Monday, December 10, 2012

UnityGirl's Guide to Advent: 2nd Week: Understanding the #Advent #Wreath

Advent: 2nd Week! Understanding the #Advent #Wreath


In this second week of Advent, we light the second candle in the wreath. It occurred to me that not everyone knows what this wreath is, what it is used for, what it represents. I love the power of symbolism. This week we will focus on the symbolism of the advent wreath and the meaning behind its candles.

In the Old Testament, we are told of the advent of Immanuel, or "God with Us".

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

The New Testament realizes this proclamation, with the birth of Jesus Christ.

The Advent Wreath is usually a horizontal evergreen wreath with four candles and often, a fifth, white candle in the center. Beginning with the First Sunday of Advent (Which is 4 Sundays before Christmas), the lighting of a candle can be accompanied by a Bible reading and prayers. The 4 or 5 candles that are arranged in a circle symbolizes Christ’s eternity, as a circle has no beginning and has no end. It is also a symbol for God, Who is eternal and thus without beginning or end. An additional candle is lit during each subsequent week until, by the last Sunday before Christmas, all four candles are lit. Some Advent wreaths include a fifth, "Christ" candle which can be lit at Christmas.

The wreath itself means “victory” as Christ’s victory over sin so He can save us. Metaphysically, it represents our victory over error thought (sin) and the power Jesus gave to us when he said "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do". Advent is all about celebrating the freedom that was given to us through the birth and life of Jesus Christ. The evergreens mean He is “ever with us,” they are usually pine branches or holly that are used as a base that represents anticipation, newness, renewal and His everlastingness. The red berries of the holly represent the shedding of Christ’s blood.

The Advent candles mean the light of God coming into the world through the birth of His Son. This refers to the significance that Christ is the Light of the world. When they are lit, the illumination is to symbolize the Christ of eternity and His coming as the “Light of the World” and our worship and honor of His most precious gift of His Grace and mercy. These candles also have a color theme too, purple, blue, pink or rose and while. The first two or three are purple meaning royalty and this is also the color of suffering and the darkness of sin, connecting Jesus’ birth and crucifixion and His triumph over sin. Blue means sky and life, pink means joy, and white means purity.

TAKE ACTION: Get in the Christmas Spirit! Watch a holiday film! One of my new favorites is Elf, here's one of my favorite quotes: "The best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear." Start singing, one of my new favorite songs is called Grateful, but Mary Alessi.

This week we will spend time looking at the meaning of each candle and and how you can use the advent wreath as a reminder of the Christ light within each of us.

The next 5 blog entries will be about:

  • The candle of Hope
  • The candle of Preparation
  • The candle of Joy
  • The candle of Love
  • The Christ Candle

This is going to be FUN!!!

Love,
UnityGirl


If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.
Mother Teresa

#Unity Girl's Guide to #Advent: The Candle of Joy!



In honor of the third week of advent, we revisit the meaning behind the advent wreath. Specifically behind the candle we light this week. Why is there one pink candle?

I saw someone kidding around on twitter about this saying "Tomorrow's 3rd Sunday of Advent, when many churches light a pink candle. Know why? 'Cause God really wanted a girl! :)". Seriously though, the church actually does have a symbolic meaning that I think an be applied to our lives in a very practical way.

When the season of Advent was instituted (around 1840) the church viewed it as a mini-Lent, a time for reflection and repentance (thus the purple). In so doing, the church adopted the first four candles of Lent and changed the third candle of Advent to pink in honor of the Lenten tradition of feasting instead of fasting the 3rd week of Lent. This is why we have a pink candle in our Advent Wreaths.

So this is the week to rejoice! In the word rejoice we hear the word Joy, and that is the name some churches have given this week of advent. We light the Candle of Joy as we know the birth of Jesus is very near.

One of the great moments of Jesus' life is when he gave us very specific steps for attaining joy in our lives, the beatitudes. They are like rungs in a ladder that get us closer and closer to being a better reflection of perfect love, kindness and understanding.


1. Blessed are the poor in Spirit. Matt 5:3
Do you think you are perfect? Have done no wrong? Do you think you can do it all by yourself? Jesus' first step to JOY is admitting in our lives that we need God. That we are not alone and that we are One in spirit with our creator. The first step to JOY is knowing that we were created, and through the power of free will we have made choices that don't reflect God.

