California Free Press

Everything Seems Quieter

Dear friends,

Everything seems quieter. The collective unconscious has exhaled. Not that all our issues are gone, but many feel we will now see some serious efforts to solve them.  For those of us in the Spiritual community, as it were, our part now is to charge the atmosphere with love and compassion.  Gloating is not a healthy response.  Neither is shaming and blaming.  It was, and is, our shared creation whether we like it or not.  Now is our best chance to shape our future by being in the Light, not succumbing to the temptation of the Dark.

Emerson: “It is greatest to believe and to hope well of the world, because he who does so, quits the world of experience, and makes the world he lives in.” 

     Our personal day to day life is filled with our own thoughts and not much else.

The quality of our experience is the content of our mind.  Knowing that, let’s not give any space to anger, resentments or fear.  Let’s take up the hue and cry of the evolved “Life is Good right where I am.” Jesus. Buddha, Eckhart, and my Grandma all pointed us to Love as the highest healing energy.  Are we ourselves big enough to widen the circle to include those we thought were our enemies?  It is important for those who know the power of mind to use it wisely.  If we want peace, we must be peaceful.  Our inner awareness is the Cause of our immediate reality.

Affirm: “I use my mind to shape a glorious experience for all of us.”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Let's Stop Calling Things Political When They Are Human Issues That Affect Us All

Dear friends,

You cannot predict what will be your teacher. It could be a wildly inappropriate leader or a pandemic. With a bit of hindsight, we might see how the worst of times led to the best of times, or at least the beginnings of a higher level of awareness.  While we would never be thankful for the effects the disease had on so many, if we can pull back to a more expanded point of view, we might see how “even this” is a kind of gift.  Anything that awakens humanity to its inner power and its oneness with all life, is beneficial.

Are you not a bit more compassionate, loving, appreciative, caring, generous, self-aware than you were, say, a year ago?  I believe our collective consciousness has been accelerated by the threat of the loss of freedom and the violent rhetoric coming from so-called leaders.  We woke up and we got up and we voted them out! Now we have more work to do, but we know we are up to the task.

We need to stop calling things “political” when they are issues that affect us all. We must address them, not as adherents to a particular party, but as human beings who care about the entire population of this planet.  It is time for us to see how powerful we are.  When we care about our future together and are willing to give up some unwarranted prejudices that have held us back for too long, we unleash tremendous healing energy.

 “We are the ones we have been waiting for.”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes

http://www.carol-carnes.com

Consciousness is a Continuum

Dear friends,

Good old Marcus Aurelius with his stoicism. He often has just the right advice for us when we may be floundering a bit.  He said to do what is in front of you and to do it “as if it were the last thing you would ever do.”  Now, if we want to combine that with the wisdom of the Buddhists, we might add “because the way you do the last thing you do is the consciousness you will take with you into the next incarnation.”  I think the point Aurelius was making is that we do not have all the time in the world to get it right. He is encouraging us to be here now and to not wait to be happy, useful, kind and in love with things as they are.

Consciousness is a continuum.  It flows forward, like everything does. When I was teaching classes in New Thought spirituality, I would use the analogy of the cowboy hero in old westerns.  He would do what he came to do in the little town needing help, then we would mount his horse and ride out and he would ride into the next town on the same horse!

Nothing changes until we adopt some new ideas and act on them.  Do it now and do it in the consciousness of gratitude.  That is the best way to build a future, wherever that may be.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Off the Top of My Head

Trump Holds Super Spreader Events with Old People as COVID Sets Record in US

by John Lawrence

Yesterday a record was set: 83,000 COVID infections, the highest ever. Meanwhile, Trump was holding a mainly maskless event in the Villages, a retirement community in Florida.The New England Journal of Medicine reported on October 8, 2020:

Covid-19 has created a crisis throughout the world. This crisis has produced a test of leadership. With no good options to combat a novel pathogen, countries were forced to make hard choices about how to respond. Here in the United States, our leaders have failed that test. They have taken a crisis and turned it into a tragedy.

The magnitude of this failure is astonishing. According to the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering, the United States leads the world in Covid-19 cases and in deaths due to the disease, far exceeding the numbers in much larger countries, such as China. The death rate in this country is more than double that of Canada, exceeds that of Japan, a country with a vulnerable and elderly population, by a factor of almost 50, and even dwarfs the rates in lower-middle-income countries, such as Vietnam, by a factor of almost 2000. Covid-19 is an overwhelming challenge, and many factors contribute to its severity. But the one we can control is how we behave. And in the United States we have consistently behaved poorly.

Is this Vietnam's revenge? Vietnam is the country we ravaged burning women and children alive with Agent Orange while affecting our own soldiers as well. The number of Vietnam veterans affected by the chemical Agent Orange is astonishing. Roughly 300-thousand veterans have died from Agent Orange exposure -- that's almost five times as many as the 58-thousand who died in combat. Be that as it may, the fact that the death rate from COVID in the US is 3000 times greater than the death rate in Vietnam is astonishing. Could it have to do with the fact that Vietnam is the least obese country in the world while the US is among the most obese? Out of 191 countries Vietnam has an obesity rate of 2.1% while in the US the obesity rate is 36.2%. As we know obesity is an underlying condition for COVID morbidity. The American diet may be the main underlying condition. Burgers, pizza and fast food may have been a contributing factor to the COVID death rate.

We also know that countries that have got the pandemic under control have been able to reopen their economies successfully. China is on track to expand by roughly 5% in the third quarter roughly at the same rate as in 2019 before the pandemic hit. On the other hand countries that haven't gotten the pandemic under control such as the US have not been able to reopen successfully see sawing back and forth between reopening and reshuting as the COVUD infection rate see saws back and forth. Consumers are wary to come out in public as long as the infection rate is high. Since consumption is 70% of the US economy, much larger than the European consumption rate of 50%, it is more important in the US that consumption remains high in order for the economy to sustain itself. After the election, providing Biden wins, there will probably be another installment of the CARES Act putting money directly in consumers' hands thus preventing the US economy from free fall.

Expert opinion holds that US leadership, namely Trump and his cronies, has abjectly failed in its response to the COVID pandemic. Elections have consequences. Electing clowns like George W Bush, who lied us into a tragic war in Iraq, and Trump who was Missing in Action with respect to the COVID pandemic shows the ignorant mistakes the American electorate has made. Gore and Hillary Clinton would have been infinitely more competent in dealing with the crises that America has had to face. Let's not make the same mistake again! This time we must elect Joe Biden or the US is finished as a world leader. A democracy is only as good as the competence and intelligence of the citizens comprising it. So far the American people - some of them - have displayed their ignorance and incompetence by not wearing masks and complaining that they have a right not to do so. Freedom may just be another name for nothing left to lose as the Kris Kristofferson song says.

The Garden

Dear friends,

Ralph Waldo Emerson loved life. He was effusive in his joy at being alive. Here is a quote from him: “I will at least be glad of my days, I who have so many of them, and having been informed by God, though in the most casual manner that my funds are inexhaustible, I will believe it with all my heart.”

Can we be glad of our days?  Can we believe that our supply is inexhaustible? The casual manner he speaks of, I believe, is his intuition, his inner knowing, his relationship with Nature.  It is as if he were saying “look around, pay attention, Life is complete in and of itself.”  The error in most minds is our tendency to think little of ourselves.  This comes from religions that are rooted in sin’ those that teach us we are guilty of something terrible, which most of us have yet to define, yet we feel unworthy of the inexhaustible supply that we intuit to be real.

It seems to me that humans have misspent their days on earth trying to repent for something we did not do. How sad to be kicked out of the Garden because the feminine aspect of our nature said “eat the fruit! Be happy! Enjoy the days you are here!”  But the masculine had to make it into a battle with the natural forces of his body.  He had to see his freedom to name everything as some kind of retribution, as an obligation.   Without the influence of the Feminine he went to war with God, with his perception of evil, with Nature.

None of us knows how many days we have here.  Emerson’s advice would be to relish every moment, to be like a child discovering her freedom again and again.  We have never actually left the Garden. Only our perception of separation from God makes it seem so.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

When Things Look the Worst

Dear friends,

Many of us are facing scary financial situations with the loss of income due to this pandemic. I remember the title of a book by Rev Chet Castellaw “When Things Look the Worst.” That is the time our beliefs are really put to the test. That is the time we must reinforce our spiritual connection to the Source of all. We may be tempted to think there is no way our coffers will be filled. With unemployment running out, no possibility of income looks real. My living mantra has always been “Spirit has never failed me and it won’t fail me now.” I look back on my life and see the many gifts that have come my way seemingly “out of the Blue” that were exactly what was needed in the moment.

