Chaplaincy Studies
Posted on: March 7, 2015
By Rev. Don Eck
This course is one of the most enlightening courses not only on being a Chaplain but being a Minister in general. It is my strong belief that anyone seeking ordination should take this class when beginning their ministry. There is so much offered in this 20 week course that can help in any ministry.
Lesson 1 begins with giving the history and background to Chaplaincy work and gives a present day trend for our work as Chaplains.
Lesson 2 talks about the Call to Ministry. It reminded me of my early years wondering what it would be like to be a Minister. I think I always had the call but put it on the back burner until age 50 when I decided it was time to listen to God and begin the Ministry work. Now after completing the courses here at ULC I believe I am equipped with the tools to do the work on this ministry journey.
The course continues with an overview of the skills, qualifications and training of a chaplain. Lesson 3 reminded me that as a chaplain one must become a good listener and not the talker. Most often a person will just need someone to hear them out and not solve the problem. This was a great reminder for me because I am a problem solver and this lesson put in perspective for me that solving the problem for someone else is not always the answer. The job of the chaplain is to listen and ask the right questions so that the individual can solve their problems themselves. Again in Lesson 9 the author goes into more detail on listening and I needed to hear that again and will review this lesson again and again.
The next few lessons outlined the many places a chaplain can work. These lessons opened up a whole new world of work for one to choose from working in hospitals, nursing homes, with the fire and police departments to colleges and businesses.
The lessons on counseling; especially the one on grief has been a great help. Since I want to continue working with hospitals, nursing homes and hospice I found these lessons to be of great help. I will continue to study these lessons over time.
Thank you, Rev. Moore for lesson 13 and 17 the Traps to Avoid. I have seen young ministers ruin their careers because they were unaware of the traps that they can fall into before they know it their career has gone down the drain as a minister.
In Lesson 15 Rev. Moore talks about creating a sacred space for a worship service. This lesson brought back memories for me of being in Vietnam and in the jungle the chaplain would have a Sunday Service and how quickly the jungle turned into a very special place for the soldiers. It doesn’t take much effort for someone to create such a space.
Now we get to Lesson 19 The Chaplain’s Toolbox!
After reading this lesson I looked over the things that I carry with me in the car. I found that I was well equipped with the tools needed for any situation. I carry with me a portable altar set which can be used to convert any space into a sacred space. In my carry bag I added a few things which I had never thought of carrying such as tissue, small recorder and some administrative forms which I had in the office but never with me. I was reminded of the time I was on a hospital visit to see a member of the congregation. In the parking lot from the car to the hospital I was stopped by a family on their way to their car. I was asked if I would stop by the sister’s room and say a prayer over her. The greatest tool I had at that moment for them was the tool of prayer. Right there in the parking garage we gathered together in a circle and prayed together. The brother came to tears as we prayed. They thank me for taking the time which was only a few minutes to pray with them. After visiting the member of our congregation I stopped by the sister’s room and prayed with her. For the next ten days I would stop on my visit to the hospital to pray with her. She was released from the hospital at the same time as our member and she is recovering at home today. I was shopping one day and there in the store was the brother and his son. They came to me and again thanked me for the time I took to pray with them and his sister. These were very special moments for me that I could make such an impact on one family that I may never see again but I know that God worked through me and gave this family peace and hope for better health. This my friends was the result of having read this lesson. The greatest tool we have in our toolbox is the power of prayer. As I left the hospital I knew that this was a sign to continue on with a chaplain ministry at a hospital.
As a Chaplain we will meet individuals from various faith backgrounds and we will need a reference point as we meet with them. Having an understanding of various faith beliefs is a very important requirement for a Chaplain. One must have at least a general knowledge of the various faith structures and terms used in various faiths in order to understand where a person is on their spiritual journey in life.
This Chaplaincy Studies is the core to the Chaplain program and I know only the beginning. I thank you for developing this course and look forward to taking more courses on my way to the Doctorate program in Ministry. I cannot think of any improvement to this course. My only hope is to begin a Chaplain Ministry. I will continue to pray, study and learn more about being the best Chaplain that I can be.
