Rev. David Robinson
June 16th Talk – The Divine Masculine
To listen to our Father’s Day talk on The Divine Masculine, click here: 6.16.13 The Divine Masculine
June 9th Talk – Dating the Divine
To listen to the talk “Dating the Divine” from the Divine Marriage” series, click here: 6.9.13 Dating the Divine
June 2nd Talk – Opening To Love
To listen to the talk from 6.2.13 click here: 6.2.13 Opening to Love
If you aren’t from our community – be aware that we were all recovering from putting on our annual Holistic Fair the day before and were a bit exhausted. 
Spiritual Practice: Lions & Tigers and Tithing, Oh My
In my first column, I mentioned six core spiritual practices: Meditation, Prayer, Sacred Service, Spiritual Study, Tithing and Visioning. This month, we’ll talk about the one that often creates the most impassioned feelings for people – Tithing.
First, Religious Science doesn’t require tithing – nor any other spiritual practice. We believe very much that each person has the right to choose their own spiritual path through life and we honor them all. Having said that, we also offer tools to support people in creating lives they love. And, we would be remiss in not sharing those tools. So, let’s talk tithing.
The Universe works on a give/receive process. In breath & out breath; ebb & flow of the tides; day & night – all is cyclical and each is the complement of the other. Tithing is a specific spiritual practice that activates the “giving” part of the give/receive equation of the Universe. Tithing itself is not “magic.” By itself, it won’t rescue your finances, find you a new love or please a deity which is already pleased with you. What it does do, is engage you with the law of giving/receiving. Eric Butterworth compares tithing to training wheels on a bike. They support us while we learn to work with the laws involved in balancing and riding a bike – but they are only trainers, not the law. Tithing is to help us learn to play in the law of giving receiving.
Ultimately, we need to develop a consciousness of giving to truly activate the law. Jesus didn’t teach tithing – in fact, he mocked the rigid misuse of it that was going on during his time. But, he did teach giving – “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over… For with the same measure that ye mete (give out) withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:38.
“The great need is to give way to the divine flow, and tithing can be an excellent means of achieving the giving consciousness.” Eric Butterworth, Spiritual Economics. Dive into the flow with wisdom, love and a genuine spirit of giving and watch the Universe naturally return that flow.
Your comments and feedback are always welcome at raylene@alreadyperfect.com.
The Divine Marriage
“All you need is love” John Lennon
“Love is the central flame of the universe, nay, the very fire itself.” Ernest Holmes
February is when we celebrate falling in love, but June is when many people get married. So, let’s take a look at the Divine Marriage – one which all of us have been engaged in one way or another.
Along the way, we’ll look at how engaged we are in this relationship. Do you share and listen? Do you do all the talking? Or do you give your Partner the silent treatment? Do you even know you’re in a relationship with the Divine?
When we truly participate in the Divine Marriage, we open to the full experience of Divine Love. And, since God IS Love, and God is all there is, then Love is all there is.
We say that we believe in an Infinite Presence that is abundant, opulent Good. What if the substance of all that Good – the very core of it all – is Love? Not the mushy, romantic love of romantic
movies & novels. Not the love of, oh say, chocolate or similar things that some of us talk about. No, we’re talking about the Infinite, unfailing Love that is the core of Spirit, the underlying Essence of all. And, the good news is: we’re already married to It!
So, open up to Divine Love all the way and allow It to bless and expand your experience of Good in life.
Helping this expansion of Good, we have the wonderful Karen Ramsey, CSL Seattle Practitioner and Certified Financial Planner coming June 22nd to present her powerful workshop Caring For Your Soul in Matters of Money. You WILL want to be there/ She will also be our guest speaker the next day.
April Rubino returns with her wonderful chanting and music on Sunday, June 16th and we will deepen in satsang with chanting, readings and meditation after.
As we move into the warmth of summer, move into the warmth of Infinite Love!
Rev. David
Sunday Talk – 5.26.13 – Remembering, Releasing, Returning to Life
To listen to our Memorial Day service, click here: 5.27.13 Rembering, Release
5.19.13 Talk – Pentecost
To listen to Rev. David’s talk looking at Pentecost through New Thought eyes, click here: 5.19.13 Pentecost
May 12th Talk – The Divine Feminine
To listen to Rev. David’s Mother’s Day talk The Divine Feminine, click here: 5.12.13 Divine Feminine
What’s in Your Bread?
“The kingdom of heaven is like the leaven, which a woman took and buried in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.” Matt 13:33
The first century Jews to whom Jesus was speaking must have found this a strange analogy. Leavening, called “chametz” in the Hebrew, was considered analogous to corruption. Prior to and during Passover, all traditional Jews still find and burn all chametz to make sure that none affects the unleavened bread. It would be today’s equivalent to rust or mold.
So, how is the kingdom of heaven like this undesirable thing? Is Jesus saying the kingdom of heaven is undesirable? NO! A couple of chapters later, he warns his disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. What he IS saying is that whatever we plant, will take over. “We know that thoughts planted in mind have the power to chemicalize opposing ideas, and leaven the whole lump of subjectivity. Ideas gradually permeate the mind and influence all thought and action. If the idea is of heaven, it will certainly bring about a heavenly state.” SOM 451.5
Three measures of flour is a huge amount of flour – enough to make 30 or more loaves of bread. The caution here is that whatever is hidden in our consciousness, or as we might say today – whatever we put our attention on – will take over and manifest throughout the whole of our thinking. What is also being said is that, if we just open the door to the ‘kingdom of heaven” – Spirit – a little bit, it will transform our whole lives. Conversely, if we associate with the “leaven of the Pharisees” sticking to the letter of the law, or how things have always been done, that will also take over our whole lives.
What is the nature of the leaven in your consciousness? Are you opening to the kingdom of heaven? All it takes is the willingness to open up a little. Take a class or workshop (a couple of great ones are available this month.) Start a new or deeper spiritual practice. Be willing to say “YES” to the leaven of Spirit and watch your life rise!
Rev. David
