"With All its Sham...Drudgery and Broken Dreams..."

Quick!

Think of waking up tomorrow or any day soon...to an absolutely PERFECT WORLD!

You have absolutely no worries.

A world where everyone loves each other...

A world where everyone does not compete with others...

A world where everyone is polite and not rude to each other...

A world where everyone shares equally with everyone else...

Life is smooth. Life is easy. Life has no friction, no obstacles, nothing more to want and nothing more to give.

Utopia.


Think again.

I recently saw two movies on HBO and TNT that reinforced the message that Life IS PERFECT just the way it is....Sham...Drudgery...Broken Dreams...and ALL!

I really only looked at the second half of "The Invasion." I'd seen the movie when it was released at the theatres, so I remembered some of the first half and could get into the scene. Here, Nicole Kidman was trying to save her son from becoming infected like most others in their "world" with a disease that creates "sameness in mind."

She fought "tooth and nail," even as she was fading into that other world, to save her son from this fate. He, only about seven years old, knew, too, that he had to fight, so he joined in the fight for the survival of his unique self. They won!

Mother and son were saved and lived on with their unique selves. Applause. Applause.

The second movie was "The Last Man On Earth," a 2007 film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel "I Am Legend," starring Will Smith.

Here, Will's character was seemingly the only survivor when a virus hit New York City, wiping out its inhabitants.

Will survived with his dog and his laboratory.

In many of the early scenes, all you saw this character do is shout and plead for "anybody, anybody who is out there, let me know that you're ALIVE!"

The character HUNGERED for human interaction.

He hungered for a living SOUL who could relate to him as a human being.
The movie moved on with other events occurring and yes, another human, two, actually, showing up.

What did Will's character do?

He started acting inhumane. But that's another part of the story.

The truth is that he needed these others to continue to live and to continue to have the work he was doing live on, too. Without them, it was all pointless; it would all die with him, as does the music that we don't play dies within us.

The truth is that we may crave our privacy, when we see people all around us all day long in various areas of our lives.

If we ride the subway, we may long to get away from crowded places and not have to be "touched" by strangers as we journey in and out of our homes.

We may want all the beggars to go away.

We may want everyone to be pleasant as we journey to and fro.

We may want people to speak the same language as we do.

We may want people to dress the same way we do. We don't want filth; we don't want dirt.

We may be tired of the people at work.

We may be tired of the people at home.

We may be tired of people in our lives, who are
so different...so the same...so...

We may be tired of all that talking, talking, talking.

We crave silence.

We may want to get away from it ALL!

We may crave so much to be isolated and alone.

Yes. Peace. Silence. Aloneness.

For a while.

Think of that condition...that isolation...being the story of your life!

Think of having NO choice in the matter.

All the people...ALL the people...whom you HATE have gone away.

But so have ALL THE people...ALL the people...whom you love.

Love 'em or Hate 'em, they are ALL GONE!

You're finally all alone.

Aaaaaah! Free at last! Free AT LAST! FREE AT LAST!

Yes, you're FREE AT LAST!

What?

Did I hear you SCREAM?

What?

Did I hear you remind yourself: "It's only a dream...it's only a dream...it's only a dream!?"

What?

Did I hear you say..."I PRAY it was ONLY a NIGHTMARE!?"

"Think on these things," then appreciate and LOVE every one of "THOSE PEOPLE."

Love 'em or Hate 'em: they are OUR world.

They make up the tapestry of our ...yes...beautiful world.

Our beautiful world!

Today, where ever you find yourself...whatever the circumstances of your life...be at peace with yourself...and your world.

As a followon to last week, where I said the spiritual journey can and IS "HELL," know that unequivocally as you walk through the "valley of the shadow of death" and your world may come crumbling down around you, the "journey" gets more peaceful.

It leads you deeper within.


You see with "new" eyes, walk in new ways, and ...
you find "peace" in the connection...with the connection...

...with your Soul.

That is utopia: the perfect world.


...It's still a beautiful world!

Namaste',

Che'
NOTE: If you're not familiar with "Desiderata," a classic poem by Max Ehrmann, I suggest that you "Google" it and get the text in its entirety. This is one I know by heart and recommend that you take it to "heart," too.

Don't try to Short Circuit Your Spiritual Journey!

They were all spiritual seekers. But it may have turned out that they were seeking spiritual "thrills."

Three out of 50 of them paid with their lives;18 more were hospitalized, then released.


It all happened in beautiful Sedona, Arizona this past week.

Only about 2 hours drive from the Grand Canyon, Sedona is a place so beautiful you always feel God in the air. As you stroll through the many shops now interspersed among the Red Rock, you can't help but think of this as "God's Country."

