GOD IS LOVE Come to Know God & be Blessed BEING A GOOD FRIEND To Yourself and to the World around

You SEEING THINGS FOR THE FIRST TIME Accepting Others and Being Free
ANN ARBOR BOSTON CHARLOTTE CHICAGO DENVER DOLORES

A publication of

Inner Peace Festivals

Across the US

DURANGO MILWAUKEE MINNE APOLIS NEW HAVEN OAKL AND SE ATTLE

Spring 2012 Volume 4 | Issue 2

Display until May 31, 2012

www.CentersOfLight.org

You dont have to have a college degree

CO-DIRECTORS OF THE ORDER OF CHRIST SOPHIA Mother Clare Watts Father Peter Bowes DIRECTOR OF OUTREACH Rev. Margaret Laveda revmargaret@centersoight.org 414.248.7405 DESIGN & LAYOUT Grace Tenner Design LLC DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Rev. Meira Leonard EDITORS Master Leora Bernard Sister Camille Stikeleather Sister Linda Kayes COPYWRITER Rev. Timothy Lin

to serve.

You dont have to make your subject and your verb agree

to serve. You dont have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You dont have to know Einsteins theory of relativity to serve.
You dont have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics

to serve.

You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. And you can be

that servant.

- Martin Luther King Jr.

The Light is published four times annually by the Order of Christ Sophia and is distributed through regional Centers of Light. For Information on Local Classes & Events at the Centers of Light: Ann Arbor: 743.864.2017 Boston: 617.990.7411 Charlotte: 704.526.8301 Chicago: 312.623.4418 Denver: 303.913.7053 Dolores: 970.882.2123 Durango: 970.882.2123 Milwaukee: 414.248.7405 Minneapolis: 612.205.5545 New Haven: 203.785.9085 Oakland: 510.207.6593 Seattle: 206 525 8488

CENTERS of LIGHT
The Centers of Light are non-prot organizations that promote positive change and personal development. As an alternative school, we offer classes that help people understand themselves better and improve the emotional, spiritual, mental and physical aspects of their lives. CentersofLight.org LightLectureSeries.com InnerPeaceFestival.com

Copyright 2012 by the Order of Christ Sophia. All rights reserved. Facsimile reproduction, including photocopy or xerographic reproduction, is strictly prohibited under copyright laws.

God is Love
Throughout the ages, so much war
and hatred has been promulgated in the name of God. This fact has caused many people to avoid all spirituality and religion. This is a sad situation because God has actually never been the energy or force behind any violation of Gods own directives to love each other as one loves oneself. If people misuse the name of God, is God to be blamed and shunned for this misrepresentation? Or should we instead recognize that we will need to get to know God ourselves to nd out who God is, how God functions, and what is in the heart and mind of God? If I ask someone to tell me about you, I will only get that persons biases and opinions about you. To actually know you, I would have to do what it takes to come to know you rst-hand. I recommend taking this same approach with God. Find out rst-hand who and how God is before making the judgment of not wanting to know God. So how can you come to know God for yourself? Mystics are people of any religion or spiritual path who choose to come into relationship with God, not through reading and accepting other peoples experiences but through doing whatever it takes to have their own experience of God. The great spiritual guides of all traditions have told us to look within ourselves to nd God. There, at the center of our being, is a perfect and whole cell of God Itself. It lies quietly near our heart, waiting for the day when we decide we want to establish contact. Because we have free will, God will not force the relationship on us, but waits patiently for us to tire enough of all outer activity and focus so that we will begin to go deeper. Christian teachings tell us that God is love not God does love, but God is love. This simple and yet extremely profound statement tells us reams of information about God. Gods very nature then is love, and if God is love, how can God do anything other than

BY MOTHER CLARE WATTS

Once we get a taste of the love that awaits us when we open and deepen enough to experience God ourselves, we will most likely want to enter into more and more of this kind of love. This is available to anyone who wants it. You dont need to be educated or sophisticated. You only need to want it enough to develop a deep and meaningful inner life that comes about through meditation, prayer and spiritual community with whom to grow. I invite you to dedicate yourself to developing such a deep and real relationship with the greatest love anyone could ever know. Decide to make it important. Establish a regular spiritual practice. Prepare to be lifted up and have your consciousness expand into a love beyond what you have known. May you be blessed as you come to know God and Gods love, so you never have to fear and doubt again.