Spiritual Awareness
Posted on: September 10, 2012
Spiritual Awareness
I really like the definitions for Energy and Power in this text: “Power is energy that is formed by the intentions of the soul. It is Light shaped by the intentions of love and compassion guided by wisdom.” Light is the spirit of God, love and compassion are the nature of God. It then becomes clear that all power originates in God. For me then, the sense of being powerful or powerless always comes back to my awareness and alignment with the Lord.
Fear and pain signify the loss of energy or powerlessness. When there is fear for the loss of the ability to love or be loved an individual may experience physical pain in the region of the heart—heartache. Every distress and dysfunction of the physical body, every disease can be traced back to an overwhelming sense of powerlessness over external circumstances. Each of the chakras, or energy focal points in the body, is designed to release potent energies to bless the individual and beyond, but these points can be disturbed and blocked causing discomfort and disease when not allowed to function by reason of the individual’s actions and attitudes.
In my own experience, I felt the heartache when I had to admit my own dear wife into an Alzheimer’s residential facility. I spent from 9:30 until 2:30 each day with her for almost five months. Every day when it was time for me to leave, she would ask me to take her home with me. Every day I thought that my heart would break; even now as I write these words, the memory is so strong that the feelings are overwhelming. Finally I was able to bring her back home, and I became her home care provider.
Miracles do happen. I now take care of her every day and I thank the power of the Spirit that I express. She is slowly making progress, and I know that she is happy to be at home with me in her familiar surroundings. We just celebrated our 57th wedding anniversary. We are blessed with four children and six grandchildren. I had to surrender to the power of the Almighty in those dark days. I had to maintain a thankful heart as much as possible. Little by little fear and pain gave way to trust that “Thy will, not my will be done.” God’s grace and mercy revealed themselves moment by moment through the many blessings that have come for both of us through this experience.
Rev. James D. Connor
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Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free, and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.
The ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers and lots of free online sermons for your use. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. I’ve been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it’s Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
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Spirituality
Posted on: August 15, 2012
Universal Life Church Seminary
Master of Spiritualism
The basis of this course was first and foremost a philosophical look at religion, ideas, and spirituality throughout about the past 3000 years and then explaining how these same ideas are woven into your daily world. Small sections of the course also went beyond just explaining the philosophical ideas to showing practical uses and placements of those same ideas in modern spirituality and society.
I liked that the author covered various philosophies some of which may not have explicitly been directly related to religion, such as socialism. The author does bring up good arguments for all of the theories he covers including socialism, which once looked at through the right lens does relate very well to spirituality and religion.
It was also nice of the author to bring their personal experience in views into the lessons. It’s unfortunate that the author has had to go through some of the trial and tribulations that they have but they seems to have grown from it. Hopefully all of the students taking the course are also able to learn something vicariously through their experiences.
I can personally say that while I have not lived anything to the extremes that the author has I did see certain parts of the story that related to me. For example, I’ve been lost in the woods alone in the winter in New York State before, true I was not lost for days I was only lost for hours but it gives me an inkling of the feeling the author must have felt. I’ve never dealt with an abusive lover but I was the child that had to listen to his parents fight all the time.
These things cause us to grow over time and lead us to be the people that we are today. We have a choice, we can either learn from our life, from our successes and failures; or we can choose to keep doing what we’ve always done, the only problem with that is, as the saying goes, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always gotten.
Rev. Justin Oles
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Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free, and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.
