Godwords - revisited

Spiritual resource to share: synonyms

Just about everyday, I list a handful of defining words about God. For today, I am looking at the words: persistent, patient, purity, power, potential as ways to understand God.

This stems from a definition of God that comes from Mary Baker Eddy's classic book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures

GOD. The great I AM; the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-acting, all-wise, all-loving, and eternal; Principle; Mind; Soul; Spirit; Life; Truth; Love; all substance; intelligence.

For a time, understanding God didn't really appeal to me. I didn't see the connection with the great I AM to my daily life - of having friends, enough money to cover rent and other necessities, and of school and work.

But slowly, I came to realize that it is our concept of God that gives us the parameters of our world view - that our world is as big as our God. Or in other words, God is our world.

So if my world is based on an understanding of God as punishing, erratic, and unknowable, my life may be characterized by a sense of caution, or maybe even distrust.

But if my world is based on an infinite God who is infinite good, my life might be characterized by more openness, less fear of the unknown.

Once I understood this, I made knowing God more of a priority. At first, my motive was oriented toward self. I wanted a bigger sense of possibilities for my life and a more confident world view, so I figured that knowing God would do that for me.

But as I continued to explore who God is, I found myself getting more and more curious to know God - just for the sake of knowing God. I mean, what does it mean that God is ALL power? God is Love and God is omnipresent. What does that mean that Love is always present? This was interesting quickly working its way into fascinating.....

To know the wholeness of God is a way to love God. Paul, writer of many books in the New Testament, was a passionate, adventurous and deeply loving man who wrote in his letter to the Romans:

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

King David, poet and political and religious leader, wrote many songs in praise of God and his yearning to know God better:

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is....

Like David and Paul, when we work to understand God, we are actually developing our spiritual sense, and " to understand God is the work of eternity, and demands absolute consecration of thought, energy, and desire."

I find some comfort in knowing that we will never get to a point where we say, "OK! Done! I got it. I now know God. Next topic!" What we know of God becomes an ever-growing storehouse of wisdom. Good is infinite. Brilliance is never-ending. Possibilities for wonder abound. Solutions are always at hand.

Knowing God, we know more of who we are - as we are made in the image and likeness of God. We know more of our neighbor, and it follows that we understand the fundamental nature of all mankind. Mary Baker Eddy shares more of the impact of understanding God:

                     To understand God strengthens hope, enthrones faith in Truth,
                      and verifies Jesus' word:

                      "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

Godwords for today: persistent, patient, purity, power, potential

Today, it is good to know that God loves for me is persistent and patient: the God's purity is the source of my health and well-being; that God has the power to maintain and sustain Her creation; and that God gives us the potential to understand all of what God is.

And I can't wait for tomorrow.

dance: becoming an athlete of God

Spiritual resource to share: rhythm of head and heart

A friend once asked for a more tangible definition of Soul.  I could think of no better explanation that to see Soul as expressed through dance.  I was a student of dance for about ten years and loved Martha Graham's deep and organic structure of movement.  As Martha Graham was a pioneer in dance, I included some of her ideas about dance.  See for yourself how much of dance defines the rhythm and beauty of life all around us and enjoy this dance class as if it were your own!

Selected Martha Graham Quotations

• There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. We are, all of us, unique, each a unique pattern of creativity, and if it is not fulfilled it is lost for all ...

• The body is your instrument in dance, but your art is outside that creature, the body.

• No artist is ahead of his time. He is his time. It is just that the others are behind the time.


• Dancing is just discovery, discovery, discovery.


• Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.


• In a dancer's body, we as audience must see ourselves, not the imitated behavior of everyday actions, not the phenomenon of nature, not exotic creatures from another planet, but something of the miracle that is a human being.


• I am absorbed in the magic of movement and light. Movement never lies. It is the magic of what I call the outer space of the imagination. There is a great deal of outer space, distant from our daily lives, where I feel our imagination wanders sometimes. It will find a planet or it will not find a planet, and that is what a dancer does.


• We look at the dance to impart the sensation of living in an affirmation of life, to energize the spectator into keener awareness of the vigor, the mystery, the humor, the variety, and the wonder of life. This is the function of the American dance.

• We learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living, the principles are the same. One becomes in some area an athlete of God.


• It takes ten years, usually, to make a dancer. It takes ten years of handling the instrument, handling the material with which you are dealing, for you to know it completely.


• I'm asked so often at ninety-six whether I believe in life after death. I do believe in the sanctity of life, the continuity of life and of energy. 

neutralizing acidic thinking

Spiritual resource to share: the alterative of Truth

When we talk about power, we are talking about a big concept.
When we read (from Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy)

"The three great verities of Spirit, omnipotence, omni-presence, omniscience, -
Spirit possessing all power, filling all space, constituting all Science, --contradict forever the belief that matter can be actual"

we are talking about a concept so huge and all encompassing that there is not room in thought for anything but Spirit, God.