love. And as children of God, should we not also have at our core a nature that is made of love and for love? Could that be why we crave so much to give and receive love? In the book of Genesis, it is written that we were made in Gods image. Would that mean that we are created to be love, as God is love? More often than not when we are in relationship with another person, our love for them and from them is tainted with neediness and power issues. What would godly love be from God to us and from us to others? The simplest way of envisioning this is to acknowledge that there are basically only two kinds of feelings or emotions: Those related to love and those related to fear. Words and energies such as courage, compassion, generous, kind, caring, hopeful, faithful, considerate, trusting, aware, attuned, exible, harmonious, forgiving, understanding, giving these are all related to love. Feelings and states of mind that are related to fear are jealousy, envy, anxiety, worry, anger, selshness, greed, hatred, violence, depression, despairing, distrustful, self-absorbed, resentful, inconsiderate and rigid, among others. When we allow the energies of God (which always relate to love) to move through us, we will feel open and the energy will ow out from us in a giving and uplifting way. When we are caught up in the energies related to fear, we will pull inside ourselves, cut ourselves off from others and God, and be isolated and alone. Try on the different feelings and notice how all the cells of your body, heart and mind open when inspired by love and close when inspired by fear. Now which state of being do you aspire to? If it is a life of love, then it is a life of God. God created us to be in a love relationship with God. We were made for that kind of love and therefore will never truly feel fullled without it.

MOTHER CLARE WATTS is a mystic, ordained Priest, Master Teacher, and Co-Director of the Order of Christ Sophia. She has her Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology and practiced as a Jungian-trained psychotherapist. Continually drawing from her education and her experience, including 17 years working as a professional midwife, Mother Clare has garnered a reputation for her clarity of vision. She lectures internationally on Mystical Christianity. She has four grown children and lives in Dolores, Colorado where she oversees the efforts to expand and grow the Sophia Peace Center.

MOTHE RCL AREWATTS .COM

Clockwise from top left: Drum circle at Oakland Inner Peace Festival, Free yoga class at Oakland Inner Peace Festival, Universal Love Band at Milwaukees Inner Peace Festival, Tulips in Seattle.

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Being a Good Friend

whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection. We place great value in having good friends and in being a good friend to someone, but are we a good friend to ourselves and what would that look like if we were? According to the denition, it would need to begin with knowing yourself. In order to know yourself or anything/ anyone, you must love it rst. How do you know if you love yourself? The following are some simple steps to explore. When you love yourself, you naturally: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Care about what others want to express Care about what other people feel Are kind to the people around you Place importance on values like honesty, integrity, patience Care about the betterment of the planet Are conscious of ways to improve your surroundings and your neighbors surroundings Feel part of the local and the global community Maintain integrity in your internal and external communications Consider your material and emotional impact on generations to come Take care of yourself including spiritually, emotionally, nancially and relationally.

BY MASTER LEORA BERNARD

The dictionary denes friend as a person

and concerned for one another. We start to weave together in a bond that is unbreakable. This is what the world needs now: strong and loving people ready to care about one another and stand for one another in solidarity and with fortitude. As communication speeds up and awareness and consciousness increase, our global community (or dare we say family) is moving closer and closer. Much of the western world gives itself permission to feign oblivion to the heartaches of most of our hurting planet. Nevertheless, struggles and wars are born daily and persist. If you are struggling with loving yourself, nd something that inspires you and participate in it now. Dont wait any longer! If your other needs are not met yet and secured meaning food, water, security, employment - then pray for this to come into your life and accept help right away. Time is running out for us to be living as though we do not matter. You do matter and your contribution to our planet is integral in the ne weave of creation. Take this reality on and become a true and good friend, to yourself and to the world around you.

7. 8. 9. 10.

MASTER LEORA BERNARD, Priest & Master Teacher, is the Director of the Center of Light, Oakland, serving the San Francisco and East Bay areas in California. She served as a priest for almost nine years before being initiated into spiritual Mastery. She teaches and counsels all levels of seekers and ministers from beginners to priests. Professionally, Master Leora worked for over 16 years in the eld of childbirth as a certied professional midwife, doula, and childbirth educator, and currently works as a community health RN in inner city neighborhoods.

