• by Dawn King • We have each been given an amazing physical vehicle through which to operate in this dimension—in this life. How little thought and care we each give to our body. Yet it continues to serve us as best it can every day.
No matter how educated we are, you and I don’t totally understand how this body works, or how the cells communicate and function. If we contemplate it at all, we realize what a miracle it is. We have senses that put us in touch with our surroundings, including other humans. We have organs that keep the body functioning, and we have a brain that allows us to be conscious of all of this.
Unless I am a professional athlete, or dealing with extreme disease or disability, I have little conscious input into what my body is doing every moment; yet I know my thoughts and emotions affect it. Science tells me this, as well as the value of meditation for promoting the good health of my body and mind.
Science is also finding that the basic building blocks of life (of DNA and RNA) are found in comets, and thus throughout the universe. On a microbiological level, we have explored only about 1% of the viruses that exist.
“Viruses are the most numerous organisms on earth. While we are thought to have roughly the same number of bacterial cells as human cells in our body (around 37 trillion), we probably have at least 10 times as many virus particles again. Many of these viruses are involved in essential bodily processes, forming part of our inner ecosystem. It’s probably safe to say we couldn’t survive for long if they all disappeared.” – Tom Oliver, “Science Focus”
Recently, it dawned on me that I needed to be more appreciative of every cell in my physical body. I am blessed with good health; all my bodily cells seem to be humming along in harmony, despite my lack of attention, and even my dumb abuse. I took a few moments to try to thank each bodily cell for the great job it is doing. It felt good, a psychic hug of love and thanks.
Even if you’re not well, I think this would be a good practice, and could improve your health. Our cells work hard every moment trying to maintain normalcy. And how wonderful that most of us have a collection of bodily cells that is trying to work together for the good of the whole—not at odds with each other. Let’s stop and give our body, and each of its cells a mental hug, a conscious deep appreciation.
Meanwhile, we are challenged to realize that our true Self is Spirit, beyond body and mind. In deep meditation and near-death experiences, one comes to this understanding: the immortality of the soul, and the Love which created it and the whole of creation. It’s all amazing!
• by Sandy Anderson • “Nature, the mother of life forms, in her infinite variety is the supreme teacher. Study her, for she springs forth from the imagination of our Creator. More time should be spent deeply studying, observing and meditating on nature. The mother of all life forms exists in the forests and the valleys, the mountains and streams, in wind and sea. Be alone in nature. Meditate there, with all her life forms, and listen.”– Norman Paulsen, Sunburst Founder
Being the kind of a nature spirit that I am, I have definitely taken Norm’s words to heart. One of the many ways that I’m fascinated by nature, is observing the bees. My husband Steve and I are beekeepers, and we do study our bees. Steve first showed me how to do that, it was fascinating.
One day, I saw him get down on his knees in front of one of the hives. He was gazing into the entrance of the hive. Most people wouldn’t really want to do that because they’d be afraid to get stung. But Steve is studious, loving and trusting of our bees. And they are very tolerant of us, so we don’t get stung when we do that.
By looking in, we can actually see how many bees are in the hive, and how many frames are full of bees. The bees will hang down to the very bottom of the frame, if it’s full. And you can see if there’s a lot of honey in there; the honeycomb will be dripping. Keeping bees is a wonderful adventure and many people say it’s a lifetime study to learn everything about bees.
I feel the same with God-consciousness; it’s the essence of our study in this lifetime. Though there’s many fascinating things in nature, the greatest mystery behind all of nature is Divine Spirit, the Creator. That’s who and what we really are longing for; that’s the mystery that we really want to unfold on a deeper level in our lives.
Norm also says: “Divine Spirit wants to be the caretaker of the Earth through the hands, feet, hearts and minds of men and women—to feel the good Earth beneath many feet, breathe the clear fresh air, swim in the pure waters, and run in the forests. It desires to feel and look upon the brilliance of the sun, and find divine love within one another, realizing all the time that it created all this superb beauty!”
• by Dawn King • Last week we celebrated World Oceans Day (June 8). As vast and important as our oceans are, couldn’t we devote a month…or all year, to recognizing their amazing function in our very existence? And the incredible coincidence of how the Sun, Moon and oceans and weather work in conjunction to make Earth habitable. This doesn’t even take into account all the food we derive from the ocean. The more one learns about Nature, the more we are in awe, and the more we find that a “coincidence” seems unlikely.
Sunburst Founder, Norman Paulsen has explained that humanity is standing on the threshold of a quantum leap into a dimension of consciousness we’ve only dreamed of, a state of awareness in which we experience God existing in all beings, and all of Nature. How much more we will enjoy life when we open ourselves to this awareness!
Norm also tells us repeatedly that we are here to be co-creators with the Divine, as well as caretakers of this rare garden planet, and caretakers of each other. “Your sincere efforts will help heal humanity and our Mother Earth, and inspire others onward toward virtue. Your work will become a portrait of God within you.”