To go to DIE there almost seems like some sort of travesty...or poetry...or script.

This past week, the script was written by James Arthur Ray.

What could have gone wrong at the sweat lodge and weeklong retreat for which 50 people had paid thousands of dollars?


From news reports, I learned that Ray had rented the Angel Valley Retreat Center for his five-day "Spiritual Warrior" event that culminated in the sweat lodge ceremony. Participants paid between $9,000 and $10,000 to attend the retreat.


The deaths are now being investigated as homicides, according to reports.

I say, "Correctly so!"

I also say that it's instances like these that give "New Age" a BAD name!

I'm not taking anything away from James Arthur Ray's power of persuasion, but the truth is that every time I received one of his communications, I cringed...yet, interestingly, I never sought to "UNSUBSCRIBE."

There is something addictive to anyone offering solutions to life's myriad problems, especially when it comes to short-cutting and short-circuiting the true process of Spiritual Growth.


THAT...Spiritual Growth...the Spirtual Path...is DIRTY STUFF!
When someone is authentically on the spiritual path, it is NOT PRETTY.

All sorts of DIRTY STUFF comes up to be aired out. There is much dirty linen that comes up to the surface of a person's Soul that has to be laid out and washed out.

It's a dirty business...and someone has GOT to do it!!

If you're a spiritual seeker and you're smart, I'll tell you: the ONLY SOUL to do it is your OWN Soul, as that's where God resides.

Some of you may object to my bluntness, but I sometimes say that God is in the "Sewer Business."

When we truly start an authentic walk with our Spirit, it has to go into the "gutter" of our Soul, with all the mess of all the years that got put in there and clogged up, and God has to help us clean up the mess!

Even, he, God, can't do it in one swipe! Even he, can't do it for you! You have to walk through it...and yeah...he'll be right there beside you, "never leaving you or forsaking you."

You know that line from the 23rd Psalm: "Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death."


Yep, it begins to make PERFECT SENSE!

Why does James Arthur Ray and others believe that they can circumvent this process?
[Ray is pictured with one of his spiritual leaders]

One week and $9,000 and now you're GOOD FOR LIFE!

I thank God that I wasn't RICH ENOUGH to pay anyone that kind of money, OR misguided enough to listen to ANY SOUL but my own.

Go figure.

God is the master planner. Yet, he can't "unravel" his own stuff!

Yes, Life IS a labyrinth, but it ALL has a GRAND DESIGN...and it all IS unfolding as it should.

Don't let ANYONE TELL YOU...that they can give you a quick "FIX" on your spiritual journey. There aren't any "quick fixes."


You got to walk through the mud, the dirt, the bramble, the filth, the desert, the heartbreak, the heartache, the HELL...YES, the pure HELL...

Don't wonder if Hell is on the other side. Hell is right here, right now, each moment that we feel separated from God!

So, the next time, you believe that you can short-circuit your way through the maze of life and go looking for a "body" to help you through: think AGAIN!

That "Body" is also going through its own stuff...his own process....as successful as he or she may be! Don't be lulled into acceptance and idolatry, because you see all the glitter and the glory that come from "SUCCESS!"


There's hell to pay there, too....especially...especially...if it wasn't earned by right of true Spiritual Consciousness!


The HUMAN Will can accomplish much. You know the saying that "where there's a will, there's a way!"

Yeah, Go ahead and MAKE IT HAPPEN: You've earned it!

So, now you've earned it, yes, a certain level of PEACE does come with Success.

But I tell you, unless and UNTIL, it comes from the Spirit of God within you...then WATCH OUT!

I feel sorry for James Arthur Ray.

He was always so positive. So insightful. He always had the answers.

Now, what?

Could it be that at LAST, his TRUE spiritual journey will begin...and...from within?

Namaste',

Che'
EDITOR'S NOTE: The letter below came through from James Arthur Ray on Wednesday, October 21. Judge for yourself whether he went "within" for guidance on this.

Regarding the Recent Events in Sedona
For me, for the families and friends of the sick and deceased and for many people who believe in the important work we do, these have been the most difficult ten days of our lives.People are throwing out accusations and disparaging me and our mission. Yet despite that, and despite considerable criticism, I have chosen to continue with my work. It's too important not to. One of the lessons I teach is that you have to confront and embrace adversity and learn and grow from it. I promise you I am doing a lot of learning and growing. I have taken heat for that decision, but if I chose to lock myself in my home, I am sure I would be criticized for hiding and not practicing what I preach.It means a great deal to me that so many of you have come to see me speak this week and last--that you are investing your time and energy into creating more fulfilling, successful and productive lives. It reaffirms my decision to continue my schedule and these event experiences. I want to use this forum to address the families of those whose lives were lost, James, Kirby and Liz. I have reached out to all of the families personally, but feel the need to say more. I feel your pain. I accept your anger. And I pray for you all to have some measure of peace and comfort. I want you to know that I too want to know what happened that caused this horrible tragedy. My team and I are working with the appropriate authorities and have even hired our own investigators to find out the truth. I believe the best way to honor their amazing lives and everlasting memory is to continue this important work. Please join me in a moment of silence to pay homage to their lives and to pray for the speedy recovery of others taken ill.

