FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER 2019
A MORE SENSITIVE CONSCIENCE
Written by Edgar Crespo (our founder)
After first studying Spiritism,
we may experience a new sensitivity of conscience which becomes more acute. So,
what does this mean, and why does it happen? It means that we are starting to
develop more of an inner spiritual and moral awareness of ourselves.
When this knowledge is
digested by us, it should cause us to start to feel and act differently than
before. It is a feeling that comes from deep inside us, a feeling that was long
overdue. Yes, overdue because our spirit has lived a long time (many lives).
For many it is time to think
more about others, not only about ourselves. It is time we remember God, and it
is time we started to spiritualize ourselves, so that when we return to our
true home, the spirit world, we as spirits will not miss material things and this
world.
People tell us, upon studying
this moral philosophy, that they feel more responsible for their thoughts and
acts. They are more aware of the reason for their existence and their role in the
Universe.
Prior to acquiring these
feelings many of us were too vain, deceiving, and materialistic. We seldom thought
of God. Some of us prayed, but without feeling. Also, many have told us traditional
religious beliefs have left them indifferent or unchanged. However, upon becoming
aware of Spiritist principles, materialism slowly started to slip away, our
thoughts became more spiritual. We realized that solely earning big bucks,
having a fancy car and a life of just having “a good time” is not completely
satisfying. There’s more to life’s purpose!
Especially for those of us who
started developing our mediumship; our relations with the spirit world gave us a
great sense of duty. A new way of life opened up.
This is good for all of us,
for slowly through these teachings we learn the real purpose of life; that the
reason for our unexplained pains and aggravations is due to our past lives;
that a sick parent or invalid child was also part of our hidden and distant past.
We are no longer in ignorance regarding the reasons for wealth and poverty, or about
life and death. These teachings help us to handle ourselves during our everyday
lives, adjust to life’s many trials and get closer to God.
Spiritism’s study should not be
rushed into, it is not based on blind faith, but a rational understanding of a
beautiful philosophy. Read, and digest what you read.
It is good that our conscience
is more sensitive, but go slowly or you may become unsettled. Besides good
spirits, there are other spirits in the spirit world that would like for us to
fall by the wayside, and want to impede our progress.
Let’s develop that
sensitivity of conscience, doing the best that we can for our own spiritual and
moral benefit. Having this new sense of awareness is wonderful and important,
so hang on to it!
Pray for spiritual guidance
with your prayers coming from your heart, for you want this existence to be one
of progress.
God knows us well. Do not
feel down-hearted if you fall periodically, the most important thing is to get
back up (I fall all the time), and pray to your spirit guides not to falter,
and to help keep you on the right track, and this incarnation will be one of progress
for you!
(Dated
March 28,1990 – our founder disincarnated in 2008)
MAIN PRINCIPLES
OF SPIRITSM
Existence of a Creator – First Cause of all things; Omnipotent,
Supremely Just and Good, Infinite.
Preexistence and survival of the spirit – we existed
before being born and we will continue to exist after physical death. (our spirit
lives on)
Reincarnation – our spirit returns to a different body in each
existence to learn and progress. Material life is like a school. Our thoughts,
words and deeds (for good or bad) have consequences. Material and spiritual
life, and all that exists, is in constant evolution.
Mediumship – a person that has the obvious ability to communicate
(act as an intermediary) with spirits no longer in the material world in
various ways.
Plurality of worlds – We are not the only
inhabited planet. Intelligent life exists on other worlds.
EXISTENCE AS A MOMENT IN TIME
Written by Julie L. Harper
Our personal spirit exists in an on-going continuum of a
transitory existences from incarnate to disincarnate. We don't remember former
lives so that we can live our current life without remembrance of mistaken
actions within past lives. Remembrance of prior lives would carry emotions of
guilt, remorse, and a myriad of other emotions that would complicate focus on
being the best that you can be in the now.
Yet, we subconsciously know the lessons of our past, and it
is up to us to move forward without repeating former errors. Circumstances that
keep happening without (current life) provocation do so by not having rectified
the underlying reason.
