Be YOU, Be Here, Be Now

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." - Henry David Thoreau

Being ourselves as fully as possible, honoring our embodiment, and bringing our attention to this present moment are the keys to truly being alive and fulfilled in this lifetime.

As I write, Larry is in Vancouver, Washington building a new deck for my beloved 78-year-old mother. Larry has wanted to get back into woodworking and building with his hands. So when mom spoke to me about wanting a deck in her back yard, and knowing Larry was yearning for hands on creative self expression, it seemed a perfect match. From our brief conversations, they are having a fabulous time building, creating, and connecting together. What I know right now, is Larry is fully alive and in the moment, not thinking of anything else (measure twice, cut once, right?)

As for me, I have our kayak loaded on the car, our dog prances about, ready to run through the forest, as we prepare to drive up to Tahoe and immerse ourselves in the beauty of the high sierras tomorrow. That is, if this article gets written.

This Sunday we explore the theme of "Be You, Be Here, Be Now". Wanting to practice the theme of the Sunday message before it is delivered; I need to practice being fully myself. That means I need to get very quiet, and like Thoreau what works for me is walking the forest, resting in nature, and listening to the Great Spirit within.

It is a time in which all of us are called to experience our true selves; to leave the false self behind, and become reacquainted with our essential self. Remember what Oscar Wilder said, "Be yourself, everyone else is taken!"

It is part of our mission at Unity Center of Davis that we embrace our humanity, and at the same time, express our divinity. This is authentic spirituality--the ability to experience and express in both worlds. The authentic self is our essential self. This is our real identity, the under-the-surface, straight-to-the-core identity. This is the identity beyond the body that knows itself as spirit. This is the you and I that truly knows how to live and love.

Then there is the masked self, the one who shows up uninvited and disconnected from all life, not knowing where to go or how to respond. She's the one that when you leave the meeting or party everyone (including you) and says, "Who was that person?"

Sunday, we will explore these ideas in greater depth: How can we live more deliberately? What is authentic spirituality? How do we express authentically? How can we be more ourselves? What is our assignment here on earth?

As I return from the forest, I know I'll have a fresh sense of self to share a genuine message on authentic spirituality. We'll look at ways of becoming reacquainted with the YOU that truly knows how to live and love.