The great Emmet Fox used to say God provides “money or molecules” depending on our situation.  With all that in mind I offer an affirmative statement regarding our supply:  Know this for yourself:

There is only One Life being all life, the Cause of the universe and everything in it. It is pure Love and Absolute Intelligence. That one life is right where I am, all the time, all of it, all at once. It hears my call and responds in kind. I declare that I am wealthy, debt free and always have plenty of money to spare and share. I know that my supply may come through many avenues here on earth. I am grateful and delighted at how creative Spirit is in fulfilling my request. I have everything necessary to live this life with boundless enthusiasm and with deep peace.  So it is.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol.carnes.com

Th Body Heals Wihout Our Knowing How

Dear friends,

I can’t get over how fast my fingernails grow. They were so long a couple of weeks ago that I had to cut them down.  Now they are long again! I did nothing to make this happen. I could not see the actual growing, only the results. Somehow the intelligence within took the food I ate and turned it into fingernails, and hair and tissue and bone.  Everybody knows this but how often do we stop to consider what a miracle it is and, furthermore, what else it implies?

That same intelligence heals major and minor wounds.  It grows new skin over abrasions, it digests our food and eliminates waste. Amazing!  Leading scientists who study this relationship are now realizing that the intelligence responds to our thoughts and energized feelings, such as fear and love.  It seems that we can, and do, interfere with its natural tendency to keep us in optimal health.  Here is the most intriguing part of this.  It is not the intelligence of the body, itself. It is the intelligence manifesting the body and maintaining it.

For me, this is a perfect example of Mind outside the body but operating as the body.  It’s first responder is the brain.  The initial impulse is to maintain wholeness; that signal is given to the brain to provide direction to the cells. However, the brain is so highly individualized that we each have a unique experience of our own wholeness. 

Depending on the quality of our thoughts, the signal either comes through as intended or it gets compromised en-route.  That is why New Thought spirituality puts such emphasis on healthy thinking, on affirmative beliefs, on cheerful expectation. It doesn’t ask us to be reckless with our health, rather to be grateful for it and mindful of its ongoing dedication to our well-being.

Know this: “My health is a given. It is the visible evidence of an incredible intelligence at work.  It is forever responding to my most energized thoughts. I think, speak and express Love for myself and all Life.”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

The Highest Image of our Shared Future

Dear friends,

Trust the process. It is all unfolding exactly as it must. There is a critical mass of us holding the highest image of our shared future. Nothing less can manifest. Things must come unglued before they are recreated in a new shape. The glue that holds everything together is Love. In this sense Love is attention, commitment, caring, energy, inclusiveness.  If these are missing what has appeared will dissolve into the nothingness from whence it came.

We are in the dissolution phase of everything that does not include Love. Racism, sexism, homophobia, greed, violence, fascism, inequality, inequity; they are all coming apart in our collective consciousness. We cannot thrive with them in place. Often the epitome of everything we do not want is revealed so that we can be resolute in our refusal to put up with it any longer. We see that now.

Our votes this year are not for a person. They are votes for the future of humanity.  We will not allow a world without Love. We are better than what is before us.  We are greater than anything we have ever done. We are more aware of our interdependence than ever. We are the ones with the truest voice, and we shall be heard.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Nature Is My Antidote

Dear friends,

It was a small moment of joy.  My friend, Roger Egret, has returned for his annual visit, although he is about a month early. I had been wondering if he would be back this year and suddenly, as I started to climb the stairs to my place, there he was, standing regally about 30 feet away.  I silently greeted him and watched as he took flight into one of the towering trees nearby.

I am finding that with all the ugliness that humans are displaying, Nature is my antidote.  Left to its own devices, it thrives effortlessly. It is an integrated system that works. We have not learned from her because there is a long-held belief that we are superior to her. What nonsense!  Those in power have raped her and pillaged her resources and left her barren in their wake. It continues to this day.  It is also how women have been treated.

Helen Reddy died yesterday. She was the Australian singer who was a feminist icon for her original song “I am Woman.”  She was one of the voices attempting to pierce the thick skulls of those in power, to include women in policy making. The battle continues to this day.  Women represent Nature. We have her best interests in mind. We know that we can advance the species by interacting with her in intelligent ways. Men who have activated their whole self, that is, included the Feminine aspect of their Being, are carrying the message into the all-male ranks of power. 

If we continue to dismiss Nature and her human representatives, women, we shall perish.  Vote for those who care. Vote for the inclusion of the Feminine. Vote for wisdom.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com 

A Tendency to Wholeness

Dear friends,

In the essay on Compensation, Emerson wrote something pertinent to any age; “Things refuse to be mismanaged long.  Though no checks to a new evil appear, the checks exist and will appear.”

There is a tendency to wholeness and the magnetizing power of Love in Life. It is almost as if universal mind will not allow us to mess up for too long. She will set things to rights by any means necessary. Perhaps it seems random but there is nothing random in the universe. There is always the cause behind the form or event. The Cause behind human cause will eventually push through.That is what is happening right now.  To say it in relative terms, it’s as if God has said “just stay home for a bit and let me handle this.” Meaning, there will be events and challenges that demand more of us, that call us to insist on what seems unavoidable if we are to survive.  We must have liberty and justice for all, or it is game over.  There are too many of us on the planet to do it any other way.

Emerson wrote “there is a deep, remedial force that underlies all facts.” What seems to be the worst of times will one day be seen as necessary to the greater good. What looked like loss will be revealed as the path to gain. Emerson’s overall message is usually some version of ‘don’t be fooled by facts. They are movable and temporary. Something good is trying to happen.’ That is the message of modern New Thought spirituality as well. We must stay alert, while remaining in trust of the process. We do what we are called to do, but we do it with good cheer, not angst.

To once again quote Dr. Jean Houston:

“This is the time and we are the people. Do not be afraid. You were born for this.”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Living Up to Our Potential

Dear friends,

When the properties of the quantum realm in physics were first proposed, the leading scientists of the time could not accept or believe what the evidence was showing. Even Albert Einstein denounced the new theory.  It seems that is inevitable.  When a larger Reality is perceived, the human mind resists. Our perception is shattered. We are rattled, as it were. Loathe to adapt to the new, we often try our best to put Humpty-Dumpty together again.  Clinging to the way it has been has never advanced the species and it will not work in today’s world.

     The larger reality we have recently been forced to see is the rampant use of force, the common injustices, the misuse of power, the rape of the environment, the abuse of children and on and on. These things have always been with us but we refused to see them. Even those of us who were the victims of child abuse did not speak about it in fear of retribution.   In juxtaposition to the beauty, order and perfect balance of Nature, we look like raving maniacs. But things are surfacing to be removed. It is a long-term commitment we must make beginning with whom we allow to represent us at the level of policy and law-making.

     You have noticed how many are in denial of the dis-ease we have created, and I am not merely referring to a virus.  There are those who refuse to accept the atrocities done to our fellow humans, to the greed and lack of compassion for the oppressed, the hungry, the powerless. Some of those same people have been adversely affected but they do not recognize it.  Aligning with the abuser is a survival tactic that is not uncommon.

     And so we come to the moment we are facing and it is not a political one. We are in the most potent time in human history. Shall we live up to our potential? Shall we survive and thrive as a species? Shall we right the wrongs and live in harmony with each other and nature?  It begins with taking Power away from those who are corrupted by it and placing it in the hands of those who believe in what the new physics is proposing: we are One. We all arise out of the same common field of Love and Intelligence. In our difference is our sameness.  We have everything we need to create a world that works for everyone.  Insist on it. Speak about it!   Vote for it!

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

What is Mine to Do?

Dear friends,

     The air quality here is so bad we are told to stay inside.  Like many of you I have been inside for 6 months, alone and unable to see my children. My only outing is to get groceries, or the car washed.  I am not complaining.  I know how blessed I am to have a place to be, to be healthy and away from the fires. Yet I wonder what I can do today to be of any use.  I donate money to various good causes. I write this daily blog, which some people find helpful.  Is that it for me?

     The question “what is mine to do?” has never been more important than right now.  Perhaps what is ours to do is to simply look around and see what is needed. There may be folks in your neighborhood who need a bit of help keeping the lawn mowed or the trash receptacles taken out.  Little things can mean a lot right now. The issues facing humanity are so big that we might succumb to feelings of powerless-ness, but solving them begins with our interactions with each other.

     The more connected we are, the more power we have. Divide and Conquer is the tried and true tactic of those who would keep us downtrodden and oppressed.  We cannot allow that to happen. We are not enemies. We are neighbors.  We must not allow our natural tendency to reach out and touch to be co-opted by those who seek to rule.  Perhaps what is ours to do is to insist on our oneness, in thought, word and deed. We begin with our own perceptions.  The first action to take is always within our own mind. Let’s not let old ideas turn us against each other. Let’s be kind and careful. Let’s be helpful and aware.       Let’s talk truth, not trash.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Gratitude is a Powerfully Healing Agent

Dear friends,

If we cannot find much to praise right now, we can always praise Nature. We can celebrate color and how it varies with the light. We can marvel at the stars in the night sky or the clouds drifting by on agratitude is a powerfully healing agent sunny day. Praise the rain and the wind and the trees. The point is to not keep praise in your body, but to let it out and lavish your surroundings with it. Your body will thank you because praise leads to gratitude and gratitude is a powerfully healing agent. Gratitude pushes out the toxins that clutter our inner life, whether they be thoughts or anxieties or chemicals.
If we do not praise now, we might never feel our most natural state again. I read a quote from Pema Chodron today about praising life in the moment. She said, “this might be the last strawberry you will ever eat.” Taste it, praise its sweetness, its redness. Feel the simple happiness that comes with appreciation. Some people think that if we are not agitated and angry about current events, we will do nothing to change them. Those energies are not sustainable. They will flare up and burn out.