Mistakes of moral wrongdoings from past lives occurred along
each of our paths of spiritual and moral progression. By the law of
compensation, error must be atoned for during some point within one's
existence...experienced as corresponding challenges in order to enable
necessary growth.
It is by the lack of remembrance that explains why seemingly
bad things happen to good people. One's acquired spiritual growth may lead to
action of expiation to result in the elimination of more related trials.
The actions of how one handles trials and what is held
within one's heart convey that person's level of intellectual, moral, and
spiritual growth.
Prayer is always a
powerful and effective means for every circumstance. Sincere prayer for
comfort, healing, fortitude, etc. helps because spirit guides and superior
spirits lend assistance when asked. And, when allowed for by the Creator,
circumstances can be greatly alleviated and/or change, as noted above, if it
doesn't hinder necessary soul growth.
Faith will keep you strong. Believe in God's perfect plan.
Your existence and trials are designed by a flawless progression toward personal
growth. For this, you can hold gratitude even while you move through
difficulties. In gratitude, also believe in your strength, for within God's
infallibility, you are never given more than you can handle.
ETERNAL LIFE
Inspirationally
Received by Julie L. Harper
After bodily death, the essence of a soul lives on far more
expansive than the confines of the container that holds deceased physical
remains.
Energy exists forever that allows the departed to live on
within the hearts of all those he or she touched, within the ever-lingering
energy of his or her laughter, in the sentiments of expressed love, within the
energetic imprint of all that person created, of all the places visited, and
now also, in a different unseen but intermingling existence.
Please know that all, except the physical body, still exists
on earth but also lives on within eternal life...just as promised.
CONFIDENCE GROWS
WITH KNOWING OURSELVES
Written
by Gloria Quel
The idea that we
should have a deep knowledge of ourselves comes from long ago…Socrates, with
the saying “know thyself”…is knowing the best way to gain confidence in
ourselves because in knowing how far we can go, what are our true talents are and
what are the negative habits that hold us back, is how we are becoming aware of
what we can achieve in our spiritual growth.
Having self-confidence gives us the ability to focus on the goals we have to achieve, gives us strength to move forward, gives us security, eliminating unnecessary or false excuses that could stop us. It gives us the ability to calmly analyze what is the action in each case, turning those experiences into something valuable, in addition to increasing our trove of knowledge that enrich the spirit and fill us with wisdom.
Having self-confidence gives us the ability to focus on the goals we have to achieve, gives us strength to move forward, gives us security, eliminating unnecessary or false excuses that could stop us. It gives us the ability to calmly analyze what is the action in each case, turning those experiences into something valuable, in addition to increasing our trove of knowledge that enrich the spirit and fill us with wisdom.
Selfishness in
its multiple forms is a great obstacle that prevents us to acquire true inner
confidence…If we cannot control it, we are responsible for all the evils that
we do by letting ourselves be carried away by it.
One of its consequences
is that it stifles other values that ennoble the spirit, taking us along
paths associated with sensualism in its multiple expressions…
One of its main
consequences is the loss of internal trust, which generates discomfort,
suspicion, distrust, generating distance between people. And we can come up
with ideas, such as: alone we live better and we do not need others to be able
to live…
Without confidence
or clarity of ideas we can fall into the error of thinking that all the bad
that happens to us is because others want to hurt us, for a thousand reasons
that we usually only have in our thoughts, attracting sadness to our spirits,
with the bitterness appearing in the heart; that same inner void that drives
away the joy of living.
Why relate to others,
if they can harm us - is a reflection that can assail us when we have had bad
experiences and we have not been able to read correctly the events we have
experienced. If we give room to this thought, our life will begin to be empty,
because we are social beings and we need to relate to each other in order to
have a full life.
If, on the contrary, we are balanced people who have confidence in our possibilities and, in some cases, someone attacks us for no apparent reason (because it is their imperfections who are behind those attacks), the most appropriate response will be to remain calm, stay serene before the people who harm us, learning to forgive them, knowing that they will receive the consequences of their actions in the future.