Does it surprise you that when you love yourself, you naturally and immediately turn your attention toward others? Is it unexpected that an individual who feels loved automatically feels a sense of responsibility to others and cares about what concerns others? No, it isnt. Feeling loved and caring about others goes hand in hand. In Maslows hierarchy of needs, friendship is right at the center of the pyramid, right at the heart of it. Once our basic needs are met and feeling loved is a basic need we begin to turn our attention outward toward others. As a result, we become part of a family of individuals, caring

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Seeing Things for the First Time

BY FATHER PETER BOWES

Most of us assume that when we see something and recognize it, that we understand it and know about it. Is that true? Do we really see what we think we see? Can we say that our perception of something is accurate? Is our awareness deep? When we spend time with a friend, we know much more about them and feel more deeply for them than when we were rst introduced. It takes time to get to know someone and we know that the rst meeting is just that an introduction. More time spent means a much deeper experience of that person.
The problem with our perception is that we have to associate what we have learned before with what is being presented in our immediate experience. We compare a new experience to all the situations of the past that are similar, and our memory makes conclusions about the new event or experience. This can only be accurate

Seeing things clearly will free you to love people without expecting them to please you.
to the degree that our memories do not distort the new situation. If we have no memories to associate the new situation to, then we are not able to make much sense of the new experience. What I am trying to say is that past experience colors
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present experience, and this can be a limitation for what we can conceive or take in of the present moment. We have to open our minds and hearts to be willing to take in people, situations and energy in a fresh way not limited by our past. This takes practice. It also stretches our senses and concepts to be open to seeing in a different way. Try to practice seeing people in a whole new way. Observe people without having to make them be a particular way to suit you. Observe their energy and the way they move and feel in themselves. Look for what makes them tick, what rocks their world, what motivates them. Do not want them to be this or that, just watch and notice what they care about and what they are drawn to. Observe the movement of life in their eyes, their body, their thinking. Look without bias, without expectation, like you are watching something in nature. Just see them for the ball of energy that they are and make no conclusions just experience them. Look at how they move their feet and legs, what energy they

carry in their center. Observe the energy around their head, the light in the eyes, the ashes of thought that spark when they consider things they see or feel. Open to let their energy wash over you. Do not concern yourself with whether they are noticing you. Stay out of it when you are observing. Be simple. Watch the movement of energy around them and what effect they might be having on the environment. You might notice a withdrawing energy or a shining kind of effect on everyone around. You might observe some insecurity or condence, but make no judgment about it one way or another. Just look and see what you see. For example, when someone you are observing steps hard and determined with each step, dont think about what that might mean, just see that they step that way. Making interpretations is a trap where you have to make sense of things you see in terms that are comfortable to you. It is a form of bias where you have to squeeze what you see into your own experience instead of just seeing what is happening without contaminating things with your expectations.

When you observe people and situations in this new way, you will not color the things you see with what you want. In a very short time, you will appreciate life moving in one of Gods creations and feel the power and beauty in so many possibilities of expression. You will clear your sight to open to true spiritual sight. Seeing things clearly will free you to love people without expecting them to please you, and that will make our world a much more peaceful place to live. How can you be angry with people if you are appreciating who they are and what they are doing? Peace comes with acceptance of other people.

For thirty years, FATHER PETER BOWES

has devoted his life in service to God as an ordained Priest and Master Teacher. As Co-Director of the Order of Christ Sophia, he teaches the ministers and guides the Centers of Light around the country. Known for his sense of humor, Father Peter is also an accomplished musician and author who has composed twelve albums and four books about Mystical Christian teachings. He holds a Masters and a Doctorate degree in Educational Psychology. Father Peter lives at the Center of Light, Chicago.

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The Light Lecture Series

A New Series of Lectures Providing Tools for Your Life

No matter where we are in life, there is always more to learn. While it is easy to nd continuing education classes that can help you learn a foreign language or a new hobby, there is little to no support available for those who are interested in moving beyond the realm of learning new skills and into the adventure of learning how to live life to its fullest. With that in mind, the Centers of Light will begin offering a new series of lectures called the Light Lecture Series. These classes are designed for those looking to gain the skills necessary to live happier, more fullling and productive lives. Each class will explore the principles that govern the topic and will provide practical instruction designed to help you avoid frustration and disappointment, while working toward success and empowerment. There will be ample time for questions. >>

Meditation: The Basics and Beyond

Learn the basics of meditation stilling the mind, breathing, relaxation and then learn how to go into the realms of deeper meditation. This lecture teaches students how to ask questions and receive clear answers in meditation, and how to see aspects of themselves that they have not seen before. All experience levels are welcome. >>

