California Free Press

The Power is in the Present

Dear friends,

We cannot always see the “deep remedial force” as Emerson wrote, that underlies all facts. We may be facing a major shift in our personal life, but what seems like a loss is proven later to be a gift. What we thought would take us down, becomes the very thing that lifts us up. We are never victims of life; we are always its playmate. Emerson’s essay on Compensation is wonderfully encouraging. It is easy to take the low road and become frightened by a current fact. It is the usual reaction of humans. However, anything that we see now in the manifest world, is the past. It is an old idea revealed. It is the ash of the fire that has burned out. It cannot repeat itself, the fire must be stoked. Who does that if not we, ourselves, with our fears and worries and projection of worst case scenarios?

The power is in the present. Lose your job? Rather than lamenting the change, claim it to be an opportunity to express aspects of yourself that heretofore have been in the background. We have been doing things one way up until now, but now we are on a new path. We will meet new people, do new things, have fresh ideas. This is a good thing, not a loss. The same is true when a relationship breaks apart. We have somehow allowed this to be so that we might be released into deeper love, perhaps for ourselves.

What about the death of a loved one? Death is a part of life and cannot be avoided. Grief is normal and sadness is part of being human. Even death, however, in Emerson’s eyes, plays a part in our own growth if we choose to see it that way. He knew it first hand when his beloved wife Ellen died quite young and then his little boy. He applied the same spiritual wisdom to these challenging events. The last paragraph of his essay on Compensation ought to be required reading.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Creating a World of Liberty and Justice for All

Dear friends,

The election of people to high positions of power and influence is not about them so much as it is about our collective consciousness. The question we ought to be asking now is ‘what is the consciousness that we want in the forefront of our shared reality?’ Is it liberty and justice for all? Is it compassionate policies that promote the diversity of humanity in its expression? Is it one that holds all people as spiritually equal and as human partners? We need to be aware of ‘from what container are we drawing our vision for this country and our world’?

Anger and outrage may have got us thinking more about politics than ever before, but those energies are not the ones that will put the right people in leadership. 21^st century leaders will come from our shared desire for intelligent and loving wisdom and our deep knowing that those characteristics exist in the people who seek office. We put them in place, not by beating someone else, but by being clear in our willingness to live differently and more equitably. We are the ones who will make this change. Believe in the power of mind to transcend any manifest form, no matter how powerful it may seem. It is as nothing compared to consciousness.

Let’s stop railing against anything and start rallying for positive change. Take the high road in any situation and you will be the leader in that group. Let’s do that together.

Affirm: We are now creating a world of liberty and justice for all. We are creating leaders who love humanity, freedom, and who know how to generate abundance through wise decisions. They are seen and known by us now. We know what to do. All is well with all of us.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

The Dance of Life in Each of Us

Dear friends,

Ralph Waldo Emerson, the great American man of Letters, opens his essay on the Over Soul with this: “our faith comes in moments, our vice is habitual.” What does he mean? Perhaps it is a reference to our two minds, or two functions of mind. There is the local one that entices us moment by moment to believe more in what we see than in its cause. There is the non-local mind that roams the universe in the field of imagination. That mind is aware of its origins, feels the Presence of a hidden power, knows that the Power is forever becoming what it is allowed to do. That aspect of consciousness is grounded in Faith.

When I was new to the New Thought teaching, I had some stunning, almost instantaneous manifestations. I remember saying aloud, “I will never doubt this again!” That was my faith in the moment. Of course I did forget and habituated doubt returned through human worry, financial struggle and broken relationships. Always, however, when I turned inward and made a heart-felt declaration, my faith was restored. I began to notice I preferred that place. There is peace in knowing that the Power is right where we are, saying yes to what we believe and by some magical means, bringing it out into our local awareness. I cannot think of a better way to restore faith than to experience this first-hand.

How to keep faith alive? It is important to educate ourselves, largely by observation, in the ways of manifestation. There is an obvious link between belief and actuality. Pay attention to what you are thinking all day and you will see a correlation with your experience. Learn to sit in silence and allow the well-being of your quiet mind to float up. Try daily affirmations that challenge you to think above the fray. Be in charge of your mind. One function is not better than the other. Local and non-local awareness in partnership is the dance of Life as each one of us. Let’s not doubt the power of either one.

Affirm: “ I go within and come back with renewed faith in the power that makes all things new.” 

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Think the Highest Thought

Dear friends,

     I was impressed with last night’s Democratic debates because I saw candidates who actually care about the future of humanity, the condition of our planet and the well being of individuals. They sounded real and informed and thoughtful about how to solve our most pressing problems. It was an example of what the demands of the collective can produce. Sure, they are political, but there was also a real sense of being in service coming from most of them.

     We have reached an evolutionary point where we will not put up with rhetoric and empty promises. Our part in all this is to keep the highest ideas of government in the forefront of our minds. That means, to me, to demand the qualities of integrity, honesty, vision, creativity, fearlessness and Love. Yes, love. If our leaders are not loving beings, we are in trouble. By love in this sense, I mean magnetically drawing the right people and ideas together that can create a world that works for everyone. By vision I mean our leaders are not cynical but optimistic; not world weary but eager to bring about positive change; not afraid to talk to those who disagree with them, but able to listen and negotiate; not religious as in supporting a superstitious dogma, but spiritual as in seeing humanity as the visible expression of a universal intelligence, personalized for the joy of revealing itself in diversity.

     If we can hold to these ideas, we can take a leap into NOW, where all things are possible. Our consciousness is necessary and needed right now. Please do not sit back and hope things turn out okay. Think the highest thought! See the world that is a glorious place to be! Talk about solutions, not problems. Join with others to meditate and vision for leaders who represent our highest ideals. Thought always precedes form and experience.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Our Truth is Not in the Stars. It's Within Ourselves.

Dear friends,

Ernest Holmes, the greatest spiritual teacher of the 20^th century, said, to paraphrase, we live in a universe of love and law, of Spirit and principle. We gain inspiration from the Spirit, we utilize power within the Law. What is the Law? It is the principle of cause / effect. We exercise that power by what we set in motion via our beliefs. Seems simple enough, yet humanity has ignored this truth to its own detriment.

Power is ascribed to almost anything but us! Our intuition, which is the vehicle for inspiration, has been ridiculed and denied any reality. No wonder the world is in disarray. It will be a great shift, indeed, when humanity realizes the power to create our shared reality is in us, not some elite few! Why do we worship those who maintain positions of power? Why do we give it away so easily? Is it rooted in old-time religious ignorance and superstitions about the universe?

Recently I was watching The Crown and it suddenly seemed ridiculous to me. The concept of ‘royal’ blood is absurd. The idea that it is right for a very few to be in charge of most of the world is lazy thinking and a case of accepting the unacceptable. Yes, the Royalty is a fairy tale enacted, but it dis-empowers the population.

Will we ever wake up to the silliness and the danger of the worship of outer power? I do think it is happening now on subconscious levels. We are cleaning house, as it were, by allowing what has been suppressed into the light of day. Everything is up for renewal. It is not pleasant, but it is vital.

Let’s hold to our truth. Affirm “ I live in a world of peace and plenty for all. My power is within my field of awareness. I proclaim it and so it is.”

I am forever grateful for Ernest Holmes.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

See my friend's blog www.californiafreepress.net

More Than Peace, a Cessation of Violence

Dear friends, 

Chaos needs order underlying it to exist. The appearance of separate types of Beings dances on the field of oneness. We live in a universe of sublime order, out of which everything comes forward. At the human level of life, change is possible, but only due to the changeless power within.   Religion may have been an unconscious attempt to reconnect with that changeless power. We made the mistake of thinking it was not resident in ourselves. Seeking elsewhere for anything of value is foolish and we all do it. Is it a game set in motion by pure intelligence, just for the fun of it? Are we playing our part in a cosmic relief from boredom?

Are we at the end of that particular game? It would seem so. Humanity is no longer as enchanted with fighting wars as it once was. There is a groundswell of youth who are not convinced that killing each other gains anything. They want more than peace, a cessation of violence. They want an end to the superstitious ideas that make violence acceptable. They want respect for difference, love of diversity, care for the planet, interaction with the universe. In short, they want (albeit without knowing it themselves) a consciousness of our oneness to be the ground of all the decisions we make.

