wasn’t about merely gifts; the gifts had
a purpose to them. What, do you suppose, was that purpose?
(8) Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to
make amends to them all. (9) Made direct amends to such people wherever
possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
The spirit of Christmas isn’t about giving at all. The Christmas spirit
is entirely about receiving; not gifts, but forgiveness. Before
Christmas, we come to see how weak we are in this world. When Christmas
comes, we don’t get any stronger. The Romans don’t go away. Death will
still come for Ebenezer Scrooge. We remain as weak after Christmas as we
were before it. But strength isn’t the point of Christmas; forgiveness
is. That’s why, whatever we do, we need to keep asking for forgiveness.
(10) Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong
promptly admitted it. (11) Sought through prayer and meditation to
improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying
only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
(12) Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we
tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these
principles in all our affairs.
Let it be said of us, then, what Dickens said of Scrooge: “it was always
said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive
possessed the knowledge.”
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News: Gift Certificates Now Available
- Give the gift of
Spiritual Inspiration and Renewal
Consider
a Gift Certificate from The Conscious Living Foundation. What
better gift to give friends and loved ones than the gift of new hope,
inspiration, encouragement and upliftment? If you are considering
buying a gift, why not let your loved ones select something that can
genuinely make a difference in their lives?
It is impossible
not to be astonished by India. Experience luxurious palaces and
romantic desert tents, chauffeurs and rickshaws, colorful bazaars and ancient
forts, timeless observatory technology, temples, turbans, tribal dances and
regional folk music, historic architecture, Mughal art, exquisite jewelry,
sumptuous fabrics, incredible handicrafts, exotic foods, - the culture, the
people, the land of Incredible India – it is all there for you to experience on
your Exotic India tour!
(We are also
planning our next escorted Exotic India tour for the fall of 2007, check back
for details.)
Recommended
for those who wish to experience the spiritual side of India at it’s best.
Focusing exclusively on reverential visits to the places associated with the
great Guru Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda and His spiritual lineage, this journey
of the heart takes you to northern India to visit many of the places described
in the spiritual classic “Autobiography of a Yogi” by Paramahansa
Yogananda.
NOTE:
This fall’s Pilgrimage to India will be very special because it will include an
historic event at the YSS
Ranchi Ashram during
their Sharad Sangam (Convocation). An expansive new YSS temple will be
inaugurated during the week of classes and festivities. It is anticipated
that at least
one of the SRF Board of Directors will be going to India to dedicate the
beautiful new temple on the YSS Ranchi Ashram grounds during the Sharad
Sangam.
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The Conscious Living Foundation's only source of income is your donations and purchase of our products. If you enjoy our newsletter and website, if you receive inspiration and encouragement from our efforts, we urge you to make a donation to help sustain and grow this work.
By helping us, you are supporting the spiritual growth of the tens of thousands of people from all over the world, who regularly visit our website.
Click Here for more information. Thank you!
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Christmas Story: One Solitary
Life
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News: Special Discounts Continue - Buy 1, Second at 1/2 Price -
The holiday season is fast approaching; if you're considering buying a gift for a friend or loved one, why not select gifts that can genuinely make a difference in their lives? This time, give books, videos and CDs that will continue to inspire and encourage throughout the year. To view our entire catalog of products, click Here.
We make buying even easier with our "Second 1/2 Price" special discounts. Buy any of our selected products at the usual price and buy another great book or CD at 1/2 price. Click Here to see our great selection of best sellers and favorites. They include audio versions of your all time favorites, perfect to listen to while driving or exercising.
Deepen your practice of the techniques that bring new joy and hope into your life - and give the gift of a deeper spiritual life and increased personal growth.
| News: Exploring The Free
Downloads Library of The Conscious Living Foundation |
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One of the most popular sections of our website is our Free Downloads Library. It is made up of several sections which are updated on a continuous basis (Click on any underlined words to go directly to that section):
(Lectures, Talks, Sermons, Recorded Comments, Classes and Workshops)
Our Spoken Word Audio section currently includes recordings made by Mahatma Gandhi, Rabbi Michael Laitman, Billy Graham, Amee Semple McPherson, Kathryn Kulman, William Simpson, Krishnamurti and The Dalai Lama.