Tools for Healing Depression and Anxiety

Major depression affects 15 million American adults each year, and about 40 million American adults suffer from anxiety. Modern medicine may treat these disorders but not cure them, but there is a way to completely heal. This lecture covers the root causes of depression and anxiety, and teaches students how to overcome them. >>

Spiritual Ways to Improve Your Work Life

In this lecture, students gain specic tools to improve their career through simple spiritual practices such as prayer, meditation and visualization. Students who have used these techniques have seen dramatic shifts in their work situations, which can include gainful employment, salary raises and better working conditions. >>

The Secret to Healthy and Happy Relationships

Its easy to fall into the same kinds of relationships over and over again. In this seminar, youll learn absolute musthaves to a healthy relationship as well as the most common mistakes people make in relationships. >>

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These lectures will be offered on a weekly basis beginning Monday, April 2. Registration is now open! Cost is $8 per lecture.

Gaining Control of Negative Emotions

This lecture helps students identify and understand negative emotions so they dont continue happening. These emotions include anger, worry, laziness, fear and sluggishness, as well as passive aggressive behaviors such as consistent tardiness or pouting when hard things are asked of you. >>

Overcoming Bad Habits and Addictions

Addiction is one of the most common issues that people deal with every day. In this lecture, students learn about the core reasons why addictions happen using a psychological, emotional and spiritual approach. Students then receive practical steps to overcome bad habits and addictions, as well as personal support for their own negative patterns. >>

Adding Spirituality to Your Yoga Practice

Yoga is a Sanskrit word meaning union with God, and began as a Hindu discipline aimed at training the consciousness for a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility. As yoga became more mainstream, however, it has also deviated from these spiritual origins into simply a physical exercise. Students interested in the spiritual aspects of yoga learn practical, hands-on ways to put the spirituality back into a yoga practice. >>

Attracting a Romantic Partner Who Shares Your Spirituality

If you have a devoted spiritual life, how do you nd a romantic partner? Isnt it hard enough just meeting someone who shares similar interests? Learn how to nd someone who shares the same love for God and spirituality.

>> For more information and to register, visit www.LightLectureSeries.com.

Conscious Movies at the Center of Light

March

Visions of a Universal Humanity & Humanity Ascending

Based on current scientic, social and spiritual realities and credible future probabilities, the optimism of VISIONS presents an alternative viewpoint to the doom and gloom Armageddon scenarios currently circulating. VISIONS is a movie that takes us beyond now, beyond 2012, into a future lled with innite possibilities. Humanity Ascending is a groundbreaking documentary series featuring author and futurist Barbara Marx Hubbard. This transformational lm presents vital elements to awaken the codes for our own conscious evolution and offers direction, meaning and a vision toward our birth as a new humanity. The donations accepted at this screening will support Sophia Peace Center (www.sophiapeacecenter.com), a spiritual retreat center dedicated to consciousness.

April

Thrive: What on Earth Will it Take?

THRIVE is an unconventional documentary that lifts the veil on whats REALLY going on in our world by following the money upstream -- uncovering the global consolidation of power in nearly every aspect of our lives. Weaving together breakthroughs in science, consciousness and activism, THRIVE offers real solutions, empowering us with unprecedented and bold strategies for reclaiming our lives and our future. The donations accepted at this screening will support Thrive: The Movement (www.thrivemovement.com), which is committed to assist humanity in thriving through the evolutionary challenges threatening our survival.

May

The Last Mountain

A coal mining corporation and a tiny community vie for the last great mountain in Appalachia in a battle for the future of energy that affects us all. The donations accepted at this screening will support I Love Mountains (www.ilovemountains.org), a group working to end mountaintop removal coal mining and countering Big Coals efforts to destroy the mountains 10 we love.
CentersOfLight.org

Ask Mother Clare

How to be more aware of God during the day, how to actively transform and how to peacefully co-exist.

How can we be active each day in our transformation so

that we can be more reliable? I know that tough times are coming and I wonder how can we stay focused on growing the strength that we will need?
GLORIA, OAKLAND

Mother Theresa said: Be faithful in little things because it is in them that your strength lies. She was so right about this! Take every opportunity each day to be faithful, reliable, hard-working in all the little events of each day. When the time comes to do greater things, you will be entirely in the habit of following through and being faithful. You will have grown strong enough to handle much larger challenges, and this will bring you great satisfaction and joy.