As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. I’ve been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it’s Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar
Spiritual Awareness
Posted on: July 28, 2012
Spiritual Awareness
I recall asking my parents to have the country song “Me and Jesus Have Our Own Thing Going,” played at my funeral if I should die while I was still a child. Looking back I realize, It was my own personal statement of awareness’ perhaps of the first insight even at the age of 5 or 6. As I grew older the awareness grew stronger. I knew that I sensed things that the adults around me did not. My God with his divine unconditional love was not theirs with the big stick of fear, guilt and shame waiting to pounce on your whenever he got the chance. I learned not to asked the questions and upset them but deep inside I knew there was an “energy out there” that was not understood or communicated with by my parents, community and church. As in the 4th insight to remain around certain people would only result in drained energy and I would actually find myself sick. It was then I became somewhat of a loner but seldom lonely except for the cold winters when I could not communicate with nature and be lifted by its beauty and positive energy. Humans who are not aware of the oneness of all things created by the Spirit and thus connect with all things cut themselves off with the selfishness of the ego, where the ego is always focused on self at the price of others.
I am a professional storyteller, often when folks are listening to my stories they will say, “How is it so many astounding and coincidental things seem to happen to you and not others?” For a while I thought I just recalled them to use in my stories and they did not since they were not storytellers. However, lately I realized there is something unique in my life and has been there since I was a child. Perhaps, it is in everyone’s life and I just tap into mine. After taking this class and my son saying to me just lately, “Mom you live a most unusual and charmed life. It is as if circumstances and things in life, play right into your hands when least expected, ” I am aware that because I attempt to be at one with all things created by Spirit it does seem circumstances unfold upon my behalf with great mystery.
Just yesterday was a great example. I had painted a door prize for the International Thanksgiving dinner for peace among all faith and cultures. A piece of my soul was in the painting for I had felt such love for all mankind as I painted it. It was warm in its earth tones accented with blue for personal truth. I titled it – A Time for Gratitude – Thanksgiving. As I delivered and set it up I held it to my chest and with my minds intent said, “May the person who gets this painting feel the passion and beauty I felt painting it” I did not know the couple who won it but hoped it would not end up in some closet somewhere. Yesterday, I went to church and read that we had guest, Art and Cathy, a man and wife, that would be doing the special music. Suddenly, I noticed their faces and realized they were the winners of my painting, but the real treat came when all 4 of their songs were on Gratitude. I knew my oneness with all the Universe had brought my painting to them and their song, I Danced While I Could was their gift to me. I have loved to dance all my life but after an accident that left my knees in a lot of pain I leaned to swim instead and now instead, make my fingers dance on paper with my paints. As I was painting their painting I had said to myself. This is almost much fun as dancing as I splashed the paint on paper and moved more like a dancer than a painter on the paper.
While I have been involved in a peace mission for years as a teacher I have found until each person hears their own inner calling and listen to this voice within they are not ready to find a better path, and thus the teaching is useless. However, I have noted that just being able to forgive and send love energy to those who seek to hurt me and others often is enough to help the closed door of their minds open to a higher self.
After reading, Dr. Emoto book on blessing water. – Messages in Water, A year ago this month I started blessing the water I swim in each day and all the people that swim in the water. I bless the oceans, the lakes, the streams, the rain, puddles, tears and the water in all plants and humans on this earth. Just this simple act appears to have others opening up and asking for a better way. It is at this point I can teach and they are open to learning. I have a blog site where I have asked others to join me as they bath each night or morning in blessing all the water of the earth for in this way all humans and Mother Earth are blessed daily. I have not had a lot of takers yet, but I have faith they will come and join me with time in this blessing. There is a 100 Monkey concept in science that when 100 monkeys are taught a new trick that for some unknown reason the universal mind picks this up and monkeys all over the world can suddenly do the same thing. I believe as more and more of us commit to love and spirit and not the ego that this too will be picked up by all the universe. I feel our reason on this earth is to know this divine love and beauty that is a part of our heritage being created in the image of the Father/Mother Spirit who is Love.
Many of the things shared in this course are things I have been doing all my life. I think the joy of the class has been that I am now aware I am not alone. This inner voice of wisdom is calling to many, I just have not known it until now. It reminds me of a fiction book I read in college long ago by Stephen King, The Stand. In the story there are people all over the US hearing this same inner calling of wisdom to a better way, while it appears the rest if the world is falling apart. Instead, all these people follow the wisdom of the voice and as the world comes to an end for those going the wrong direction, there are those ready to lead those seeking the right direction.