The secret is, we will act to protect that which we praise!

Praise diversity. Praise kindness, compassion and wisdom. Praise good leaders and praise their actions. Praise democracy and praise the freedoms we enjoy. Praise the continuation of conscious evolution. Praise these times as the ones for which we were born. Praise your mind and Praise the Source of all Life. Gratitude will follow and we will know exactly what to do.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Do You Feel Like Happiness is the Truth?

Dear friends,

Have anyone ever asked you “How can you be happy at a time like this?”  It seems logical to be sad or angry when certain events take place but those are fleeting emotions.  Happiness is a state of mind, a default setting, that our awareness returns to again and again.  Better said, happiness rises up again, it will not be kept down. Why? Because it is vitality and joy, both spiritual energies, felt at the human level.

A truly happy person cannot remain negative for very long. That does not mean they are oblivious to the pain of others; it means they are more available to helping others.  How does one become happy?  There is not a long list of habits to cultivate; only one, really.  It has to do with removing as many distractions as possible and being with our Self.  There is an inner wellspring of joy that can be felt in silence.  With regular practice we discover that we are happy for no reason. That is the most natural state of the human mind. It is not a mood.  It is a constant.

People chase happiness with drugs, money, sex, power and success.  Seeking happiness in the outer world will always leave us bereft. Remember when you were very small, the joy you felt in chasing butterflies, picking petals off flowers, lying in the grass, or running through sprinklers.  You were feeling the bliss of being alive, happiness.  It is that natural enthusiasm for living that is the root of happiness. It elicits gratitude and a belief in the higher Good. It can be reawakened.  Times like these are a true test of our happiness quotient.  Is there some reason not to find it again?

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

We Will Have to Become Spiritual Warriors

Dear friends,

It is easy to see the driving forces of our time: Vision and Fear.  Fear is the energy of those who carry weapons, who loot and riot. Fear drives those who do not think things through but react to whom or what seems to offer something that will assuage the fear for a moment. Their hue and cry is “My lousy life is all your fault. You are the enemy!” They may have legitimate concerns, but their voices cannot be heard above the sounds of hate and gunfire.

Vision is the driving force within those who have hope for humanity. They believe that people can change. They see through the appearance to possibility. They know what needs to be done to begin the transformation of our shared world. 

The clash between the two is the inability to communicate with one another. Fear cannot believe Vision really cares about them. Vision can be too big picture and miss the pleas for help that are cloaked in anger.

What can we do? The answer to every problem is a spiritual one. We will have to become Spiritual Warriors. We do not carry guns, but we do bring stability into our own mind, first. That is, fight off thoughts that denounce others for any reason. When we vision for a better more equitable world, we include everyone. Spread the vision like it was water to a raging fire. In your mind, think of humanity as one Being, expressing in many bodies, but essentially the same. There are no enemies.  We all want love and peace, happiness and prosperity, health and creativity.  Vote for those who have the experience and intention to bring about a more perfect union. Vote for intelligence, compassion, education and diversity. Vote for those who can further the vision into visibility. Support them in any way you can."Now is the time, we are the people. We are the ones we have been waiting for. " 

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Say Yes to Bliss

Dear friends,

In his book “Journey to Awakening” Ram Dass warns us of the traps of attachment, whether it be to a spiritual practice or to a memory.  They are both obstacles on the path.  What path? Any path.  Some become very attached to their religion and become method junkies. “This is the only way”, they insist. Others are plagued by memories of former days of happiness or are riddled with guilt about the past. In either case, there can be no bliss in the moment.  Bliss in the moment is what spiritual travelers are seeking. Call it peace or liberation, it is the bliss of Being that we are after.

We knew that bliss in early childhood, but it didn’t last long as we were indoctrinated into the world of time and space.  We soon learned that this is a deceptive place.  On the one hand there is fun and play but also anger and punishment.  Adults are different than they pretend to be.  There are hidden energies everywhere and a child learns to protect themselves from some of them. Hence, we develop various coping mechanisms.  Coping with life becomes normal.  We are not truly living it.  Look at your life today.  Have you been coping or living?

It might seem as if coping were the only option right now, with the restrictions imposed by the pandemic.  But no, we can be truly alive under any circumstances.  It doesn’t mean we ignore the issues in our time, but that we are not attached to them as obstacles.  (think about that statement.) Opportunities come in disguise, sometimes.  This may be one of them.  Let’s allow ourselves to be more open to what is trying to happen and less attached to what seems to be opposing it. Let’s not be attached to how it will happen.  Let’s just say YES to blissful living and see where it takes us. 

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Time to Be Grateful

Dear friends,

There has never been a better time to be grateful.  It might seem like there are too many important issues facing us as a people to be grateful.  Perhaps we ought to be angry or resigned.  But grateful? Yes.  Sincere gratitude is a state of mind that breaks up stuck energy.  It is a catalyst for movement.  It puts us back in charge of our immediate experience, which is what is required for proactive future-building. A mind that is resentful, churned up with anger or frustration is a mind that has lost power.

Think about it this way; When we are grateful for the breath we take now, for the meal we enjoy now, for the sun on our skin, for the water we drink, for the people we love, and so forth, we are in effect saying to the ugliness “you have no power. I see through you. The real world is still here. I live in a state of grace.”  Of course, there are those who would say you are naïve or ignoring the facts.  Exactly. Ignoring the facts is important in this sense. I am speaking about a spiritual practice that opens the mind to power and possibility.  If we identify as downtrodden or controlled, we are in trouble. We are participating in creating a future no one would welcome.

Gratitude for what is real overrides appearances to the contrary, which are temporary and passing.  Our leaders are all temporary.  Dis-ease is temporary. All  the terrible effects that we are now observing, are temporary. They are nothing in and of themselves. A change of consciousness will bring new effects.  It is difficult to convey this principle without inciting resistance, but it is important that we revisit how things happen.  Perhaps  “we the people” is beginning to have real meaning in our collective mind. It begins with us and we are the way good happens.

Gratitude is step one.  Rather than argue the point, try it and notice the shifts in your inner experience. What we are creating is a better point of departure for our vision of a loving and prosperous world.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Our First Mistake

Dear friends,

Everyone has made mistakes, but what does that mean exactly?  Breaking down the word into a “miss-take”, it implies we had a flawed perception or “take” on Reality.  We tend to make wise decisions, with positive outcomes, when they are based in Reality.  For those of us who study these things, Reality means the responsive and creative universal Law fulfills our most energized ideas, regardless of what they are.  It behooves us to expect success, but to also make sure our choices are for the highest good of ourselves and all concerned.

Mistakes are often the result of fear.  We mistakenly believe that we are the victims of the weather, the economy or other circumstances.  We expect the worst and we usually get it. What is your take on Reality today?  It would be tempting to observe the current climate and mistakenly think we are being attacked or oppressed.  But there is more to it.  The huge shifts in consciousness (our collective take on Reality) are causing the old paradigms to break down and crumble. More and more of us no longer believe in luck or a God in the sky who favors some over others. We are tuning in to the finer vibrations of our universe. We are realizing that what happens to us, happens through us and we are actually creating our local reality.  The universe appears as place but it is actually an ongoing event, shaped by consciousness; ie our current take on Reality.

Our first mistake was thinking we had failed some test in the spiritual realm. The story of Adam and Eve suggests that.  But that story has a much deeper meaning. It is about naming the world of form, giving it meaning and having dominion over our experience. We mistook ourselves for something separate from our Source. We have been experiencing the effects of that mistake ever since. Now is the time to shake off those old superstitions and enter the next phase of human evolution consciously.

Affirm:  “My Reality is that God is within me. I am its expression. I own my experience. I believe love and vitality, prosperity and peace are mine to shape into my personal reality.”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

The Infinite Night Sky

Dear friends,

There is something restorative about seeing images of exotic birds and other animals on the internet.  People are posting pictures of the most wildly arrayed parrots, lizards, frogs, cats and many other species that prompt me to utter “wow.”  Seeing these beautiful Beings gives me a sense of the intricate care put into this world; how there is purpose in everything.  It reminds me that I am one of them, alive in the natural world, and I have purpose. I see our planet as a garden of diversity and beauty.

On the other hand, when I used to visit planetariums or a few years ago when I went to the lower summit of Mauna Kea and saw the night sky illumined with millions of stars, so close I felt immersed in them, I had the realization that we are part of something so vast, so mysterious, so infinite, that there is no need to fuss over what is happening here.

When I was a young mother, we took our kids to the various museums in Los Angeles.  The dinosaurs, the early people depicted in dioramas, gave us the experience of knowing life goes on despite the times.  Evolution is real and the creative process is unending.  It served to remind us that our time here is limited, that we, too shall pass on, but there will be no ending to life, itself.

