Greetings, Beloved Friends,

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I believe that the most transformative element of any spiritual teaching is its basics, its fundamentals. It is the fundamentals that are the most impactful; it is the basic elements of a teaching that hold the true power to help transform lives. For those of us in Unity those basics are our Five Unity Spiritual Principles, which I make a point to teach at the beginning of every new year. So, this coming Sunday, I’m starting a five-part series of talks that I call “Back to the Basics.”

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This week, I am excited to dive into Unity's First Basic Spiritual Principle: “There is only one Presence and one Power active as the Universe and in my life: God.”

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Nothing other than God exists in ultimate reality. Spirit has no opposite.

Imagine, for a moment, the trees outside your home or near to where you live, bring to mind one of your pets or a neighbor’s pet, and even imagine, Donald Trump. According to our first principle, all these beings, regardless of their awareness or behavior, are expressions of Spirit. Yes, even Donald Trump is an expression of the Divine.

As the one power, God is not only everything we see but also the force behind everything we do. Whether it’s the movement of your eyes reading this letter, your heart beating as you sleep, or the cosmos coming into existence, Spirit is the power behind all of it. It’s not a different power for each instance, but rather the one power in all. This same power that created all life can be used to take life or accomplish the most mundane tasks. There is, after all, only one power.

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This presence and power are not just passive forces. They are actively loving and creating, always at work as the universe and as our lives. Wherever we look, there is God, consistently active and present in everything. Not a Being but being itself.

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Now, let’s sprinkle a bit of science into our spiritual stew. Albert Einstein once said, "A human being is a part of the whole, called by us 'Universe,' a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts, and feelings as something separate from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness." Isn't that fascinating? Even science acknowledges our interconnectedness and the oneness of all existence.

In this spirit of oneness, I invite you to reflect on how well you are embodying this principle. Are you recognizing that the unconditionally loving presence that birthed everything is expressing as everyone and is present everywhere, all the time?

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I hope this letter inspires you to join us this Sunday as we explore this transformative principle together. Let’s deepen our understanding and practice of seeing God in all things, cultivating a life of love, unity, and divine connection.

 

 

Rich blessings and much love,

 

Rev. David