Martin Luther King, Jr., in being asked to publish some of his sermons, wrote in the preface to his book, “. . . a sermon is directed toward the listening ear rather than the reading eye. . . I offer these discourses in the hope that a message may come to life for readers of the printed words.”  This is my hope for you, dear reader. - Rev Linda

March 12, 2006

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE MALL:
WHO CHANGED YOUR PRICE TAG?

A funny thing happened on the way to the mall the other day. I was having a great day. The sun was shining, it actually felt almost like spring, and I had that feeling of well-being, like all’s well with the world and life’s great. I was feeling really good about myself, enjoying getting out to do a few errands. I felt like a kid going out to play.

And then it happened. Some thought crept into my mind, and I started worrying about a report that was due weeks ago. Then that “voice” in my head added to the list of incompletes, with its not-so-subtle messages of “you know you don’t know what you’re doing” and all the others in its usual repertoire. It was off on every negative putdown it could think of, I suppose to “protect” me from . . . . whatever it thinks it has to shield me from—success mostly, I think.

And that little kid that was out to play, was slinking back to my inner recesses to hide again. Hurry up and get this stuff done so I can get back home and get back to work. I don’t have time to go shopping. I’ll just do what absolutely has to be done for today. No time for fun for me. You might say the snakes had infested my brain with feelings of worthlessness. My price tag got reduced, and I was sold into slavery.

Kind of like St. Patrick over there in Ireland. Well, I guess we’re all a little Irish on St. Pattie’s Day, and especially when it comes to “snake infestation.” But we’re also all a little St. Patrick, too. This myth is such a wonderful story of how we can overcome those “serpents.”

Legend has it that when Patrick was around fifteen years old, he was captured and sold into slavery. He spent six years working for a very cruel master tending his sheep. But during that time up there in the mountains with the sheep, Patrick prayed. It’s said that in a single day he would recite over 100 prayers, and he would meditate on a 3-leaf clover.
Then one day an angel, a very clear thought, came to him, showing him how to flee to freedom, out of bondage, to a state of being without restraint of thought. In other words, he came to understand the power of his word.

Story has it that he returned to Ireland, and standing up on a hill, which metaphysically represents a high level of thought, with a wooden staff, which in spiritual consciousness is the power of the I Am, drove the snakes, the serpents, the sense or error thoughts, into the sea, banishing them forever.

This is what we know as a conscious cleansing. We are like Patrick of old. We fall into the slavery of our negative thoughts and those of our race consciousness. And as these erroneous thoughts build and evolve as part of our consciousness over the years, they become our taskmaster, ruling our lives, keeping us in bondage. Patrick changed his thoughts and he changed his consciousness. He turned to prayer. He went to the mountain, a high state of consciousness, a state of spiritual realization. His thoughts were turned to God more than 100 times a day, and away from his bondage, his problems and his struggle. He did this for six years. And of course six is the number of days of creation—having dominion over the ideas that have gone before.

The writer of this parable was clearly telling us that Patrick overcame sense consciousness, the serpent. He overcame living apart from the Source of life. Patrick meditated upon the 3-leaf clover or shamrock, which represents Mind, Idea and Expression. To quote Emmet Fox, "Whenever we feel as though we are in bondage or a situation that seems impossible, we can rise above it, no matter what the outer appearance may be, no matter how difficult it may seem, if we turn and keep our thoughts on God."

So as we work with this week’s affirmation, and we see the shamrock there on the paper, we can remember this story of St. Patrick and rise above those outer appearances by keeping our thoughts on God. And when we do that we can drive out the snakes and raise ourselves up in self-worth—restore our price tags.

And the key to changing your price tag is loving yourself. The price goes up as we love ourselves more.
This week I happened to pick up one of Louise Hay’s books I’d read some time ago, entitled Life! and reread it. It’s such a inspiring book on really loving yourself.

She talks about the areas in our lives where we can practice self-love. And what’s one of the top priorities? Forgiveness. So many of those old operating beliefs and fears come from past hurts. But, as Louise Hay says, “We are the ones who suffer when we hold on to past grievances. We give the situations and the people in our past power over us, and these same situations and people keep us mentally enslaved. They continue to control us when we stay stuck in ‘unforgiveness.’ . . . Forgiveness—letting go of the ones who hurt us—is letting go of our identity as the one who was hurt. . . . What we forgive is not the act, but the actors—we are forgiving their suffering, confusion, unskillfulness, desperation, and their humanity.” (p. iii)
And if we love ourselves, we’ll take care of our bodies. Louise says, “If it grows, eat it; if it does not grow, don’t eat it. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains grow. Twinkies and Coca-Colas do not grow.” (p. 39) We can’t just see our bodies as machines that we can abuse and then drag off to the body shop to get fixed. She says, “When we learn to love ourselves, then we automatically tend to take care of ourselves and to learn what foods are best for our bodies.” (p. 46)

And listen to this. She asserts that “Strict diets are a form of self-hatred.” The best diet is to remove negative thinking, as Sondra Ray says in her book, The Only Diet There Is. Imagine what would happen if every time you wanted a snack, you reached for a glass of water instead! Especially considering that our bodies are 75% water.