 When I was aged ten I saw something in the night sky that changed me at depth. It was a point of light traveling in a straight line and then stopping, pulsating and tearing off at a 60 degree angle, at amazing speeds, into the stars I knew then that there is so much to discover, so much more to life than this little lifetime. It made me want to find answers, to experience the More.  I also felt that I was part of the Cause of it all.  It was the beginning of my spiritual journey.

Life is magical.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Imagination is Silly. It Makes You Go Around Willy Nilly.

Dear friends,

Here is a lyric from an old song “imagination is funny, it makes a cloudy day sunny, makes the bee think of honey, just as I think of you.”  Take the last word and substitute it with what has your attention.  The implication is that what we think of with focus tends to be like honey to a bee.  We are naturally drawn to it in the outer world, and it to us.  Neville is the only spiritual teacher I have found who calls imagination the Christ. This is a somewhat radical idea, but it makes sense.

He postulates that when scriptures refer to “him or he” as the one who answers prayers, it is a reference to our imagination. “In him we live and move and have our Being.”  We are immersed in a field of quivering, expectant intelligence which is responsive to our imagined ideas, which become concepts, which turn into circumstances and things in the outer world.  This is the formula that Neville lays down at our feet.  It is so simple and easy to grasp.  The challenge is to manage our attention which tends to jump all over the place.

One-pointed thought or mindfulness is, indeed, a serious practice.  Serious because it is necessary in the manifestation process.  This does not mean tense concentration, but rather, spending time imagining yourself as already having what you desire!  It means putting your whole Being in the image. “I am that.” There is not a denying power that is a lesson giver. That is superstitious thinking. This universe runs on principles, not punishment.  I encourage you to find a copy of The Power of Awareness by Neville.  I plan to do an online class using it as a springboard for discussion. Let me know if you are interested.

Affirm: “I am that which I desire.”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Imagination Summons a World of Possibility

Dear friends,

William Blake referred to imagination as the ‘eternal world.’  He said this physical universe is but a ‘faint shadow’ of the eternal.   Unfortunately, in our world, it has been relegated to the realm of fantasy. It has been trivialized and ridiculed as child’s play.  Yet, Einstein said imagination is greater than knowledge. Nothing happens without it first being used.  The beloved spiritual teacher, Neville, wrote an entire book about imagination, calling it the ‘Christ’ within us. How active is yours?  If it is the Creative Force, what are you doing with it?  

It is perfectly understandable that our perception is narrow, that we are mainly involved with our personal experience and do not much concern ourselves with the ‘eternal.’  That being the case, have you noticed that when you do go into that space (in meditation or scientific prayer) how everything seems better afterwards?  It is true that we can shift our mind from worry and doubt, emotional pain of any kind, into peace an optimism, simply by the right use of our imagination. In that eternal world, the problems do not exist!

The imaginative realm is pre-manifestation. It is pure potential. It is formless and timeless. It is where we draw inspiration and answers.  What is an answer if not the opposite of the problem?  The human mind is the entrance point for what is imagined into the world of experience. It is our relationship to the inner realm that keeps the entry way open. If we would spend even an hour a day visiting possibility our lives would be dramatically improved. The technique is simple.  Sit down, be still and do nothing.  Watch your thoughts come and go. Let your mind settle.  Wait. Let it be. After sitting in silence for some time, introduce your desire into the eternal. It might sound like this “I live in a world of peace and plenty for all.” You will be the first person to receive the blessing of a changed mind. The effects must surely follow.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Dear friends,

Marcus Aurelius: “what stands in the way becomes the way.”

We can be impeded but we cannot be stopped by the impediment. We keep on. Often the resistance clarifies our next steps. That has certainly been the case for civil rights activists and anyone earnestly trying to bring about a great change. Scientists encounter obstacles, yet their intention and their conviction push them forward.  The soul cannot be deterred. Non-violent social activism is soul driven. The ego would give up after the first violent backlash.  A higher purpose or a great idea gives us the staying power we need to accomplish what others think too difficult or even impossible.

We admire soul driven folks like John Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr. but do we identify with them?  Do we see that they are human beings just like us?  The only difference is their refusal to give up and to persevere until they succeeded. The striking trait of those who achieve at the highest level is how they gather others into the dream. They do not act alone. We do not have to be the one who leads, but we can be one of the many.  An example is supporting a cause with our money.

“No Kid Hungry" is a charity I give to on a regular basis. I believe deeply that every child ought to have regular meals all year long.  I could not achieve that lofty goal alone, but I can help make it a reality.  That is exactly what voting is about. Each of us assists in making our world a better place by participating in shaping it. One of the great tenets of Democracy is that ordinary people can do extraordinary things.  The irony is that all of us come equipped with the only thing that has ever sparked the soul to do impossible things.  We have a mind that has access to its universal component. We can think beyond our current circumstance.  We begin with “what if” which becomes “why not” which transforms into “we can.” This is the secret that drives the soul. This is the start of lasting change.

Stayed tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carolcarnes-com

People Do Change

Dear friends,

Marcus Aurelius: “be attentive to the power inside you and worship it sincerely.”

If we are sincerely devoted to our relationship with the power within, we will not be inclined to deny the power in others.  That is what real condemnation is, declaring others incapable of change.  That is damnation.  It can be hard to see through the antics of ignorance but we really must try. Aurelius said what is divine is in all, what is human is like us.  We can  understand motives because we may have done something similar ourselves, or have been tempted to do so.

 People do change. I watched a true story involving the late Rep. John Lewis. During one of his many marches with the civil rights activists, he was beaten brutally by a young white man, a member of the KKK.  About 30 years later, that same man came to see the congressman in his office. He came to apologize, to tell Lewis that he had completely changed his perception, that he now denounces all racist inclinations.  Lewis said “I will forgive you.”

It seems important right now that we do not lose our vision of an awakened humanity.  Regardless of the ignorant actions of many people, we have to hold the higher idea as alive and well and on the move through the collective unconscious.  Of course that does not mean we are superior to others, just a bit more aware of our shared potential.  We see it, feel it and act as if it were so, in ourselves and everyone else.

Affirm  “ I see through the behaviors to the beautiful Self within. I am attentive to my own power and use it for Good.”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

 

Now We Must Be Patient

Dear friends,

This week on Facebook, someone asked what one thing have we learned during this time of sheltering in place.  Almost everyone said “patience.”  That is understandable since we all want this thing to be over and yet we can do very little to make it happen. We must be patient.  However, it made me think about how, if we are truly present in the moment, we do not need patience.  In that experience, we are not wanting anything to change; we are simply being in the here and now.  “Now” there is ample opportunity to practice the ancient spiritual art of Being without much Doing.

I joked to a friend on the phone that this is almost like being under house arrest, except I can go out for groceries or even a long drive if I am alone. It occurs to me that this time could serve me well in the future if I do not rail against it but use it as a kind of chosen isolation.  A monk chooses to enter the cave, knowing he will face himself but also deepen his understanding of his true nature.  Devoid of interaction with other people, we come face to face with our habituated thoughts, perhaps our demons.

One thing I have discovered recently is how much my mind wandered into the past where I revisited family betrayals and once again felt the sting.  I was even dreaming about those times.  Suddenly, after a contentious conversation with someone I deeply care about, I had a realization.  It sounds so simple and of course, deep realizations often are.  I  realized I could let it all go and not speak of it or think about it again. That was a few days ago and it has actually worked. I feel as if I have more mental space, more peace, more time.  The dreams have stopped.  It was rather stunning how easy it was to do.  This was not suppression. It was truly a conscious release of a cluster of ideas and images that have no place in my right now experience.

What gift is yours to discover?

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes  www.carolcarnes-com

Let's Go Forward, Not Back

Dear friends,

In the movie Cast Away, the stranded man cannot get off his island because the waves coming in are too high, too large, too fast for him to get over without a sail. Although he manages to build a fire, learns to spear fish and finds shelter, he is always longing to get back to life, which lies on the other side of what seems too powerful to overcome.

In his essay, “Circles” Emerson illustrates how we create the outer limits of anything, be it “the rules of art, an empire, religious rites.”  We erect a mental, psychological circumference that becomes like that impassable wave.  We need, not a sail, but a soul, as Emerson noted, to burst over the boundary and expand into another orbit. Life is circular and spiral-like.  We may feel hemmed in right now, even assuming this restriction is the “new normal.” What if it is a holding pattern, while we fortify our souls, coalescing energy to do what we need to do to launch humanity into a higher level of living together on this planet.

Not everyone will be able to use this time as a spiritual retreat, but there are enough of us who can, a critical mass of seniors who have the time to meditate, to consider possibilities, to imagine a world of peace and plenty for all.  What we have to work with is our magnificent mind and our wisdom and our higher self, which can open us to a vision for a “new normal.”

It feels as if we are not meant to be comfortable right now, but busy.  Spiritually busy, pushing out the boundaries of our own limiting beliefs, seeing beyond the reef, to the open field of beginnings. I think we have realized we do not want to “go back” to how it was, but that our souls long for deep, remedial change.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

But Act We Must

Dear friends,

It would not be surprising if many of us are having an “Arjuna” moment. Remember how world weary he had become? In the midst of battles raging all around him, all he sees is evil. He cries out to his Charioteer, (who happens to be Krishna) “why are we killing our kinsmen?”  He feels like he can fight no more battles.  Now we see our own battles everywhere.   People in the streets, shouting to be heard, brutality and despair.  Those of us who have reached advanced ages, have seen it all before. Perhaps not quite this dramatic, all at once and in the middle of a pandemic! But nevertheless, we hear ourselves cry “will we never learn to live together in peace?”