(signature eliminated)
James Arthur Ray
President/CEO
James Ray International, Inc.

Beautiful People: She Towers Over Us All... Rev. Joy Wyler

I stand 5 feet 5.5-6 inches in height, so I've always felt I had an average height for a woman and never had any illusions about "towering" over others.


But I imagine that many people who stand above six feet, especially women,
certainly must feel they are "giants" among us.

I'm here to tell you: It's just an illusion!

For out steps Reverend Joy Wyler.


At three and a half feet tall, she
quickly puts you into the shadows of yourself!



Few people among us can reach the heights and measure UP to the
achievements and accomplishments of this beautiful spirit.

I feel privileged, truly, to have shared classes with Rev. Joy
at Unity Village in the late 1990s and am honored to know her!

Quite simply: she is a giant among us... both men and women!


Let's begin where her real story begins...with her fighting Spirit!

Of course, it all began with her receiving a Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Law. For many years, Wyler vigorously worked as an attorney on behalf of juveniles and families and also represented those with disabilities.


Doing this work allowed Wyler to pursue her passion for civil rights and justice and "caring for children, creating an environment to nurture diversity," Rev. Wyler says.


"It's how I live my life. It's what I bring to my work and how I teach."

For more than 11 years, she also served as general counsel at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, leaving in 2001.


Wyler became an ordained Unity Minister in 2004 through a two-year,
non-degreed seminary program, and she sees herself overcoming all challenges because of an unwillingness to give in and give up.


"What are the options?" she asks. "It's either sink or swim. Mostly, I simply ignore every message that says I can't and just do what I want. When things get tough, I have to turn it over to God."


Wyler believes that "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger," yet does not think that there is a need for what she calls strength training. "There is no way to where we are but the path we have taken. So I try to use all the experiences and training I have in the NOW moment."


This ability to put the experiences of the past to good use in the NOW is what allowed Rev. Wyler to get beyond the death of her daugher, Sarah. At the age of four months, Sarah died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome(SIDS) in 1985. Wyler was 29 years old at the time and had just graduated from Law School.


"This was the most devastating experience and how I found Unity. Healing from this was a profound healing of most of the wounds of my childhood."


With a "fairly dysfunctional childhood," Wyler had left home at age 18. But not before she 'd taken all the spiritual lessons she could from that past.

Her father, who died when Wyler was 12 years old, left spiritual imprints that have served her through now. He was influenced by the Cherokee Tribe in Northern Oklahoma and at age three began to teach Joy about God being "present everywhere and being part of me and everyone else. God was a real power within me, and a 'confidante,'" she says.



At age five, she became a spiritual rebel. She was attending a "Christian Church," where her grandmother had taken her. When she heard about a "judging, vindinctive God," she lashed out at the teachings, totally shocking her Sunday School teacher!

The family then moved on to a Baptist Church, where the music kept them going back for more. But it was the sermons of Rev. Thurman Kelly, whom they followed from church to church, that kept the family following Baptist teachings for several more years.


For years, Wyler stopped going to church. It was in 1985 when she was looking for a minister to do Sarah's Memorial Service that she found Unity. [This teaching focuses on the practical applications of Jesus' teachings in our lives; it is Unity School of Christianity and has been around for more than 100 years.]

Throughout her life, Joy Wyler has sought diversity in her experiences.


With a bachelor's degree in medical technology from Pittsburg State University, Wyler worked as a medical technician (laboratory scientist) for about 12 years, including several years at night while attending law school in the day time.

Since giving up the practice of law in 2001, Wyler has taught online for Ottawa University and at Unity Institute.


She is the mother of two children, both dwarfs, whom she adopted from India: Victor, now age 26, and Kari,
age 22. Both are thriving. Victor lives in a L'Arche community home in Overland Park, Kansas, and Kari is focused on finishing her education and working in early childhood care and teaching.


Earlier this year, Wyler put her life in Kansas City behind her and moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania, to become the senior minister of Unity of Lehigh Valley.