Louise also has us consider this: “Every single thing that you do for yourself [or to yourself] is [either] an act of self-love, or self-hate. . . And loving the self is the key to success in just about every aspect of your life.”

She says “Exercise is self-love.” (p. 58) “When you listen with love to your body’s messages, you will fuel it with the food it needs, exercise it, and love it. . . . The body, like everything else in life, is a mirror of your inner thoughts and beliefs. The body is always talking to you, if you will take the time to listen. Every cell within your body responds to every single thought you think and every word you speak.” “. . . the best way to be good to your body is to remember to love it.”

She goes on to say, “Look into your own eyes in the mirror often. Tell yourself how wonderful you are. Give yourself a positive message every time you see your own reflection. Just love yourself. . . YOU ARE GREAT.” (p. 60-61)

Are you looking for a relationship or wanting to improve the one you have? Louise says, “It is very difficult to feel connected to others when, for the most part, we are disconnected from our own selves. . . really focus some quality time on yourself. . . Become your own best friend. Rediscover what makes you happy, what you love to do; pamper and spoil yourself.” And remember that the only thing others “can do is mirror our own relationship with ourselves.” (p. 71)

She says “. . . practice being your own lover. Treat yourself to romance and love. Demonstrate to yourself how special you are. Pamper yourself. Treat yourself to small acts of kindness and appreciation. Buy yourself flowers, surround yourself with colors, textures, and scents that please you. Life always mirrors back to us the feeling we have inside.” (p. 73)
One of the things I learned from Louise Hay years ago was a very powerful tool we can use to transform a situation, and that is blessing with love.

Many years ago I had a job in Kansas City with a supervisor who was very difficult to work for. I tried everything I knew to be able to perform for this person, but nothing worked. Then I started getting stomach aches when I woke up in the morning, and I really dreaded going to work. So I decided this problem needed resolving, and this is the language I used.

" I bless my current job, and I have a job I love. I bless the people I work with, and I work with people I love and who love me. I bless my supervisor, and I have a generous supervisor who cares about me, who is always understanding and fair. I bless the work I do. I am an excellent worker. I feel lots of energy for my work, and I have great successes. I have great ideas for making work better and they are deeply appreciated and gladly accepted. I bless and work in harmony with all those around me. I bless the building I work in, the elevator I ride in, the desk I sit at, the computer I use, and I work in pleasant surroundings where all is abundance and beauty."

Well, shortly after I started blessing the job I had and seeing the kind of job I wanted, I applied for another job in the company that I didn't really think I had any chance of getting. I did it more just to show the Laws of Nature that I was serious.
Then one day, the supervisor of the job I applied for came to me and said she wanted to talk to me. I was so sure I didn't get the job that I told her I was really busy and didn't think I'd have time today! She left and came back shortly and said she really needed to talk to me, so I reluctantly agreed to a time. I assumed she just wanted to tell me I didn't get the job, which was a courtesy that was always shown to all applicants. But when I went in to see her she told me I had the job. I said, "I do?!" It became quite a joke around the office.

Louise Hay says, “If you hate the job you have now, you will take that feeling of hatred with you. Even if you get a good new job, in a short time you will find yourself hating the new one, too. . . You must change your consciousness.” (p. 81)

Do what you love and love what you do and the money will come. Now listen to this. Louise says, “Your responsibility to Life is to participate in enjoyable activities. As you find a way to do something that you enjoy, Life will show you the way to prosperity and abundance. Almost always, that activity is playful and joyful. . . The purpose of life is to play. When work becomes play, it is fun and rewarding. Negative attitudes about work create toxins in the body.” (p. 82)

Now I happen to believe that joy and laughter is one of the greatest ways to get rid of those toxins. So in closing I want to share with you these ideas for cleansing yourself. They’re just a few crazy things you can do for happiness.
1. At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hair dryer at passing cars and see if they slow down.
2. Put decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks. Once everyone has gotten over their caffeine addictions, switch to espresso.
3. Tell your children over dinner. "Due to the economy, we are going to have to let one of you go."
4. In the memo field of all your checks, write "for sexual favors."
5. When the money comes out the ATM machine, scream "I won! I won! Third time this week!!!"

So this week really love yourself. . . and laugh! You are a priceless gem. Don’t let anyone, especially you, lower your price tag.