ON THE PATH
ON THE PATH
What If You Have the Power to Change “Collective Consciousness”?
well-being. Think about the last time you had a severe toothache. The discom- fort became so consuming that everything else faded into the back- ground. Or recall the moment when you — or someone you love — received a life-altering diagnosis. Suddenly, priorities shifted. The event captured your entire attention. Our life can function in much the same way. We are repeatedly pulled toward one urgent issue, only to be abruptly redirected to another that appears even more pressing. The gravitational pull of dramatic events can feel almost irresistible. Unless we consciously choose otherwise, our attention leaps from one crisis to the next. It is exhausting. Exhaustion makes us more vulnerable. Confusion breeds fear. Fear fuels reactivity. We search desperately for certainty, comfort, and di- rection. Before long, we find ourselves tumbling down a rabbit hole, increasingly disconnected from our own inner wisdom. Every moment presents choices: How shall I relate to community? How then shall I serve? Three choices are ever-present: • Choice One: Live as a victim of circumstance. Allow ex - ternal events to determine your inner experience. React to whatever appears before you, and surrender your autonomy and peace to condi- tions beyond your control. • Choice Two: Let others do your thinking. Adopt the beliefs, opinions, and emotional reactions of a preferred media source, politi- cal tribe, or social circle. While this may provide a comforting sense of belonging, it can also discourage curiosity and independent thought. • Choice Three: Think for yourself. Use the mind with which you have been endowed. Listen broadly. Read widely. Consider multi- ple perspectives. Test assumptions — including your own. Form con- clusions that align with your deepest values and highest understand- ing. This third path may occasionally feel lonely because you have re- leased the inclination to follow the herd. You may also, gratefully, dis - cover a growing community of people committed to thoughtful inqui- ry, respectful dialogue, and informed discernment. Reject blind allegiance. Embrace conscious engagement. The possibilities that emerge from this third choice are virtually lim- itless. New relationships become possible. New conversations arise. New ways of participating in society unfold. Most importantly, we discover our greatest contribution is not merely forming and holding opinions, it is being present with what is and taking action. We always have the opportunity to step beyond the ego’s habitual reactivity into a more compassionate expression of ourselves. Rabin- dranath Tagore revealed an extant truth: “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and beheld, service was joy.” The shift to being a beneficial presence in the world is that simple. Observe and Act. Emerge and Serve. Service is not a duty. It is the natural expression of who we are. In serving from that deeper awareness, we discover something remark- able— the joy we have been seeking has been the source of our discon- tent all along, the other-than-conscious disruptor that pushes us into change. Some may be saying “I don’t have the time to serve,” or “I’m over- whelmed just making it through the day, handling everything I have to do.” In no way disputing that may be how it feels, the choice is always in the immediate moment. How we do what we do is the key. Revisit
Tagore’s realization. Shift your perspective. Perceptions often change drastically when we even minorly shift our physical and/or mental point of view. Brother Lawrence (c. 1614–1691), the Carmelite lay brother best known for The Practice of the Presence of God , viewed service as an act of communion with the sacred rather than a mere task to be completed. He reminded us, “We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed.” What if … we viewed the sweeping of every crumb or the washing of every piece of dirty laundry as a holy gift we get to give? How differ - ently would we experience that moment? Select Your Guiding Question When I turn back to my guiding question, “How then shall I serve?” stunning arrays of possibilities present themselves. The silly mono- logue about, “decisions, all the time decisions,” comes to mind. Wak- ening to how I am able to use the many talents I have discovered as the years go by … latent skills and abilities that have been waiting for me to realize them — a sense of ease wells up. I recognize any gift I give causes a shift that moves the world closer to a working more equitably. I rise to possibility. I am reminded of the words of Étienne de Grellet: “I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” Therisia “Trish” Hall, D.Div., is an insightful international best-sell - ing author, speaker and coach, who blends wisdom, authenticity, hu- mor, and compassion in furtherance of her passion - conscious in- clusivity. A renowned educator, facilitator, consultant, mediator and subject matter expert and trainer in government and industry, Trish has been honored to be a two-time (so far) presenter at the Parlia- ment of World Religions. Whether addressing audiences, facilitating communication among diverse populations, working with students or individual clients, she thrives on awakening the unique magnifi - cence within each, empowering all to live their “best yet to be.”