We have had the Bronze age, the Ice age, the Stone age and so forth. Now we are in the Age of Unity and it is an absolute necessity if we are to survive and thrive. We must begin right where we are. Insist on seeing through the appearance of anything, back to the power that is the same in everything and every Being. It is the Power that makes all things new. Each of us must decide to play at that level of awareness. It may be the most effective spiritual practice of all.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes   www.centerforspirituallivingbakersfield.com

The Truth Shall Set You Free

Dear friends,

We have all had those days when our computers seem to be rebelling. The internet is not working; the message is the same again and again “no connection.” It is almost laughable as a metaphor for how we disconnect ourselves from Source with worry, doubt, worse case scenarios and attributing Cause to the outer world. Spiritual practice is about staying connected to our Spiritual Resource; that infinite field of potential in which we are immersed.

It is so easy to drift off into naming and blaming everything that is not us for our current predicament. When we cannot find an immediate answer, the best thing to do is nothing. It is quite effective to sit still, meditate and allow the mind to relax to its natural state of cheerful expectation.   Equally effective is to act as though there were no problem. Go to a movie, go dancing, walking or volunteer somewhere that needs help.

Spiritual practice consists of techniques for restoring the mind to a place of gentle perception that all is well; there is a power greater than I am which is leading, guiding and directing me into ever greater ways of expressing myself and receiving the blessings therein. Most of our troubles consist of doing the same things again and again that are clearly not working any longer. Since we don’t know what to do to change things, we simply have to allow the next steps to well up within us. This cannot happen when we are railing against the circumstance. It is too easy to fall for the facts and think they are in charge. No, first, seek the truth and the truth shall set you free. That’s ancient advice and it works!

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Trust in the Power and the Process

Dear friends,

Roger, the large white Egret who visits here from early December through January, is a constant teacher of patience and presence. He is never in a hurry. He will sit on the rooftops and watch the pond below. If he sees something he wants, he will gently float down and carefully make his way into the water. He walks with purpose but very slowly. He can move fast when he thinks he is being threatened as when the leaf blower is nearby. He may look like he is doing nothing, but he is completely aware of everything in his space.

He knows where his good is and he waits for it to be available. This kind of waiting is not what we humans practice. Our waiting is usually fraught with anxiety, pressure ...  mentally and emotionally churned up. We want to make things happen rather than allowing them to reveal themselves to us. There is such an art to this and it is spiritual in nature.

If we know where our Good is, (within the field of consciousness) then we can be calm in the process of letting it come through. It might be an idea, a gift, a new path, an insight. There are millions of possibilities. Our waiting is about trust in the Power and the Process. It is not the same thing as doing nothing. It is more about being guided from within, keeping our attention on the so-called prize, even when we do not know what that might be in terms of form. When we try to outwit the universe and force things to happen we miss the magic of sudden and unexpected gifts. Don’t you want to be dazzled? Sure you do. Wait for it. It is getting ready to break through into full manifestation.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

My pay pal is waiting for your gifts! 😍

Why Doesn't God Intervene?

Dear friends,

In times like these one might wonder “where is God?” If God is real why does it not intervene in the violent decisions of men? Why does God allow children to be starved or trafficked for sexual predators? Why does God ignore poverty and the destruction of the planet? The only answer is this; if God is not alive in us, it might as well not exist. It can only enter this dimension through the form it has taken. That would be you and me. God is not a person, it is infinite Intelligence and Love.

What use do we make of Intelligence and Love? It seems they must go together. One without the other can lead to all sorts of problems. Intelligent love is discernment. Loving intelligence is compassion. Together, they bring out the best of us. We are able to make decisions without condemning what has been. We can see through the effects of old ideas into the possible.  

Let’s know this:

The God of all lives within every one of us. We are the caretakers of pure Intelligence and Absolute Love. It is our birthright to express Love intelligently and to use our natural intelligence to bring together what belongs together, as Love does. Today we proclaim that humanity takes a quantum leap out of the old ways. We display stunning abilities to cooperate, celebrate and cohabitate. Our world is transformed by the renewing of our minds.

We let God have its way with us.

It is done and so it is.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Let Us Share Our Good With the World

Dear friends,

Raymond C. Barker wrote “you are the taker from the Infinite in order to be the giver to the finite.” Yes, what possible use could we have for love, for instance, if we did not give it to others? Why prosper if we are not sharing our Good with the world? Why would we want to be healthy and vital unless we wanted to be available to life? The very things we cherish come from the same Source. It is the universal aspect of being human. It is the spiritual realm where all things originate. We draw from it, as it were, according to what we accept for ourselves.

What we accept for ourselves has everything to do with who we think we are.   There are no gifts being given, only us receiving what is already inherent in us, perhaps lying dormant. It is hard to remember this when we are so focused on facts outside of us that they become a false “source.” We mistakenly think we are at the mercy of circumstances when actually we are in charge of how we see ourselves in the midst of them. A good question to ask is “who am I in the midst of this situation?”

When we reclaim our true identity we are sitting in the power seat. We are then in the position of making decisions based on what we deeply know we have to work with and what we have a right to expect. Our lives are continually spiraling upward. Sometimes what looks like a setback is actually a launching pad. Trust, have faith, depend on the unseen power that makes all things new. That is what I am having to do right now as I step away from what has been into what could be.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Life is For Us and Never Against Us

Dear friends,

What ideas and mental attitudes create happiness? If we agree that they do, we ought to be cultivating such ideas and attitudes. It is not a secret that negative thinking, over time, produces negative reactions in the body, which affect our mood in turn. It is a vicious cycle. Happy people are sometimes seen as foolish or ignorant of the very real problems in the world, but that is not the case. Happy people are better equipped to solve problems due to their relaxed mind and natural optimism.

When we are relaxed and trusting of unseen, but very real, supportive power, we are open to creative, even revolutionary, ideas. Einstein was known to sit in silence to await the answer to a formula or equation he was working to solve. There is something responsive to the human mind that always benefits us if we are available to it. Happiness, when it is a state of mind and not a reaction to outer events, opens us to access the “rest of us, the best of us, the not-yet-expressed of us.” (My definition of God.)

Do not sink into despair over anything! Stay above the fray in the privacy of your own mind. Know that “Life is for us and never against us.”   Prepare for the best. Be available to what is pressing to express by means of you. There is always something trying to happen that is greater than what has preceded it.

Let it be.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

15 Billion Years of Drama and Decision Making

Dear friends,

In his co-authored book, Natural Grace (with Rupert Sheldrake), Matthew Fox reminded us of how we have been unconditionally loved by the universe from the very beginning. None of us had to earn our right to be here. It only took 15 billion years of drama and decision making by the universe to bring us to this point of awareness. He said we have been living from Grace all this time.  

That is an extraordinary way to view the unfolding of human consciousness; as if it were a gift being slowly revealed over eons of time. That there is a natural grace to life is apparent in everything from the ebb and flow of the oceans to the opening of a rose bud. It is effortless and constant. We are part of that system, the recipients of inner power and outer support. Our own bodies function gracefully, as do the seasons and the orbits of the planets. Nothing is struggling.

Having said that, we know that humans have invented struggle. We have created a sense of “us and them, yours and mine, scarcity and exclusivity.” We have denied the obvious Presence in our midst, mistakenly placing it beyond reach. It seems as if the previous 15 billion years have been preparation for now. Can we make that quantum jump out of superstition into the glorious realm of a unified consciousness of love and joy? Not alone, we can’t, but it does begin with each one of us. This is the time! We are right there at the precipice of real transformation. Let’s Resolve to Evolve!

Affirm: I am living in a state of Grace.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

It Does Not Take Much ...

Dear friends,

It does not take much to make someone’s day. That was apparent on my flight to Toronto right before the holiday.   Sitting in the bulk head row on the aisle, I had plenty of room to stretch my legs It was preferred seating and I had paid a bit extra for it. Once everyone was seated, I felt two bumps against my back that kept moving . I turned and saw a man who obviously was too tall for the seat. He apologized for his knees being in my space but he could not help it. After a few more knee bumps I turned again and before he could say how sorry he was, I said “do you want to switch seats with me?” He was so unprepared, he just gasped “you would do that for me?”   “Sure, I said, I can sit anywhere but you really need more space.” He stood up and was at least 6’8”. He said “That is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me.” I laughed and replied “I hope not.”

