A Gotchaback God

What could that mean? It doesn’t mean a person surprised you back or got you back in ‘a tit for tat’ way. As you know, I promote positive perspectives in this blog. It means God’s got our back. This means that God’s got you, understands you unconditionally, no matter what. God is on our side, in our corner, and always looking out for us. This is even when we are unaware.

The phrase came to me when I was visiting a patient on Saturday. She hadn’t had any sleep for a week, worried about her baby that she was carrying, yet receiving care in the hospital. It wasn’t the normal pregnancy that she had expected and it was her first. Part of the spiritual conversation was regarding God wanting us to be happy and always being there for us. She has a strong faith and is currently in her denomination’s ministerial school to become a minister.

People sometimes use the phrase, gotcha, when they understand us. I also said, had she heard the phrase ‘let go and let God.’ She said yes. Then I said, let’s reverse that, first give your situation to God who is greater than all our problems, then let go. God will take care of it. We have a gotcha God, 24/7. She said she loved that and wrote it in her blank lined book. When you have truly let go, you may find you can fall asleep. It is my hope that she slept better that night.

The God I know, who Jesus called Abba, also loves us unconditionally, never judging us. In Unity, members strive to love unconditionally as demonstrated by Jesus. To refresh your memory, as a Unity truth student I worship God. Jesus is my brother and way shower. I do my best to follow his example and teachings, loving unconditionally and being aware if I am judging another person.

In the above picture it shows another being that loves unconditionally as well as playful, a dog. For me, life wouldn’t be the same without my four-legged child and friend, Bailey. There is a quote that I acquired that hangs on the wall of my living room by Anonymous.

It came to me that every time

I lose a dog they take a piece

Of my heart with them.

And every new dog who comes into my life

Gifts me with a piece of their heart.

If I live long enough all the components of my heart

Will be dog, and I will become as

 Generous and loving as they are.

Dogs are also a good unconditional judge of character. They also remember a person the first time they meet them. Dog happens to be God spelled backwards. They are definitely a presence in physical form just as God is in my life although I can’t see a physical form. There is plenty of evidence in my life that God exists and that is a topic for another blog.

Try out letting God and then letting go. Give it over to God first and then let go of it into God’s care and keeping.

Remember, God’s A Gotchaback God!

Rev Airin

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Poems from Eternal Thread

This week I am sharing with you two poems from my book. My kitchen is being renovated and that is where all my time is being spent. However, this is a great opportunity for me to promote my book, Eternal Thread, that I wrote and illustrated. Many of you read this blog from my facebooksite. https://www.airincwolfpoetry.com/

Across the Universe

In you I am home

My life your very breath

Blows petals of love

into barren places

In you I am home

My life your very instrument

Plays melodies of healing

As each soul’s revealing

In you I am home

My life your very grace

Harmonizes aching hearts

across the universe

Harmonizes aching hearts

across the universe

across the universe

across the universe

An Eternal Thread

Unvarnished moments

Remembered conversations

The shared love

An eternal thread

The walk through a time link

A message from

The One Mind

Mixes with the memories

Along the path chosen

Loved, Blessed, Safe, and Protected

The morning message that I received from Rev Pat Bessey on Monday was “I am loved, I am safe, I am blessed, and I am protected.” I was quite taken and inspired by it. Then, I was guided to send it to a friend and so I did, texting: “Shared with you in case it resonates.” Her response was: “❤️you have no idea how much that resonates with me right now. Thank you.”

I started thinking about when something goes wrong, the average person can tend to think the worst or go to a place of fear. We all have fears. In general, I tend not to focus on or talk about them of course. The annual Chapman University Survey of American Fears follows trends over time and identifies fears as they emerge.

Top 10 Fears of 2022	% Of Very Afraid or Afraid
1. Corrupt government officials	62.1
2. People I love becoming seriously ill	60.2
3. Russia using nuclear weapons	59.6
4. People I love dying	58.1
5. The U.S. becoming involved in another world war	56.0
6. Pollution of drinking water	54.5
7. Not having enough money for the future	53.7
8. Economic/financial collapse	53.7
9. Pollution of oceans, rivers, and lakes	52.5
10. Biological warfare	51.5

In the Unity teachings, we are taught to think of fear as an acronym for false evidence appearing real. The robot from the old TV show Lost in Space would say, “Danger, danger Will Robinson!” https://www.google.com/search?q=warning+warning+will+robinson&oq=Warning+warning&aqs=chrome.2.0i355i512j46i512j0i512l2j46i512j0i512l5.11479j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:1a22bcad,vid:RG0ochx16Dg

Consider, when you feel fear in a situation, seeing it as a warning or the robot saying danger. More like a friend telling you to be aware. We always have the power to choose how we respond.

