A Prayer by Norman Paulsen•Mighty Spirit, Mighty Beloved, Divine Mother and Father, we, your children, love you—our life, our Creator. We seek to hear your voice. We seek to know you as a son or daughter should know their mother and father. We know you are alive because we are alive. We know you can hear us, because we can hear. We know you see us because we can see.
Our hearts ache for loss of knowing you. Our world suffers in anguish and despair for having forgotten you—for having forgotten your cosmic laws of love and virtue. We seek to know you as sons and daughters not for our own benefit, but for the benefit of all the world, and all of your children.
If you reveal yourself to me and I hear your voice, and see your light, I shall know on that day that I have regained my natural state, that I have again become a true son or a true daughter, that I have come home. On that day I will realize that by becoming my natural self again I am in no way above or below anyone else, that I am nothing to be venerated or upheld, that I am just a natural son or natural daughter.
On that day I will set about, Oh God, to do your will, wherever you guide me in your creation; for without you nothing would exist. Without you my heart would cease to beat; my senses would no longer function. You, my Director, my Creator, my Divine Mother and Father, my Eternal Companion, my Beloved, my Dearest Friend, be with me from this day forward.
Enter into me, that pure Life that you are, that in an instant you can heal me and transform me forever. Let me be reminded every day of the twelve virtues, that I diligently apply them to my life. Through you, my Mother and Father, I shall become a son, a daughter, in the body of Christ, the Eternal Light.
[Sunburst Images – top: Sunday Service during Covid; below: Meditators receiving a spiritual blessing.]
by John Henry • The virtue of Equanimity is so powerful in its nature because it helps us control our thoughts. Every thought, word, and action that emanates from us is creating the world that we live in. It is an awesome responsibility to be a true human in this world.
Sunburst’s founder, Norm Paulsen, always used to say that we’re either building up energy, or losing it. We can use the virtue of equanimity to shape our thought processes and control them, which balances our energy, and protects us from depleting our life force.
It resounds in my soul how important it is to defer to God for thoughts—to act and speak according to divine laws and with unconditional love. Let us be willing to let our competitive ego natures fall away, and trust in the guidance that comes through the pure Self, allowing virtuous inspiration to enter into our souls.
In the spiritual life, we’re constantly being asked to grow. Sometimes that growth is slow and imperceptible. But sometimes it happens very suddenly. In the book, The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz, the author states that the third agreement of Toltec wisdom is to make no assumptions. Prejudice, equanimity’s opposite, tempts us in this direction. However, with wisdom and discernment, we can move through difficult situations and continue to grow.
There may come times in our lives when controlling our thoughts, and applying our concentration and all of our talents to a situation isn’t enough. Those are opportunities when God forces us to rely on spiritual guidance, and we’re shown what phenomenal results can come when we do so.
We may walk around at times thinking we have the weight of the world on our shoulders. In most cases, it’s just not true. I’m telling you this because I know that times will come when you can’t figure out the solution to “your problem” with your mind. That’s when you learn to rely on your relationship with your Creator.
When the Mayan calendar was going to end in 2012, some people believed it denoted the end of the world. Actually it marked the beginning of the future. That future is based on much higher thought than that of the past. Spiritual athletes are ushering in this higher thought. A cornerstone of any sustainable future is equanimity.
Of all the virtues, equanimity is the key to our ability to live with one another in brotherhood, to live in fellowship, thinking of the needs of others before our own, and further developing our ability to receive direction from God. The teachings of Sunburst reveal the conduit between each of us and Spirit, as well as all other enlightened spirits throughout the universe. Together we can usher in a bright future for humanity and planet Earth.
Almighty Spirit, our hearts are filled with but one desire; that is to awaken from this dream of being separate from you. It is our desire to remember our true identity, our oneness with you. We offer you all of our successes and our failures in exchange for the grace of knowing your peace and love, which is your nature. Amen.
by Valerie King • One recent Saturday I was reflecting on an extremely intense week. Work was so stressful, and my body wasn’t feeling well either. In short, I felt exhausted mentally and physically. It seemed that there was no end to the trials and worries of life.
But it was a beautiful spring day outside, the grass was vibrant and green, and the tiny wildflowers were starting to show. I decided to try walking our labyrinth as a healing practice. I took my shoes off so I could feel the wonderful life and presence of Mother Earth underneath me.
I remembered that a sanctuary guest had told me she liked to start her labyrinth walks with a question for Spirit, and that often she would get an answer while walking. So I looked at the radiant sun shining in the east and asked, “How can I find healing and balance?”
As I walked my bare feet gladly felt the cool dark earth and the soft wild grasses and flowers now growing in the pathways. All Earth seemed to be singing a deep hymn of gratitude for this beautiful morning. My heart began to lift and I started softly singing a song I remembered from my childhood.
