Welcome to Spirit Expressing with Rev. Ed Townley

THE NATURE OF DIVINITY

1. ONE PRESENCE, ONE POWER

The power we call God or Spirit is the only true reality. It lies at the heart of all life expressing on the planet (omnipresence). It is the source of all consciousness and awareness (omniscience). It includes and embraces all power (omnipotence).

Duality in any form is, therefore, an illusion of this human experience; it has no reality in Spirit. There is no power of evil opposite to Spirit – there cannot be, since omnipotence is a divine characteristic. That which we experience as evil is a misuse – through ignorance – of the power of Spirit.

This does not mean that we deny negative experiences, or dismiss their power and importance. It means that we must recognize that the source of all negative energy in this human experience lies, not in Spirit nor in the universe at large, but within ourselves. It is in replacing choices made from spiritual ignorance with new choices made from a new dimension of awareness that we will lift our shared human experience to a new dimension.

2. PRESENCE INDWELLING

God or Spirit is not a superhuman being, nor a distant power beyond our reach or comprehension. Spirit is the energy of all life – the omnipresence of light and love everywhere present in this human experience. It is also the true identity of every human being. We are not limited human beings aspiring to be one with Spirit; we are Spirit already – now and always – seeking to express through our human experiences.

Our life’s purpose, therefore, is not to seek a God who seems distant. It is rather to recognize and release the presence of God always within us.

THE NATURE OF HUMANITY

3. THE CREATIVE POWER OF THOUGHT

As spiritual beings in human form, our relationship with Spirit is unique. We are creative expressions of that power. As “the image and likeness of God” (to quote the biblical Book of Genesis) we are empowered to bring more of spiritual energy into expression.

We perform this creative work – knowingly or unknowingly – through the formative power of thought. Those thoughts that we consciously choose to believe become empowered by our belief, and are brought into expression as our own life experience, and as our contribution to the collective life experience of the planet.

If we choose to believe in fear, lack, limitation, evil and disease, these elements will find expression in our lives and relationships. If we choose to believe in love, abundance, joy and wholeness, we will experience those qualities in our lives and contribute them to the world through our relationships with others.

The innate Will of Spirit is that we make conscious choices that express and create positive manifestations of the power of love. If we become distracted by negative illusions of fear, anger and judgment, however, and make those illusions the bases for our beliefs and choices, the creative Spirit within us will bring those illusions into expression.

It’s important to recognize that our thoughts are powerful and creative whether we recognize this truth or not. We are moving from being unconsciously creative from our deepest fears and false beliefs to being consciously creative as we embrace our innate ability to transform this life experience.

4. THE HEALING & TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF PRAYER

Prayer in its simplest and truest form is simply the name we give to the process of being consciously creative. It is the highest dimension of focus and thought – thought that frees us from negative energies and aligns us with the true nature of our indwelling Spirit. In prayer we are consciously creating the highest expressions of good for ourselves and for those with and for whom we pray.

Prayer is thus the way in which we undo expressions of negative energy by denying our creative power to old beliefs, replacing them with affirmations of our new faith in positive possibilities.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPIRIT AND HUMANITY

5. THE UNIVERSALITY OF SPIRITUAL TRUTH

True and valid spiritual principles are innate in all of life; they cannot be the exclusive property of any particular religion or belief system. They have been defined and described in many languages by great spiritual guides, often with unique perspectives or terminology. But it is only by moving past superficial differences of belief and embracing the underlying universal principles that we can create together a new consciousness of empowerment and infinite possibility.

There are many opportunities in the world to study the differences that distinguish one belief system from another. The urgent work at hand lies in embracing the universal principles that will allow us to reach across all such separate beliefs to create together new possibilities of peace, abundance, health and unconditional love.

6. THE SPIRITUAL LAW OF TITHING – FREELY GIVING OUR TIME, TALENT & TREASURE IN SUPPORT OF OUR NEW UNDERSTANDING

Tithing is not simply a good and loving thing to do. It is the way in which we accomplish the spiritual work that we are here in human form to accomplish. We “love our neighbors as ourselves” by freely and joyfully giving to express the infinite power and abundance of Spirit present within us. Our tithing choices may be financial, but they may take many other forms as well. Any time we choose to be concerned with others, or when we share our innate talents without intention of personal reward, we are expressing and experiencing the spiritual power of tithing.

The basic ratio of Spirit to human within us is clear and constant. Ninety percent of our time, talent and treasure are ours to freely use and enjoy according to spiritual principle. The remaining ten percent represents the unique spiritual energy we are to contribute freely to our collective consciousness, empowering sources of spiritual good and causing the energy of Spirit to increase in the world. The more we freely give, the more we receive – not as a reward, but so that the process can continue to grow. This is the possibility that brings us together in spiritual community.

7. LIFE AS A HERO’S JOURNEY

Central to all these spiritual principles is the recognition that we are here in human form for a purpose greater than simply living, surviving and dying. There is that within all of us calling us to a greater adventure – calling us to use our innate creative power to truly make a difference in the world.

Storytellers in every culture, and throughout all of history, have recognized this call as a great Hero’s Journey. We respond to their stories with deep appreciation for the daring and passion of those who venture far outside their comfort zones in pursuit of a higher purpose.

The spiritual truth is that each of us is just such a hero, called on a daily basis to face new challenges and make new choices in pursuit of that higher expression of spiritual possibility that Jesus Christ called “the kingdom of heaven.”

No hero has ever accomplished his/her mission alone. Every great adventure requires a whole cast of characters who, recognizing the importance of their shared purpose, provide the support, challenges, assistance and basic faith that are essential to the process of birthing new possibilities.

Each of us is both the Hero of our own journey and an essential supporting player in many others. One of our strongest spiritual needs is for spiritual community – a safe place in which many Heroes’ Journeys can come together for support, empowerment and celebration.