For Sunday April 30th, 2023

Hello everyone, we are told that whether by drugs, surgery, or gentle care; all healing is the attunement of the living cellular body to its spiritual heritage. 

The fly in that ointment is that there can be spiritual requirements for facing some dis-ease. At that point discerning which treatments, and with what attitude, to face the dis-ease becomes essential.

May we sit Sunday evening for ourselves and others who may be facing such distress. May we find and share courage, strength, and faith. May we fully be where we find ourselves, and be of assistance to others.

Thank you all for all you do,

Richard

For Sunday April 23rd, 2023

Hello everyone, we are told that during our sojourn on this Earth we constantly meet ourselves. Everything we do is us doing. Everything we react to is us reacting. If we can stand aside and observe this process as we go through it, we can learn.

 
As we learn to see ourselves more clearly we see others more clearly also, and perhaps with a bit of compassion for what they're going through.

May we sit this evening for the quickening effect of seeing clearly. Honesty and courage will be our bywords in this. May love and understanding be our results.

Bless you all,

Richard 

For Sunday April 16th, 2023

Hello everyone, birds instinctively know dawn is coming. They begin singing long before the sky lightens. In a similar manner many people were born in this time period to assist and celebrate humanity's spiritual dawn.

 
One of the stumbles between where we are and where we want to be is forgiveness. It can be very difficult to forgive someone who has injured you in some way. And yet, knowing that we are all One, it must be done in order to move forward.

 
May we sit this evening for the fortitude it takes to look honestly and compassionately at those who may have caused us distress. Our holding of grievances is us holding our own selves back from where we were born to go.

 
Offered in reverence,

Richard

For Easter Sunday April, 9th, 2023

Hello beautiful people, as so many in this world celebrate the situation of the Resurrection may we celebrate the unimaginable love which prompted it.

 

The power and intensity of such love cannot be conveyed by mere words to mere minds. However, silent contemplation may bring us closer.

May we sit this evening while allowing expansion beyond our thoughts. May we be open to the loving guidance which can show us the way forward. May our efforts heal us, and thereby the world.

Offered in reverence,

Richard

For Sunday April 2nd, 2023

Hello all, we humans spend a lot of time focusing on peace, no matter the turmoil we're in. This of course is admirable. However, J. Krishnamurti tells us that peace itself is a by-product, not an end in itself. A forced peace is not really peace, it's simply a withholding of aggressions, and doomed to be temporary.
 
True peace is a by-product of something much greater, something from within each of us where there is no aggression to begin with, either against ourselves or others.

May we sit this Sunday for the courage to see what arises when we are willing to let the false power of aggressions fade. We may need the courage to be vulnerable, the strength to honestly reassess ourselves, and the willingness to learn a new way.

Blessings on us all,

Richard

For Sunday March 26th, 2023

Hello all, looking around the world today we may find ourselves wishing the powers-that-be would simply fix everything, one fell swoop and all's well. But what would be learned?

With the understanding that existence is eternal we can see the horrors of the world as intense lessons, this is what happens when you do that, and we come back to try again.

Even the heart-breaking passage of a bright 6 year old, who touched the hundreds of attendees at her celebration of life, and way more beyond, can be seen as an exceptionally brave teaching experience.

So let us sit tonight for the bravery to face the lessons we encounter, and how they may become contributions to the healing of the world.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday March 19th, 2023

Hello to everyone on this beautiful day. We are often of two motivations, that of the spiritual and that of the psychological, and they're not always in agreement. We clearly can trust the purely spiritual, but sometimes our psychological 'self talk' isn't as helpful as it might be.

Internal comments of;
"I don't think I can do this"
"I hope nothing else goes wrong"
"What if I screw it up, again?"
Can easily lead us away from satisfaction with ourselves, with others, and the possible completion of our tasks.

Taking a moment to put our hand on our hearts, maybe even tapping our chests, and saying;
"You've got this"
"It's ok, you're doing well"
"I'll get as much done as I can"
Can go a long way toward grounding us, putting us back in touch with who we really are, and allowing ourselves to move forward with more positive, relaxed attitudes.

May we sit this evening for such self-love. May it put our feet on the ground, and elevate our hearts.

Blessings on us all,

Richard

For Sunday March 12th, 2023

Hello to all, we strive for the inner understanding that all humans are of one species and indeed, we are all One at our core. On the other hand, caste systems of all kinds are built upon inequality, a feeling of 'better than' – borne out of insecurity, fear, and the desire to control.

History shows, and still today, there are some 'leaders' who are willing to capitalize on these human frailties and work to create arbitrary caste systems where some humans are seen as 'less than' or undesirable, even to the point of suggesting eradication. Yet, the great teachers tell us that whatever the difficulties, because of Oneness, we are always meeting ourselves.

May we sit Sunday evening to see ourselves in all others; the subordinated, the 'less than', and even in the promoters of such. May our sense of Oneness deepen within. May our light shine in how we treat others.