How can we be more aware of God in our everyday lives?

CAMILLE, MILWAUKEE

What will help people of different spiritual or religious beliefs to co-exist peacefully and respectfully?
JONAH, MILWAUKEE

A way to keep your awareness on God is to remember that God is everywhere and in everything and everyone. When you look at nature, see God smiling through each tree, each sunset, each little creature. When you interact with people, see if you cant see, feel and hear God moving through them, even when they have no idea of this reality. And when you pray each day for specic situations and relationships to change, know that they will, and watch in joyful expectation of what will happen. This way you will be interacting with God all day, and will nd yourself entering into a deeper and deeper love relationship with the One. The best thing people of different spiritual beliefs and religions can do to have peace between them is to appreciate what we have in common with each other. We can look at each others faith practices and learn enough about them to realize our common ground, and celebrate that common ground. And if we cannot nd anything in common we can at least appreciate that we want the freedom to practice our own way, and therefore we recognize the importance and right for others to practice their spirituality their way. Then we can have peace on earth.

Do you have questions? AskMotherClare.com

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Offerings
SERVICES
Sunday Service
Not your average Sunday Service! Experience spirit moving through songs, prayers, and powerful sermons that bring you into closer connection to God the God inside your heart, inside your soul, to the God within. Each Service begins with a silent meditation followed by a sermon relating directly to the spiritual needs of the community, nally culminating in a transformative Communion and personal blessing.

CLASSES
Introduction To Meditation & Christian Mysticism
Understanding the laws of the universe isnt easy, which is why the Centers of Light offer six sessions that explore the foundations of Christian Mysticism. Open to all, this class gives an overview of what Christian Mysticism is and what mystics do, and, most importantly, it offers participants a chance to experience the spiritual world rst-hand. There is no restriction on faith. You only have to believe that there is most likely a power and intelligence that is higher than human intelligence. No fee.

What is love?, or What is the Creator? are presented in a simple, practical way that allows students to understand, discuss, and contemplate their meaning. These ancient teachings are paired with powerful hands-on experiences, giving students a tangible way to connect to the reality of Gods spirit and power. This class is open to graduates of Introduction to Meditation and Christian Mysticism.

SEMINARS
Master Teacher Seminars
Seminars from the Master Teachers of the Order of Christ Sophia are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to receive spiritual teachings that can move mountains in your life. The old saying, one day with a Teacher is worth 200 years on your own applies to these enlightening and life-changing events. Experience it for yourself by checking the enclosed Schedule of Events or contacting a Priest at your local Center of Light.

Daily Meditation & Communion

The beauty of Gods grace can be experienced with meditation and Communion every morning of the week. We offer a 30 minute meditation followed by a reading and Communion service, which is a wonderful way to develop and deepen your meditation practice. There is no better way to start your day than to receive the love, light and peace of Jesus and Mary. All are welcome.

Bible Contemplation
It is a fairly common experience to read a passage from the New Testament and ask, I wonder what that means? Bible Contemplation at the Centers of Light helps unravel the deeper meaning in Jesus teachings by exploring our inner and outer life experiences and how they relate to the parables Jesus taught. As a result, class members discover how these teachings relate directly to their own lives and experiences. This class is open to graduates of Introduction to Meditation and Christian Mysticism.

Evening Prayers
All are welcome to join us at the end of the day with evening prayers and songs. Community members from the Centers of Light come together to thank God, Jesus and Mary for the blessings of the day and offer songs of gratitude and thanksgiving. Join us in spreading light into the world with this form of joyful devotion.

Tree of Life
The Tree of Life lessons are written for the purpose of unfolding the soul alchemically and opening up spiritual consciousness to the wisdom of God. Topics such as What is light?,

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Inner Peace Festivals Be the Peace

Ghandi said, Be the change you want to see in the world. The founders of the Inner Peace Festivals took that to heart and said, Be the peace you want to see in the world. True world peace is only possible through inner peace because what is inside of us manifests itself on the outside. When people begin to take individual responsibility for their own peace, we make quick progress. In fact, research has shown that when the square root of one percent of a given population prays or meditates together, the crime rate in the surrounding area plummets way beyond a level that could be attributed to other factors. The Inner Peace Festivals, which take place around the country, have become an annual tradition of communities gathering together in a joint effort to bring peace into their cities. In todays world, peace is a word that cant be taken lightly. More than 10 wars that cause 1,000+ deaths per year are occurring right now. If you look around, youll see angry drivers, short fuses and impatient workers sending that energy right out into the atmosphere. Its there, whether you can see it or not. How can world peace be possible with so much that is not peaceful going on in the world both on a global level and in our very lives? To be part of the solution, the Inner Peace Festivals were born three years ago. Each peace festival has its own unique way of doing this, whether its through guided meditation, light walks, drum circles or concerts. Come join us in this utterly important celebration of peace. Visit innerpeacefestival.com to view locations and schedules.