As we deplaned, not only did he thank me profusely but so did other passengers around us. It was slightly embarrassing, such a small thing but it sure had affected people. The thing about acts of kindness, they are never premeditated. It just comes out of our heart and we act without thinking. It was obvious to me what had to be done but I didn’t give it any thought. Of course he didn’t know it but he had made my day, too!

Here is the really funny component of this little story. I had chosen the bulk head seat because it was the last seat open on the aisle in the preferred section. I did not want a middle seat. I don’t usually choose the bulk head because you must put your purse in the overhead compartment and I do not like to do that. Small thing. When I booked the flight, it had crossed my mind that maybe someone would switch seats with me but I forgot all about it and just decided to follow the rules. I didn’t even remember wanting a different seat until he and I had traded. They say God is in the details.  Hmmm.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Let Us Come Together As One Earthly Family

Dear Friends,

Can it really be that twenty years has passed since the “turn of the century”? Time seems to have become less concrete than it was when we were children. It doesn’t actually do anything but it seems to flow like a rapid river. Here we are marking another big moment; a new decade! People around the world are asking “what will it bring?” Of course, we ought to be asking “what will we bring to it?” Imagine standing at the entrance to a possible world that only we can create. What would we have it be?

We might, at first, list what we want to remove from our shared reality; such things as poverty, disease, hunger, violence and corruption. That seems to make sense but we cannot get rid of anything if we do not have a better idea to replace it. We start by declaring something to the effect “I live in a world of harmony, peace and justice. All beings are loved, respected, well nurtured and prospered. We celebrate this life together as one earthly family. We have everything we need to explore our universe and to uphold the integrity of planet earth.”

Lofty goals are just as possible as tiny local ones. In fact, the most expanded ideas tend to inform our local decisions. We need larger than life goals to reach into and to pull us up. As Dr. Michael Beckwith asked “do you want to be pushed by pain or pulled by a vision?” Let’s make our intentions for 2020 very clear. We are all about the vision of a world that works for everyone. It sustains us, teaches us, carries us forward.   Happy New Year!

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Faith in the Unseen Power That Makes All things New

Dear friends,

There are plenty of platitudes that tell us how to handle tough times. “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” comes to mind. But what if you don’t have any lemons? Things can get pretty grim when we have reached the outer limits of our current experience. It becomes readily apparent that we need a whole new cluster of ideas about who we are!

There are times when what has worked for us for a long time becomes unworkable. Like the caterpillar in the cocoon, we are capable of a whole new existence if we trust and make ourselves comfortable during the change. It is not easy. When things look the worst is the time to be still and know that we are as whole as ever, as competent and as valuable as ever and that we might need to step into a new way of expressing our natural gifts.

It is easy to affirm the Good when everything is to our liking. Not so easy when things seem to be falling apart. But that is when we find out just how much faith we actually possess; faith in our higher intelligence to guide us into clarity; faith in the Law of co-creation which states nothing happens to us, it happens through us; faith in our capacity for releasing what has been and stepping into the new: faith in the unseen power that makes all things new, know it is right where we are, bringing about the very change we wish to see.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

A Good Thought Can Charge Our Whole System With Vitality

Dear friends,

The tree across the way has been giving me a show of its innate ability to change. It has shifted from green to russet and now it is a deep golden yellow. It did it all by itself from the inside out. All living beings do that, including us humans. We morph from tiny babies to a very large array of protoplasm! We gain weight and reduce it. As we age we see new wrinkles on our faces and perhaps we are a bit shorter than a few years ago. It all happens from within according to some kind of relationship we have with life itself and our perspective on time and how we experience being alive.

This is not to say only the positive thinkers are healthy and ageless. No, there are other factors. But overall, it does seem to hold up that the more joyful we are, the more cheerfully expectant, the more we tend to remain vital and strong. Is it ever too late to “youthanize” ourselves? It is rather amazing how quickly a good thought can charge our whole system with vitality. The body seems to hum along in harmony with a sense of being loved and supported by a hidden inner power.

God is within, after all, so wouldn’t a recognition of that truth have wonderful effects on our physical life? I would think so, and in fact some studies have been done on the power of prayer to heal all manner of limitations. Isn’t prayer in its real essence a conversation with the inner power? Yes, it is. It is a declaration of the Presence as being right here, right now, forever bringing forth “Itself” as my body, my life, my Good. And so, the best advice seems to be “don’t worry, be happy. Be grateful and generous.” And,

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Also check out www.californiafreepress.net

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

Dear friends,

The tree across the way has been giving me a show of its innate ability to change.   It has shifted from green to russet and now it is a deep golden yellow. It did it all by itself from the inside out. All living beings do that, including us humans. We morph from tiny babies to a very large array of protoplasm! We gain weight and reduce it. As we age we see new wrinkles on our faces and perhaps we are a bit shorter than a few years ago. It all happens from within according to some kind of relationship we have with life itself and our perspective on time and how we experience being alive.

This is not to say only the positive thinkers are healthy and ageless. No, there are other factors. But overall, it does seem to hold up that the more joyful we are, the more cheerfully expectant, the more we tend to remain vital and strong. Is it ever too late to “youthanize” ourselves? It is rather amazing how quickly a good thought can charge our whole system with vitality. The body seems to hum along in harmony with a sense of being loved and supported by a hidden inner power.

God is within, after all, so wouldn’t a recognition of that truth have wonderful effects on our physical life? I would think so, and in fact some studies have been done on the power of prayer to heal all manner of limitations. Isn’t prayer in its real essence a conversation with the inner power? Yes, it is. It is a declaration of the Presence as being right here, right now, forever bringing forth “Itself” as my body, my life, my Good. And so, the best advice seems to be “don’t worry, be happy. Be grateful and generous.” And,

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

 

Also check out www.californiafreepress.net

The Fact that We Can Think is Still a Mystery

Dear friends,

The fact that we can think is still a mystery as to how that came to be. We think because we are aware of Being. That seems to be the deciding factor; when consciousness of self occurs, the thought processes begin. We look around and see objects that are “not us” or seem to be. We make up stories about what we see. We invent rationales for their existence. We fabricate an Origin story. Thus, religion is born. Spirituality on the other hand, seems to be the result of some kind of direct experience with invisible Reality. It could be a feeling, a sudden awareness, a soft dawning. The mind detects its unity in a greater Something Else. It is not so necessary to name it or concretize it or even to defend it. The experience alone suffices.

That is why the most enduring spiritual traditions encourage stillness, solitude, meditation, contemplation, prayer, repetitive motions such as chanting or ecstatic dance.  For those who engage in such pursuits, there are the teachings that support the science behind them. There are principles that apply and laws that can be known. We gain an intellectual understanding that allows the ego mind to relax so that we might pursue such practices. Sitting still in meditation is a real threat to an immature ego. But with diligence we soon override its fears and become more masterful of what our mind is doing when we are not in solitude.

This is a changing world; a busy world; a world engaged in debates about everything; a world that is decidedly “not us.” Our participation in it, however, will be a direct reflection of what we actually are, once we have made that discovery. “I am, therefore I think.” What I think is the motivating energy that creates my way of participating in this changing world. The right question is never “what shall I do?” It is always “what do I know?”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com if you value these messages please support me via my pay pal account. Thank you!

For diverse views on life see www.californiafreepress.net

Jesus the Man is a Hero

Dear friends,

Everyone wants to be valued for their work, recognized as competent and worthy of praise. However, we do not always receive such accolades, even when they are well deserved. It seems inescapable that those who challenge current beliefs and un-examined traditions are sure to be met with resistance at first. Jesus was the prime example of someone who truly wanted to raise the collective consciousness and to lift people to a higher level of self-awareness. He was not rewarded for his efforts.

He was a man on a mission to liberate humanity from superstitious ideas about this universe. He spoke in metaphor, yet the message was clear; the power we seek is within our own field of consciousness. The “Father” is ever-present as the universal aspect of individuality. The answers to our most fervent questions are held in abeyance within our own mind, awaiting the call to come forth as our own thought. The call is a declaration such as “I know and I know that I know.”

Affirmations have been relegated to greeting card status, but they have a real purpose. It is how we keep our mind tuned in to the finer vibrations of thought. Part of the practice is to weed out the negative, which is always fear-based. Jesus encountered the fear of the masses in a most dramatic way. Down through the ages, the innovators, the iconoclasts, the change-makers have been vilified and often killed for their efforts. At the very least they are ridiculed and silenced.