In reverence,

Richard

For Sunday March 5th, 2023

Hello good people, if we see the experiences of life as being various manifestations of divinity we may then choose to set about treating them creatively, meaning from love. Given that we can set aside our reactive mind and be lovingly creative, we will find ourselves moving from karma into grace.

And, from this loving grace we move into our higher calling.

May we sit this evening for the ability to honestly recognize our reactivity. May we look anew with eyes of love. May this grace lead us forward.

With blessings for all,

Richard

For Sunday February 26th, 2023

Hello again, I apologize to anyone who might have read enough about Maddie by now but, when huge things happen in your life they tend to last a while and affect everything else you're doing, hopefully for the better.

The celebration of life for Maddie was yesterday, beautiful beyond words, much as Maddie was. Quick story: Whenever asked how she was doing she'd answer by showing two thumbs up and saying, "I'm good."
Every single time:
When she was running a fever of 109, "I'm good."
When her oxygen saturation was only 50%, "I'm good."
When her stats showed her body should be in the morgue, "I'm good."
And two thumbs up, every time.

I like to think she was speaking from her soul, knowing she was doing her spiritual job – opening hearts. The condition of her body was less important than the spiritual condition of her presence on Earth.

There's too much to cover here, but on the back of the program was one of her favorite stories – The Sparkly Caterpillar by Melissa Carney:
"Once upon a time there was a beautiful baby Caterpillar. From the first time her parents saw their baby, they knew she was special!
The Baby Caterpillar was pink! It was a soft pink, but nothing like the other caterpillars. She was special. She even sparkled when she went into the sunlight.
Baby Caterpillar grew up to do amazing things. She could dance and sing and she could draw the most colorful pictures.
Baby Caterpillar had a wonderful imagination, the other Caterpillars couldn't help but watch her. She could play, swim, and go on adventures!
One day the baby caterpillar dreamed of flying! The other Caterpillars were scared, they didn't know how to fly. But the baby Caterpillar was creative.
She made the most beautiful sparkly wings. She was ready for her next adventure!
The other caterpillars began to feel sad. They didn't have wings, and they weren't ready to fly off yet. They didn't want her to leave.
Baby Caterpillar knew one more big show would make them feel better. So before she put her wings on she gave the best show ever!
She smiled, she sparkled, she danced, and she sang. She encouraged everyone to have fun with her!
She did all her best tricks, and so did the other caterpillars until everyone was happy again.
Now all of the caterpillars can put on a show and make each other happy.
Baby Caterpillar knew they would be ok while she was gone on her adventure.
She wrapped herself up in her beautiful wings, and did a spin. The wings popped open and she looked like a butterfly! She was the most beautiful sparkly butterfly.
Baby Caterpillar, now a sparkly butterfly, asked her friends and family to help cheer her on. She was going to fly as high as she could go.
They all started to cheer, telling her how much they loved her, they would miss her, and thanking her for teaching them all how to have fun.
She flew higher and higher until she couldn't see them anymore. For a moment she was sad, she was going to miss all the games and fun they had together.
When she looked out she saw the most beautiful sunset. It was ok to be sad, but this was going to be an amazing adventure.
Baby Caterpillar flew off leaving sparkles in the air so the other caterpillars would always remember her."
This evening, may we wish Maddie Godspeed. And, may we find bits of sparkles in the air, that we may fly high too.

With Great Love,

Richard

For Sunday February 19th, 2023

Hello everyone, given the powerful emotions brought on by Maddie's passing I find myself focused upon the spiritual lessons of her short, young life as well as the human condition of dealing with it honestly.

I find great comfort in seeing her as a teacher who came here to open people's hearts – and did such an incredible job of it. I simply don't know if she could have done more by living longer.

And I've done a fair share of 'ugly crying' over being gutted by the loss of her on Earth. I've found that both perspectives are essential for me.

With that in mind, may we sit this evening with awareness that we are both spiritual and human, and blessedly so. Godspeed Maddie, and thank you for the courage to bring us closer to our hearts with your own heart.

Reverently offered,

Richard

For Sunday February 12th, 2023

Hello good people, natural disasters are a fact of life. Nature must do what it must do. It is our job to adjust to it, and take care of those who are adversely affected.

With that said, let us sit for those in Syria and Turkey who are in need of all kinds of help.

We can at least add our heartfelt prayers.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday February 5th, 2023

Hello good people, given the graciousness of Maddie in the post by her mother, it only seems fitting that we search within ourselves for that same selfless out-pouring of love.

Maddie seems to have been born with great compassion, "Some people's problems are bigger than ours." As we deal with our problems, let us not forget that others are struggling too.

May we sit this evening for that same loving, joyful outlook. If she has come here to spread such light, it behooves us to pick it up and do the same. As it is written, "And a small child shall lead them."

Bless you all,

Richard