"It is a journey that only Spirit could lead me on. No career counselor would have helped me down this path," Wyler says.

Aside from desiring to lead "a thriving church," Wyler plans to publish a "couple" of books and "continue to make a difference."

She also plans to spend lots of time with her mother, "80 year young" and "clean and sober for 32 years," and who currently is making plans to move to Pennsylvania near Joy. Her step-dad already lives only three hours away from her.

This dynamic, larger-than-life lawyer, teacher, minister, shares some final thoughts:

"God is everything and in everything. God is creative energy, constantly creating through the power of our thoughts and actions. God is without duality. God is a force of life and love circulating throughout the Universe. God is simply beyond our understanding but most people have an urge to shape God in a way that is familiar and within their understanding. This limits God as a concept."

She urges us to:

"Do your best, let God do the rest. Everything is part of the tapestry. Thread by thread, it may seem meaningless, painful, joyous, silly. But when it gets woven together and you are far enough along to stand back and look, you can see the patterns, the shapes of your life in relationships and experiences. Then everything has meaning."

Here's our message to back you, Reverend Joy Wyler:

"When we look at you, we especially see God's handiwork. For only God could have put such dynamism, so much LIFE, into such a small and beautiful package. We applaud you for your fighting spirit, your dynamism, your wholeness and your beautiful way of being in the world. May God continue to be your 'confidante' and have his work actualized so wonderfully through you for many years to come!

Sarah would have been 24 years old today. We know she witnesses the strides you've made since 1985 and your continuing efforts."

Namaste',

Che'
NOTE: Send your messages of support to Reverend Joy Wyler for her "thriving" church and her ongoing work. You may do so through Unity of LeHigh Valley: http://www.unityoflehighvalley.org. Make sure you also manage to get on Reverend Wyler's e-mail distribution list for "Reflections from My Backyard," an email newsletter that offers great insights.

Goodness vs. Godliness: The Truth is Transparent!

Namaste': I honor the part of you that is of light, truth, love and peace. When you're in that place in you, and I'm in that place in me, we are ONE!

During these times, we see many people bustling around doing "good." Some are writing checks to several places, spreading their wings wide, and also running here, there and everywhere they are "called" to respond.

The question: Is this "good" being done from the Spirit within or because of the world without?

"Namaste'" should help us differentiate one from the other.

This term is much more than a definition and is actually a way of life.


When a person adapts a "namaste'" attitude, they really are choosing to shrug off fully the exterior trappings of a person and get to the core of their being. So, if, for example, someone has an off-putting personality, the "namaste'" attitude would help you go beyond that exterior to see the truth of the Spirit within the person and also help you to hold to that truth no matter what the "personality" may be displaying in any given moment.


Similarly, we should be able to get past the "good" personality types to see the truth about a person's motivation to act.

Many "good" acts are prompted by a sense of obligation vs. the true purity of spirit that recognizes ourselves in another and the interconnectedness of ALL beings.


So, if an act of "goodness" is because you have more than enough to spare, and because a person believes that a kind act would get more "mileage" by spreading "thin" their kind deeds, then think again about what GOOD that person is serving and to whom.
True "Godliness" comes from that namaste' attitude that sees beyond the exterior, ours or another's, and reaches into the core of our being prompting us to act.


A person acting from "Godliness" truly reflects and seeks guidance from within before writing a check or assuming a role of helpfulness. Often, the person discerns that it may be best to help one person than 20 people, as it would do more "good."

Typically, this person acting from a perspective of "Godliness" is silent and unseen in his or her actions, not wanting ANY attention drawn to the "cause" of good.This comes from integrity. This comes from the Soul within.

There is no audience. Simply Spirit.


One such person I know often says, "I'd prefer to write ONE check and feel I've made the difference in the life of one person than to write 10 and change nothing."


Many charities and other groups are providing service to many people. Their efforts should be applauded. The question: Are they truly serving the common good, or appeasing the conscience of a few?


When a person gives to a charity, the funds are spread out to several pieces within that organization. So, for example, in the case of a homeless shelter, a $1,000 contribution may filter down to really helping five people in a shelter for a week, who typically sleep 10 people in a room with a 5 p.m. curfew, maybe get a meal and have to do individual and other chores while in the shelter. Think of yourself having to live in those conditions and think about what you'd choose: a shelter or your car?




Question: Barring natural disaster situations, would that $1,000 contribution you gave to the shelter be better served helping ONE person avoid homelessness for a month or two?

The truth lies within.


When we assume a kind act, we all know whether we are doing so from a sense of "Goodness" or "Godliness."

Choose wisely. Choose kindly.



Namaste',

Che'