This holiday season it seems appropriate for those of us who do not identify as Christian, to nonetheless honor this man who came into this life awakened and willing to give everything to the betterment of humanity. Jesus the man is a hero. We celebrate the birth of Light in the world. We give thanks for the efforts of a brave soul. We know the truth will always find a voice in every age. Perhaps now is the time for us to leave the metaphor behind and to take the story personally, and to accept our mission to tell it in new ways that anyone can understand.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Happy Holidays!

A Sense of Being Unified with Everything

Dear friends,

If we go to the grocery store hungry, we will bring home lots of junk food. Our cravings will get the best of us. We will not know what we really want. If we make the same trip full and satisfied, we tend to move more slowly through the aisles. We are not tempted to grab what looks good, we choose from a healthier perspective. Of course this is also a metaphor for how we approach life as well.

What do we bring into this day? What do we take with us into our relationships? What are we offering to our world? Is our inner life filled with stillness and peace? Are we full with the feeling of oneness with our Source and with all of life? If so, it is obvious that we will not be looking for something outside of us to fill a need; rather, we will be giving what is alive in ourselves.'

Spiritual practices, such as daily mediation, enliven a sense of being unified with everything. That one factor changes how we interact with the world. Think about it. Aren’t most of the world’s serious problems the result of “us and them"? Isn’t the belief that some of us are better than others the core issue?

That extends to our religions, our politics, our families, our nationalities, our ethnicities, our status, our education level etc. The more we compare, the more we defend. When we see with the eyes of oneness, we are open to our heart's perception. No longer judging, we allow others to be who they are. More than that, we might even be able to appreciate the differences. That is the first step to peace.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com   my pay pal is up and running!

Also check out my friend John’s blog www.californiafreepress.net

Who I Am is Just Fine

Dear friends,

Advertising is largely manipulation of emotions. If the merchant can trick us into feeling a need for the product, they have “sold” us. The need is usually triggered by making us feel inadequate in some way, but with the assurance that the purchase of their wares will heal that inadequacy. I am always amazed at how susceptible we are to it, and I include myself. There is a deep underground collective feeling of “I am not good enough.” It could be about our looks, our age, our education, our weight, our ethnicity, our gender, our sexual orientation. But there is always some reason for us to try just one more miracle cure to make us more_________(fill in the blank.)

What we are being subtly trained to do is not accept ourselves as we are. We could be the most attractive, well educated, competent person, but there will always be someone who betters us. Comparison will bring us up short every time. That is why people who represent products are usually famous or beautiful or accomplished. We make the association unconsciously that if we buy this thing, we will be more like them.

The message is clear” You need to be different to be “one of us.” Goes back to the cool kids in high school, the A team, the starting lineup, the most popular, the chosen ones.   Our culture is designed to sell us stuff and that’s fine. Our part is to be discerning. Do I really believe these claims? Have I gone down this road before, only to be disappointed?   There might be a bit of a let down when we take this kind of conscious responsibility for ourselves. It’s as if we have taken ourselves out of the Game, and we have! What is the upside? Happiness! Seriously, the happiest people I know accept themselves, warts and all, as we say. The need to perfect our image is simply not there in happy people.

Here is a little trick. Every time you say no to another product promise, take the money it would have cost, put it in a jar. A year from now you might have enough for a trip to a tropical island!

affirm: “ Who I am is just fine. I love being me”

Stay tuned in, Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Also see www.californiafreepress.net

Think on the Good, the True and the Beautiful

Dear friends,

No one needs your forgiveness. They just need your willingness to let them be. Walk forward without regrets and resentments. That is the gift of spiritual awareness. The realization that we humans have been acting from an ignorance of our true nature, of our origins and of what we are capable of, clarifies why we chose unwisely, to our own detriment. It is no wonder that we have hurt each other, done really dumb things, started wars over territory, killed animals for sport, polluted our own back yard. None of those things would ever have happened if we had known the Truth. That is as true of the “one who done you wrong” as it is of humanity.

The next great frontier must surely be the human mind. From what does it arise? What is the Source of consciousness? What does it mean to be a co-creator with an infinite power? What are we capable of creating?

The answers have come to a few sages, such as Jesus, Buddha, Meister Eckhart, scientists and mystics, and in modern times, Ernest Holmes. Dr. Holmes took superstition out of the equation and replaced it with spirituality. The art of living in the awareness that what we believe is, indeed, done through us by means of us, is the greatest discovery of the ages. It has arisen before and been suppressed but now it is mainstream knowledge. However there are still those who fear that kind of freedom.

Dr. Holmes laid down practical techniques for training the mind to think on the Good, the True and the Beautiful, knowing that our mental focus tends to take visible form. We are living in the most potent of times. Each one of us has the right and the responsibility to rethink our place in this life. It is a moral obligation, if you will, to awaken from superstition and dogma into the light of spiritual truth.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carolcarnes.com

If you value these messages consider supporting my work via my pay pal account. Thank you!

You might like www.californiafreepress.net

There Can Be No Separation From Our Source

Dear friends,

In hard times it is difficult to remember that our Source is not other people, the economy or anything else. The Source of everything lives in us and responds to us. Our Good may come through others, but what is inherent in all of us is the Power that Makes All Things New. Here is what I treat my mind to remember:   

“The One Life that is Being all Life is my life now. It is forever revealing Itself by means of Nature, through individuality, as all sentient life. The Power is everywhere present, all of it, all the time, all at once. It is here now, ever new as my personal expression. This is true of all Beings. There can be no separation from our Source, just as there can be no separation from our supply of whatever is necessary to the fulfillment of our deepest ideas. Love and joy, peace and abundance, vitality and creativity, all these are ours to use right now. In this moment of clarity I know that my Source responds to my Word and I see it in my world, revealed as my experience. Gratitude is ever-present as my constant companion.”

That is a small sample of how I must talk to myself. Friends may assist us when we need help but ultimately it is our own mind that is in charge of how we experience this life. I am now rededicated to the care and feeding of my inner life. Blessings abound as we remain present in this moment, grateful and cheerfully expectant.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Also see www.californiafreepress.net

Whatever Your Tradition, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Dear friends,

There are many ways to experience these holidays and all of them are valid. It is a personal choice as to how or whether we participate at all. For some of us it is a religious observance; for others it is merely a secular tradition. Many of us have a both/and perception; We see the religious aspect as symbolic of a deep truth about humans; that of being born from Spirit, from Light, and being whole and perfect; an individualization of Source, which is Universal Mind. At the same time we love the fun of gift giving and decorating the house and baking holiday cookies. It is not something we have to do in any particular way, but it is important that we are true to our deepest feelings.

If this is a hard time for us, then why not take a trip to a tropical beach? Or donate time to help those in need? The important choice is the one that elicits happiness or a sense of peace. Be good to yourself. We always want to know that we are in charge of our inner life. What the rest of the world is doing has nothing to do with the state of our mind and heart. That is something we must tend to, care for and honor all year long, but it is especially necessary right now.

In my lifetime I have spent Christmas on the beach in Hawaii and in frigid Canada.  My holidays have been with extended family and sometimes alone. I shared a few with other “strays” (as we called ourselves) who had no family close by. There was one memorable time spent at a shelter handing our gift bags and serving a dinner with all the trimmings. I have fond memories of childhood when Santa brought me exactly what I had on my little list. The best ones were when my own children were little, to see their faces light up with delight.

Love yourself with conscious choice. That is truly the greatest gift of all.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Also see www.californiafreepress.net

What Gift Shall We Give Ourselves Today?

Dear friends,

Being an early riser I appreciate the quiet and I can get so much done before I leave for the office. However, I don’t always look out the window like I did this morning. There was the most brilliant, fiery sunrise spread out over half the sky. My friend Roger Egret was down by the little pond. He looked up at me as if to say “see what you’ve been missing?” So much of life goes unnoticed.

Those little aphorisms like “stop and smell the roses” are profound in our day and age, where everyone is rushing around, head down, looking at small screens. The spiritual message is always SEE! See what is right here, right where we are. Not only beauty to see, but to feel. Stop wherever you may be today, at intervals, and close your eyes, declaring “I feel Love in me.” Or Peace or Joy or cheerful expectation; or say “I am fully supplied with everything I need right now.” The very thing we think is missing is always present in us as a choice to feel, to affirm, to express in some way.