“Fear and love can never be experienced at the same time. It is always our choice as to which of these emotions we want…”
― Gerald Jampolsky

Once we have acknowledged the fear warning, we can thank it for keeping us safe and protected and choose to come from love in our response. This is something that would take practice and since we are always co-creating our lives with God, we have Its unconditional support.

My friend that I shared the message with responded in love. It felt like a blessing that I was able to give her.

“I am loved, I am safe, I am blessed, and I am protected.”

Rev Airin

And the Birth

Christmas came and Christmas went, seemingly quicker than it took to arrive. The preparation for anything takes 95% of the time and then the rest gets completed in record time. I guess one could say that your first day of school or college is preparing for graduation. Ah, but the birth of a child is well worth the preparation.

Metaphysically, the birth of the Christ within us, is taking a deeper spiritual walk with Spirit during advent and aligning our consciousness as one with the One. Faith, peace, love, and joy are the order of Sundays in Advent. With faith, we deepen our spiritual walk with Spirit. The topic was darkness and what one’s thoughts and feelings were related to it. (See https://wordpress.com/post/revairin.wordpress.com/446) On the second Sunday the peace candle was lit, and I wrote more about darkness and highlighted hope that one has despite tough circumstances. See (https://wordpress.com/post/revairin.wordpress.com/449) On the third Sunday the candle for love was lit, and I continued Magic and Miracles II, writing about the healing that occurs in the silence. See (https://wordpress.com/post/revairin.wordpress.com/461) The fourth Sunday I lit the candle of Joy and wrote about how waiting can be difficult for someone and that it is an important part of the preparation for birth. See (https://wordpress.com/post/revairin.wordpress.com/464) Also, when appropriate, some people have chosen to use cleansing and releasing rituals along the way with their daily meditation.

A little history trivia there are two actual dates for the birth of Jesus: Professor Colin Humphreys wrote in the Royal Astronomical Journal that a comet around April of 5 BC was the star of Bethlehem giving us the birth date of Jesus at that time. In Proverbs 15, it says “Holiday of the nativity September 11, 3 BC”.  The planet Venus could have passed for the star on 9/11 in Revelations 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.”Most Bible scholars agree that Jesus was not born on December 25.

From Valerie Straus, December 25,2015, Why is Christmas on December 25^th?, Washington Post: “By most accounts, the birth was first thought — in around 200 A.D. — to have taken place on Jan. 6. Why? Nobody knows, but it may have been the result of “a calculation based on an assumed date of crucifixion of April 6 coupled with the ancient belief that prophets died on the same day as their conception,” according to religionfacts.com. By the mid-fourth century, the birthday celebration had been moved to Dec. 25. Who made the decision? Some accounts say it was the pope; others say it wasn’t.” There is much more to the article mentioning that in the Julienne calendar the winter solstice was considered to be the 25^th of December. Look it up if you want to know more.

Either way, I like that it is December 25. Most likely because I have grown up with it being that way with the faith traditions I have been a member.

Notice these next few weeks if something new has emerged in your life that has given birth. It could be a new way of living after a loss or a change of direction or finding a new job or occupation. It could be a new or deepening of a relationship with someone or something.

Enjoy the adventure, for life is an adventure to be lived, not a problem to be solved!

Rev Airin

PS If you want to read more about birthing the Christ, check these out.

Birthing the Christ, Part I

Birthing the Christ, Part II

THE WAITING PLACE

The Waiting Place…
…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a
Yes or a No or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for
Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
NO! That’s not for you!
Somehow, you’ll escape all that waiting and staying.
You’ll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

Written and illustrated by Dr Seuss from his book, Oh the Places You’ll Go

The Advent season is a time of waiting. This year our Reverend Pat Bessey at Unity for Spiritual Growthhttps://unitygreaterportland.org, has led us in a deeper walk of reflection and contemplation as we wait for the celebration of the Christ’s birth in us at a deeper level. I couldn’t resist including Dr Seuss’s poem printed above. It pokes great fun at waiting. We wait a lot in our lives and now a lot of us play games or send a text on our phones while we wait at Dr’s offices or for a bus, etc.