2. Blessed are they that mourn. Matt 5:4
This is interesting that it comes after an admittance that we cannot do this life on our own. Once we realize this there is a bit of mourning that occurs. We mourn the life we had as we turn to God, we mourn the choices that were made that did not honor God's love or kindness. The second step to Joy, is being sad about the way we used to live, before God was first in our hearts.

3. Blessed are the Meek Matt 5:5
I like this word because it is not what it seems. The root meaning actually comes from a concept similar to taming a wild horse, not so much a weakness of heart or mind. People who are considered meek are those who have been tamed by the love of God, who have had the power of their lives and passions bridled by the power of Kindness, Grace and Peace. God now rules our lives, directs our paths and leads us through life: JOY

4. Blessed are those who Hunger and Thirst. Matt 5:6
This is probably my favorite! When was the last time you were starving? In today's society it is hard to imagine or even experience. But in the New Testament times, this was a real possibility for some. That if they didn't eat, they would die! This step to JOY I think is where most of us become a little complacent. Is our love, understanding and reflection of God in our lives and life-or-death thing? I remember watching "V for Vendetta" with Natalie Portman and seeing her go through torture for her beliefs, not even fearing death, because she knew in her heart what was right. After the exercise in the film, her character was able to live completely without fear. Allowing JOY to be a leading emotion. It is interesting to me to think about how many us us, or to be transparent, whether I, under the duress of death or execution would stand up for what we believe in. Interesting to consider.

So as we begin this week, we light the Candle of Joy. We think about these 4 steps to JOY and I invite you to look at ways that you can climb each rung in the ladder.

Take action:
Take a full inventory of the decisions you have made this past year. For it is those very decisions that have created the life you have. Where did you place God in these decisions? Spend some time in contemplation this week and remember that JOY comes from knowing who your God is and developing a relationship. Spend time in the silence of your mind, and listening to the whispers of your innate Divine nature.

Become like a little child: Our Advent Calendar today reminds us to create a Christmas treat (Cookies, Gingerbread house, fruit cake) and then enjoy it with friends and family. The key to this action is to share. :)

Love
UnityGirl

follow me @unitygirl

If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.
Mother Teresa

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Advent and Christ in the Bible

I am taking a course at Unity which is exciting on several levels. The first is that I can finally complete my SEE education (and move on to becoming a Licensed Unity Teacher) completely online. I felt like I had a bit of a revelation with the first exam and I wanted to share it. Then I thought, this probably won't be the last revelation that I have so maybe I will just post some details about my continuing journey in this post and then post some details on each of my experiences in several posts over the next few weeks as I continue my journey.

I am so excited about the Spiritual principles that are taught in Unity and I know that if more people knew and understood them, people would find the happiness, hope and contentment in life they feel is so elusive for them.

Another exciting aspect is that the season of Advent has begun, which is one of my favorite times of year. It is the season of expectation, of knowing that something amazing is coming... it is the true season of HOPE.

Super-Duper Excited and can't wait to share all about the lessons I am learning...

Saturday, September 22, 2012

5% thru The Hidden Messages in Water by Emoto, Masaru; Thayne, David A. on Kindle for Android! http://www.amazon.com/kindleforandroid/

Monday, June 4, 2012

"Position yourself as a CEO by getting into Sales, Product Management, or Engineering. Stay in a line position." #witisummit @witi #executivetips

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Concur social media! Guess where I am speaking?!? http://ping.fm/e7tAq Come check it out!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Be the change in the Air...Read this! Air Witch | Alessi's Angle http://ping.fm/POM7O

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Timing is everything! Take a look! ZeekRewards - The Rewards Program of a Lifetime! http://ping.fm/Tcoge

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Untitled

Check out Words With Friends from last night. Franco G fired us up about God's love for us. Have a listen...

 

 

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Last Chance! Get your bus.card in the Program for the OPA Gala. Only $25, 300+ ppl to check out your business. Help Kids with Special Needs!
Miss Words with Friends Last week? Check out my pencast of Franco G. talking about Solid Biblical Foundations. http://ping.fm/bstAm

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Yep I pushed a car! Cross-Training with some amazing people at Our Pride Academy!
Yep I pushed a car! Cross-Training with some amazing people at Our Pride Academy!
5 Qualities of Remarkable Bosses - http://pulse.me/s/6DKGx

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

UnityGirl's Guide to #Lent: Day 1

Today begins another season of Lent. As I have done in years past I will be blogging about Lent and bringing content together from many New Thought sources and some of my favorite biblical scholars on the meaning of this time.