By Rev. Linda Francis
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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have various classes in Christianity, one on Wicca, along with several Pagan courses, more than a few courses about Metaphysics with more being added regularly.
Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free, legal and lasts for life, so please take advantage of our Free Online Ordination.
The ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of minister supplies. I’ve been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and am proud to have started the Seminary.
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Spirituality
Posted on: June 10, 2012
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In the reading of this course and some additional research I have done, I can see the similarities between science and the Bible, as well as the differences. In my own personal spiritual path, we believe that all Gods are one God. They just go by different names. In this course, I believe it to be the same, even with science-minded people. Whether they believe there is a God or not, they do believe there is a higher power. Even if that higher power is numbers, they see it as something greater then themselves.
I would like to address the creation hypotheses for a moment. In Genesis 1:1-3,
1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3. Then God said “let there be light”; and there was light.
Can we see how this can correlate with science and the Big Bang Theory? As a child growing up and attending church we were told that a life-time to us was but a blink of an eye to God. The way I see this is that if the blink of an eye to God is but a hundred years, a day would be thousands, if not more. (No one can ever be sure of this). No one is ever sure if indeed there was a “Big Bang”. Other than scientists knowing that the universe is expanding and that it had to start from somewhere, no one knows for sure. Just like the Bible. No one knows for sure if this is how creation was actually started. But I do believe that they go hand in hand.
Science Vs. The Bible.
The Theory of Evolution:
Charles Darwin’s theory that life came from the oceans again coincides with parts of the Bible. Genesis 1:20-21.
Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.”
So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw this and it was good.
This was the fifth day.
Genesis 1:26-27
Then God said, “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female He created them.
Darwin’s theory that life came from the ocean could be true. Again, no one knows for sure. Who is to say that the time that passes in a day to God could be hundred of thousands or Millions of years and in Darwin’s theory, with time on our side being ever so slow compared to that of God’s, it could indeed seem that man came from the ocean; that this is where life started.
There is a beautiful analogy that I believe covers all religions, faiths, spiritual paths and belief systems, science and so forth.
Imagine if you would, a beautiful mountain. On top of that mountain is God, Mohammad, Allah, The Goddess, Shiva, the Master Architect or whatever Higher Power one may believe in.
Everyone wants to get to the top of this mountain. There are many different paths for people to take. People need to find the path that is right for them.
&
nbsp;Now some people tell others about their path and that their path is the right one, the only way and to follow them. They lead them to the top. Some people tell others they know the best path to take to get to the top and in doing so trying to get everyone to follow them, wind up only going in circles at the base of this mountain.
Some people may take an easy route, while others tend to take a harder path, all to attain the same dissension. Some people’s path may be lonely and they go solo. Others are in groups with support. It doesn’t matter how you get to the top only that one tries.
Some people sit at the bottom of this mountain trying to calculate the best way to get to the top. Others wonder why bother? Maybe they will find another mountain they will come to climb.
The above analogy illustrates how God is inside each and every one of us. To some it could be the Great Mother, and to others it could be this gray haired, bearded older man or it could be the infinity symbol. I believe that this Omnipotence comes to us in whatever why it sees best for the individual.
I have always believed in the thought process that the cup is half full, rather then half empty. All belief systems are beautiful, no matter what they may be. Science has some wonderful theories, as does religion. I believe they all go hand in hand. No matter what path one may walk.
All Gods are one God.
Rev. Hope Macdonald-Vellone
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To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for Free, for Life, right now, use the Free Online Ordination, button — Click the link!
As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it’s Seminary since the beginning, I’ve enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary.
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Spiritual Awareness
Posted on: May 25, 2012
Spiritual Awareness Final Essay
Rev. Lucinda Parker
Having read James Redfield’s Celestine Prophecy and the Tenth Insight years ago, I was truly looking forward to Rev. King’s rendition of this class. I was impressed and pleased to see the subject of universal energy so well presented!