Like the darkness, waiting can be uncomfortable or difficult. We always have a choice in how we spend our time waiting. Why resist waiting when you know it is often part of beginning something new. Waiting for the right time to make a change vs rushing the process. On the other hand, have you ever been having so much fun or enjoying something so much that you didn’t want it to end? Waiting had a part to play in it, right? It made that experience so much more rewarding.

Anticipative and expecting are two synonyms for waiting. I have often noticed the anticipation that is in the theater before a performance. It comes through in the sounds of the conversation around me. Metaphysically, wait means when we listen for the voice of Spirit we are waiting on the Lord. We can receive revelation, inspiration, and guidance in the silence within. Silence is the sound of advent.

Waiting is hard for families in the hospital, waiting for their loved ones to heal or turn a corner in their recovery. This is when I remind them that good things happen slowly.

Since it has been proven that patients can hear you speaking when in a coma or when semi sedated which I have always believed, I encourage families to speak or pray with them as though they would respond. This also invites Silence to be utilized for their highest good.

In the waiting during advent for the birth of the Christ with in us, one can use the time to release things, people or situations that no longer serve us. Prosperity teacher and Unity minister, Rev Catherine Ponder, has a broom prayer that she wrote that I have used. Another Unity Minister and prosperity teacher, Rev Toni Boehm https://toniboehm.com/, wrote the following version that I now use:

Universal Alignment Invocation

The swift powerful activity of Universal Intelligence

Now releases from me

All thoughts, beliefs, behaviors, ideas, and energies

That are not in vibrational alignment with the

Universal principles of truth

The swift powerful activity of Universal Intelligence

Now attracts to me

All persons, thoughts, beliefs, behaviors ideas and energies

That are in vibrational alignment with the

Universal principles of truth and the

Highest possibilities in the unified field of consciousness.

Copyright Toni Boehm

Using this prayer removes what you no longer need and creates an order and supports you in creating changes in your life. Notice in the prayer that you aren’t removing people from your life; you are attracting supportive ones. You can also use the releasing processes I have written about in this blog. No matter how you choose, this is all in preparation for birthing the Christ from a deeper level in your spiritual womb within.

Happy Holidays to you!

Rev Airin

Magic and Miracles II

Part II

“Miracles have occurred, and will occur again, ‘out of the blue, ‘when seemingly one has done nothing to attract them. But an analysis will reveal that right conditions invariably were present, including a corresponding consciousness, self-image, and faith. p 143, Thank God for Prayer, Russell W. Lake, Unity School author

This is part II of a two-part series. I ended the first article with a story that was to be continued. I will print it again here:

There was one particular case with a woman who had Covid 19. This was in the first year of Covid. She was in the intensive care unit for over a month on a ventilator and wasn’t regaining consciousness as being in a coma. She had also chosen not to take vaccines. The outcome was not looking good. The medical team had a family meeting, but they said no to turning off life support. I had given her nurses ¹Unity’s, Prayer for Protection. The nurses who felt comfortable, would read it to her when they came in to give her medications. I had briefly spoken with this woman when she first came in and had brought her a Bible that she requested. -To be Continued in Part II

There was a unity minister who taught Unity seminarians how to approach visits at a hospital. If they couldn’t see the patient as whole and complete despite what they might see, they were not to enter the room. Metaphysically, to know the truth about any person is to recognize that we are all whole and perfect children of God, worthy and deserving of our good.

Continuing the story: This patient was a woman of faith, and her family and friends were praying for and with her. The doctors had said she wouldn’t survive. She also had other health challenges she was healing before covid. The family had released her belongings and were picking out her gravestone. Then, after 60 days of being in a coma, she woke up! It was a miracle to the family. She was asked if she remembered anyone talking to her when they visited. She said yes and that she just couldn’t respond. Her son told her that her visitors would tell her to keep fighting covid.

She knew that she wasn’t out of danger, but she was beginning to breathe on her own. Her plan was to get a Covid vaccination as soon as it was appropriate. Her son hadn’t gotten vaccinated either and from that happy day forward, he had begun to advocate for getting vaccinated.