We can access some love even when we feel alone or heart-broken. It is there, ever-present, fully intact. No one can take it from us. Yes we may be sad, but underneath sadness is joy; behind the anger is love; right next to worry is peace. Choose wisely. What gift shall we give ourselves today? When that quality is active in us, it has a tendency to make itself seen as a form or experience. The gift that keeps on giving is our own awareness that what we thought was missing is ours to claim.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

See also www.californiafreepress.net

The Revealed Wholeness and Beauty of Spirit

Dear friends,

“Love thy enemies” is very hard to do unless we can separate the acts from the person. Unkind acts are not easy to accept but we can take some of the sting out of them as we focus on the wounded person who is behind it all.  No one is born mean and thoughtless. They are leading from a deep wound that has scarred over but is still active. People hurt each other because they have been hurt themselves. That’s just how it is.  

We live in an age of immediate information. We see the bullies in action. Some of them are famous people in positions of power. What we are looking at is a psychological cluster of symptoms, almost all of them having their origins in the long ago life of that person. The sages of the ages have advised us to have compassion for that wounded psyche while not condoning the behavior. That is a serious spiritual practice. Our own wounds will arise and want to retaliate or condemn.

Everybody who lives on planet earth has been misunderstood, hurt, maligned or neglected. None of us have been loved the way we deserve. We have been physically or emotionally abused. We have been taunted for our color, our body shape, our gender. Can we see that everyone is needing to be seen, to be known for the real self, the true soul they are?

The only way we can do that is within our own mind. We cannot wait for them to behave better, but what is so miraculous about this universe is how susceptible we all are to good thoughts about us. We live in a shared sea of consciousness. It is a vibrational field that distributes thoughts instantaneously to the whole. Adopt one beautiful idea for humanity (or even an individual) and repeat it throughout your day. Let it resound throughout the field.

Try this: “The True Self is greater than any past experience. This person (name them or say humanity) is right now awake to the love within; the joy, the peace, the harmlessness of Being. We are all the revealed wholeness and beauty of the Spirit and we act accordingly.”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

See also www.californiafreepress.net

I See Love, Joy and Happiness Everywhere

Dear friends,

Every morning when I first open my email, there is along list of messages that I do not bother to read. I delete them immediately. I am not curious and I know there is nothing in them I need or want. It is easy to do and I have no regrets. How is it then, that we cannot seem to delete certain messages we give ourselves? Why do we keep exploring those old resentments, fears, losses?   Why do we go over the negative feelings again and again? I like to think I am able to deal with thoughts I do not want, but sometimes they seem to have some kind of magnetic power. They do; it’s called habit.

We become so identified with the feelings associated with certain states of mind that we might unconsciously fear living without them. In other words, would we feel too vulnerable if we did not have our guard up all the time? Would we court danger if we did not have some anger to protect us? When looked at with some objectivity, it seems ridiculous to think negative ideas are helpful, but it is not an uncommon way to navigate life. It is a bad habit, but we might feel served by it.

Let’s give ourselves a precious gift this holiday season; the gift of deciding in the here and now what we would like to believe and then think as if it were so! For example, wouldn’t you like to believe you are lovable and always attracting positive people into your life? Then arrange some thoughts to give some life to that idea.

Example: “I am a lovable, charming and well-liked person. I am welcome everywhere I go. I bring joy and happiness with me.”

(how’s that for a stocking stuffer?)

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Also see the California Free Press

It is up to us to Manage and Express Love

Dear friends,

If the highest level of Love is oneness with, the lowest must be indifference.   Even hate has some attachment in it and as we move to the opposite pole we go through interest, compassion, affection, romance, caring for, commitment, and merging into oneness. There are of course, many other variations of love along the way but they fall into one of these broader stages. The point being, love is the only true emotion and everything else is a lesser expression of it.

This holiday season is about Love and the Peace it creates when fully alive in us. ”Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men” will not happen without true love for humanity and that means seeing through the veil of illusion into the collective heart. We are actually immersed in oneness. We cannot be separate in any way except appearance. We have a shared reality that we are creating together. Up until now, it has been created rather haphazardly and without conscious awareness that we are doing so.

What will life be like when we understand and feel the truth of our power together? No more fighting each other, we would be interacting in the most creative and wholistic ways. We would be joyful and peaceful The realization of our capacity for projecting ideas into form, removes fear and greed and jealousy, all of which lead to some conflict and even war.

Let’s start with ourselves. We are the ones who are in charge of how we manage and express Love. What will we do with it today? It is a guarantee that we will have ample opportunities in the next 24 hours to put it to the test. Love yourself first and all else shall be added.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

See also www.californiafreepress.net

It is Better to Give Than to Receive

Dear friends,

One of my most memorable Christmases was what I now refer to as the recycled gift year. Our family decided the adults would buy for the children, but we would give each other things we already owned that the other had shown an interest in or coveted. It turned out to be the most satisfying and fun time together. Everyone received what they had longed for, and the giver felt the lovely emotion of fulfilling a wish. It was so gratifying to see the smiles and whoops of delight.  

That year my mother gave me an antique white serving platter. I was with her when she bought it years before. I mentioned at the time that I would love to have one like it. I still treasure it and now my daughter has shown an affinity for it. She will have it one day. The intentional passing along of something we love is what real giving is about. It can be love and praise as well as a material thing. It can be encouragement and support. Sometimes a check in the mail can help someone to get moving again.

We can never know for sure just what impact our giving will have in a person’s life. However, we can be sure of what it does to ours. Giving is the closest act to what the universe is doing. In religious language we might say that, when we give, we are doing what God does. We are participating in the grand and glorious activity of Life expressing. God never withholds or withdraws. It is forever coming through as new opportunities, new prosperity, new vitality, new joy, new peace, new life. We receive the gift as we give it, as we extend it into this world.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

See my friend's blog www.californiafreepress.net

Be Kind to Our Mother

Dear friends,

Arthur Schopenhauer:

Every truth passes through three stages before it is recognized.

In the first, it is ridiculed

In the second it is opposed

In the third it is regarded as self-evident.

Down through the ages, many great minds have been either crucified or relegated to the crackpot list, only to be proven right much later. Be patient with humanity as it tries to grasp the full implications of oneness. Be patient while humanity releases superstition and welcomes science into its world view. Be patient as old prejudices die in the light of spiritual awakening. Be patient while the world wakes up to the reality of our planet as our Mother.

Being patient does not mean we stop making our voices heard or cease to protest or not vote. Being patient in this sense is a kind of faith and trust in the deeper and higher nature of humans. It is a testament to our personal conviction that we live in a spiritual universe governed by spiritual laws, which, when perceived and accepted, offer us the opportunity to consciously create our shared reality.

The effects of our unconscious acts against Nature were first ridiculed; then opposed, now it is becoming self-evident as the polar ice melts and the air is unbreatheable and the oceans are polluted; as species die off and children are born with severe allergies. We have played a huge part in the destruction of our environment. It is self-evident.

Along the way we will also realize that the human mind is the link to God. We will throw out old ideas of Man-in-the-sky and look to the power within to make all things new. We will bring forth the missing Feminine. We will amaze ourselves with the right use of Mind. Don’t wait, but be patient.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

See also www.callifonriafreepress.net

Give Love and Thanks Today

Dear friends,

Emerson:   “Like the New England soil, my talent is good only whilst I work it. If I cease to task myself, I have no thoughts.”

If we want to be a writer we must write; a dancer must dance, a musician must play. Along the way we develop skill, we attain higher levels of expression. Nothing comes to us if we wait to write or dance or play. Can we do the same with love? Should we wait for love to come to us or would it be wise to love right now. Do we really need an object to love? How much of our precious time do we spend on longing for something and not seeing how accessible it is right now?

There are many varied forms of everything we desire. We may very well think we have met the right person to love but if love is not active in us first, what is the attraction? It would not be anything lasting. Give love to your pets, your friends, your co-workers, your family. Be alive in it and love will reveal itself in many different ways.

The same principle holds true in all things.

This week of American Thanksgiving we are focused on gratitude. We like to state the things we are thankful to have in our world. What about you doing things to help others feel gratitude? What can you give today, express today, circulate today that enhances someone else’s experience? Don’t wait to have more to give more. Give anyway. Love no matter what. Be the answer to someone’s prayer. You are not rehearsing to be alive, to be you. This is it! Let’s make the best of it by giving the best of ourselves.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

A Happy Ending and a Visionary Beginning.