It was a hymn based upon Saint Francis’ poem about Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Mother Earth, and all the creation. The chorus simply says, “Oh praise Him; Oh praise Him; Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!” This song echoed the gratitude in my heart for the joy I was beginning to feel.
As I came close to the center of the labyrinth, I was singing a verse about humankind: And all ye men of tender heart, Forgiving others; take your part. Oh praise Him, Alleluia! Ye who long pain and sorrow bear, Praise God and on Him cast your care….
And I smiled when I reached the very center as I sang these words, for I realized they were the answer to my prayer. How can I find healing and balance? “Praise God and on Him cast your care.”
I don’t have to try to carry all the worries and burdens of life alone. I just have to do my best with the responsibilities given to me, fill my heart with gladness and gratitude for God, and cast my cares into the brilliance of his light. That light can take much better care of my worries than I can! Thank you, Divine One.
Light on Sunburst Sanctuary – Opening the Gates Once Again! •
Appropriately for the change in seasons, Sunburst opened its gates to participants in two gatherings this past weekend. On Saturday, the Sacred Geometry Workshop delighted participants with various activities that opened eyes and minds to recognize the divine signature found throughout nature.
Craig Hanson, Sunburst’s Sacred Geometry specialist who has studied this subject for over 45 years, offered a slide show, a walk in nature, exploration of divine patterns in Sunburst’s Permaculture gardens, a drawing activity, and other educational demonstrations.
On Sunday, the public was once again invited to services in Sunburst’s meditation temple. In-person Sunday meditation services had been paused since Covid became an issue. It was a glorious day to meditate and receive inspiration together, as well as visit with old friends, welcome new friends, and enjoy some time together. Everyone also had the opportunity to take home organically grown vegetables from the Sunburst Permaculture gardens.
Happiness is How You Arrange Your Mind • Anonymous
The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup applied (even though she is legally blind) moved to a nursing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.
After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets, and the blue curtains that had been hung on her window.
“I love it!” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.
“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room…just wait.”
“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged…it’s how I arrange my mind. I’ve already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice. I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.
“Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away…just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account; you withdraw from it what you’ve put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. Thank you for your part in filing my memory bank. I’m still depositing.”
Remember five simple rules to be happy: 1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.
Grasping at Happiness is Futile • by Cain Carroll
Feelings come and go like changing seasons. It’s our reluctance to fully appreciate all of them that makes us feel divided inside. We were taught to feel bad about not feeling good. We learned this from a neurotic culture that is pathologically addicted to unattainable ideals (flawless beauty, eternal youth, perfect happiness). We can un-learn it! Like removing corrupted software from our CPU…Delete program!
When we are in harmony with our life we feel happy much of the time. But it’s also possible to be at peace when dissatisfaction, pain, loneliness, confusion, sadness, or any challenging feeling comes along for a visit. It requires that we simply let go of our resistance to feeling what we feel. In other words, if we can fully accept whatever comes without judgment, criticism, or the need to understand why, then we find a sense of ease opening up inside us.
That way, we can be free to feel dissatisfied without being anxious about it. Feeling less anxious, we have less dissatisfaction. The whole thing unwinds itself.
Admittedly, this takes quite a bit of courage, and the willingness to get comfortable feeling uncomfortable. But if we do this repeatedly, moment after moment, day after day, our inner conflict melts like a chunk of ice into a flowing stream. We discover a basic joy and peace that is available to us all the time, even amid the changing tides of our thoughts, feelings, sensations, and circumstances.
by Norman Paulsen, Sunburst Founder • With the consistent practice of meditation, contemplation and prayer, the existence of the divine Presence within you begins to unfold. You will eventually be able to identify the light that Jesus spoke of, shining behind the darkness of closed eyes.
This light is from another universe existing within the structure of our own dimension. Here, other suns shine and blue skies reflect upon the waters. This is a living universe that watches us more than we are able to watch and comprehend it.
Our physical bodies seem solid but, in the light of present scientific discoveries, exist as a sea of highly intelligent subatomic particles not unlike swarms of bees set about building honeycombs. These divine and highly intelligent particles of light and energy continually build the structures of creation and everything we see!
These subatomic particles can be seen and known by the meditating adept. They are the body of Christ consciousness. They are as bright as any sun we see. They create suns and galaxies in this dimension. If we seek to know God, we will surely see them in our meditations. They will shape our bodies in the next dimension as we leave this present one behind in death’s transition.
Through your belief in these sacred forces that are continually creating you, the doctrine of sin and the burden of guilt vanish, and you begin to move into the light of Self-realization. Your love becomes divine, and your soul creates an unbreakable bond with the pure Self within, unleashing your healing and creative powers: the ability to create, project, and materialize your own images into the future.
As you put on your true spiritual nature, the pure Self, you will recognize the knowledge which has always been there and you have seen it not.