Have any of you been in a hospital room of a person in a coma or any room in the intensive care unit? Except for the hum of the lifesaving machines, it can be ominously quiet. Unity author Clara Palmer on p154, in You can be Healed, said this about the silence: “The silence is the holy peace of God active at the heart of all creation. It is the holy peace of God enfolding you in the quietness and the security of His presence.”

I learned from one of the nurses that bad things happen fast, and good things happen slowly. Saying this will bring comfort to the families when it doesn’t seem like the patient is progressing. In the process of it all, healing is happening in the silence of their being. Our timing tends to be different from God’s timing.

Then there are different forms of healing. In the process of healing, death is also a form of it. Not what any of us usually prefer it to be the outcome. There are many deaths that I have been called to where the family is relieved for the patient because it is an end to their suffering on the earth plane.

And…to the twelve-year-old child within me, Miracles can seem Magical!

Rev Airin

¹ Prayer for Protection

The light of God surrounds me

The love of God enfolds me

The power of God protects me

The presence of God watches over me,

Wherever I am, God is; and all is well.

                                        Amen

Magic and Miracles I

Part I

“Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.”
― Roald Dahl

Last week I wrote about darkness and that generally it is uncomfortable to some of us. What got my attention is that we begin our lives in the darkness of the womb and that the birth of all life comes out of darkness. A few who don’t believe the birth of Jesus ever happened see the story as fictional and written to give hope to those in a dark time. When I was present for my God daughter’s birth, it was a miraculous moment for me and one that I will never forget.

“I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. That myth is more potent than history. That dreams are more powerful than facts. That hope always triumphs over experience. That laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe that love is stronger than death.”
― Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

The experience of the people in Ukraine could be considered a dark time. Over and over there are stories of hope and because they love their country and freedom, they seem to be resilient. One woman said,” Hope is what keeps me going.” Famous chefs have cooked over a million meals for refugees. There is heartache too, and that is what causes a dark time for them. Families that are separated, loved ones and homes destroyed.

Their beliefs are keeping them going. Thoughts comprise a belief that are made up of sentences that form it. This creates coming from a higher or lower perspective on surviving though the war.

So, what does magic, and miracles have to do with this? I’m glad you asked. Magic and miracles stem from hope. Hope brings about the possibility of miracles that can at times seem magical.

I don’t think that there is any one of us that hasn’t heard someone say, “I am hoping for a miracle.” I know that I have said it. A key concern in the hospital, in the world of evidence-based practice, is not to give false hope to a patient or family member. Instead, giving realistic hope would be something to strive for as in better health and quality of life despite the dis-ease that might alter life somewhat or could be healed with time.

There was one particular case with a woman who had Covid 19. This was in the first year of Covid. She was in the intensive care unit for over a month on a ventilator and wasn’t regaining consciousness. She had also chosen not to take vaccines. The outcome was not looking good. The medical team had a family meeting, but they said no to turning off life support. I had given her nurses ¹Unity’s, Prayer for Protection. The nurses who felt comfortable, would read it to her when they came in to give her medications. I had briefly spoken with this woman when she first came in and had brought her a Bible that she requested. -To be Continued in Part II

What thoughts do you have daily? Ones that lift you up or bring you down? What kinds of dreams have you been having? Remember, our thoughts form our beliefs.

Please post your thoughts, if you are so inclined.

Rev Airin

¹ Prayer for Protection

The light of God surrounds me

The love of God enfolds me

The power of God protects me

The presence of God watches over me,

Wherever I am, God is; and all is well.

                                        Amen

Consciousness and Relationship

⁹ The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. ¹¹ He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.             John 1: 9-11

My credo has been, life is about consciousness and relationship. Therefore, the consciousness that you show up in dictates how the relationship unfolds. An example would be a person gets bad news before they go to work, and this affects their consciousness for the rest of the day. One always has choice in how much power they give the bad news and one can choose to begin again and have a better day.

I have always used the credo regarding humans and pets, and it didn’t occur to me until recently that it could include ‘things.’ For example, darkness was mentioned in this first week of Advent talk that Rev Pat Bessey gave. What is my relationship with darkness? What kind of consciousness do I have about it? I really had never thought about it before. I wasn’t afraid of the dark growing up and maybe it’s partly because my sister and I shared a room and slept in bunk beds. I was in the top bunk of course. We also had our flashlights and our pet cat that would sometimes sleep with us.

