Midweek Faith Lift
June 28, 2023
Unity & Christianity
Rev. Deb Hill-Davis
Spiritual Reflection
June 20, 2023
Michael Brennan grew up admiring pro golfer Rickie Folwer, so much so that he dressed up as the pro for Halloween 11 years ago. A picture of the getup found its way to Fowler, who signed it with the message, "Look forward to playing a practice round with you at the 2025 US Open!" That vision was manifested recently when Folwer invited the now 21-year-old Brennan, an emerging golfer, to join him for a practice round at, naturally, the US Open.
“What we think, we become.” - the Buddha
Affirmative prayer: Today, I pay attention to a Divine impulse within, heeding the call of Life’s invitation to uniquely express my heart and talents. I become still and listen. I tune in to the pulse of soulful purpose. I raise my vision and see how I am to manifest God’s intention for me in love, service, and prosperity. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.
This story was truly a gift when I read it on Tuesday because it perfectly illustrates both the energy of Unity and the Quantum Leap Strategy! I am not a golfer, but from listening to my dad describe golf, it is a game of both the mind and of skill. This young man, Michael Brennan, clearly has the skills, but he also has the mindset or consciousness for a mental breakthrough and the audacity to dream big! And it yielded results beyond his wildest dreams for sure.
In his book, The Quantum Leap Strategy, Price Pritchett asks the question, “Do you see the signs of a remarkable opportunity you could seize?” Clearly our young golfer did! Pritchett goes on to say on p. 3 of The Quantum Leap Strategy:
If you’ve been struggling, or if you instinctively know you could do something much bigger, you are ready for a performance breakthrough. Making the quantum leap- going from you to you2 – is a radical idea, and it requires a fundamental shift in the way you operate. But the quantum leap strategy is not complicated. It doesn’t need to be difficult or complex to be profound. As Mozart would say, “True genius resides in simplicity.”
And that statement from Mozart brings us back to the true genius of Unity, which lies in its simplicity. The focus in Unity is not on learning the rules, the dogma or creedal statements about what you are required to believe or profess. The teachings of Unity were and are intended to support individuals on their spiritual journey. The practices in Unity are intended to foster and support spiritual growth, not loyalty or adherence to a particular church or set of beliefs.
Most people who find Unity have come to it from a different church tradition or in some cases, no spiritual tradition. Often they are seeking something that is more Universal and more directly related to their everyday life here and now, not the afterlife, if there is one!
I grew up Catholic and I would go to Mass every Sunday with my dad. I remember him saying that he wished that the people in church would remember the lesson on lovingkindness when they got to the church parking lot!! He was searching for something that was more than a “formula type” religion, but he could not put words to it. I remember when he first read Discover the Power Within You by Eric Butterworth and was on fire with the zeal of the newly awakened. He must have bought and given away at least 50 copies of that book. And why was it so powerful? Because it tapped into Universal Truth!
Butterworth and the Fillmores tapped into something Universal in the spiritual experience of humans, which transcends any attempt to conceptualize the Divine and make it fit into a formula. What they tapped into was something described by Aldous Huxley as The Perennial Philosophy which Rev. John Paul Roach calls: “…the golden thread of mystical understanding, by which I mean a direct, intuitive, awareness of reality.” P. xi. This Universal thread runs through and is at the center of all the major religions of the world: Islam, Sufism, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and Zen. It is the essence and center of the life and teachings of Jesus. It is not about what we believe, but how we live.
The teachings of the Fillmores, Butterworth and Emma Curtis Hopkins put the focus on the intersection of the Divine and human in Jesus which is also in each one of us. They allow space for the Divine to begin to live and breathe within each one of us, which is an experience of the energy of the Divine. It is an experience of the Universal Oneness that is the Perennial Philosophy. It brings to Christianity a perspective of Jesus not as savior but as Wisdom teacher, as Way Shower. It is very much in alignment with the earliest followers of Jesus who called themselves “Followers of the Way.” As Rev. Roach writes about Jesus: “In the consciousness of the golden thread, Jesus’ teachings made perfect sense. He discovered and embodied oneness and connectedness and was intent upon helping us realize it too.” P.xi.
Jesus was not intent on founding a new religion; he just wanted people to be better Jews. The Fillmores also were not intent on founding a new religion. They just wanted people to find a more powerful and more deeply connected way to be better Christians. It is simple, but it is not easy. Unity is not a religion about Jesus, it is a religion of Jesus. The Fillmores attended the first Parliament of World Religions in Chicago in 1893. From that experience, they gleaned many insights from the world religions that were compatible with what they had experienced of the Perennial Philosophy, the consciousness of oneness of all with the Divine. Their path of Silence, meditation and contemplation was in deep alignment with the practices of the world religions.
Unity is described as an “esoteric religion” or philosophy, which means the focus is on what is not readily seen or evident in spiritual practice. What that means to me is that the focus is on the essence or experience, not on the outward form. Charles Fillmore was always looking for the spiritual Truth that lay “back of” anything we see. The net result for him was to connect with the stories of Scripture from a metaphysical perspective, not literal or even as moral teachings. When we explore Scripture metaphysically, it comes alive with deeper meaning for our own life experience and it becomes life changing.
Myrtle had the spiritual experience of healing which is not unlike our young golfer in the opening story. She used the power of her mind to focus her energy and attention on healing and that healing became real. Both she and Charles began to explore how the power of our thinking/feeling nature impacts how we experience our lives. We all often wonder “Why am I allowing this situation or event to have power over my life?” When we can affirm our inherent spiritual power, our capacity for both spiritual and psychological insight, we begin to be empowered and free. This is the peace that passes all understanding that Paul wrote about in his letter to the Phillipians:
Philippians 4:6-8
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is
commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy
of praise, think about these things. (NRSV- Updated Edition)
So our invitation, dear ones, as we contemplate a quantum leap for Unity Church of Ames is to think of what is commendable, excellent and worthy of praise in our spiritual community. Our thoughts, as the Buddha said, do shape what we become. On a personal note, my own experience of realizing what thoughts I had deeply internalized and then changing them had a profound impact on my life. I had heard repeated warnings from my mother in the 60’s, “Don’t get pregnant!” which she repeated because of her mother’s story and the impact it had on her life. I had three miscarriages before I realized how deeply I had taken in that message. My body would get pregnant but I wouldn’t stay pregnant! And finally, I realized that I was married and that it was ok to have a baby that I got pregnant and had my first child on Christmas Day! We all have some kind of story like that, for sure!
As we progress in our exploration of Unity, the World Religions and contemplate our next quantum leap, let us be mindful of the words that we say, the spiritual energy “back of” our words and beliefs. What beliefs are we consciously holding that support our quantum leap and what beliefs are we holding that do not support it? I know that in its essence Unity is a mystical path, much more focused on the experience of the Divine Presence than on conceptualizing and quantifying the Divine. In the next weeks we will explore our 5 Unity Principles, how they fit with the ideas of Quantum Leap and Christianity. As we take this journey together, I offer us this affirmation from Silent Unity to hold the light as we find our way together:
“Abundant blessings flow to us and through us. We are alive with creative energy, awake to prospering ideas, and open to unlimited goodness.”
Blessings on the Path,
Rev. Deb