Dear friends,

We love happy endings. You may recall my blog about Bodhi the puppy we rescued and for whom we got medical attention. Well, he has been adopted! I m told he is being spoiled by his new family. Isn’t that great news?   Every prayer treatment I do includes the vulnerable children of the world. Like a lost, injured puppy, kids all over the planet are starved, abused, living in war zones, being trafficked and are victims of all manner of deprivation: lack of sanitation, clean water, food, medical help, education, safety. They will become adults and they will either bring anger with them or perhaps solutions.

My vision for our world is one in which every child is safe with every adult. They are cherished, encouraged, loved, educated, spiritually free to discover their own inner potential. They are seen as windows into the future. They are listened to and mentored by wisdom and gentle strength. HH the Dalai Lama has said if all 8 year old kids today were taught to meditate, we would have a transformed world in one generation. I know how powerfully liberating meditation is to the soul and how beneficial to the body. If you have children in your life, show them the value of silence. Help them be still. You could benefit from it, too!

Bodhi has had a happy beginning. Let’s make part of our daily practice the vision of a world of compassion, love, joy, peace, prosperity and liberty for all. Dogs, kids, all of Nature are part of our shared good. Since everything begins in mind, let’s activate some very high ideas for how we choose to live together on this little blue planet. Let’s have a happy ending and a visionary beginning.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

See also www.californiafrepress.net

Nature is Our Greatest Teacher

Dear friends,

Last year at just this time a large white Snowy Egret arrived on the property. We reveled in his presence for about a month, watching him fly up to the rooftops, preening and stretching out his long neck, the way ET did. He would stealthily move about the grounds, occasionally standing at the edge of one of the many ponds on the property, dipping down quickly to snag an unsuspecting insect. He (or she) was a holiday gift, then was suddenly gone at the end of December. I had named him Roger Egret. I felt a loss and wondered if he would ever return.

Yesterday afternoon I was sitting on my balcony thinking about that amazing bird, wishing I could see him again, when I caught some movement across the way, a flash of white as Roger, flapping his huge wings floated to the ground. I remained motionless while he treated me to a show of his prowess flying from rooftop to the ground and then up again. He would stand on the chimney on the building across from mine and slowly turn so I could see his beautiful tail feathers.

Imagine a sentient being who can fly; who knows just when to take off for Florida or Costa Rica and who also knows how to get there. Nature is such a miracle to me. The other day I found a wasp struggling on its back, trying to get upright. I slipped a magazine page under him and set him on the balcony railing. After a long time he flew off. Again, I am humbled by the sheer intelligence inherent in every living thing. That includes the trees around me who are shedding their leaves. They do so without remorse, merely letting go, allowing for the natural cycle of rebirth to take place. For that to happen there has to be a period of regrowth where things look bare and bleak. If we pay attention, Nature is our greatest teacher.  

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes   www.carol-carnes.com

Also see www.californiafreepress.net

War is Ugly, Even When it is Fought in a Field of Flowers

Dear friends,

On my first trip to India in 1997, we stayed in New Delhi at a businessman’s hotel in a rather desperate neighborhood. Arriving in the wee hours of the morning, all we saw was deep darkness with a bit of light coming from the small cooking fires on the street, where a few women were making chapatti. It was quite the shock for western eyes that had come from the sanitized cities of North America.

The next morning when we ventured out, our surprise and delight were uncontainable. There before us was the beautiful sight of a street faire, a bazaar, with colorful wares for sale and tantalizing aromas in the air. It was crowded with happy, chattering customers and vendors. The transformation was stunning.

The difference between ugliness and beauty is often what people do with where they are.  We can create both with our attitude, our desire, our expectations. If there is beauty in the heart, it tends to shine through in any environment. At the same time, the most beautiful landscape is ruined by anger and fighting. War is ugly, even when it is fought in a field of flowers.   We make our own experience by what we bring into it.

What kind of beauty can we create today? If there is always a choice, why would we choose ugliness? Could it be that we are the deciding factor in the quality of our experience?

Stay tuned in

,Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Also see www.californiafreepress.net

The Road Less Traveled

Dear friends,

Emerson remarked that we are always getting ready to live and never living.   He went on to list all the stages of life where we are preparing for life; “but the work of self-improvement—always under our nose—nearer than the nearest, is seldom engaged in. a few, few hours in the longest life.”

He had a point, don’t you agree? In some cultures, it is the intention of married couples to pursue spiritual matters after the children are grown, once one has retired from work. Then one or the other partner might go off on a vision quest or enter an ashram to study with a meditation master. In that way they can give their full attention and energy to self-discovery.

Here in the West, retirement often means boredom or adult games like golf and ballroom dancing lessons. Our spiritual life is not on the top of the list of intended pursuits. That is why it is so gratifying to see so many New Thought adherents giving self-discovery the time and attention it deserves. Our whole aim is not to worship an outer power, but to learn how to live up to our inner potential. It is a life-long endeavor, simply because there is no end to us. We are infinite beings on the spiritual side of things. Our potential is forever expanding according to our self-awareness.

We are never too young or too old to turn inward and to seek the power that resides in us. New Thought spirituality is a very effective path to take. With classes and inspirational literature, there is a clear road to take. It might be the one less traveled, but it is the choice of the sincere seeker. Join us!

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Also check out California Free Press

Happy People Solve Problems

Dear friends,

Happy people are more likely to be blame free than others. That is, they do not blame anyone or anything for their current experience. They might have been on the receiving end of a natural disaster, yet they do not curse Nature. They see it as a challenge but one in which they can find something of value. Happy people are less likely to feel frightened by the news. They see it all as an opportunity to know the spiritual truth and to stick to it. They see violence as an effect of a cause and they know cause is not the power. The mind that created the cause is the power.

Happy people are deeply invested in change but they know it begins in our shared consciousness. They spend time everyday cultivating inner peace and affirming the best for humanity. Happy people never give up on an idea that is for the greater good of all. They promote it, praise it and participate in it. They fund it, vote for it and expect it. Happy people are movers and shakers. They are the ones who can sustain the vision through thick and thin.

Happy people are the most spiritually advanced people on the planet. HH the Dalai Lama has answered the question “what is our purpose” with this: “Our purpose is to be happy. Happy people do not cause problems. They solve them.” It is a grave mistake to equate happiness with foolishness. Nothing good and lasting has every come from anger and aggression.

Social change comes from non-violent assistance, not resistance.  We assist the better idea and help it to grow and spread. Try it. Try thinking about humanity as good and lovely and creative and compassionate and wise and spiritually awake. You will feel the shift. If nothing else, you will be a much happier person.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Also see www.californiafreepress.net

I Am Alive with the Presence of Now

Dear friends,

Yoshida Kenko, a monk who lived in a ten foot square hut in the mountains of Japan, observed; “beginnings and endings are always the most interesting.”

It is the bud about to blossom that holds our attention, yet the fallen petals are beautiful. It is the sunrise and the sunset we love. Births and funerals are equal in importance, as are weddings and partings. Who doesn’t love the anticipation of a great evening in the theatre when the orchestra plays the overture? There is also the wonderful experience of giving the performers a standing ovation at the end of the program.

What about the middle? Do we fully engage with the time in between the beginning and the ending? Perhaps we would be more present if we did not suppress the truth that all things end or transition. Henry David Thoreau, who also lived by himself in the woods on Walden, wrote: “live each season as it passes; breathe the air; drink the drink; taste the fruit; and resign yourself to the influences of each.”

This life is a moving, fluid river of consciousness. Our experience is what we hold to be sacred, important, worth our time and attention. We interrupt the flow with our resistance to change. We put a stop to the energy of creation with our fear of endings. We deny ourselves the joy of discovery when we insist on permanence. It does not exist in the real world. That simple truth ought not to make us sad, but give us a sense of the wonder of it all and the preciousness of the life we are living.

Affirm: “I give myself into this moment and the next and the next and the next. I am alive with the presence of Now.”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

See my friend’s blog www.californiafreepress.net

Be In the World But Not of It

Dear friends,

We live in two realities but are usually more aware of only one. There is a spiritual realm and an earthly one. Some say we ought to be completely invested in this earthly one. Others proclaim the best path is to renounce the world and to spend one’s life contemplating the spiritual. Then along comes a master teacher who said “be in the world but not of it.” Probably the greatest advice humanity has ever been given.

