Center for Spiritual Living, Santa Rosa

Who have you had a real conversation with recently? A conversation in which you talked about something important to you; a conversation where you got to express your feelings and thoughts with a sense of really being heard. It is difficult to find someone who listens for the truth in what you have to say and listens with a real interest in you. We feel hunger for this kind of interaction, we treasure those people who give us this opportunity. Studying together in Science of Mind classes makes you a member of a group of people who come together for this purpose: to meet, discuss and delight in their evergrowing awareness of the presence of Spirit in their lives.

You have a rare opportunity by being a part of this spiritual community for you are surrounded by people who have the intention to see God, Spirit in you and what you say. The awareness of Spirit that you bring to this community is vital and essential for all of us. Join us in one of our classes where we have the opportunity to share the wisdom of this teaching, to both give and receive it, to be seen for who you truly are: a place where God's wisdom shows up as you.

Every class I have taken at the center has been life changing, each bringing me to more understanding of myself, more acceptance, love, freedom, peace.  In short each class...a more profound awareness.

If Spirit is a pumpkin pie then I think it is fair to say that each class gives me a more compelling sniff.  In class we study ingredients, technique and share recipes.  We take bites and compare notes, exchange recipes.  We learn how to mix, knead and roll out beautiful manifestations of Pie.

In Practical Mysticism, we wallow in Pie, we eat it, smear it on ourselves and others, we play with It, make love to It...We let Pie have Its way with us.  We still spend time studying the ingredients and sniffing at the aroma but we get so deep in this mystical Pie that we leave each class completely sated, bits of crust clinging to us.

Rev. Lisa: What do you notice about the people who are now coming to our community?

Kathleen: I notice that they are already spiritually engaged. They are already developing an understanding, and ask great questions. They are aware that our philosophy is practical because it can be used in everyday life. They have a desire to learn tools like affirmative prayer and meditation so they can dip even deeper into their own being to discover who they really are.

Lisa: Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today, Maggie.

Maggie: You’re welcome, honey.

Lisa: Maggie, as a student years ago, do you recall your most rewarding class experience? What was it and how did that experience effect who you are today?

Maggie: Well, two leapt to mind. Can I tell you both of them?

Lisa: Yep.

Maggie: OK. And then you can choose whichever one you like.

Maggie: I was in Self-Mastery, I think, and I hadn’t been in class for like five years. I just came back from Agape’s Annual Revelation conference. I didn’t sign up for the class ahead of time. I just showed up the day it started and registered. I remember thinking I don’t even know what I am doing here. It was during one of the classes, when we were going around the room stating our prayer requests that, I realized I was going to forgive myself for the accident that happened with my son, Rob. As the prayer request was coming around to me, I realized this. All of a sudden, I went into kind of an altered state. I remember pushing myself away from the table and I said very slowly and very methodically, “I forgive myself for Rob.”

It took at least 30 seconds for me say this and in my mind I was thinking, I hope this is real. I hope this isn’t some kind of an emotional “praise the Lord” sort of thing. I hope it’s real. And at this moment, a classmate came over and whispered in my ear, “This is real.” Now, I didn’t ask for this because I was in this truly altered state. I was totally immersed in some sort of energy.

The next thing I knew, I came into the present moment, people were gone and class was over. There were several people huddled around me in support.

That was one of the significant starts of my recovery from Rob’s fire. I never thought what I did that day in class was ever going to be possible for me. It wasn’t anything that anybody was addressing. The venue and the atmosphere and my readiness, I guess, allowed me to begin this healing with support.

The other time was when I was in Prac I (Advanced Consciousness Studies) with Doris Jones. We were working on our timelines where we documented the significant choices we made in our lives and what happened as a result of those choices. And, of course, Rob’s fire was a big thing, and moving to California away from Kentucky and away from family. I was really struggling with this. And, Doris Jones said, “Well, you did the best you could.”
And I thought she’s full of it. I didn’t do the best I could. I could have done something better.

But what I realized, as a result of this teaching was, in that moment the best I could would have been listening to my intuition which was telling me to stay at home the night of the fire. That night my intuition said, “This is wrong to do what you’re doing.” And I didn’t follow it.

So the moment when Doris said, “You can do your best” I thought to myself, I’m never doing my best unless I can follow my inner guidance. I don’t know what that’s going to look like in the world but my best is listening to what God has in mind for me. That’s my best. It may not look the best to the world but I learned to follow my intuition no matter what. I realized what Doris was saying to me was not a surface thing. It was a very deep thing and I had to educate myself into the depth of what that meant.

It was a mighty seed that was planted in me. I remember the moment. I remember where I was sitting. I remember the configuration of the room just like it was yesterday.  

Those two class experiences made me who I am today because I learned to live my whole life guided by my intuition. I learned that classes give you more than just going to services. Classes work the philosophy on a deeper level.  If I hadn’t attended class, I would not be where I am today.

Lisa: What would say to someone considering registering for a class for the first time? What would you want them to know?

Maggie: I’d tell them to do it!

And what would I want them to know?

Lisa: Yeah.

Maggie: I said this to somebody at the education table one time, “This will change your life.”

She said, “I don’t want my life changed.”

And I said, “Then don’t sign up for the class. If your life is such that you are in bliss every day, you have everything you want, you are in flow of giving receiving, and this is the life that you want that’s great. But if there is anything in there that is stuck or that you are wondering about or that you are dissatisfied with, class will begin the release of or the changing of it.”

She came back a week or two later and signed up for the class.

Class is a life changing, life enhancing event. Everyone in leadership, every practitioner, every minister has gone this way. Each one has had to be responsible for their personal healing. Each one of us has worked this teaching on a deep level so we can be here for you. We are here for you.