As there are no coincidences, I even found the lessons arriving at the right time for events occurring in my life. Power plays and the theft of energies were contributing to a very negative work environment. As I worked through Rev. King’s lessons, I was again reminded how to recognize what was occurring and more importantly how to diffuse it. No one can steal anything form you unless you let them. This course gives one the tools to be in command of their own life.
We make choices constantly. Even choosing to ignore or not act is a choice which will have an impact upon us. Rev. King appropriately repeats in several lessons the impact of individual choice and the power we have to control ourselves and to create the lives we want.
I especially enjoyed the lesson on finding our life purpose. Many of us spend our time looking externally for who we are, why we are, and waiting for that perfect life somewhere in the unforeseen future. This lesson is one that should be read once a week. It is that powerful! “The present moment is actually the only moment you have to fully touch and to be touched by life.” Rev. King, Lesson 10. The entire lesson reminds us not to hold off and wait for tomorrow to create our life and find our true purpose.
While not required for credit for this class, I highly suggest answering the questions Rev. King presents at the end of lesson 20. Write the thoughts out in your journal. Reread your essay in a week, in a month. How has your life changed? While the lessons will no longer arrive in my email, this class has encouraged me to once again begin seriously writing in my journal.
Spiritual awareness is about creating a new Earth, a new oneness, and living in pure love. Rev. King has done an excellent job in taking the precepts of the Celestine Prophecy and creating an interactive and thought provoking course. I have taken a majority of the classes offered by the Seminary. This one is one of the best, particularly if you have only begun your spiritual path.
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Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free, and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.
As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. I’ve been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it’s Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar
Spiritual Awareness
Posted on: May 6, 2012
Master of Spiritual Awareness
Rev Don Eck
I have never been one to be able to relax and meditate without my mind wondering off on some event that took place during the day or the day before. From the Spirit Quest to the Awareness class I have been able to actually finally after years meditate without letting myself be distracted.
By following the outline and lessons in these two classes I have been able to actual begin to become aware of things in my past and present life and how all these events and people have shaped me into the being that I am today.
I am now able to not only feel the energy that the Universe provides us but absorb that energy and gain a positive approach to life in all relationships at home and in business.
In the lesson on Our Need for Energy studying the “Parent”, “Child” and “Adult” ego reaffirmed and brought to mind the things I learned years ago in college. This lesson has helped me to become conscious of what’s not working and I have been able to make changes in my actions to some of these things. I am still working on some actions but this lesson was real to me and I will continue to work on myself in this area.
From this lesson on it was read, do the assignments, read, do the assignments and read, do the assignments. I have had people that I work with tell me that I have changed in the last few months. They say I am more relaxed and actually giving out lots of positive energy in the workplace.
Thank you for these great courses. Lives do change if one follows the lessons as assigned in each lesson.
Rev. Don Eck
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To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for free, for life, right now, click on the Free Online Ordination link.
Rev. Long created the ULC seminary site to help ministers learn and grow their ministries. The Seminary offers a huge catalog of materials for ministers of the Universal Life Church.
Spirituality
Posted on: April 25, 2012
Spiritualism or Defining Spirituality
An essay for a course from Universal Life Church Seminary
Rev. Carol Birdwell
This course had 19 lessons and covered a great deal of the history of western thought and the development of religion. It was directed toward the minister so that she would know how to respond to people who argue against spirituality as unscientific.
It is my belief that today we are seeing science and spirituality merge and meet each other in Quantum Physics, but it may be years yet before this becomes widely recognized as fact. Just last week my 17-year old nephew sent me an email in which he expressed his atheistic beliefs, but did not wish to go into explaining why he feels that way. He has never been exposed to any religion in his young life.
I dove right in and took the opportunity to explain some of my spiritual beliefs to him in a very kind and loving way, that I hoped might be “dropping a seed” for him to pull out and look at some time in his future, perhaps after it has even “grown” a bit. There was only love between us in this email exchange and he wrote back a nice note and I was thrilled.