I’m sure the Divine wants us to realize how precious all of Earth’s resources are. So here’s a few facts about the oceans and water that may be new to you:
The total amount of water present on Earth is fixed and does not change. Powered by the sun, water continually circulates between the oceans, the atmosphere and land. This circulation and conservation of Earth’s water, known as the water cycle, is a crucial component of our weather and climate.
Earth’s water is always in movement. Water changes states between liquid, vapor and ice. These processes happen in the blink of an eye or over millions of years. Today, about 71% of Earth’s surface is covered by water. But a few billion years ago, there may have been little to no surface land visible at all.
• by Dawn King – photos by April Juels & Dawn King • After many months of Covid restrictions, Sunburst hosted a well-attended Kriya I Retreat (May 12 through 15). Sunburst’s Kriya II retreat is planned for October. Call the Sunburst office if you’re interested, or want to reserve your place in the next Kriya I retreat, January 2023.
Spring has blessed the Sanctuary with normal rains. Flowers gardens are blooming and Sunburst members are revitalizing the produce garden.
Deer can be seen caring for their fawns. Bluebirds are in abundance, and the hay field is growing daily. Each Sunday, 10:30 a.m. group meditation is followed by refreshments and fellowship, offering wonderful opportunities for enjoying the beauty of Sunburst Sanctuary and those who attend.
• Dawn King, Sunburst • Often, I ask my closest companion, God, to let me see through his/her eyes so I can understand better what in the world is going on here. But when I’m outside in Nature, I invite God to enjoy this beautiful creation with me through the sensations I experience. What a joy this brings to me and I know God feels it as well. I’ll tell you how I know; here’s an example.
I went birding for the first time with Cary and some friends in Santa Barbara. I’d been so wanting to go birding with others and, was thrilled to take this opportunity. The group was going to Lake Los Carneros, “home turf” for them.
Very soon in our walk, someone said to me, “Well…I don’t hear or see any birds right off.”
I responded, “In the distance, I hear a cacophony of birds, but can’t make out any particular song.”
Only a few minutes later, in a flash we had already seen extraordinary mating displays, I’d taken some great bird photos, and the group was very excited. Hal leaned my way saying, “You realize, it’s not this way every time we come out here. This is an extraordinary day!”
“I’m sure it is!” I replied, rememberingthe many times my husband Al and I havebeen in nature where joyous people excitedly commented: “We’ve never seen it like this before! This is extraordinary!”
Yes, life is extraordinary when we invite God to enjoy it with us. If anyone in your group is doing that, you might all get the benefit. It seems to be a contagious enjoyment. Below is a photo from my recent Nevada desert trip.
God loves to be with us. This is what the whole creation is about. – Norman Paulsen, Sunburst Founder
by Norman Paulsen, Sunburst Founder•Beloved Mother, we dedicate each day to honoring your beautiful Earth, your garden floating in infinity. What a jewel it is! We dedicate our energy and our lives to helping preserve your earthly garden for your children, now and in the future.
It’s a blessing to be a caretaker of your Earth, so full of your Spirit. We love you Divine Father, Divine Mother! Enjoy your creation through us! Let us all become warriors of light and truth, that we may go forth in your will and your guidance to help your world and your children.
When we can perceive the center of our own consciousness, that smallest of all places within us, we can perceive God. What a wondrous thing it is that we have the ability within us to communicate with our Creator. So few really practice it! Nothing on Earth is more important. Jesus said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God; …the kingdom of God is within you.”
How can we find it within us? We find it through true prayer and meditation, by opening the door at the crown of our heads and asking the Light of Christ consciousness to enter. How long has the Divine watched and waited for us to open our hearts and souls and receive this blessing!
Divine Spirit is reaching out to us every moment to give us healing. When we offer to God all those things inside us that we don’t like, that don’t reflect our true nature, we are healing ourselves. We are cleansing our light bodies—that which we really are—of debris we collect with thoughts and actions that weigh us down and make us miserable. Offer all of it up to God this moment that you may be free; that you may be that immaculate spirit, clear as crystal, shining like the sun.
In our self-conscious state of mind, we often think God is so far away, someplace other than the very life within us. We think maybe God is out there in space, or on a mountaintop. But God’s consciousness inhabits the space between each atom, between each subatomic particle in our bodies. Meditation is so important to each of us. In the silence of our beings we can find this space where God is. Just sit and be still. Pray that God will reveal himself/herself to you.
Each time that we meditate and pray, the imprint of our heart’s love leaves an eternal picture in the mind of our Creator. We are all children of our Mother-Father God. We are part of immortal life, and here in this world for such a short time. Pray to your Divine Parents that you might find out who you really are before you leave. Pray that they heal you, and enliven your heart and mind. We were each created perfect in the beginning. Let us strive to regain our perfection.
