"Lent - A Season for Giving Up Your Beliefs"
by Rev. Christine
March 5, 2000

Today, I’m speaking about the spiritual practice of the season of Lent, and how we too can use it to propel us to the next level of consciousness. We can use this season to give up all our human beliefs. Our human beliefs in appearances and conditions that lead to suffering; the human bondage to fear and pain, lack and limitation, illness and disease, birth and death.

This Wednesday is called Ash Wednesday. It is the first day of the Lenten season which lasts 40 days till Palm Sunday. This period of time is symbolic of the 40 days and nights that Jesus spent in the desert preparing for his mission as the Christ. The number 40, metaphysically represents an unspecified period of time. It is the period of building a foundation, like going to school, passing tests, and then graduating being ready for the next stage of doing the work.

A desert represents a state of consciousness where we go for purification, to Self discovery, and be reborn. Becoming our new consciousness. Rising above the human self to a spiritual Self — rising from human conditions to realization of the spiritual kingdom. "My kingdom is not of this world." "I walk in this world but not of it."

Practicing Lent has long been the path of a disciple. Each year raising ones consciousness in to a greater realization of one’s true Self. We go through our tests on our earthly journey. We are reminded of the temptations of Jesus before leaving the desert. When passed, he came out of the desert, was baptized in water, and now the Christ. This marked the beginning of Jesus the Christ’s 3 year ministry.

During the Christmas season we give birth to the Christ child within. Between Christmas and Lent we have been embodying this new idea of Self allowing it to take hold, grow within us. Now during Lent we nurture it, giving expression to it by sacrificing our old self and ways. We are pulling the weeds, of doubt, fear, and false beliefs. So that we can have room to spread out, grow strong, and be fruitful. Each year we go through this process, as a spiral, always moving upward in our realization of our Christhood and true kingdom.

A word often misunderstood is the word sacrifice. Our first thoughts are suffering, that we are giving away and will be without. The sacrificial lamb, we think of pain and suffering. It is only the human that suffers not wanting to let go of its worldly kingdom of ego. Yet sacrifice means to raise up, to serve for a higher purpose, for the spiritual kingdom of God in everlasting life.

Some of us started the "60 day non-human diet" a few weeks ago, which goes through to this same period of time. It is very powerful, and I recommend it to all as a regular practice. One of its key phrases is "giving up all to have all."

Giving up all that attaches us to the third dimensional world of appearances. To living from the 4^th dimension of cause, and freely living in the spiritual kingdom.

Somehow along the way spiritual beings forgot who they are. Ever since we have become entangled within our creations, and call this the 3^rd dimension, material form, earth and life. We even have gone to the extent to believe our creations have power over us, the creator, and that we are subject to physical material laws. The 3^rd dimension is nothing more than a state of consciousness -- a dream of forgetfulness of our true nature in God. We are in the process of waking up.

This last Friday I had been preparing a donation to the Butterfly Gardeners Association. I looked out the window and saw the most beautiful butterfly having large wings black with yellow trim flying so gleefully. I walked outside to greet someone, and almost tripped over it on the ground. It then flew right up to me and over my head. It kept flying around for hours in our courtyard. I really felt some sort of connection -- a message. Then last night this came to me for today’s message.

We can imagine ourselves as spiritual beings in a self made cocoon. Much like a butterfly. Our body is like the cocoon housing our soul and encapsulating the spirit. From within our cocoon we believe this is all that life is. We feel secure within our shell, although, confining. We can only perceive our world through this shell of a cocoon. We see but shadows of our own reflection upon the shell, and we believe this to be the real world.

Then one day something out of the ordinary knocks into us -- a ray of light comes in. We are inspired to explore, but we must break free. It is exciting yet frightening of what we will find. We will have to give up our safe abode for the unknown. Yet it is all we’ve known to be sustaining us. Can there be life outside of our cocoon. There is evidence of it — I can see the light, I can feel its warm rays.

We struggle to break free for our surroundings are so tight, and the shell has become so thick and strong. Again, out of nowhere another hard knock breaking open even more. This greater light gives us new strength to continue on, and the more we break through the greater the light until we are no longer held by our cocoon. We are free.

Flying freely in the light of our true home without physical boundaries -- beautiful beyond words. We join others that have too become free, and find that they are the ones that woke us up from our deep sleep -- helping us to break free to join them in joy and everlasting life. And, now we too become the invisible helper for others lying asleep in their cocoon.

This little story is to help us see that we can move beyond our physical life experience. That we can wake up right here and now. Its not about waiting till one dies, that doesn’t promise heaven. If not awake, we will just create another cocoon much like the prior one either here or there — wherever there is.

How do we wake up? We give up our earthly beliefs. We detach from our mundane life and all that goes with it knowing there is so much more for us as spiritual beings. Daily meditation upon God and the spiritual kingdom, and silence, silent communion in God.

To assist in bringing forth the light today we will offer up one thing, concern or limitation, in our life. We will give it up to the light of truth. It makes no difference the magnitude of the appearance. Put it now upon the alter of God -- in God’s hands. Realizing of my self I can do nothing, God within does the works.

I surrender it, lifting my consciousness to the kingdom of God giving up all worldly beliefs surrounding this condition. Release it right now into the nothingness from which it came. See it dissolving. Feel it gone. Feel lighter, Feel filled with love... Feel it. Give no other concern over it. If it comes to mind give it back to God. Take action called up, but realizing it is God within doing the work.

I have a song to share with you by Scott Kalechstein titled "Waking Up Is Hard To Do."