As ministers it is important that we observe people and decide which ones are mind driven and which ones are heart driven. If we want to talk about our beliefs to others it is important that we never, ever push our beliefs, but always be gentle, kind, and understanding, and be aware of where “they are coming from”.
In this course, we studied people whose names I was not familiar with, that I have never studied before, and we also studied many well-known names, such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, Einstein, Nietzsche, Merlin, Jesus, Buddha, Socrates, and others. We also learned of various movements and groups.
I agree with our course teacher that if Jesus were alive today, it is very likely he would not be a Christian, and if he were a Christian, he would not be the kind of Christian we are most accustomed to seeing most of the time. He would certainly not be a “fundamentalist” Christian, but more likely a Positive Christian or a New Thought Christian, like the kind of Christian I am. For many years I even took offense at the word Christian and certainly would not call myself one!
Jesus did not come to this planet to start a religion. None of our great teachers and avatars did. They came to teach. Jesus was our big brother and came to teach us that we are Gods, co-creators with all of the energy of the universe, of all that is and ever was and ever will be.
He came to teach us that LOVE is the lesson, and that we can do the same miracles he did and “even greater”, when we know and accept who we are, all of us a part of the Divine Creator, all Divine Energy, all the same Sons of God that he was, our teacher, not our savior as the fundamentalist Christian churches believe.
We walk our paths, our many different paths that all lead back to God, from whence we came and in whom we have our very lives and breathe our very breaths, the breath of God, with whom we are all one, and all of us are all one together, all the same Divine Energy, that changes form, forever and ever, and is always God, as you, as me, as the guy next door.
I very much enjoyed this course, and intend to continue to study it over and over. There is a lot of history and philosophy in it with which I want to become more familiar. There are more “reads” ahead for these lessons I have saved on my computer.
Thank you.
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Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free, and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.
The ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. I’ve been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it’s Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar
Spiritual Awareness
Posted on: April 8, 2012
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Masters of Spiritual Awareness Final Essay
Rev. Barry Deel
When I decided to take the spiritual awareness course I was in a time of my life when I had become disconnected from my own spiritual path that I had chosen. I was trying to find a way to fan the flame that I had so become depended upon in my life. I had become bitter and resentful of all the situations and people involved that seemed to be some how against me or out to hurt me. I had thrown all my beliefs out the window and stopped using the lessons that I had learned over my life to guide myself through this time. I had even thought that I had lost my connection to Divinity and thought that my chosen gods and goddesses had turned from me leaving me alone and without any reason as to why they would have done this.
I spent many hours in self-loathing and pity cursing the fact that I had made really bad choices. I was going around asking people that I knew and thought that I could trust beyond a shadow of a doubt to see if they could help shed some light on what I was going through, but they could not give any information or reasons that made any sense. So, I decided that I need to take a good look at myself and see what I could find. All that I could come up with was the fact that I had an urge that was very strong to learn something but not knowing what it was I had no where to even start looking for this new learning.
When, I would be out and about among the people that had some how hurt me I would here about the ULC in some way or form. The ULC kept coming up, coincidence, I don’t think so. I thought what the heck, I am a member of the ULC and what could it hurt to see what they had to offer. Well, I found that the ULC was exactly what I needed and was looking for. The first course I took was the Maters of Metaphysical healing do to the fact that I was a Healer with my own practice I figure that I would use this course to judge the validity of the lessons offered. By the time I had finished the twenty week course I had come to realize that this was “It”. I found myself going through the courses being offered and deciding which courses that I wanted to take after I had completed the metaphysical healing course. At that moment when I made the choice to continue with the learning provided by the ULC the courses lined up on there own as to which would be next and all the way to the last course. I knew right then and there that my divinity had not stopped talking, but, that I had stopped listening. Once that connection had been realized within me the flame of my spirit sparked and began to burn though it was not as bright as it had been in the past. I realized that my divinity had wanted me to return to a beginning point to reassess my life and what I had learned.
