The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered "Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived."

This past Sunday, we talked about the fact that thought is the real causative force in life, that you cannot have one kind of mind and another kind of environment. You cannot change your environment while leaving your mind unchanged. This is the real key to life; if you change your mind, your conditions must change too, your body must change, your activities must change; your home must change; the color tone of your whole life must change.

For most of us, our thoughts are so close to us that it is difficult, without a little practice, to stand back and look at them objectively. Yet, that is what we must learn to do. We must train ourselves to choose the subject of our thinking at any given time. I invited the congregation to join me in an experiment: a 7-day mental diet. For seven days, we are not to allow ourselves to dwell for a moment on any kind of negative thought. We cannot let our minds dwell on any thought that is not positive, constructive, optimistic or kind. You might be asking what a negative thought is. It is any thought of failure, disappointment or trouble, any thought of criticism, or spite, or jealousy, or condemnation of others, or self-condemnation, any thought of sickness or accident, or, in short, any kind of limitation.

Over these seven days, I am certain that many negative thoughts will come into our awareness all day long. These things do not matter as long as we do not entertain them. It will be our job to flick those negative thoughts away and out of our minds as fast as they appear. I suggested that we could instead think about something we are grateful for.

It will be fun to see what happens with our experiment when we gather again this Sunday. I think we will discover some interesting things about ourselves as a result of this 7-day experiment. We shall find out. This Sunday my topic is "What's on Your Mind?"

In loving gratitude,    

Rev. Karen Wylie

Sound Garden Sanctuary

An Introduction to the Power of Healing Sounds

Join us this Sunday at the Symphony of Life when Darrell Deerborn offers one of his powerful sound healing workshops. Right after church at 12:15, Darrell will be taking us on a mystical sound healing journey utilizing the breath and sacred sounds as a spiritual and therapeutic tool for healing and awakening.

New Winter Class

Rev. Karen will be teaching a 10-week foundational class on the principles of the Science of Mind, "Tools for Spiritual Living." The class will be held on Thursdays beginning January 26, 2012 from 7-10 PM. Registration Fee: $50; Tuition: $125 (payment plans are available). The required textbook for the class is The Science of Mind by Ernest Holmes. Contact Rev. Karen (805) 640-3743 for more information or to register for the class.

Spiritual Cinema Night

Join us on Friday, January 27, at 7 PM, at Casa de La Luna, 710 S. La Luna Avenue, here in Ojai, for our free feature of the month entitled "I AM." "I AM" is joyful, profound and surprising. Filmmaker Tom Shadyac narrates what the New Yorker called, "his own fall from--or perhaps--into grace." As our guide, Tom confronts the most serious crises humanity faces and reveals transformative solutions. With wit, empathy and compassion, he finds and exposes our deep interconnections and oneness. Admission is free thanks to the generosity of Casa de la Luna Retreat. For more information, contact Leslee Goodman, (805) 625-1031.

Lasting Love Made Easy - The Greatest Love Event Ever in Ojai!

The Symphony of Life is sponsoring another great event, "Everything singles and couples really need to know about great relationships," Sunday, February 12, 2012, a workshop with Gay and Kathlyn Hendricks, 2-5 PM with a book signing from 5-5:30 PM. This event will be held in the Matilija Auditorium, 703 El Paseo Road, Ojai 93023. Tickets: $30 prepaid; $35 at the door. Tickets are on sale on line at www.solsc.org, at Contempo Hair Salon, Soul-Centered, a metaphysical shoppe, and at the Symphony of Life Spiritual Center, all located in Ojai, or by mail addressed to the Symphony of Life Spiritual Center, P.O. Box 322, Ojai, Ca. 93024. This is a great price for a fabulous event!

Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks  

Creative Adventures Winter Program

Our deep and profound thanks to Sister Moutique and Robert Gluckson who facilitated our youth program this past Sunday. We welcome children 3-11 years of age to enjoy prayer, story telling, visual arts projects and/or music and movement. Our program is enriching and appropriate for young people regardless of their religious backgrounds. Please call Rev. Marilyn Miller, (805) 640-0498, if you are interested in assisting with the children.

Volunteer of the Month for January

I am so happy to announce the Volunteer of the Month for January. Christine Prideaux has served on our Board as Secretary and has stepped up so many times to be team leader on several events over the past few months. She was team leader for our Ojai Day Hugs and Kisses Booth and most recently was the team leader for our Interfaith Service at Meditation Mount. She also serves as a greeter and works in the youth program one Sunday a month. In every way, Chris exemplifies what it means to be in service to God. I am so grateful to have Chris as a part of our spiritual community. We are blessed by her presence. Please make it a point to express your gratitude to Chris for being such a wonderful example of service in action!

Special Request

We would like to start making CD's of our service. If you, or someone you know, would be interested in helping us with that project, please give Rev. Karen a call at (310) 968-8928. We know you are out there!

Open Invitation  

New YouTube Video 

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