Written by Juli Somers

“But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well” Luke 12:31

Grace happens in so many ways.  Recently, it happened for me in the middle of the night.  I was in between waking and sleeping when my mind started to kick in with it’s litany of worries and attachments.

I was detached enough from a typical awake state to consciously observe these thoughts. Eventually, like the sun breaking through the clouds, I watched those limits surrender themselves to a greater awareness.  It was as if God reached down and changed the channel for me.  At that point a wave of inspired, positive thoughts and a pure knowingness of Truth began to move through me.  It was grace.

Where my mind was getting stuck in limits from my past, part of me was aware that I was just replaying the same old story.  And frankly,  I was tired of hearing it.  I had read those chapters too many times. Reminds me of a line I love from a Leonard Cohen song, “there is a crack in everything and that’s how the light gets in”.  And there I was in the middle of the night focusing on the crack when the light finally caught my attention.

What was that incoming message of inspiration in the middle of the night for me you might ask? From this beautiful state of grace, I was shown that I could have anything I wanted.  That I was truly the creator of my experience via my thoughts and emotions and whatever was playing out inside of me would quite simply play out in my life.  I understood that my life was the mirror of my consciousness.

I was shown that the things I struggle with are a result of my perception of myself and life.  Change my perception and my life changes.  And I could also see how part of me knew I was choosing the limits! Perhaps I thought it was the edge that my soul needed to grow from, I don’t know.  I became conscious of my unconsciousness if that makes sense. With that realization, the Light began to shine brighter and I accepted that I could change any and all of these perceptions.

Whatever shows up in front of me in this world of appearance is the effect of what channel I am tuned into inside of me. Limits? Okay, here’s the ‘I Can’t Have This’ drama playing out in my life.  What if I change the inner channel to…Endless Possibilities? Suddenly, I am watching (and living!) an entirely different show.  My choice.  I can create what I want.  I just need to take the responsibility for where I am choosing to focus my energy.

The greatest gift from that glimpse into the eternalness of who I am was being shown that, truly, I need only focus on my connection to Source to be given everything. My focus on the ‘cracks’ in my life or on what my ego is saying isn’t good enough in my life, is a waste of my life force. All this time the Light was just waiting for me to notice it. It’s my ability to have the Allness of life that shifts and hides in proportion to my consciousness.  God doesn’t move.
“…because the kingdom of God is within…”

Reverend Juli Somers is the Executive Director of The Center For Inner Truth. She can be reached at 505-920-4418.

Written by Juli Somers

“Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn’t know it, so it goes on flying anyway”.  – Mary Kay Ash

What propels us to move out of our comfort zones and take new steps? We are wired to keep evolving and meeting ourselves anew as who we really are; a limitless spirit in a body. To do that, we are constantly asked or pushed and pulled to transform ourselves by creating change within and in what we give to the world.

Recently,  I was awakened to a next step for me to take. I have wanted to write a book since I was a child. I’m not sure why, but it was always a silent goal floating around inside of me to accomplish one day. The thought hadn’t crossed my mind for many a year. And then comes Ralph.

About a month ago, my friend Ralph sent me an email and said that he had an idea – why don’t I write a book? Since being a writer is part of his repertoire, he said he would support me in that process if I wanted to give it a shot. I read his email, questioned his sanity, and became amazed at the many reasons that immediately surfaced as to why I couldn’t possibly write a book. The biggest reason was, of course, that I have nothing to say.

We met, Ralph and I, and he told me a very simple way to go about it. He showed me how a book could be as uncomplicated as a small spiral bound notebook. Okay, I thought, maybe there is some possibility here. How hard can it be to commit to writing at least fifteen minutes a day on whatever comes up for me as he suggested? Surely I can do that!

Initially, it was rather magical. I would simply write what the day seemed to beautifully call forth from me. The next scene, a few weeks later, shows us Juli at her computer staring blankly at the screen…”Let’s see, two minutes have gone by…only thirteen more. Or, maybe those two minutes don’t technically count since I haven’t written anything…oh, there goes another two minutes…maybe I need a snack to get the words flowing”. Sure, an easy process alright.

Growth happens when you are ready to say yes to something new inside of you and take action to bring it into manifestation. Initially that can be exhilarating and generate a lot of enthusiasm. Each word you write is a sacred chalice that comes directly from the gods during this period (if writing is your next step). Then the honeymoon ends.

Suddenly, you may feel like you are pushing a boulder up a mountain. You really want to move forward in this new direction and are excited by the idea, but there at the top of the mountain are all of your past limits and old beliefs trying to stare you back down to the bottom. All the invalidating voices start to speak up and resistance to what you are doing can begin to feel overpowering. As Wayne Dyer states so eloquently in Excuses Begone!, “Simply being cognizant of your excuse making will open you up to vast arenas of new possibilities. You can begin this process by paying attention to the false part of yourself that believes in limitations. Simply observe the thoughts in your mind and feelings in your body and note when they don’t resonate with your authentic self.”

The choice is to turn around and take what appears to be the easy route back to familiar ground or you can decide to focus your energy on what you want to create. Decide that you can be the person you want to be and do the things you want to do. Free yourself of the limiting beliefs that keep you from going forward by choosing new ones.

All you need to do is take the next little step on the road to your goal. Suddenly all those next steps add up and you are holding a book you’ve written or on the job that you were afraid to apply for or having coffee with your future mate. All it takes is a little courage, a lot of perseverance and a good friend named Ralph to get the energy moving.

Reverend Juli Somers is the Director of The Center For Inner Truth.  She can be reached at 505-920-4418.