In addition, it contains recordings of works such as: The Book of Proverbs, The Game of Life by Florence Scovel Shin, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A' Kempis, Practicing The Presence of God by Brother Lawrence, Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan, The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles, The Dialogs of St. Catherine of Siena and As a Man Thinketh and Byways To Blessedness by James Allen.
(Music and sounds from a variety of sources, styles and historical periods)
Our Music and Audio section contain a wide range of musical styles from various historical periods, but all "spiritual" in nature. They currently include selections from such albums as: Yoga Heart Healing, MasterPeace, Harmony in Disarray, Siddartha, Hush and Feel, Gospel Music, Tara Mantras, Soul Calls, The Kyoto Connection, Daughter of Love, Dream World, Buddhist Chanting, Songs For The Soul, Mind Sailing, Timeless Vibrations, Heart of the Mother, Yosemite Suite, Connected, The Cosmic Chants of Paramahansa Yogananda, Marti Walker, Hindu Chants, The Reflecting Pool, Winter Snow and Strings and Root Road Flute.
(Large variety of films and videos, historic and modern, documentary and talks)
Our Video section currently contains: The Ocean At Dusk - Guided Relaxation, A Biography of Mother Teresa, Meditation and Movement, Imagination Meditation, Laughter Meditation, Music for Meditation and Healing, A CNN Report on the Health Benefits of Meditation, A Biography of Mary Baker Eddy, A Man of God - An Interview with Leonard Ravenhill, Paramahansa Yogananda & Sri Yukteswar, Paramahansa Yogananda & Ramana Maharshi, Paramahansa Yogananda at Mt. Washington, Paramahansa Yogananda on a Walk In New York, Paramahansa Yogananda Demonstrating How To Sleep, Krishnamurti Talks on Freedom, Krishnamurti Talks on Life and Death, Krishnamurti Talks on Meditation and Krishnamurti Talks on World Suffering.
(Nature Pictures, Saints, Sages, Gurus, Mandalas, Chakras, Fine Art)
Our collection of pictures is too large to list in detail, but we promise that you will browse for quite some time in order to see them all.
(Complete Plays, Radio Dramatizations, Books Read Aloud and Stories To Entertain The Entire Family - With a special collection for children)
Our audio classics are dramatic portrayals designed to primarily entertain, but with wholesome content that expresses positive values and that are suitable for the entire family to experience together. They include such titles as:
The Importance of Being Earnest, Treasure Island, A Tale of Two Cities, War of the Worlds, Abraham Lincoln, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Immortal Sherlock Holmes, Around The World In 80 Days, Pickwick Papers, Julius Caesar and Jane Eyre.
In addition, there is a special Children's Section containing dramatizations and readings especially created for younger children. They include such titles as: The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, Jack and The Bean Stalk, Puss and Boots, Blue Beard, Thumbelina, Cinderella, Twas the Night Before Christmas, Snowdrop and the 7 Dwarves, Robin Hood, The Golden Fleece, Beauty and The Beast, Rapunzel, King Arthur, Hansel and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Magic Carpet and many, many more!
(Large Beautiful Pictures with Inspirational Quotes Suitable To Place on The Background of Your Computer Desktop or Screensaver Program.)
The images in this section of the newsletter are a few of the selections contained in our Wall Paper Download Library. To read the inspirational inscriptions, visit us by clicking "Wall Paper" above.
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Let's share the gifts for which
we are most grateful:
joy, wisdom, love and the means to increase them
in our lives.
Click
Here for our special discounts.
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For a collection of affirmations, click
Here.
For a large variety of inspiring
quotations, click
Here.
News: Gurutej - Kundalini Yoga Video Collection
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Let's share the gifts for which we are most
grateful:
joy, wisdom, love and the means to increase them in our
lives.
Click
Here for our special discounts.
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New Delicious Vegetarian Recipes: Christmas Cookies!
News: Conscious Money
Circulation "Abundant Blessings"
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Let's share the gifts
for which we are most grateful: |
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News: Two New Music CDs: "Soul Calls" and
"Yoga Heart Healing"
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YOGA HEART HEALING was created from the need to heal Anahata, the fourth chakra, considered the seat of universal love. Anahata is the color green. Our recording was created to support your practice of yoga, massage and other nurturing and healing activities.
Inspired by Dharma teachings from both Hindu and Buddhist wisdom, Yoga Heart Healing will open your heart chakra with its rich vibrant textures of soothing melodic transitions. - just click Here!
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| Story: Gift Of The Magi | |
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