Krishna (the higher Self) tells Arjuna to do his job. He says to get up and participate.  He challenges him to see through his proclaimed compassion to the despondency it masks.  In a sense he is advising Arjuna to attend to what is right in front of him.  That would have to begin with remembering that this life is temporary, that our soul is eternal, that to be human is a gift, that we are here to help the evolution of our collective.  We cannot do that by giving up, retreating or ignoring the very real battle that is transpiring.  Krishna is more or less advising Arjuna to remember his Spirit and be not afraid for his life, but to do what is his to do.

Does that seem fitting for us right now?  Is there something we can do today to alleviate suffering for someone?  Have we claimed our inner Krishna recently? Are we tuned in to the finer vibrations of our soul? Are we listening to the Self that is our charioteer?   Be, first. Act second. But act we must.  There is a way to be in the midst of the action but above the fray. We are all warriors of some kind, battling for Good.  Krishna told Arjuna “Stand up and fight.”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

All Things Shall Pass in Time

Dear friends,

As you well know, nothing lasts forever. All things pass in time. One does not need to be a Buddhist to notice the impermanence of things. However, it is all too easy to forget that simple truth when dealing with loss or pain or ill health or financial struggles. Marcus Aurelius said “Existence flows past us like a river: the “what” is in constant flux; the “why” has a thousand variations.” In his stoic manner, he goes on to say it would take an idiot to be either self-important or in distress. That certainly rings of the Buddhist “middle way” path.

New Thought, being an American spirituality, is a bit more proactive   Although equally stressing the transitory nature of things, New Thought teaches us to direct the flow.  In other words, do not sit and wait to see what happens, but use the power of your mind to help the thing either grow or diminish, whatever it may be.  In financial times, image wealth and sufficiency; when ill, imagine being healthy and whole; when the heart is broken, think of how much love you still have in your heart; affirm your desire to express it in relationship.

In these times of the pandemic, the racial tension, the obvious dying of very old paradigms, what ought we be thinking about?  As a beginning point, focus on beauty, color, music; then extend to Nature and her perfection, her ingenuity, her attention to detail.  Remind yourself that there is Something Else present and Causing this array of diversity.  Once we are centered in the consciousness of our oneness with it, we are prepared to affirm that our desire is in the making. We see a world of Love and peace. My personal affirmation is to me, all inclusive.  It is “In this world every child is safe with every adult and every other Being.”

That means they are well cared for, not abused in any way. They are well fed and loved, respected regardless of ethnicity.  They can thrive wherever they may be, encouraged to fully express themselves. In order for this to be true, there can be no violence, no racism, no sexism, none of the things we now put up with. The old ways have been defeated, not by the passing of time, but by the pictures in our mind. Then we have a foundation for action. We do the right thing, effortlessly.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

If Not Now, When?

Dear friends,

    We have had triple digit temperatures all week, yet there is a crew outside repaving the parking area.   This is hot, smelly work in the best conditions.  It must be almost unbearable right now.  Our world would be so different without trained men and women who are willing to do the hard things so the rest of us can live more comfortably.  Nowadays they are paid well but we have that ugly history of slavery.  Those Americans built this country without any pay at all, under terrible treatment and horrible living conditions.  Personally, I feel Black people who came from Africa as slaves, brought a richness to our culture that has enhanced our shared experience.  Some of the greatest inventions came from individuals of color, in every walk of life; science, medicine, agriculture, religion, entertainment, literature, the arts, music, athletics and so much more.  I feel grateful to them as I do for those outside doing the work right now.

      In some way, every group who came here brought unique gifts with them; their cuisine, their music, their language, their customs.   The First Nations tribes who were here when our ancestors arrived, made the greatest sacrifice of all.  Their land was stolen, their children kidnapped, their language and culture abolished.   My children’s paternal grandfather was full blood Choctaw. His sister Ida was once known as the “oil queen of Oklahoma.” During the depression, the U.S. government confiscated her land. She was left with nothing.  There is much in our history that is shameful.  The treatment of women is nothing to be proud of, either.

      Awareness is the first step in healing.  We all have a story of injustice of some kind. Together we are owning our story right now. It is painful.  It is shocking. It is regrettable. It is shaming. Yet here we are with the most incredible potential to create a country that exemplifies our highest values. As Dr. Jean Houston has so passionately said “this is the time. We are the people. If not us, who? If not now, when?”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Brighten Someone's Day

Dear friends,

The Dollar store sells books!  I buy several at a time and after reading them, they go to support the local university’s library.  It seems a simple and fair exchange. Sometimes it doesn’t take much to participate in the betterment of our community.  I was trying to put air in my tire and could not get it to work. I asked a young man who was delivering supplies to the gas station if he would help. He did not hesitate, but had the job done in no time. I gave him five dollars to buy himself a beer.  He gave me a big grin and a “thanks, lady.”  It was a good trade.  People are quick to help when asked. It is also  to not wait to be asked but to look around and see what needs to happen.

       I know someone who keeps a supply of dog food, water and little plastic bowls  in her car.  She often sees a stray who is obviously hungry.  I saw a report about a young man who wondered how homeless men could go so long without a hot shower and a shave.  He outfitted an old bus with showers and stocked it with clean clothes. He got Barbers to donate their time for haircuts and shaves. The recipients were overjoyed but I imagine the awareness that someone actually saw their need and cared enough to do something about it was the real gift.

      It doesn’t take much to brighten someone’s day.  Let’s consider what we have that we could share.  In these times of social distancing, it is still possible to do some good.  Be nice to workers in the stores. Tell them you appreciate them. Say thank you for everything anybody does for you.  I know I am speaking to the choir, that you are already a generous giver.  It’s just that we can feel so cut off from the world now, we might forget how much need is still out there.  Giving without expectation of a return is a serious spiritual practice.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

Dear friends,

     If you couldn’t see your coffee, would you know it was brown?  Take a sip with your eyes closed, it has no taste other than of hot water with a little flavoring.  Seeing the rich dark color seems to make it better. People have their favorite beverages but when asked to do blind taste tests they often pick another brand as the best tasting.  This happened with a group of folks who were devotees of a particular brand of vodka. They swore it was the only one worth consuming. In a blind taste test with several brands involved, they vehemently declared  it to be the worst tasting one!  They had a hard time believing the results.  They insisted they had been tricked.  Perception is very tricky.

     We can be so invested in a perception that we will fight for it even when it has been proven wrong.  Often we have become so attached to the idea that somehow our very self-worth gets involved.  “Wait a minute”, the mind argues, ”if  my beliefs about ‘them’ were completely false, what does that say about me?”   Fanatics will defend their position even when they no longer actually believe in the original premise. The question arises “what else have I been wrong about?” The ego mind does not want to hear the answer to that.

     Spiritual courage is revealed in the one who can honestly say “I got that all wrong.”  We are able to do it when we have a clearer perception of ourselves.  If our essential self is always intact, then our ideas do not define us. Therefore, we can change our mind and not fear the loss of anything real.  Ideas come and go. The I am remains. Perceptions are temporary. Updating them is always possible. That is the secret to emotional maturity and mental freedom.

Affirm:  “I let old ideas that limit me or anyone else, float away gently. No harm, no foul.”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes  www.carol-carnes.com

Is the Pandemic a Wake-Up Call?

Dear friends,

Just when we thought it was safe to go back in the water…….!  You know I look at everything from the point of view that a higher Intelligence is always at work to bring about a greater good for all.  It needs our participation of course, but it does attempt to move us off previous positions that did not produce greater good for all. That said, we have been given the message ‘not so fast folks, you have just begun to see the problem that you could ignore when you were running around doing your normal life. Stay with the questions a bit longer.’

This pandemic is such a clear message from our collective unconscious. We want a more just and equitable society. We want a better relationship with Nature.  We want freedom for all. Our busy-ness, our pursuit of the dollar above everything else (subtly imposed on us)  caused us to be blind to the terrible chaos underneath our everyday experience. Now, with just a few months of having to stay out of the water….we have started to see what needs to be done.

This is a close encounter of the spiritual kind. It is sad and maddening that so many had to die. Perhaps compassionate leadership would have made a difference. However, now we also see the flaws there, too. Although those who mourn the loss of their loved ones would not see this and rightly so; it is becoming more evident that this has been a blessing. That does not lessen our sorrow for the fallen, but more and more of us who needed to be awakened now know for sure:

Black Lives Matter

Nature is our Mother

Leadership must be grounded in values that serve the Whole

We are our brothers and sisters keepers.

Our Power is really in our vote and what we support

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

We Are All Worthy of a Lovely Life

Dear friends,

Summer has arrived. We know it will soon be very hot. We know our utility bills will increase. We know we will not be traveling to tropical isles this year. Things are very different. There is not that feeling of being let out of school that often accompanies summertime. We are still somewhat confined to home and we will be asked to mask up in public places. It’s a new reality.  However, it is temporary.  It will serve its purpose, which is to unite us and make us more aware of how we interact with each other and it will move on.