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10
No. 1 No. 5

Ways to Participate in the Glory of Creation

We are entering a time of new beginnings. Nature is alive in a celebration of life. This year, decide to be conscious of what you are ready to let go of and what you are ready to have blossom and come alive in you. Here are 10 ways you can be an active participant in this season.

No. 2
Choose a virtue to embody, for instance generosity or patience, and practice it daily.

No. 3

Choose a negative habit or pattern and replace it with something positive.

No. 6
Meditate at least 10 minutes each morning or night. Tune into love, life and light that is poured out to all things and let this love, life and light ll you up.

Look for opportunities to demonstrate kindness to neighbors, colleagues, friends and strangers.

Stop and smell the owers, literally. Let the beauty of nature connect you to God, the source of all beauty.

No. 4
Find a charity that you believe in and donate time or money to their cause every month.

No. 7
Pray for 5 people or 5 causes of peace in the world each day.

No. 8
When the season of Lent and Easter arrives, participate by letting what is negative die and what is positive and real in you rise up.

No. 9
During Lent, tune into Jesus great love that motivated the sacrice he made with his death and resurrection. Let yourself really feel how much you are loved.

No. 10
Practice gratitude by appreciating all that you have been given and all the goodness that is yet to come.

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The Holy Season of Death and Rebirth

The Lenten season is a season of cleansing and
purifying. It is a joyous and deep season in which we celebrate the heroic love of Jesus that has saved us from the sadness and heaviness of our separation from Gods love. We honor the gift of Jesus enormous love and sacrice with a presentation of love in return. When we connect to the hearts of our Masters, Jesus and Mary, we can feel how joyfully they give of themselves for our wellbeing. We have the opportunity in the Lenten season to practice this joy of giving as a reection of their perfect gift to us. Our fasting and abstaining during this season is not a martyred deprivation, but rather a heartfelt offering of love and appreciation. In addition, as we let go, clear out and prune the dead branches of our mental, emotional and spiritual life, we are preparing for the new life that comes at Easter. At the Centers of Light, we celebrate this season of Lent on a different schedule than other churches because we calculate the day of Easter based on the cycle of the sun rather than the moon. Our Easter celebration, calculated based on the placement of the Spring Equinox rather than Passover, brings forth the new life of spring after the death of winter. We invite you this Lent to participate in pruning away the old in order to fully experience the new life that comes with the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the new life he offers to everyone in this season.
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Lent

Our fasting and abstaining during this season is not a martyred deprivation, but rather a heartfelt offering of love and appreciation.

 is how to speak from my heart instead of my head. I did not feel judged by anyone in the community, which surprised me. I thought that I would be ostracized from the community after all my passive aggressive energy. Yet that did not happen, either. I waited and waited and still nothing. All I felt was love. How could this be? This really broke my heart open and made me want to have a second chance. My second chance came and I was invited to be a novice again at the Center of Light in Dolores. Even though it was what I wanted and prayed for, when I moved back in I realized that being a novice again was not something I wanted. What I wanted was a relationship with a guy I had been working with. I felt the right thing for me to do was to move out. So after only a week of being a novice, I moved out. I was relieved at rst and went right into dating this guy. I wanted a relationship because I felt the void inside of myself. I did not feel I had a close relationship to God and so I thought that if I was in a relationship, the guy would be able to complete that longing I had and I would be happy. What I found was that this guy was not at all able to complete the loneliness that I felt inside. I wanted to keep striving for a connection to God and did not want to be in a relationship with him. I ended things very quickly after it began and then I started to ask, What have I done? I had made a huge mistake. How could I have not wanted to live in a house lled with love? After speaking with my teacher, I learned that making mistakes was not a bad thing. That is how one learns. This was the most difcult thing for me to grasp. How can making mistakes be a good thing? I had accepted the fact that I may