It has always been my perception that he was trying to teach us how to be human, knowing that our spiritual nature was fully intact. His teachings were about being informed by the spiritual, through communion and prayer, and to take that awareness into the realm of experience. There is an aspect to you and me that is decidedly unworldly, yet when in the form of a physical being, tends to reside in the background, ready to come forward when called.

My daily blogs always end with “Stay tuned in” a reminder to myself and others, if they choose, to keep our mind actively aware of our origins in the spiritual, and to reveal what is then known in the world. What will be known will be love, peace, joy, vitality and intelligence. We have it all, ready to be brought into the world by us.   Remember the other most important truth attributed to the master teacher? “It is done (through) you as you believe.” What else do we need to know?

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

See also www.californiafreepress.net

Where Ought My Attention Be?

Dear friends,

Sometimes there is a feeling of ‘let down’ after a big event is over, one that has been in the planning for months. That is not the case today. Our 70^th anniversary Gala was a great success, well attended with high energy and a sense of optimism for our shared future. I feel ‘lifted up’ rather than let down. Everything necessary is in place for us to take a leap into substantial growth.

Looking forward is easy, but in the meantime we have to do the work involved to bring our desire into attainment. You know yourself that once one goal is reached, you are not done. It is another beginning point and there are steps to take to keep things moving. We need new ideas, all the time. The energy of the new idea will fortify us and keep us moving into success.

Our part in the creative process is to continually ask “what is mine to do today?   What would help my new idea to unfold? What thoughts support it? Where ought my attention be?” It is so easy to be distracted by doubt or fear or worry. We tend to give much energy to those kinds of mental states and when we do, there is no room for the new idea to lead us. Stay with the positive thought! Be the change you wish to see, as Gandhi advised. Don’t let yourself down, stay in the vision and it will enliven the mind, stabilize the emotions and carry you forward. Plan that party and don’t forget to send out invitations.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

See also www.californiafreepress.net

The Unashamed Confidence of Youth

Dear friends,

Yesterday as I was walking up the front steps of our Center to open for the day, a chattering group of about twelve children, who were waiting for their school bus, began bombarding me with questions. “Do you live here? Why not? Why are you going in? What do you do here? It looks like a house. Can we come in and see it? Can we see the backyard? ” There were two adults with them, also quite young themselves, whom I asked if I could show the kids around. Off we went, a ragtag bunch of diversity, from about age 6 to 13, many different ethnicities, all smiling. They loved the sanctuary, the “secret” meditation garden and asked if they could see upstairs.

I told them they might miss their school bus, but, if they came back that afternoon, I would show them upstairs. Later that day a few of us were decorating the hall for our 70^th anniversary banquet tonight when there was a clamor at the front door. A volunteer asked me, “these kids said you invited them to take a tour upstairs. Did you?” I laughed at the unashamed confidence of youth. They oohed and ahed at my office. A small boy said “I like the word Love up there.” They marveled at the bathrooms which are large and have big bathtubs. “Do you live here, they asked again?”

We are in a low income neighborhood. Our little Center must have seemed like a palace to some of them. I began to see it through their eyes. It really is unique. The overriding experience for me was one of connection, not only with those beautiful kids but with youth itself. Seeing things as if for the first time is what sparks awe and wonder. It would have been easy to chase them off, but I felt flattered that they wanted to engage with me. Finally the real point of the whole thing came at the very end. They wanted to know what kind of church it was. I said “the kind that teaches you how powerful your mind is and how important your thoughts are.“ They were silent, big eyes looking up at me. Perhaps someday they will remember those words and go looking for a place like ours wherever they may be.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Now is the Time

Dear friends,

What if this time in the evolution of human consciousness is necessary for us to take a quantum leap into a new way of Being? What if this is our cocoon? What if we have initiated this unconsciously, led from a higher knowing? What if it is all Good, not as a comforting thought, but actually? What if each one of us is absolutely necessary to making this change? What would our role be?

Would it make sense to release all resentments regarding old relationships? Would we be helping if we turned away from worst case scenarios and placed our faith in the higher nature of Humanity? Are we actually that involved in the future of humankind to think our daily consciousness is important? Well, we are, and it is.

There is no “they” out there. There is only WE right here. Each one of us is part of the collective WE. What we think, say, do feel is either contributing to an awakened world or it is supporting the old one. It is time for us in the spiritual community to take our place seriously in the elevation of consciousness that will be the way into a bright, peaceful, prosperous and loving future together.

Now is the time and we are the people.  As Dr. Jean Houston has asked “If not us, who? If not now, when?

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Also see John Lawrence’s www.californiafreepress.net

What is the Nature of God?

Dear friends,

When I was a young girl, a friend asked if I believed in God. I remember replying “I think it’s some kind of energy.” At that time I had no real idea what that meant, but have since discovered there is truth in it. It seems to me that God is intelligent, inert energy until, from within its own field, it is prompted to move and it becomes seen. It becomes alive-ness in form. In the past we were told to not question God but to just have faith in it. That is fine to a point but in a scientific, technology driven world, the mind needs to fit God into the mix or it becomes superstition. It becomes too easy to dismiss all concepts of a spiritual nature.

In the 20th century a man named Ernest Holmes placed God in the context of a modern world. He realized that although we cannot see God, we can see the evidence of its reality. We can see what it does. It makes things out of itself and inhabits them as sentient life. If a person fervently believes God to be a person in the sky, this line of thinking will be frightening. But to the open minded, this is joy-producing, thought provoking Good News! There is no blasphemy in it, only a door into greater freedom than we have ever known.

Holmes also realized that the very qualities we deeply desire are the qualities that the more enlightened ancients attributed to God. Love, Joy, Peace, Power, Intelligence, Supply, are inherent in our own aliveness. That is why we desire them. They are the inert energies wanting release through us. Our role as the image and likeness of God, is to express them into form and experience. That is how we get what the heart desires.

Find a Center near you. www.csl.org

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

California Free Press

Affirm What Makes Your Heart Happy

Dear friends,

William Morris advised “have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”

That is sensible when we prepare for a yard sale, but it is brilliant when taking a mental inventory of the house we actually occupy. Why would we hang on to ideas, thoughts or feelings that are neither useful nor beautiful? Are we capable of discerning which ones need to be removed or updated? One of the great benefits of regular meditation is the space it creates between us and our thoughts. We become aware of thoughts as merely ideas that appear on the screen of our consciousness. We are not actually attached to them, therefore they are under our control.

We tend to think useful ideas will either protect, defend or elevate us in the world. The question is, do we need to be protected, defended or elevated? From what and to whom? Our actual identity, our real life, our true nature is intact and under the umbrella of what the world calls God. We enter into this incarnation with the ability to guide our lives by our beliefs, perceptions and expectations. Are they useful and beautiful? Things can change rather quickly with a change of heart, which is preceded by a change of mind.

It is never too late to put our house in order, so to speak. Take a look at the most dominant fear you may have and deconstruct it to an idea. Is it true? Replace it with what makes your heart happy; what calms your emotions; what rings true. Affirm it. Declare it. Insist that it proves its reality in your experience.

Like this: “Who I am is beyond the slings and arrows of opinion. I am wholly intact. I am both useful and beautiful in this world.”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Also see www.californiafreepress.net

Let the Energy of Change be Your Travelling Companion

Dear friends,

What if what is going on in our world right now were the most significant chain of events in human history? If now were the point in our collective story where a dramatic Plot Twist is possible, what would be our part in it? We are all in this together, you know. Individually and collectively we are the way through. What looks like chaos predicts the new order; a higher level of interaction with each other, with Nature, with our common Source, with the universe.

The best things always happen suddenly, have you noticed? It seems like they drag on in the same old stuck-ness for a long time, but when the shift happens it is NOW! It is more like a leap than a crawl over barriers. We do not come into it battered and broken but are renewed, reawakened, remade in the image of wholeness and open-ended possibility. We are, in a real sense, reborn.