Spirit never struggles. It moves into form with the ease of water flowing into the sea. This current event is our collective dis-ease in evidence. It is as if Spirit said “okay, here is what it looks like, now heal it.”  The virus is not separate from our issues with racial injustice. They are powerful forces that attack and sicken those affected. Both the racist and the one under attack are demoralized.  The great metaphysician, Neville, said, “no one deliberately does the wrong thing.” He meant we are motivated almost entirely from our own sense of self-worth.

The irony is that the one with the highest or healthiest self-worth will do no harm. It is the person with a damaged self esteem who takes it out on others. We are not looking for excuses, we are looking at Cause. Change the Cause and there will be new effects. It is no small thing to declare the goodness of all people. The Power that makes all things new is the power in or own imagination.

Affirm “Everyday in every way humanity is more loving, more compassionate, kinder to every one.  We are in this together.  We are all worthy of a lovely life.”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

The Energy that Brings Us Together

Dear Friends,

It is rather like living in a global jigsaw puzzle right now. There are key pieces that complete the picture once we take a higher view of what is coming together. It is quite fascinating to see the downfall of the patriarchy in many forms, as the balancing energies of kindness and compassion rise, bringing with them a guarantee of freedom and justice for all. Is that too big a vision? Am I being spiritually naïve to think those in power with capitulate to the softer demands of the young?  Well, as the late futurist Barbara Marx Hubbard taught us, the evolution of the species happens by leaps.  In the time /space dimension it may seem like a “long time coming” but in Reality it is no time at all.

We are fortunate to be alive right now as this stunning shift takes place.  Do not doubt that it will, because it is unfolding right before our eyes. The pandemic has forced us to stop, look and listen.  We came to a screeching halt in the direction we were headed. Now we see the effects of our previous actions. With more of us tuning in to the news from many different sources, we are gaining in awareness of what has been going on in our world for hundreds of years.  We will  not stand for it any longer.

The crumbling of a certain style of leadership is almost comical to watch, only because I see it as a key part of the reversal of patriarchy. Things are falling apart so that they can come together in new ways.  What is the power, the energy that brings things together that belong together and maintains them in harmony and balance? LOVE!  Ernest Holmes described spiritual love in that way. It is the force that is driving us now. Love of life, love of the planet, love for all of Nature, love of each other, love of diversity.  These are real; this is what is driving the marchers. They are not protesting as much as they are insisting!  No more war, no more hate, no more desecration of the world, no more injustice, no more bullying, no more poverty, no more hunger, no more waste and want.

Affirm “This world is a joy to behold; a place of love and peace. I know it, I see it, I feel it!”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Compassion for All Lives

Dear friends,

We would not be surprised by the compassion the Dali Lama shows towards his oppressors. We expect him to act on what he believes. We know he believes in the value of loving kindness.  We should not be surprised at the behavior of someone who believes they are superior to others because of the circumstances of their birth.  However, we are often shocked by their cruelty because we do not share their beliefs. That is righteous indignation. How can you be so ignorant, we cry. It becomes clearer by the headlines that it is beliefs that need to change.

People are prompted from within to display their personal take on Reality.  We then act accordingly. When a young person is in military boot camp, the aim of his trainer is to strip him of his beliefs and replace them with those of loyalty and patriotism above all. Once a battle weary soldier has had enough, his former beliefs might surface.  He might find it very difficult to shoot another young person who speaks another language but who is very much like him. Our core beliefs will eventually surface unless they have actually been supplanted.

Here we are in a Reality warp. Those who see difference as the enemy are running amok, causing our society to suffer from the loss of peace and camaraderie. The rest of us are trying to find ways to change their minds. That is what protests are all about. We want everyone to love each other, to respect our diversity, to cherish life, all life.  And so we continue to pray, march, chant. That being said there is something else we must do.

Check our own take on Reality.

Make sure we are clear of prejudices.

Put our beliefs to the test.

Engage with others who are very different from us. Read their stories.

Most importantly, declare the Truth;  One Life is being all life. What we do to the rest of us, we do to the Source and we do to our soul.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

The Power of The Divine Feminine

Dear friends,

My dear friend Rev Dr. David Leonard said ‘the mind wants answers, the soul seeks meaning.”

I have chased answers all my life, but now at the age I am, I seek meaning in everything. There is always a deeper Cause running through our experience than what it seems to be. What if everything that is happening now is humanity’s way of seeking balance by bringing forth its own Feminine Power?  I am speaking of the spiritual feminine which has been denied, ridiculed, subjugated to the masculine. It has long been associated with the color Black (think witches clothing)  with ritual, rhythm and dance, with cycles and birth, with the moon and the mystery of darkness. The Divine Feminine is, in her full expression, a healing presence, bringing stability and protection wherever she is allowed to be active. She keeps us grounded in Mother Earth.

The Divine Feminine was perceived to somehow threaten the Power of the Divine Masculine, which has been allowed to run wild, building and destroying, conquering and inventing. He was not tempered by her wisdom and without it, the Masculine becomes toxic to the well being of the Whole. Men and women have denied their whole selves, even to the point of women acting like men to have any voice at all.  Men who have their feminine in partnership with their masculine are often vulnerable to attack or disrespect themselves. What I see as the meaning now, is that we are engaged in a kind of unraveling of myths that do not serve humanity in this day and age. Our Feminine is prompting us to awaken to our place in the creation of equality and justice. Equality begins in us. Do we value both aspects of our spiritual Being?

We must challenge the old ways of perception

1.   Black does not equate with evil
2. We all have both Masculine Vision and Feminine Wisdom within our wholeness
3. We need both to survive and thrive

Affirm:  “I am a Being of perfect balance.  I think, I feel, I act, from the wisdom and the vision of my true nature.”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com 

 for more on the Divine Feminine read Matthew Fox's book 'Meister Eckhart"

Updating our Collective Perception of Reality

Dear friends,

These cool mornings when it is very quiet, the sliders open, and I am reflecting on what to write, I realize that Life itself is perfect. It does not need improvement. It is not to be fixed or healed of anything. Life does not create ugliness, destruction, hate and violence. Humans do all that. Our power is immense. We can create Love and Peace as easily but our superstitions prevent us from fully accessing our higher nature.

There are those who actually believe that love will make us weak, that vulnerability is to be avoided. Some think they will have to do without if everyone has a fair share of resources. Others are convinced that killing each other in war  is the way to advance the species. We have been operating under the mistaken ideas of ancient people. They  are no longer appropriate. They cause great injustices in our shared life.

We need to update our collective perception of Reality. We have a Perfect Life to work with; a creative force that adjusts to our highest ideas. Think of the Good we could do with a collective belief in the Power that makes all things new as our God, our Source, our essential Self. What if we really believed that God is within, that the power is in our consciousness, that ideas precede all experience, shaping them in our image and likeness? Would we take inventory of our own interior dialogue?  Let’s get honest with ourselves.

What do I really know is true?

Affirm:  “I am open to change my mind about anything that is not spiritually true.”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes  www.carol-carnes.com

The World is Ripe for Renewal

Dear friends,

Here is a little something from Marcus Aurelius.

 “At some point you have to recognize what world it is that you belong in, what power rules it and from what source you spring.”   In New Thought we know that we live in a field of consciousness, it rules everything and our source is infinite consciousness; meaning we are in charge of our world.

Today it seems appropriate to ask, are we living in the world that best suits us?  I don’t mean on planet earth but in the world of ideas, values, customs?  Do we belong where there is hate and ugliness and if it is part of our world do we have some responsibility to help it become where we belong?  If we do not belong in that milieu what are we going to do about it?

Who are our friends, and who do we spend time with, exchanging ideas?  Is our conversation on a high level of wholeness and possibility?  Aurelius challenges us to live with reverence and compassion.  He was a stoic, which is very unlike our modern world of instant gratification. But we can try to delay judgements and condemnations.  We can become more aware of what we are putting into our shared environment vias the avenue of consciousness.

The world may seem to be in turmoil, but it is ripe for renewal.  This is the paradigm deconstruction period that can be so painful.  What is unlike the world we want to live in will, by necessity, have to fall away, dissolve into the nothingness form whence it came.   We must say goodbye to racism and all the other divisive ideas we have learned to endure. They do not belong in this world of love and compassion, diversity and creativity. Goodbye forever to all the unnecessary notions of God.  Goodbye to superstition and dogma.  We are on the edge of a new world.  Let’s do our  part to make it real.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

No Justice, No Peace

Dear friends,

Emerson wrote “all thoughts of a turtle are turtle.” It is hard to change a mind that is convinced of its stance.  Often that person will have an inkling that you may be right, but they have thought the same thing for so long it feels part of their identity. They are loathe to let it go. Somehow their beliefs gave them a sense of power or privilege and to let them go is a sea change.