not get another opportunity to live at the house. I left it up to God and Gods will. I was surprised to nd that God gave me another chance to be a novice again after all that had occurred. This really broke my heart open even more and I was overjoyed that God loved me so much to give me another chance. Since I moved back into the novice house, my life has changed in many different ways. The rst thing is that I am being an adult and taking on more responsibilities. I have realized that the only way to heal my wounds that have haunted me my entire life was to be vulnerable and share my feelings with the community. I learned that when I am being real and vulnerable, sharing my feelings comes naturally to me. I have felt the dishonesty within myself and have wanted to be honest one hundred percent of the time. When I am not honest, I give myself consequences. I have opened myself up to be taught by my teachers and allowed for them to love me. I am nding out who I really am as God created me to be. I keep feeling how much God loves me in order to give me this precious gift of having another chance.

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Life as a Novice: In Their Own Words

novice at the Center of Light in Dolores, Colorado, my life was a major mess. I moved in expecting others to take care of me because that was what I thought love was. I had difculty doing basic household tasks such as washing dishes or sweeping the oor. I was not interested in learning how to be an adult. My teacher showed this to me on several occasions and yet I refused to learn. I chose to be extremely passive aggressive instead. After ve months of this behavior, it was decided that it would be best for me to move out of the novice house. I was sad when I moved out. I felt God didnt love me and had abandoned me. I did not understand why this was happening to me. Yet moving out was the best thing that ever happened to me. What moving out has taught me is that God was there the entire time and totally loving me. I got the opportunity to learn how to grow up, which wasnt as scary as I had thought. It was actually kind of fun. I learned how to be in relationship with God and my community. The most important thing I learned and am still continuing to learn

A Third Chance When I rst moved in to be a

TERESA was born in Kiev, Ukraine. Her family immigrated to the United States in 1990. Teresa moved from Philadelphia, PA. to be a novice at the Dolores Center of Light March of 2010. She has a B.A in Sociology and is currently getting her Masters Degree in Social Work from University of Denver and is expected to graduate June 2012. Five of our 12 Centers of Light offer live in programs for committed students desiring to live in a modern-day spiritual community setting.

Spiritual Community
Our spiritual community are places where real, meaningful conversation can happen, thanks to the high level of integrity and honesty in every relationship. Spiritual community gives us the opportunity to learn, grow and support each other in our individual journeys to God, no matter how young or old you are, whether you are single or married, with children or not. Activities such as camping trips, movie nights, picnics and cookouts make spiritual community at the Centers of Light an even more dynamic and vibrant part of life.

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WANT TO LEARN MORE?

Sign up for a no-cost 6-week introductory series: Introduction to Meditation and Christian Mysticism. Gather with us on Sunday for a half hour of meditation followed by singing, a sermon, and Holy Communion. Call a Center of Light near you (see page 2). See the Schedule of Events inserted in this magazine for all classes, seminars, services and community gatherings. Event descriptions can be found on pages 10 and 12.

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CentersOfLight.org

Giving Birth to God is the autobiographical account of a modern Christian Master, Mother Clare Watts midwife, psychotherapist, and mother of four and her journey throughSu training schools and Yoga ashrams to nd a teacher who could bring her into knowing God.
Order it on www.MotherClareWatts.com.

Mystical Roses of Peace is a collection of the most powerful and transformational seminars that Mother Clare has given over the past decade. Full of inspiring devotion and practical wisdom, this book is a tried-and-true primer on bringing heaven into earth.
Order it on www.MotherClareWatts.com.

Retrospective is a compilation of Father Peters most beloved songs reinterpreted and backed by some of Chicagos nest composers and musicians. See how everything is made new in this fresh and inspiring collection.
Order it on www.FatherPeterBowes.com.

MotherClareWatts.com

Is There More to Life?

Centers of Light ONLINE can deepen your spiritual connection. We offer WORLD WIDE, in-depth studies through Skype, online classrooms and teleconference calls. Our multimedia web based classroom is lled with videos, seminars and recommended readings that will guide you on your journey to a deep and EVERLASTING relationship with God. Centers of light ONLINE also provides you with the one-on-one counseling sessions you need to go deeper into your meditative practices. Experience this new and SATISFYING way to live and join in the FUN now.
For more information email COLO@CentersofLight.org and visit Online.CentersofLight.org.