And I think that is the point. And I think that that is how we can neutralize acidic thinking.

Acidic thinking is that type of thought that agitates and irritates, that denigrates and weakens and finally pulverizes itself into nothingness.

Acidic thinking may include a whole host of self-destructive elements that can be replaced with the truth of being:

• disgust - a failure to see the Christ; replaced with God's true image and likeness
• anger - a sense of powerlessness and reaction - replaced with understanding God's omnipotence
• sarcasm - trying to undermine the natural sweetness and goodness of life - replaced by perfect Love
• distrust - doubting the power of God, good replaced withthe fact that good is not helpless and that all things function under the impulse of purity and Love
• envy - a belief in limitations replaced by an understanding of infinite possibilities to do good and to be good
• revenge - a belief of chaos and many small egos replaced by knowing one God, trusting one Truth
• disdain - a form of hatred replaced by selflessness and yielding to Love's government

Life, God is a self-sustaining force that only knows itself. It is omniscience. God knows all.
We are under God's government as readily - similar to how we see that we live under the law of gravity.

For Life to be self-sustained, there can be no element of limitation, weakening, conflict or chaos. If it were so, Life would self-destruct, and thus would not be life.

But Life, God is omnipotent , always present. So these elements of limitation and dis-ease have no room to become a reality. In reality - disease and any type of destruction do not exist. They cannot, because they are ultimately self-destructive. SO why do they seem to exist? These are fabrications. These fabrications seem to exist because thought is giving its consent to an entity that has no reality - similar to believing in ghosts. There are no ghosts, but it is a fearful thing if you believe there are.

God's all power, all presence, omniscience lead us to the ultimate conclusion that matter (anything born of limitation, destruction, separation from good, divisiveness) cannot be actual.

The all pervasive love of the all-powerful God as Truth neutralizes acidic thinking whose pretensions may seem to govern one's body, one's family or one's organzitions.

Health is restored to bodily functions, and harmony is restored to families and organziations when we understand that this perfect Love maintains itself in perfect balance -- and we are evidence of that all encompassing fact.

humble expectations

Spiritual resource to share: a spiritual approach to new experiences

I was surprised when clicking off my Godwords* before our trip that it started with humble expectations. But as we headed off to the airport, with our bare minimum luggage and packs, long list of contacts and addresses - humble expectations were the one thing I kept reminding myself were most important.

This wasn't a trip in which we were trying to get away from it all, nor was it a luxury trip. It was a trip designed for the four of us to have time together to explore and play off our own discoveries of what we were learning and enjoying with each other and with the people we met along the way.

Humble expectations helped me to NOT outline, and to be open to new experiences. So, if the food, accommodations, travel arrangements or weather were not what we were used to, we have already set up the framework of this trip to be ready for anything and thrive outside of our own comfort zone!

O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts

Humble expectations helped to clear the deck so we could see beyond what was familiar. Drawn to what is infinite and good, we weren't disappointed!

The first week, we lived in a clean and airy beach cottage with electricity and running water, just a two minute walk to the beach. Every day, we would do something - sea kayaking, ziplining, visiting an animal rescue center, hiking up through the jungle, eating and smelling our way through with the help of a new friend whose family had lived there for decades.

Every afternoon we would take in the beach, or explore the town or just relax. Dinners were out in the bohemian town of Puerto Viejo where reggae, arabic and hip hop could be heard on the streets. Nights we were together, talking, reading, writing, falling asleep to the sound of the waves or the wind....

The last two weeks were spent up in the mountains of Costa Rica where we went to language school and volunteered in the community and took in the incredible diversity of the flora and fauna and the people.

"The earth is full of Thy riches" and I was enriched by just letting go of any outlining and letting in the beauty and the fun that was there for the taking.

To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

good is not helpless

Spiritual resource to share: true power in organizations

These statements have persistently intrigued me: that good is not helpless; truth always triumphs and love never fails. The power behind these absolute statements forms the basis for their expression.

So - I have puzzled - how do you engage with organizations that seem to fall flat of ethical and noble goals? Who have told outward lies, blatantly disregarded laws? Quitting those organizations is one option. Staying with and trying to bring about change is another. Both responses to these moral dilemmas are difficult.

Once a group hired a non-professional musician who was earnest and consistent and, as one friend said, "he plays most of the right notes most of the time." This grateful and compassionate approach helped me to see how I could engage with other groups where I didn't always agree with how they operated. I could see the good that they do and work with that.

But this went deeper. This wasn't a Pollyanna approach.

I understand that good works are born of honesty, commitment, dedication and selflessness and are powerful. In fact, these are the only qualities that accomplish anything worth accomplishing!