Many of us have a misconception of what Lent is and what it is about. Many of us just think about it as the time before Easter when we give up something, symbolizing the sacrifice of Jesus. But it really is so much more than that.

Lent is a time when we can choose to be transformed. We can choose to become made new, change old wine skins and get in alignment with the life we have been made to live. There are many stories in the Bible that demonstrate this. Moses, Elijah, and of course, Jesus the Christ. Each of these men, knew there was something more, something bigger that they were meant to do. So to gain clarity they spent time in prayer and fasting. At the end of this time, they were each given a revelation that changed the course of their lives and every one around them forever.

Today is the first day of a 40-day Lenten period. The number 40 is very symbolic in the Bible. 40 is a foundational number, think of 4 sides to a box or  4 sides to the foundation of a house or hut. We have an opportunity over the next 40 days to lay the spiritual, emotional and physical foundation for something huge to happen in our lives. Something bigger than anything that has come before it. If you want to join me on this fantastic journey, here is what I am about to do:

1. Read the Bible Daily using the book "Keep a True Lent" as my devotional.

2. Spend at least 15 minutes in silent prayer, setting my intention for the day, week and fasting period.

3. Take action daily. I will, each day, practice my spiritual walk. I will document these steps as I go.

4. Keep a journal (this blog) as a testament to my commitment to participating fully in this tradition.

5. Fast: I am going to fast. I will be fasting the following:

  • negative thoughts
  • judgement
  • negative communication
  • negative body language
  • thoughts of lack or limitation
  • thoughts of disease or sickness

I will replace these items with the following:

  • positive, intentional thoughts
  • openness to all experiences
  • positive communication and honest feedback
  • positive reinforcement
  • thoughts on the Abundance of God's Grace and Provision
  • thoughts on God's strength and power to heal, and demonstrate perfect health

This is a mental diet, as proposed by Emmet Fox. Click here to view it.

I call it a Mental Fast, and if you think it is easier than not eating cheese burgers, I invite you to try it!

Really looking forward to sharing this with you and I hope you will, even if only in spirit, join with me as I try to transform the world by transforming myself.

Love ya!


If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.
Mother Teresa

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

One on One: Paul Maritz, VMware Chief Executive http://ping.fm/eZAWM

Sunday, January 29, 2012

2% through 12 Traits of the Greats! by Martin, Dave on Kindle http://www.amazon.com/kindle

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Wanna know what I do: vFabric explained in 4 minutes : http://ping.fm/RkeSH

Monday, January 23, 2012

First day @VMWare, my head is spinning. Excited, passionate and curious of what's to come...

Friday, January 20, 2012

4 Traits of Great Leaders - http://pulse.me/s/58HiC

Thursday, January 12, 2012

UnityGirl Fast: The Midas Touch

Last night I went to an great get-together called Words With Friends, where I was able to sit with some amazing women and talk about a message that was given by our pastor earlier in the evening.

One of the most impactful moments was when we answered a question: What would you life look like if you loved God perfectly and loved your neighbor personally? As we went around the table I felt a revelation of thought occur. I realized that this was a key question to my faith all these years. What would my life look like? Here is what I shared.

I was raised to believe that Jesus was my brother, my best friend and my perfect example. I was not told that he achieved the unachievable, in fact i was told the opposite. I was taught that the great miracles, teaching and abundance that Jesus demonstrated was available to me, if only I align my thoughts, words, and deeds with Him. Congruence. In fact to avoid confusion Jesus even flat out tells us this:

 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. -KJV

So when I think about what  my life would look like, I think about the Midas touch. The idea that everywhere I go I would yield fruit, I would bring hope, salvation and empowerment. I would do this because of my Example and my Brother who showed my the Way. I would be a perfect reflection of God's love and a pure reflection of God's light.

Of course, we are not perfect. We will make mistakes, fall into bad habits and respond to people in ways that we regret. But like one of my favorite teachers always says "Never too old, never too sick, never too bad, never too late to do yoga. To start from scratch and begin again." I think this is the same for God, faith and belief. Its never too late, to turn around, make new choices and begin again.

Today I woke up and saw this amazing video, that said all the things that I feel (and then some). It reminded me that my actions speak louder than my words. I hope you will watch it and be touched the way that I was.


Love
@unitygirl

If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.
Mother Teresa

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Daniel Fast Day 2: Move on and Grow

Today I cleared my cupboards and went shopping. I stocked up on everything from my list and realized how hard it was to find anything without sugar or milk in it... but I survived.

