Yesterday, Sunday, April 26, I gave a talk at our Center(cslkauai) called “64 Crayola Crayons. You can find it on YouTube: 64 Crayola Crayons
One thing I remember about my childhood is my crayon box. I loved to color. When they reintroduced adult coloring books, I embraced them from more of a Zen perspective for relaxation, but when I was a kid my imagination soared. You might find it strange, but I even used my crayons as characters when playing with my Barbie doll. I didn’t have all the other characters that Barbie offered, so I’d just pick up my crayons and turn them into characters. I’m not kidding. I was definitely a creative child.
Why am I bringing this up now? Because, I believe that these times calls for all our creativity. We do not have to look far for our creativeness because it is who we are – creators. The Power of the Universe individualized as you and as me. It is the very essence of who we are. We are born from creativity and our consciousness is in a constant state of creation.
This is how I know that this virus is our collective creation. I also know it is here for good if we choose it to be. I think we did a great job at collectively calling in this virus to put an end to the madness we were experiencing. We say we want it to go back to normal; but what is normal and why would we want it back? And, what are we creating now? This is a good question to ask ourselves.
One of the things that is important to me is in acknowledging our diversity within unity. In our Science of Mind Declaration of Principles, Ernest Holmes states: “The Manifest Universe is the Body of God; it is the logical necessary outcome of the Infinite Self-Knowingness of God. We believe in the incarnation of the Spirit in all people and that all people are incarnations of the One Spirit.”
Our talk title was called “64 Crayola Crayons;” however, in reality it could have been called 7.8 billion Crayola Crayons because that’s how many different colors we have in our world. I’m not talking about skin colors; I am talking about colors of consciousness. In regards to this Coronavirus, this time of unity and oneness, we could say, we are all in the same storm, the Coronavirus, (coloring box), but are not in the same boat (consciousness). We are individualized centers of consciousness in one consciousness.
“We could learn a lot from crayons,” wrote Robert Fulghum. “Some are sharp. Some are pretty. Some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors…But they all exist very nicely in the same box.”
We have never experienced oneness on this globe like we are today. We are all experiencing the same thing, but are we existing nicely in this same box? I am doing my best to accept everyone where they are at, to stay out of judgment, and to practice compassion and kindness. I pray every day that we will not turn against each other and that we will practice loving compassion for our brothers and sisters no matter what we think of their actions. As Mahatma Gandhi expressed, “Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.”
We already know that we are on the brink of our six mass extinction. And now since we’ve been forced off the streets and because of the difficulty of traveling, we can see Mother Nature beginning to repair itself. Mother Nature always will seek wholeness. However, I do believe that our ability to respect our diversity within our species will be our final test of our ability to express wholeness.
John F. Kennedy spoke these words: “If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.” Well, actually, we are all immortal, but I won’t argue with President Kennedy.
However, how we travail these times will be measured by how much we loved each other through this. Turning against each other is so easy when we want to be right, when we are scared, when we do not know what to do. Eleanor Roosevelt wrote “Pit race against race, religion against religion, prejudice against prejudice. Divide and conquer! We must not let that happen here.”
I don’t know a lot about making wars, but I do know that being able to “Divide and Conquer!” was a strategy to weakening the enemy. Are we divided? I do not believe this virus is the thing which will take us down, but we can be taken down and weakened by turning against each other. Anger, judgement, righteousness are lower chakra energies and keep us in a lower vibration. They decrease our immune system. They make us susceptible to illness.
Can we accept each other right where we are? When I have trouble in relationship, I recognize the bigger story, even if it takes me a while to get there. There are no mistakes and there are no right and wrong positions. The Universe is always working for us. And, even when people seem to be against us, there is always something for us in the experience. I shouldn’t be quick to judge. I should thoroughly process what is being presented, pray on it, and get my own answer. I should seek for what in me needs a change in consciousness.
Something I heard Esther Hicks say, helps me with this. “We are all co-creators within a diverse universe. …if you accept each and every person on this planet as your partner in co-creation and appreciate the diversity of beliefs and desires, all of you would have more expansive, satisfying and fulfilling experiences.”
We are all in this together. We are all doing the best we can. We are all different. I choose to rise up and get out of the way of trying to control everyone else’s experience of life and stop judging myself and others. I recognize that we are in the same storm, but not in the same boat. I allow people their boats of consciousness, knowing that all is truly one and balances and harmonizes and comes to wholeness when love is present. I choose to have a deeper relationship with myself, to see my reflection in everyone and everything. I choose to serve life where I am called beginning right here, right now.
I’ve come up with some tools that we can use. 64 Consciousness Lifters.” I give them to you for perhaps choosing one a day to meditate on and practice.
In Love and Truth,
Rev. Rita
- LOVE
- LIGHT
- POWER
- PEACE
- JOY
- LIFE
- BEAUTY
- WISDOM
- PERSEVERENCE
- SURRENDER
- KINDNESS
- COURAGE
- COMPASSION
- RESILIENCE
- ADAPTABILITY
- DIVERSIFICATION
- CREATIVITY
- POSITIVITY
- PURPOSE
- VISION
- INTUITION
- DIVINITY
- TRUTH
- BELIEVE
- FAITH
- TRUST
- LISTENING
- HEALING
- IMAGINATION
- GO WITHIN
- UNDERSTAND
- KNOWLEDGE
- PIVOT
- BIGGER THAN
- CHRISTING
- SELF-LOVE
- CHARITY
- DREAM
- EVOLVE
- REALITY
- OPEN
- GRATITUDE
- PRAYER
- NATURE
- FORGIVENESS
- GIVING
- CIRCULATION
- FLOW
- VICTORY
- CLARITY
- DECISION
- SOFTNESS
- FLEXIBILITY
- DEFINITE
- WONDER
- RESPECT
- RELAXATION
- DEEPEN
- RECEIVE
- ACCEPT
- PERFECTION
- GRACE
- SOURCE
- AFFIRM
Love Changes everything 