Intentionally or otherwise, we are changing it with every thought. Choose your thoughts wisely! Individuals Creating the Collective Our societal environment is composed of our collective conscious- ness. Each of us is an ingredient in an immense human salad. Our texture and flavor influences and is influenced by the presence of every other ingredient. Our individual and collective consciousness manifest as expressions of it. We are not a homogenous smoothy. My behavior alters our experience whether I follow or oppose societal trends. Our individual well-being influences the experience of every oth - er individuation. The health of the body politic can never exceed the health of the individuals who comprise it. The quality of the relation- ships within it impacts and are impacted by it. Society is shaped by the consciousness expressed through its people — their exceptional as well as their diminished capacities all contribute. How each of us behaves within the collective is a causative factor, so we must keep the question top of mind: What is the world I want to create? We must then align our behaviors with that desired outcome. Independent Choosing Today’s political climate has generated divisions within families, friendships, communities, and institutions. Many people find them - selves living with heightened anxiety, hyper-vigilance, and emotional exhaustion. Prolonged uncertainty and instability often erode trust, increasing stress and, over time, affecting both mental and physical Free Sessions on the BEMER— Better Circulation. Better Health. Better Life.
Therisia “Trish” Hall, D.Div.
How am I to be? Many of us question our role in the “big picture.” An important first step is to identify which “big picture” we’re ques - tioning. Aristotle observed: “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Centuries later, Ernest Holmes averred: “This One manifests Itself in and through all creation, but is not absorbed by Its creation. The manifest universe is the body of God; it is the logical and necessary outcome of the infinite self-knowingness of God.” Creation exists within the Infinite Life, expresses the Infinite Life, reveals the Infinite Life. Since the expressions – Creation - are finite, they do not contain the totality of Infinite Life nor can they exhaust it. The Divine Whole is never diminished by its parts. It is greater than the sum, substance and power of its individual parts – its own indi - viduations. Spirit’s individuations are the essential means by which Spirit ex- presses. We are simultaneously creation and the creators of the “body politic”— the collective expression of a society’s consciousness. The body politic is the living network of individuals, relationships, institu- tions, and shared values through which a people express. This collec- tive consciousness reflects the commingling of the populace’s highest ideals, unconscious habits, deepest fears, biases and assumptions. It is said the body politic is the “we” created by all of our individual “I’s.” The body politic is a living, breathing organism. Its parts are constant- ly changing it. The cliché “what were/are you thinking” truly matters! Reclaim Your Power, Health, and Life Alice “Alicja” Jones is here to be your loving and gentle guide, teacher, and healing facilitator. Learn • READ her new book, “Own Your Power Day by Day: 365 Meditations for Clearing Emotional, Mental, and Spiritual Blockages to Becoming your Higher Self” • REGISTER for a certified Reiki Class. • REGISTER for A Course In Miracles study group meeting. Get Guidance • BOOK a Spiritual, Past Life, or Mediumship Reading. • JOIN a YouTube Live session every Friday @ 1pm ET. Find me under “LIVING CONSCIOUSLY” Heal • BOOK a Reiki Session. • ATTEND a monthly healing service at Rays of Healing Church, where Alice is the Lead Minister. • JOIN a weekly virtual Reiki Exchange (for Reiki practitioners of all lineages).
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S. Alice (Alicja) Jones is a psychic, medium, and intuitive healer who gives spiritual and past life readings. These messages many times include Past Lives and how they impact your current life, solutions to pressing problems, or a loved one in spirit to comfort you.
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74—PATHWAYS—Fall 26
PATHWAYS—Fall 26—75
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