Hardest part of today: realizing I really wasn't going to drink coffee for the next 3 weeks

Best part of today: Red grapes

As I fed my little ones mac and cheese and chicken nuggets I was really tempted. So I figured out a trick. I put something on their plate that I could eat, red grapes. So that will be my new tradition, always have something on my kids plate that I can eat, that way if I am tempted I can avoid eating fruit snacks or a quesidilla.

I also realized today that this fast is more about reading, prayer and meditation than about what I eat. So tomorrow I will focus on that... because lets face it the last 2 days have been all about food and lack of coffee. Time to move on and grow.

Monday, January 9, 2012

#Unity Girl begins 21-Day Daniel #Fast Day 1


This is a year of new beginnings, a new chapter and a new life.

I started this year with a ceremony at my church where we wrote down all that we wanted to "Let go" and lit it and burned the paper. It was very symbolic and representative of what I wanted, which was to let go and release the past so that I could start a new life, clean slate. After the ceremony, I "Got Drenched" and was baptized with water by my church family. Another amazing and powerful experience, letting the waters wash away anything about who I was that I wanted to let go and embracing the Christ-centered me. What a weekend!


So now as I begin this journey into my new life, I want to be focused and aware. I want to be sure that I am listening to my innate Divine nature and following my intuition to do what God has called me to do. So today I begin a fast. A Daniel Fast to be specific. I like that this fast is Biblically rooted and that I am doing something that my brothers and sisters have been doing for millenniums. Daniel 1 - New International Version http://shar.es/WA1jb

The most important thing about a fast is the intention. My intention is to refrain from certain foods so that I can become close to God. How can I do that? Through prayer, quiet time with God. So not only am I refraining from food, but I am committing to spend significant time in prayer and meditation over the next 3 weeks.

My first question was about what I should eat... And I found this list. So Let's Get this Party Started...

Foods to include in your diet during the Daniel Fast (read the labels-- no sugar no chemicals)

All fruits. These can be fresh, frozen, dried, juiced or canned. Fruits include but are not limited to apples, apricots, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, cantaloupe, cherries, cranberries, figs, grapefruit, grapes, guava, honeydew melon, kiwi, lemons, limes, mangoes, nectarines, oranges, papayas, peaches, pears, pineapples, plums, prunes, raisins, raspberries, strawberries, tangelos, tangerines, watermelon

All vegetables. These can be fresh, frozen, dried, juiced or canned. Vegetables include but are not limited to artichokes, asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chili peppers, collard greens, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, ginger root, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, okra, onions, parsley, potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, scallions, spinach, sprouts, squashes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turnips, watercress, yams, zucchini, veggie burgers are an option if you are not allergic to soy.

All whole grains, including but not limited to whole wheat, brown rice, millet, quinoa, oats, barley, grits, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat tortillas, rice cakes and popcorn.

All nuts and seeds, including but not limited to sunflower seeds, cashews, peanuts, sesame. Also nut butters including peanut butter.

All legumes. These can be canned or dried. Legumes include but are not limited to dried beans, pinto beans, split peas, lentils, black eyed peas, kidney beans, black beans, cannellini beans, white beans.

All quality oils including but not limited to olive, canola, grape seed, peanut, and sesame.

Beverages: spring water, distilled water or other pure waters.

Other: tofu, soy products, vinegar, seasonings, salt, herbs and spices.

Foods to avoid on the Daniel Fast

All meat and animal products including but not limited to beef, lamb, pork, poultry, and fish.

All dairy products including but not limited to milk, cheese, cream, butter, and eggs.

All sweeteners including but not limited to sugar, raw sugar, honey, syrups, molasses, and cane juice.

All leavened bread including Ezekiel Bread (it contains yeast and honey) and baked goods.

All refined and processed food products including but not limited to artificial flavorings, food additives, chemicals, white rice, white flour, and foods that contain artificial preservatives.

All deep fried foods including but not limited to potato chips, French fries, corn chips.

All solid fats including shortening, margarine, lard and foods high in fat.

Beverages including but not limited to coffee, tea, herbal teas, carbonated beverages, energy drinks, and alcohol

Friday, January 6, 2012

"Close the door of yesterday.Keep it closed. Then shift from low gear to high-and stay there!"-Claude Bristol #champlife @metrolifechurch

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Good stuff! Especially the one about comfort! 12 resolutions for programmers http://pulse.me/s/4COig

Sunday, January 1, 2012

i'm so happy I can't stop smiling!thanks to all my family and friends who see me, know me, and love me anyway! http://ping.fm/wyCE8