Deeply understanding the fixed nature of good trumps the mesmeric and discouraging aspects of greed, selfishness and even criminal thought that would bring on apathy and a sense of hopelessness.

Understanding the nature of good also heightens our awareness of good so that we don't mistake well intentioned efforts incorrectly.

I realized that it doesn't matter how many people are involved in an organization or how many differing opinions arise in the operation of an organization. Good will prevail.

Tangled bureaucracy, rumor mills, gossip and lawlessness do not have an absolute or spiritual basis. They can't stand.

Like a blade of grass pushing up in a desert - Truth, Life and Love - all elements of good - are insistent. Truth slices away at the tons of conflicting opinions like sand dunes drifting back and forth. Love plants its roots deeply. Life continues to create and perpetuate Life.

I continue to apply these ideas to my own life, the smaller groups I belong to and those larger groups that are fighting genocide, are encouraging earth stewardship and global efforts toward peace.

A human organization with noble goals is working its purpose out as surely as I am understanding and fine-tuning my life purpose.

Compassion, patience and an absolute hold on the power of Truth continue to guide me and remove any baggage as surely as it is guiding each of those organizations that I am committed to. I found I need to be as patient and persistent with these groups as I hope others are with me.

This can only bear good fruit. Love never fails; Truth always triumphs; and good is never helpless.

To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

your definition of God = your religion

Spiritual resource to share: infinite God

I have been sharing Godwords on my facebook page for months now. Godwords are a collection of 3 to 7 words that prompt thought into considering the multi-faceted nature of God.


So when I wrote the Godwords of today: brilliance, improvisation, order, calmness and music, a friend responded:

Hi friend. Why GODwords? Are brilliance, improvisation, order, calmness and
music dependent on religion? Love you.

I thought it was a good question because it makes you ask other questions. Like -- can a spiritual quality be dependent on a spiritual discipline? Hmmmm. Or -- can religion encompass universal qualities? Can religion be universal?

I can see the larger question here.

If one understands religion as being a restrictive way to govern behaviour, a system of beliefs passed down from generation to generation, or a formalized and traditional way of determining meaning in life, it is difficult to smoosh into that narrow definition qualities of thought that are expansive, eternal, infinite and universal. So if that is the case, then the answer to the above question must be no. Actually the question itself is hard to answer because there is no dependence here.

God is infinite and infinity is not something the limited human thought can easily grasp. Humility - that quality necessary for our spiritual growth - ushers in the idea that we are not the creator, but reflect all that our Creator, God is. Seeing that God is infinite, we are in awe!



What if one's understanding of religion went beyond a system of beliefs to a practice of infinite spiritual ideas that results in harmonious relationships, bodies and organizations? What if one's understanding of religion ran parallel to math or to music?

What about math? The principles are fixed, but its applications are infinite. Solutions are found.
What about music? The notes may be the same, but their infinite combinations create comfort, inspiration , unity, and joy.

SO what about religion? I see it as a way to understand God, as all that is infinite. It does not restrict, but releases and reveals the joy, order, peace and spontaneity of God's love! Its applications are infinite and the infinite interplay of spiritual qualities create all that is good.

MBEddy writes: "The infinite never began nor will it ever end." Neither will our understanding of God ever end, but grow increasingly more comprehensive, expansive and practical. As my understanding of God grows, so does my religion.






To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

Godwords: Getting to Know God in 5 Words a Day

Spiritual resource to share: the height, depth and width of God


Did you ever think that the boundaries of your life are created by what you know and understand of God?

Think of it this way - your understanding of God is the canvas on which your life is painted. The more resilient and broad your understanding of God is, the more your life experiences reflect that breadth and resilience.

"We know no more of man as the true divine image and likeness, than we know of God." writes MBEddy. So, reasoning as such, what we know of God is paramount to how we live our lives!

Let's accept that God is Principle, Life, Truth, Soul, Love, Mind and Spirit. So what does that mean? What does knowing that God is Principle - lawgiver, source of order, foundation - mean? When we understand God as Love - harmony, tenderness, selflessness, purity, all-inclusive - it adds another dimension to see that the Principle of Love is a law and is our very foundation.

When we see that the Principle of Love is the foundation for ourselves, we can see that it is the same foundation for all. Why? Because the principle of Love is all-inclusive. What a healing framework this supplies for working out issues of conflict or dis-ease! And what an infinite task to know and understand infinite Soul, forever Truth and omnipotent Love.

"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" writes Paul in his letter to the Romans.

I have been doing this for such a long time I can't even remember when I started: that is to start my day with about five synonyms for God. Join me! Take time to consider the infinite reach of God and God's insightful and pure tenderness. Listen. What five words describe God for you today? To increase our understanding of God helps to reveal the day's regular supply of blessings. Our God-words take us Godward!





To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.