The masters of spiritual awareness began with a very simple insight, find beauty in life. This insight was so simple and so easy that I thought what in the world are they trying to convey? Well, even the simplest of things and actions can have the impact of a lightning strike. I followed the lessons of the awareness course and practiced the techniques and found that the flame of my spirit was getting brighter. As all of this was going on I realized that the course was teaching me the same things that I had already done in my life and practice when I started out on my chosen spiritual path. It was like a homecoming to me and every time I made a connection with what was being taught and my earlier years I would found myself laughing. Yes, at my self for being so stupid in forgetting were I had come from. I had gotten caught up in my mundane life of trying to make money, pay bills, meet my needs that I had lost myself and had forgotten my vision and purpose, which I now understand to be the incorrect choice, not the wrong choice. Due to the fact that I now know I am fulfilling my vision. But, everything in life needs to be in balance. The spiritual awareness course was just what I needed to reassess and become even more connected in my spiritual practice and balanced in everyday life. By becoming aware of the coincidences in my life and truly looking at them I now have had great opportunities arise that I thought that I would never have in this life time. The Spiritual awareness course was a spiritual life preserver for me and I would recommend it to anyone who feels or thinks that they are not connected to divinity or to life. ********************
Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free, and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.
As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. I’ve been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it’s Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar
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Spiritual Awareness
Posted on: March 15, 2012
Dr. of Spiritual Awareness Final Essay by Rev Sharon J. Mayer
I used this course to build on the information learned in previous classes I have taken through UL C Seminary. It is much more intense and involved than the wonderful Spirit Quest course, which should be taken before this class is attempted. The instructors are very knowledgeable and each new concept is explained in terms that anyone can understand. Since the concepts and practice, as presented, were complete I did not use other texts or interpretations of ideas or practices during the course.
Each concept of learning was building upon another. I was so glad to read that not all beings are not able to do all things. So many times I have read that one should just do this or that and everyone who tries is able to see auras, or project good feelings or health to all. At one point I had given up trying and believe that is when my life was in a downward spiral. It has taken me forever to come to terms with where I should be on my path and all because I misunderstood where I should be and what I personally could do or accomplish. The ideas presented in this course of Spiritual Awareness is to go at your own speed and practice until you attain the desired level, but if it does not come you are just not to that level on your path as yet.
The explanation of the Laws was new to me and explained in details that I was able to understand. Many of them I had not heard of before but during the lessons when we were to explore our feelings and understanding I was able to see where each came into play in my own life. I may never attain a high mastery of the all information given but I feel better about what I can do, what I must work on, and what I never might be able to do at this point.
The course has shown me that I must never feel inferior or give up again. It is very hard to maintain a positive attitude and give of your energy all the time. I believe my next step is to find a way to have more positive energy given to me on a continual basis. Right now that does not seem to be the case. I try very hard to use other energy instead of my own but it seem at present I am in an area of my life where there is more negative energy directed toward me than external positive energy I have been working on sending to other. I will be working on that in the time to come. I have reached a point of self-love which should help and I no longer feel that I have to do things to please others so my esteem is maintained in my own mind. I am finding my own pace and quiet time to enrich my own nature.
The weeks that have been spent with the lessons are showing an improvement in my well-being and it will be an on-going growth to reach higher levels and goals. This is not a read, learn, and put away class. It is a continual process of growth and the lessons given in the course will assist with the progress I am able to make. I do see very positive change in thought and feelings. I am learning self-love and that it is fine to care about yourself and not selfish at all in doing so to enable you to give more to others.
Some of the information given was new and I am not sure I can accept all of it at this time but will think about it and try my best to understand. I am new to the lessons of spirituality even after about three years of study. I do have a willing to take all information give to me to move forward in my quest. I have learned from the course that this is normal so it does not worry me as it once would have. Being a person who must understand and study all sides of each idea it may take a while longer for me to accept or reject things but while doing so I am learning and this course has allowed me to think positively about doing things in that manner.
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