If, on the contrary, we are balanced people who have confidence in our possibilities and, in some cases, someone attacks us for no apparent reason (because it is their imperfections who are behind those attacks), the most appropriate response will be to remain calm, stay serene before the people who harm us, learning to forgive them, knowing that they will receive the consequences of their actions in the future.
Remember that trust is the foundation on which we
build friendship, personal relationships and, above all, love.
We know that there is no such thing as chance, that throughout our lives we are putting forward what we need to live, and it is the Divine Wisdom that puts us in the right place to enrich ourselves of experiences, develop values and skills. Self-confidence, therefore, helps us to adapt to any situation that may arise.
We know that there is no such thing as chance, that throughout our lives we are putting forward what we need to live, and it is the Divine Wisdom that puts us in the right place to enrich ourselves of experiences, develop values and skills. Self-confidence, therefore, helps us to adapt to any situation that may arise.
We must remember
that we are in an evolutionary point, in a physical existence that is a consequence
of the past [from previous lives], with a program to be carried out in the
present [this lifetime]. We have to be aware of our potential and that we come
with all the possibilities of success, if we put our effort into it.
(Excerpts from an article dated 10/17/18 from www.Amorpazycaridad.com - Association of Spiritual Studies of Group Villena – Alicante, Spain
– translated by Yvonne C. Limoges)
LOVE ONE ANOTHER
As the saying goes, you reap what you sow; and Spiritism
teaches us for good and bad, whether in this life or the next.
This month celebrates love of all kinds, yet so many on this
planet do not love as they could. It is a very strange and confusing place to
visit if you were from another planet. Why does this couple love each other,
but hate or dislike others; and it just goes on and on. Jesus taught us to love
everyone equally. As the supreme example on this planet of how to love, there
sure is a huge difference between what is supposed to be and what actually is!
So, even though it is not Valentine's Day anymore, try to
love everyone for just one whole day and see what happens, versus how you are the
rest of the time you are here. Wouldn’t it be amazingly divine if everyone
could do it all on the same day! This place you call home, would truly know
peace, happiness and love.
LIGHT AMIDST THE
STORMS IN LIFE
Spirit
communication received by Alysia Pape
There are many things that come along to clear up the rainy
day for a short while during life’s many storms. Keep your eyes open and enjoy
the light that does reach you, at times. Thank God for these brief moments of
happiness and relief.
If you do receive breaks in the storm, try to share the warm
light you receive with others, in their stormy life. Now, if only you make it
through the storm, yet you could have helped others but didn't, you might be
there at the end…alone for a while.
Just imagine how you would feel if someone you didn't help,
finally reaches the shore, after you had passed them by. So, help others as you
can.
TV SHOWS: God & the Afterlife
Written by Yvonne Crespo Limoges
On television, there a few TV shows dealing with the Afterlife
and God. Although they have some serious insights, don’t forget these are comedies.
The Good Place on NBC has developed a regular following (3rd
season). Good people who die go to the “good place” and the bad go to their place.
Philosophical questions come up: What does it take to “be good”, whether a
person can improve under the right circumstances and what is ethical conduct. The
writers actually confer with real philosophers and the show has been renewed.
Miracle Workers is a 7- episode limited series on TBS. God (actor
Steve Buscemi) believes the Earth is a mess and wants to blow it up. Angels have
made a bet with God to try to save it. I thought it was rather interesting there
are certain rules the angels can’t break, as they try to help and influence humanity.
God Friended Me on CBS is about an atheist (his father is a
minister) who has a part time podcast. One day he receives a message on social
media from “God” - each time providing a name. He and a journalist friend (while
trying to discover “God’s” true identity) end up encountering, helping and
affecting these people’s lives, generally for the good. At the end of each show,
he summarizes on his podcast what he has learned during these interactions. I
find this show refreshing, interesting and an example of how we can help others
and the wonderful results.
****************************************
Edited by Yvonne Crespo Limoges,
Director
E-mail: ylimoges@aol.com
Spiritist Society of Florida
5042 22 Avenue North,
St. Petersburg, Florida 33710 Website: www.spiritistsocietyfl.com
Entradas
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario