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A Spiritually Enlightening Online Magazine. July's Theme: "Risibility"
Volume 9 Issue 5 ISSN# 1708-3265



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Are You More Often A Communication Sender Rather Than A Communication Receiver?
by Rev. Cheryl Jewett-Brown Ph.D.

With your Higher Power, do you talk more than listen? And, what is your communication mode - meditation or prayer? Which method do you feel is the best means to communicate with God?

Prayer is your Soul/Self connecting with its Source. Prayer, in essence, is you talking to God.

Meditation, though, is God's Silent Whisperings to you. Meditation, found in the silence you allow into your life, is when you become a Divine Receiver of wisdom, strength, and unconditional love.

With prayer, it tends to be one of four types — confessional, thanksgiving, petition, and/or praise, and not necessarily in that order. If we're not thanking God for something, we're generally asking our Higher Power for something. Less often, we praise God, expressing awe and wonder at all the manifestations of this Divine Source of All. When was the last time you told God that the glorious sunset was beyond the scope of your imagination? And then, of course, there are the confessional times when you admit or recognize, hopefully without guilt, the present state of your life.

Meditation, however, can offer you tremendous diversity. Breathing. Using a mantra. Focusing on an object. Allowing your thoughts to move on through your mind rather than snatching them and fretting. Breathing alone can be a direct connection to the Divine in you. It is the Holy Spirit who gives you breath and life at birth and breathes it back into that Divine Source at death.

A good affirmation for a breathing meditation might be: "With every breath I breathe, my subconscious mind accepts a visual picture of me as a loving, healthy, joyous, and prosperous person."

Focusing solely on a specific object, such as a candle flame, helps you to quiet the chattering ego, to calm the mind so peace has a chance to exist within you. You could focus on a flower and think about what a miracle it is. Or, focus on the number one, remembering we are all as One with God. Another option with meditation is to simply allow your thoughts to arise and fall without capturing and holding them. We tend to grasp and clutch our thoughts, organizing and categorizing them when it might be better to just allow them to move on through.

When feeling stressed, one Michigan cardiologist suggests rather than fighting or fleeing, to merely flow. Release your hold on the riverbank and flow with life. Resisting whatever you're fretting about can make it seem stronger. So, take an active stance and communicate with your mind, sending it tranquil thoughts. As Paramahansa Yogananda says, "Always think of your mind as a garden and keep it beautiful and fragrant with divine thoughts." And, of course, chase away the negative fearful ones.

So, the next time your mind is racing, STOP. Tell yourself you are now bringing your attention to breathing, and to feeling peace. Remind yourself that God's peace is greater and stronger than any weak negative force. Breathe in God's peace. Feel God's Power and Presence. Inhale, saying, "I'm breathing in." Then, exhale, saying, "I'm breathing out".

Thought to embrace from A Course In Miracles:

"There is nothing to fear.
All throughout the day,
I hear and heed
God's Silent Voice within my mind."




Cheryl, from Michigan, says, "Having had Multiple Sclerosis for almost thirty years, I've learned much about adapting and squeezing joy out of life. Therefore, I am a metaphysical minister who believes God is in everything, everywhere. And, the sweet God-Spirit surely lives in my little maya-puppy, who kept me connected with life after my youngest son was killed in a freak automobile accident ten years ago."

Please visit Cheryl's blog.



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Any advice given is for informational purposes only.