We are in a sea change in the world right now.  From religion to race relations to gender preference to politics and governing, we are crying for enlightenment. It almost seems as if we have been lulled to sleep by the old guard.  We know within our hearts, as youth does naturally, that there is no safety in an unjust world.  We know that we really love each other, deep down and we have been talked out of it. We know our future together depends on what we insist to be our rights.

No justice, no peace.  No peace, no creativity, no creativity, no prosperity. No prosperity, no vitality. No vitality, death,  The death of the joy, the love that are our most intrinsic states of being is something we cannot allow to happen. Stand up and be counted as one of the people who knows that past experience has no bearing on now or our future.  It can all change like the currents in the sea. We have come to a place where there is no going back. We know it and we are in the midst of proving it.

As Jean Houston said “Be not afraid. You were born for these times.”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

We Are Not Observers, We Are Participants.

Dear friends,

Ernest Holmes said, speaking about humanity: “has learned all it should through suffering and pain.”

Have we? Have we learned all we need to know about lack and violence?  Since this time of isolation, what have we learned about ourselves?  How have we grown into better citizens, more compassionate and caring?  It has certainly been a time of reflection if we were able to use it that way.  I know young parents have had a different experience in this than those of us who are alone.  However, I would imagine there have been some wonderful realizations for them, too.

For myself, I feel like an observer of human behavior, almost as if I am watching a movie. There have been so many acts of profound kindness, generosity and compassion that it reinforces my belief in the higher nature of us. On the other hand we have all witnessed the most terrible acts of hatred and venom to make us feel perhaps helpless in the face of it.  But then, those things always went on, as did the loving kindness. That is the world we live in and must navigate.

Perhaps the single most important awareness we could arrive at, is that we are NOT observers, we are participants. We have to find ways to help each other stay safe and respected and well cared for. It might be in how we vote; which leaders we support. It will also be about how we interact with our own inner thoughts. Are we more positive today than yesterday? Are we more hopeful? Do we see more Good than Evil in the world? These were question Dr. Holmes suggestedthat we ask of ourselves when we wonder if we have made any spiritual progress by means of our New Thought teaching. All questions have answers. How we respond will help us move forward.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes  www.carol-carnes.com

We Are Greater Than Our Experience

Dear friends,

Marcus Aurelius:  “what stands in the way becomes the way.”

He was a proponent of taking what is in front of us and using it to launch ourselves beyond it.  I suppose that is a way of saying, we are greater than our experience as long as we know it. If we do not, we will allow it to run us. We will be victims of it, not creators within it.

If we think back over our own lifetime, we can see how victorious we have been! We are still here, the better for it and capable of new discoveries.  We have thrived despite what looked like obstacles to our well-being.  If we are still capable of love and compassion and generosity, then we are highly successful in being us! That is a great achievement and the only real goal.

There is a new saying “you do you and I ‘ll do me.”  I wonder if the current crop of youngsters know what a huge task that can be.  In a world that wants to make us mindless consumers, without a sense of self determination, we will do well to just “be me,”  That can mean a good deal of self-insight and self-reliance.  Those come from inner connection to our own original self. We do that through various spiritual practices.  Meditation is the most easily done and provides immediate results.  The feeling of “happy for no reason” which accompanies regular meditation, is the greater self, just saying hello.

Affirm; “I always have time to be with my Self.”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Life is Beautiful and Bountiful

Dear friends,

 One of the saving graces of living where I do, which is just an apartment with a balcony, is that there is beauty around me.   There are very large trees and little ponds and grass and flowers. If I have color and something pretty to look at, I am fairly content. That doesn’t mean I don’t have issues to resolve like everyone else right now, but that I can remain somewhat calm while I consider how to proceed.  For me, Nature has always been my friend and the great equalizer. She reminds me of the natural harmony of Life and the bountiful Source that benefits everyone, especially one who knows how to interact with it.

The role of good architecture in a bustling city is to give the inhabitants some Beauty, some connection to the Real world. Think of the great cathedrals, one that comes to mind is St Patrick’s in New York City.  Walk in and you are transported into the realm of peace and calm; not because of the religion within its walls but because of the walls themselves. The extremely high ceilings, the way the light comes in, the arches that resemble overhanging branches, are deliberately constructed for our emotional well-being.   Euclid said “God is geometry.” So is architecture. God is also color and flow.

When inner city youth are taken into the great outdoors, some for the first time, they are transformed, regaining their natural relationship with beauty and its Source. Troubled teens who are given a horse to care for, are often healed of childhood trauma that, left unchecked, could lead them into detrimental situations. Truly, Nature is the great Healer. Nature in all her forms, and we are one of those forms.

Affirm: “The Beauty of God within me, shines a light all around me. I WALK WITH HEALING GRACE."

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

The Highest Ideals and Most Loving Thoughts

Dear friends,

Sometimes the stoicism of Marcus Aurelius just hits the nail on the head. Consider this advice from him:

“Everything that happens is either endurable or not.   If it’s endurable, then endure it.   Stop complaining. If it is unendurable, then stop complaining. Your destruction will mean its end as well. Just remember you can endure anything your mind can make endurable by treating it as if it is in your best interest to do so. In your interest or in your nature.”

That about covers it. Of course, living up to his rigorous dictates is not easy. We have to have a higher view of how life happens to be that in charge of our experience.   Having said that, when we are in the midst of a very difficult situation, we either get above it or we fall into it. Doesn’t that seem to be the way for most of us? If we get above it, we become the master of how we are in it and that can make all the difference.

Is this the worst thing that could happen, or the best? Is it both? Is it the most significant and potent opportunity? We have been in isolation long enough to have had some serious thoughts on the subject. How we go forward will be determined by how well we have endured and by what we think this means. If we can love and bless those who have lost the most, given up their lives, even thank them, we will be able to rise to the occasion.   Now it is possible to rethink who we are together and how we can live in harmony with Nature and each other. Oh, it won’t be easy. It won’t happen overnight. But that is what is possible. Really, nothing less will do.

Affirm: “I remain available to the highest ideas and the most loving thoughts. I am a force for Good.”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Labor is Antidote for Too Much Sitting and Talking

Dear friends,

Emerson said he knew of no means of calming the fret and perturbation of which too much sitting and talking brings us, as perfect as labor.

Have you noticed that the best remedy for worry or fear is to get up and do something physical, strenuous or just productive? I can remember my grandmother saying “sweeping is good for what ails you.” So is gardening or brisk walks; painting a room or organizing the garage. Movement gets the mind engaged in the activity and allows the negative ideas to dissipate. There is that old-time tale about idle hands making it easier for the “Devil” to visit. The Devil is limiting ideas or the projection of worst case scenarios.

It is good to make things with your hands, too. There is something therapeutic about creativity.  Making something appear that did not exist before is quite empowering. Of course the highest course of action is to do something for someone in need, or perhaps just because you love them. Giving for no reason is good medicine, as is shared laughter and music. Virtual choirs are springing up on the internet, as they are in neighborhoods of apartment dwellers with balconies. People seem to have an inner drive to lift one another up. It is a lovely trait that perhaps this time-out from our usual lives has reactivated.

Much of our spiritual practice is about not doing anything, but sitting in silence. However, to get the full benefit, it has to be in balance with activity. In the current time of quarantine, we are learning that chosen activity, the kind we make a conscious decision to engage in, is the best of all. Choosing our actions opens the mind to ask “what can I bring to this to make it better or more fun or more meaningful?” It would seem we have been given a golden opportunity to think deeply about how we have been in the world, individually and collectively.

It might be useful to keep a journal of what you have discovered for yourself during this time of reflection. It feels as if we are preparing for something grand and glorious. I choose to think that and I will act as if it were so.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Cherish the Earth and Leave it in Good Shape for the Ones who Follow Us

Dear friends,

I read that certain redwood trees live 1800 years. I thought, why don’t they just keep going? Why do things have a life span? What is the purpose of death, anyway? It must be part of a recycling program. The planet would not survive if life forms did not leave and make room for new arrivals.  We like to think we return in a newly created body, and maybe we do, but that begs the question, “who are WE anyway?” Who am I that lives and dies? Who returns? Humans have devised various explanations. Most of them are likely to be wrong. Some expect to be told all the secrets once we are out of these bodies. Does that seem logical?

We keep waiting for either a Messiah or an Alien to come and explain things to us.   We project that image of the all-knowing One on leaders of all kinds. Our expectations of them are beyond rational thinking. No one can alleviate our existential angst but we ourselves. One of the best ways to do it is to be very aware of this now moment and all the beauty around us. In this time of social distancing, it is easier to do than when we are rushing around in the world. Practice noticing and appreciating color, sound, the breeze, the sun, rainfall, a child’s laughter. The everyday things are the most fleeting. One day they will be gone. What if this is it? What if this is the only life-time we have to experience them?

The obvious answer is to cherish it; to take care of it, to leave it in good shape for the ones who follow us. That would include what collective beliefs we want a child to be born into. A belief in a punishing God in the sky? A belief that we are basically evil? A belief that there is not enough of anything?   A belief that some are superior to others? Let’s be aware that what we think, speak and teach is part of the pattern of consciousness that will be our legacy.

