The term “double dare” has different definitions. The one I choose to use for the sake of this blog is “a challenge that is harder or naughtier than a regular dare.” Now I’m not going to dare you to do anything naughty, but I am going to continue to dare you and myself to dare to live our lives in a more profound and deeper way. I think it is necessary because of the challenges of the world right now. It is daring just to remain positive with all that is bombarding us: unprecedented floods and storms, war and conflict, the next new COVID variant, travel restrictions, economic upheaval, climate change and more.

I double dare you to trust amidst it all. I double dare you to believe in something greater than what you see. I double dare you to take your place among the great mystics and spiritual leaders of our world: Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. Jesus, Mandela. I double dare you to take your place among the people who changed our world in the way of science and invention: Einstein, the Wright Brothers, Bell, Hawking, Jobs, Buddha, and more.

You might say to me, and I have said it to myself at times, that I am not as great as they are or they have more intelligence than me or more courage or many other excuses we give ourselves. This is not true. All men and women are truly created equal. We all have the same Power. We might not have been born into the same circumstances, but we have the same Power. And, we can’t use circumstances as an excuse either. Many have raised themselves up out of lowly circumstances. We all have the same Power.

The reason some of us succeed at life and others don’t all boils down to one thing. It is the ability to make a decision to do so. The Power answers yes to our decision and our ability to walk persistently as if our decision is a reality. Whether it is the decision of being the best mother or the decision to invent a rocket to the moon, all takes a a definite decision, persistence and the ability to see beyond what is.

I need to step back for a moment and define what I mean by “the Power.” There is only one Power. It is called by many names: God, the Field, Jesus, Allah. It is the Principle of Life that moves through all of creation. It is Invisible Energy and it is always vibrating and moving and waiting to take form. It has to take form, because that is what it does. It is Love. It is a Cosmic Force. It is you and me. Its ability is infinite, inexhaustible, omnipresent, and all knowing. I love calling it “Divine, Infinite Intelligence.”

So, I double dare you to take your place with the definite knowing that you are this Power and have the power to transform yourself into whatever it is you set out to be. There will be obstacles. There will be times of seeming failure. There will be twists and turns. There will be advances and times to remain quiet right where we are. However, the trust we have within us to stay steady and persistent is always our choice. I double dare you to live this way, always in love, always expressing in that highest state.

I share the Ernest Holmes quote with my CSL Kaua`i family yesterday. I’m sharing it with you because it really states what we must do at times like these and how much belief we must have. I double dare you to live this challenge.

“Begin to blot out immediately, one by one, all false beliefs that man is limited, poor or miserable. Refuse to think of failure or to doubt your own power. See only what you wish to experience and look at nothing else. We are relieved of all thought of clinging to anybody or anything. Cannot the great Principle of Life create all for us that we need. The Universe is inexhaustible. It is limitless, knows no bounds and has no confines. We are not dependent on a reed shaken by the wind, but on the Great Principle of Life Itself for all that we need or shall ever have. It is not some Power or a Great Power, but ALL POWER. All we have to do is believe, never wavering, no matter what happens. As we do this, we shall find things are steadily coming our way and they are coming without that awful effort which destroys the peace of mind of the majority of the race. We know there is no failure in God’s mind and this is the Mind on which we are depending.” EH 302

Love and Aloha,

Rev. Rita Andriello-Feren