Light is a subject that seems to have an uplifting quality to it. Sunlight is always good therapy for someone who is depressed or sad. Generally, a topic people are more interested in talking about. The above quote from John chapter one is referring to Jesus’s birth. Historically this was a dark time for the inhabitants of Bethlehem and the surrounding towns because the Romans were occupying the area. This was like the Russian forces occupying Ukraine today. It makes perfect sense why so many people came to the birth in Bethlehem because it was a sign of hope and so much more.

Here is a perspective on looking at the darkness:

“Just like the seed that starts its life in the darkness of the soil, or the child that starts its life in the darkness of the womb, all beginnings are in the dark, because darkness is one of the most essential things for anything to begin.” p 138, OSHO, A Practical Guide to OSHO Meditations

For me, this gives darkness a better reputation. The book of meditations looks interesting, and you can preview it on google. It goes on to talk more about darkness. There are many other quotes on darkness or the dark, that I looked up and it has been helpful in reflecting on what I think about darkness.

And…I am still looking at what my relationship with darkness is. An activity we were given from Rev Pat was to set a timer for 3 minutes and write about what darkness is to you.

All the best,

Rev Airin

Beyond the Unity

In every situation

there is a bond

that is beyond the unity

transcending time and space

In the midst of chaos

is the Grace that surpasses

all understanding

and eternally unites the universe

On this Thanksgiving Holiday, I leave a poem here, from my book, Eternal Thread. Happy Thanksgiving!

You can get it through here: https://www.airincwolfpoetry.com/ or https://www.amazon.com/Eternal-Thread-Inspired-poems-artwork/dp/150433938X/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2Y0FV5KDBRT76&keywords=Eternal+Thread&qid=1669169530&s=books&sprefix=eternal+thread%2Cstripbooks%2C85&sr=1-4

Rev Airin

Self-Care Nurtures

Nurturing oneself is self-care and self-care is nurturing. This is a good time of year to keep it in mind with the holidays coming. Self-care is a practice that is good any day and anytime. Ideally, a person wouldn’t want to wait until they feel depleted. In my case, I learned about it before I needed to put it into practice. Becoming a Unity Minister, it was part of the curriculum along with cultivating a prayer life which included spending time centering in daily meditation. Unity’s cofounder, Charles Fillmore would spend hours every day in meditation. He was affectionately called ‘Papa Charlie’ and was always smiling and going on spur of the moment picnics.

Selfcare isn’t age or gender specific nor is it only certain occupations. Many of you reading this may have heard about practicing self-care sooner than in your late 30’s like I did. I am sure I could have used it sooner. All genders are affected from male and female to transgender. Taking time to nurture yourself is important.

If you enjoy having pets like dogs or cats, spending time with them usually makes one smile and petting them increases the hormone Oxytocin that makes you happy and them also. This also reduces stress and anxiety. Also, meditation helps with your breathing and ability to relax more easily. A study was recently published in JAMA Psychiatry on the reduction of anxiety using meditation vs taking a daily dose of 10-20 mg of Lexapro. The results showed that they both reduced anxiety by 20%, NPR article here: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/11/09/1135211525/anxiety-medication-meditation-lexapro

One can take a mental health day and go to a favorite place outside or stay home and not have to go anywhere which includes having fun. Parents and especially women may feel guilty or that it is being selfish to take time out to relax and reenergize oneself.

A few years ago, I did a study on doctors and how they practiced self-care as part of a research project during my chaplain training. I had read in the research literature that they had the highest number of suicides. This was concerning to me, and I asked the 10 I interviewed that question. The average age was 45 and they had learned to take time for traveling, recreational activities with family, reading fiction, and some journaled and danced.

Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith is a mom, medical doctor and researcher who helps “the overstressed deal with their work-rest imbalance and find actionable answers to the thriving lifestyle they desire.”

From her website: https://ichoosemybestlife.com/resources/

She emphasizes rest and what that means. There is even a quiz you can take to assess yourself.  She also says that you can do short daily activities as part of your routine for self-care.

So have it be something fun and relaxing to keep yourself energetically charged for the day.

Rev Airin