Like a community patchwork quilt, we contribute to the whole with our personal awareness. Let’s make sure it is a gift, not another superstition to be overcome. We won’t see the effects ourselves, but we can know they are inherent in the Cause.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

The Joy of Being Alive

Dear friends,

Consisting of only three letters, Joy is, nonetheless, a very big word. In fact most of us do not have much relationship with it. We can be elated, thrilled, excited, happy; but joyful? Filled with JOY? Not so much. What triggers our Joy response? We do have one, you know. The thing that we may have lost sight of is that Joy does not depend on any outer event. It is something we felt as tiny children; perhaps for no reason whatsoever, we had boundless enthusiasm for living. Enthusiasm for living without any change in circumstances is Joy.

In a culture like the West, where spontaneity is frowned upon, where people don’t dance, they plan to go dancing occasionally, where most sit on the sidelines; where playful behavior has no place in the office, where singing is usually for the few, where music requires years of practice, where squealing with delight will get you talked about…we lose Joy.   We are living without it. We are paying a high price, too.

Why are so many people addicted to drugs, food, sex and alcohol? Why is there a rise in depression among young kids? What is the root cause of all this anger we see on the news? We point to the effects, the injustices, the inequalities, the poverty and we say those are the reasons. But no, those are the effects of a deeper Cause and that is the loss of the simple Joy of being alive. What triggers the Joy response that is within us and is dormant?

Oddly, it is DOING NOTHING! Joy arises in us for no reason other than the experience of Being. That comes in silence. It arises in meditation. With regular practice, it begins to emerge in our daily life. Meditation is the source of enthusiasm. It opens the spaces in the mind where Joy can shine through. It is a simple formula for a healthier life. Go within, retrieve your natural Joy. It is still there.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Time for Positive Thinking

Dear friends,

It is interesting that we greet one another with “How are you doing?” and never ask “what have you been thinking?” If we deeply knew the creative power of our minds, that would be the most pertinent question.

What have you been thinking during this time of quarantine? Are your thoughts more positive than limited? Are you planning on what you might do once the restrictions are lifted? Have you been knowing the greater good for humanity is coming through? Do you welcome the changes that could be the result of this collective experience? Are you optimistic about our future?

One aspect of this whole adventure is the good effect it has had on the Natural world. That is a clear message of how our choices affect the balance in the natural world. We can right now be thinking of new ways to be in relationship with Mother Nature to ensure her well-being, and therefore, ours. As Emerson wrote, every tree and every vine in my garden shall soon show the treatment they have had.

Today let’s think about what we are thinking about. Let’s respect our creative minds. Let’s know that we are never powerless, that we are part of a universal system of the One becoming the many; that the One is within and ever available for the higher idea to be made manifest through us. This the time to think from the Rest of us, the Best of us, the not yet Expressed of us.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Be Still and Play

Dear friends,

Did you know that Henry Ford never had a driver’s license? Frank Sinatra couldn’t read music. Beethoven wrote music as a boy that he couldn’t play because his hands were too small. Who taught Shakespeare to write? Human Beings do all sorts of things simply by attempting them.   Often achievements are attributed to us that are not valid. ie: Jesus never started a church. Many were begun in his name, albeit without his permission. Look at the many makers of automobiles who followed Ford. One person can have enormous influence simply by following their inner guidance. They are actually saying yes to something that is alive in them.

     During this time of quarantine it might be wise to call up those old ideas that we may have tossed aside. We were too busy, had too many responsibilities, not enough money or maybe we thought we had missed the moment. It is never too late to find a way to express some version of an old desire. One desire that is common to us all but not necessarily acknowledged is the deep need to find our true self. It is a quest to feel One with the ineffable, as we did as small children. There is a longing in each of us to return to that state of blissful awareness. Now is a grand opportunity to practice meditation, the tried and true method to take us into the realm of the Self. It also serves to quiet the household. Regular practice brings a peace into the environment.

Whether it is writing your memoirs, painting a portrait of your beloved dog, doing yoga or dancing in the living room, including what your heart wants to do will stir the Spirit. Meditation will be easier and the benefits tenfold.

Today's mantra: Be still and Play.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Use Your Power Constructively

Dear friends,

There is an old saying that Power corrupts. It depends on what kind of power one is talking about. The Power to use the mind to manifest things can be corruptible if one does not understand what Power one is actually using. Once known, the temptation to oppress in any way, dissolves. The Devil is disarmed. The Power is not that we can make things happen with thought (we can). It is that thought is the local impulse of a universal Love & Intelligence seeking outlet into the visible realm of experience. It does it by means of us. When we understand that we are the way in for Love and Intelligence (taking the form of relationships, abundance, health, peace and creativity) to be made personal and real, then we need not use our mind for anything but Good.

Everything we call evil or degrees of evil, from greed and pettiness to violence and mayhem, arises in the mind of one who thinks Power is in short supply. The belief in Lack is truly the root of all evil. The one who believes in Lack will find a way to get what they want or need by any means possible. That is the Cause of corruption. It is the Cause of unhappiness, ill health, poverty, ageism, sexism, homophobia, the ruination of Nature; all of it comes from a belief in outer Power and inner Lack.

Humanity is caught in the trap of old thinking stemming from ignorance which became the core teaching of some religions. Those old paradigms have corrupted our minds into resignation of one’s lot (giving rise to class distinction), obedience to outer Power (why bother to vote?) and despair.(Let’s get drunk, high or go to war). Everything that is wrong with our world stems from the misunderstanding and therefore, the misuse of real Power. The answer is so simple. It is right here in our midst and can be heard clearly in most New Thought teachers. Not all. Some have succumbed to the need to sound like other religions in order to appeal to a broader audience. That is not what we ought to be doing. This is a teaching that is for everyone who has ears to hear. I am convinced most of humanity is ready. We have been playing with fire. Now is the time to use it to illuminate our shared path to an awakened world.

Stay tuned in,
Carol Carnes

A Shared Experience That Can Bring About Needed Change

Dear friends,

It is extremely rare for humanity to have a shared experience, one that affects everyone of us in some way. A global event, or series of events, that together bring about the need for massive deconstruction of psychological, political and social structures that helped create the event, hardly ever happens. We are having one of those experiences with the corona virus pandemic. The necessity of quarantine or self-isolation is, through my spiritual lens, a call to the inner mystic. The way we have seen the world, ourselves and each other, will not suffice to rid us of poverty, hunger, crime, violence to the planet and despair. Our model for what it means to be human is deeply flawed. It has brought us to this point of no return. We are being called from within.

In other words, something wonderful is trying to happen! The Mystic knows that Life is always for itself, never divided against itself and forever available to itself. You and I are expressions of that Life and what it is. We cannot find our boundless potential by looking for it in the world. It cannot be found, but must be realized. This can be a life-long journey, and for most of us it is, yet there are moments of realization that lift us into a higher awareness immediately. We are not the same. Some of us had that experience in our first meditation. We may remember incidents from childhood that were unexplained, magical moments of oneness with Life. It has been said we awaken through desperation or inspiration, but awaken we must.

Isn’t it interesting that we have created a virus that threatens our existence if left to its own devices? It is like a virus in our computers that will destroy everything in it. As a metaphor, it is stunningly apt. As a real experience it is terrible. This may seem callous, I hope not, but when we see everything as a metaphor we are above it and able to use it to rise up. That does not mean we do not attend to those who need help. It means that we, within ourselves, give no power to the effect, but pay deep attention to its cause. Do you see how the lack of human activity has begun to heal the planet; how this experience is making us take a new look at our economic structures, our medical models, our arrogance?

This is the time and we are the people, so said Dr. Jean Houston. She knows that it is time for all of us to look within, find our Center and act accordingly. We each will find ways to begin. It won’t be easy. It will be messy, but creating a world that works for everyone will be the greatest fun we have ever had.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Hold on to Your Highest Ideas

Dear friends,

Today I opened the Science of Mind, by Ernest Holmes, and my eyes fell on this: (page 161) “We should be careful not to divide our mental house against itself. Having announced the law of liberty, we must not deny it. When we all shall know the truth, then the ways and means and methods will be found for the freedom of all.”

Prayers are offered and then torn apart by our fear, doubt and unbelief. He is asking us to hold onto our highest idea as if it were already in form and experience. It will then be self-evident in our world. “liberty and Justice for all” is a most high idea, one that has been finding ways to be realized in our culture since it was first conceived. We tend to think ideas are wispy imaginings, but no, they are energy vortexes that, if given serious attention, remain alive and on the move. 

This becomes obvious in a good relationship. If Love is kept alive, if it is the driving force between two people, then it tends to find ways to keep them together. The ways and means might be anything from counseling to spiritual practice to events than seem perfectly designed to facilitate commitment. It is the same with other ideas that we have declared to be essential in our own lives.

When we use New Thought techniques, we do not pray to ask for something; we infuse our mind with the quality of the thing desired. We attach our identity to it. We declare it to be alive and on the move. We allow ourselves to be changed at depth if necessary. New Thought prayer is a treatment of spiritual truth that we give our own mind. It is in that realm that “God” answers with a resounding Yes. Then it is our work to accept with gratitude and allow the fulfilled desire to have its way with us. Nothing new arises from old ideas unless they are active now.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com