WE WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR WHAT WE DO, NOT WHAT WE THINK
“She remembered who she was
and the game changed.”
~ Lalah Delia
Since the Parliament of the World’s Religions came to a close in November, I have pondered the profound messages of that event and what they mean for the New Thought Movement. For me, the overarching message was one of a call to action for all people of faith and conscience to play a central role in the healing of our cultures and societies.
Humanity is hurting from a variety of ailments, despite the immense progress made in healing issues of poverty and hunger. In much of the world, poverty is the default experience, with all of its attendant suffering. Wars continue to be fought for a variety of reasons, both old and new. In the prosperous developed nations, there is a strong regressive push to nationalism as fear of a more complex present and future lead to a search for simplistic and authoritarian leadership. At the same time, religious worship is on the decline and a spiritual hunger goes largely unfed as spiritual leaders struggle to find ways to connect with seekers and former members.
In New Thought, we have always sought to bring basic principles of oneness, connection with our divine natures, and the power of the human mind to those who found our teachings. We have taught effective spiritual technologies based on ancient wisdom and modern psychology. We have empowered many to find their authentic selves and to see themselves as worthy and effective. Now, we are called to step forward collectively and bring the results of those principled teachings and spiritual practices into the challenge of healing collective problems facing humanity. This does not mean that we all need to do the same thing in the same way.
"As extensions of nature, we need our differences to thrive. Some people will be the fire of inspiration you need to inch you closer to your edges, and others will look to you for that push. Originality needs many emissaries with different voices to get its message across. Like a choir, every voice
is necessary to make a grand swell. With this in mind we can remember that
creativity is really an act of devotion to that which is creating us."
~ Toko Pa, “Belonging, Remembering Ourselves Home”
We are a New Thought generation in a time of massive transition, both for humanity at large and for our forms of spiritual organization and community. We will be remembered for what we do during these times to bring healing, compassion, and effective transformation into a larger arena. We are in the storm.
“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”
~ Haruki Murakami
Just as we learn to change our mind about our own worthiness, we must learn to change our mind about what it means to be in spiritual community, and in a spiritual movement. We have guiding principles which are timeless and more than sufficient to see us through this transformative era. The question is, have we prepared ourselves through practice to step forward and face the storms and see our way through them to a transformed future for humanity.
Get in touch with a New Thought Community near you. If you are in a community, encourage your leaders to become spiritually motivated and socially engaged. Visit the https://www.agnt.today/socialuplift website and get involved and support these organizations in the vital work that is ours to do.
"To change one's life: 1. Start immediately. 2. Do it flamboyantly. 3. No exceptions."
~ William James
NOW WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACTIVATE OUR INTENTIONS AND COMMITMENTS WITH THE COLLECTIVE POWER OF THE NEW THOUGHT MOVEMENT.
The Association for Global New Thought has taken a leadership role in offering our own signature curriculum based on New Thought principles. The program approaches the issues of the day with a spiritual focus that transcends the polarizing political agenda that can discourage churches and spiritual communities from engaging. AGNT's new Spiritually Guided Social Uplift Ministries (S.U.M.) is here.
The 2019-2020 curriculum features NINE modules:
Gun Responsibility and Healing Violence
Religious Diversity and Inclusion
Healing Racism and Upholding Ethnic Fairness
Homelessness and Poverty
Climate Truth
Women's Issues and Rights
Immigration and Refugee Rights
Health Care
Gender and Sexual Identity & Expression
S.U.M. BEGINS FEBRUARY 20, 2019. If you are a minister, please consider offering this program; if you are an individual associated with a church, center or group, your leadership is welcome!
Participating churches and centers are invited to EXPLORE the S.U.M. curriculum:
See timeline: https://www.agnt.today/processs-timeline
SIGN IN as a participant https://www.agnt.today/s-u-m-sign-in
If timeline dates are not suitable, please SIGN IN and share in “comments” field for special assistance.
The S.U.M. curriculum is FREE to members of AGNT -- both to Individual Members ($50/yr) and Organizational Members ($250/yr which includes 5 individual account for minister and key members of their community). https://www.agnt.today/get-sum-curriculum