If we can keep our wits about us personally, we will be contributing to the whole in a healthy way. By this I mean that we look at our own situation as the micro of the macro. Our problems are also points in our story than can catapult us into new ways of seeing ourselves and into higher levels of self-expression. The problem is not the worst thing that has ever happened but it may well be the most significant. This is not quite the same thing as “getting the gift” or “learning the lesson.”

This is affirming: “I let the energy of change be my travelling companion. I allow myself to be taken and lifted. I am ready to co-create my own new world, knowing I play a part in the awakening of humanity. “ 

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Try: www.californiafreepress.net

Thank You to the Universe for Hosting Us

Dear friends,

Rachel Carson: “It is the wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth to know wonder and humility.”

We had nothing to do with the creation of our planetary home. Its beauty, the sheer magnitude of its details, its astonishing diversity, are taken for granted by us. We rarely give it much thought. Yes, we love a sunset and to come upon a rainbow still delights us, but how often do we think of the unseen and intricate web of life forms that support our very existence?

On the other hand, when did we last look up at the night sky in awe of the immensity of the cosmos? We wouldn’t think to thank the moon for its gravitational effect on our oceans. Have we thanked gravity itself for keeping us from floating off into space? We complain if rain ruins our picnic but are we aware of its life-giving properties? Water is the most wondrous of all the elements. It can be ice, steam or liquid, yet it is always H2O. In any form it serves the purpose of supporting life.

There is something else that is always present and unseen. That is the very consciousness from which you and I have emerged, taken form, become individualized. It matters not one whit what we call it. It is real. There is a hidden Power right where we are, all the time, available to us to become whatever we decide to do with it. It is the open field of possibility that our personal consciousness is attached to and involved with in every moment of our life. Just considering what it has already done by means of us is awe inspiring and humbling at the same time.

A good prayer is “Thank You.” Meister Eckhart said if that is our only prayer, it is enough.

Stay tuned in, 

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Also see www.calfiorniafreepress.net

The Great Awakening of Humanity

Dear friends,

e.e.cummings said “the world is mud-licious and puddle-wonderful.”

My inner child knows exactly what he means! It is an invitation to come out and play with the natural world that has been gifted to humanity. Our adult worries are the construct of perceptions we derived, not from the mud-licious realm of Nature, but from superstitions and dogma. Somehow we became deaf to the calling of the Mother. We mistakenly thought we knew better than she did about how to live in this world. She promised uninhibited joy and delight but we opted for dominance and control.

She gave us trees to climb to achieve a higher vantage point, but we cut them down. She provided rivers of clear, clean water but we polluted them with abandon. She gave us beauty and we raped it. She asked us to care for her and we decided she was not worth the effort, leaving her to fight for her life. She is greater than the sum of her parts, however, and she will put herself to rights by eliminating the problem. Is it too late for humanity? Can we survive our own ignorance?

The answer is Yes! We are already waking up to our part in the current situation. There are young people coming up with the most innovative solutions to things like providing clean water to people in drought ridden climes; to the cleaning up of the islands of plastics floating in our oceans; to creative mini-houses for those who have been living on the streets. Young people are reclaiming the mud-licious, puddle-wonderful world. Let’s ask ourselves how we can play in their game.

Affirm: “ I am naturally drawn to my place in the great awakening of humanity.”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

www.californiafreepress.net

Good Words for Our Collective Unconscious

Dear friends,

Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of our collective unconscious.   Now, more than ever, we need to be pouring good, positive and spiritually true words into our shared reality. We are all one on the subjective level. We are interconnected in the field of consciousness. What is known with conviction in one place resonates throughout the field and is known by those who have ears to hear. Right now humans have their ears to the ground, a it were, hoping for some powerful words of truth to help them stay in the vision of a world that works for everyone.

A few times a day, perhaps even once an hour, stop what you are doing, close your eyes and say this internally and then out loud; “This world is alive with love and compassion, peace and plenty. We live in harmony and joy.” You are enlivening the field with a deep truth that must become a real time experience when a critical mass of us are in agreement! Join the chorus, sing your song of vision for this world.

Nothing will change until human consciousness changes. We are in the midst of that change right now. Transformation is messy and there is always a backlash of the old ways, (which are nothing but beliefs to begin with), fighting to stay in charge of our shared reality. Let’s drown them out with a song of freedom and justice for all. Let’s sing our song for all we’re worth.

Affirm: One life is being all life in a myriad of forms. All is well with all of us. We are alive in love. Our planet is a reflection of that love.”

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Also see www.californiafreepress.net

Let It Go!

Dear friends,

Negative memories are like old movies we have seen so many times we can recite the script, yet we wish the ending were different. The ending is still ours to create but it can only be done now. Only now can we decide to release the hold the incident had on us and begin to raise our perception to what is real now. What is real now is us. Our whole, intact Spiritual Self is still here, still alive, still able to make our dreams come true. As Ernest Holmes taught, “there is a Spirit in us that desires to be more fully expressed through us.”

We deny the presence of Spirit in us when we name ourselves damaged or ruined by past experiences or carry the label of victim. While it is factual that we have been victimized, we are so much more than any experience! The reason this is not so easy to do is our mistaken sense that if we are not damaged, then the perpetrator got away with the act. It is illogical but to the wounded self it seems reasonable.

The best revenge, as someone said, is success! In fact it is more than revenge, it is the real state of forgiveness.   You know you have forgiven when you live a great life regardless of what happened to you yesterday. Only the realization of our whole self can elicit forgiveness. It is not about making them right, it is about compassion for a soul so wounded themselves that they felt powerless. That is the recipe for violence of all kinds. Let it go, let life flow through you. Let it reveal the real you.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

See www.californiafreepress.net

Have You Played a Game Lately?

Dear friends,

There is something all humans have in common. It is the natural tendency to play. Children learn a great deal about relationships and communication through play. They might also learn to manage their emotions. Can you remember being angry and throwing your toys when you lost a game? Perhaps not, but feelings of being less-than might have surfaced. We were also taught to be ‘good sports.’

Play is so key to the development of social skills that it has become part of staff programs in large corporations. When adults get together and play a child’s game, they revert to their uninhibited or fearful selves. They often feel they know one another better. There is more empathy and compassion. If nothing else, the more competitive traits come out and it is good to be able to identify that need in ourselves and others.

How long has it been since you engaged in play for no other reason than to have fun with friends? It is sometimes hard to get adults to let go of the idea they have to be ‘good at’ a game in order to play it. Not so! Gutter balls are as much fun as strikes if our attitude is healthy. We can always improve but that is not what play is about. It is simply good for the soul. The same is true with dancing. It has been shown recently that dancing makes the brain healthier. So does singing in a choir, just for fun. Gardening is akin to making mud pies, isn’t it? Unless you take it so seriously that you develop an adversarial relationship with Nature! I have heard people complain loudly about how the deer eat their roses. I always think, so what? That is just part of the game.

What do you do for fun? How long has it been? Let’s go bowling!

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Also check out www.californiafreepress.net

Changing Everything for the Better

Dear friends,

There is an old saying “don’t cry over spilt milk.” It cannot be put back in the bottle, it is undrinkable. However, there may be a use for it if you have a cat!   It is often remarkable how something good will result from a perceived problem. One door closes another opens, seems to be a principle we can count on if we do one thing; let the door close! Do not bemoan the change. After all, nothing happens to us, it comes through us. Surely we have something to do with everything in our lives, even if we cannot see it in the moment.

It is possible that what appears to be a negative turn of events is actually our higher knowing leading us into new levels of living. We cannot have the new if we are clinging to the old. It is not easy to release a relationship that is clearly not working, or a job that seemed so ideal, or a location that turns out to be all wrong for us. Nothing is all bad or all good. There are always reasons to hang on, at least in our local assessment of things. But our Spirit, our whole self, knows where we belong and how to get there.

This kind of mental peace comes from a deep and abiding trust in our intuition, our Source and a deep belief that Life is always for us and never against us. It is a proven truth that the origins of our experience are within the field of consciousness we inhabit. It can be an unacknowledged fear that acts as cause to the very thing we worry about.   It can be old resentments we have not healed that bring up similar circumstances in our current experience. That is why it is so important to be “prayed up” as some say; to be focused on what we welcome, not on what we want to avoid. Positive thinking is more than being cheerful; It is a way of perceiving reality that changes everything for the better.

Stay tuned in,

Carol Carnes www.carol-carnes.com

Support my work via my pay pal Thank you!

Also see www.californiafreepress.net