May 4th, 2013
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Metaphysical Healing

Master of Metaphysical Healing Essay
In taking this course in Master of Metaphysical Healing I quickly realized that it put my own faith, knowledge and beliefs to the test. This course has asked some very compelling questions and demands of me and although my answers may be only my perception, I will try and answer them in my final essay to the best of my honesty, belief and my own personal experiences.
As I have been blessed with my own successful practice for that past two years as a Spiritualist, conducting Angelic Readings, providing Spiritual Guidance, Past Life Regression as well as performing as a proven medium, I could have never dreamed there was so much more to learn. I became curious to the realms of Metaphysical Healing a few years ago when my daughter became violently ill due to a surgery she had replacing parts of her knee with a cadaver donor part. As I was sitting in on the consultation between her and her doctor I became extremely uncomfortable with the idea of her allowing them to place a stranger’s body part inside of her own body. As she was 18 and legally able to make her own decisions I pleaded my concerns to her but she didn’t want them to take her own parts from the back of her knee to replace what she needed as the healing process would be longer and more painful.
I asked the doctor if I could clear and bless the cadaver body parts. He could not allow this so I projected my healing and clearing light on the day of her surgery to the actual surgery room. As she lay there, waiting for them to come and get her, I had a sudden need to place my hands over my daughters head and as I did, I realized I was asking for permission and protection through the divine light of God. She became very relaxed and peaceful. She accredited this simply to a mother’s touch. I accredited this to – I had no clue what was going on but I felt a surge of love and strength flow through my hands as I thanked God for allowing my hands to be the conductor of this peace and serenity.
Two days after her surgery she became violently ill. She was vomiting and had a fever of 104. I rushed her to the hospital and they said she could possibly be trying to reject the cadaver parts or had contacted an infection. I was fear stricken. She was so very sick and incoherent. When the nurses left the room I walked behind the head of her bed and stood over her. I spoke in a whisper and told her if she could hear me to relax. I then told her I was going to ask God for his grace to heal her. I placed my hands over the crown of her head and then I moved my right hand down to her chest with my left hand on her head.
(I am right handed.) I somehow had a knowing of this infection. I asked for this infection to leave her body.
I asked for healing light to surge through her body taking the infection through my right hand and then allowing it to flow through me to my left hand and out through the crown of her head. I acknowledged that I was aware that I was simply a tool being used for this healing and that I would trust and accept whatever the outcome. I placed my trust completely within the divine and healing light of God.
Within about 15 minutes, she became wide awake and wanted to sit up. I told her to relax as I needed to clear myself of this infection. With her eyes still closed she asked,”Mom, what did you do?”
“I’m not sure,” I said, but I think I just conducted a healing. Her fever broke and she had no more nausea. When the nurses came in they said she probably just had a reaction to the anesthesia. They offered her juice but she was craving water. We went home an hour later. That was lesson one for me.
I ordered this course to learn what had happened to us that day. I wanted to learn what I had done that day and how I had done it. And then – during this course – another opportunity presented itself. This time it was my 30 year old son.
I was on Lesson 17 when we got a call from my daughter in law telling us that our son who is a bread man could not drive home and that he was experiencing terrible dizziness and numbness in his arms. She was going to pick him up from work and take him directly to the hospital as he was having symptoms of a heart attack. We met her at the hospital to pick up our grandchildren and went home. After they examined him they sent him home with a diagnosis of vertigo. He simply needed rest.
We took the kids home that night and I walked into my son’s bedroom and lay down next to him on the bed. I placed my right hand on his chest as he was sleeping and had a knowing instantly that they had missed something. I knew it wasn’t his heart. I trusted my reading capabilities but now needed to put my class knowledge to the test. I asked for permission to come into his space and as I received that permission I instantly felt a vibration from his stomach. I felt it looked like a yellow starburst, like a small sunshine in his stomach. I asked him if he had a stomach ache. He said no. and then – just as if someone had taken me by the face and screamed at me I knew he had a block in his stomach. I could see it. It made no sense to me at all as to why this would cause vertigo but I made him promise to ask our family doctor the next day to check his stomach. Our family doctor has known me for over twenty years and he is aware of what I do for a living. He doesn’t understand it – but I knew he would listen.
So, the next day, I was reading over my lessons beginning with lesson one making sure I of what I should be doing as my son was at the doctor and our doctor gave him the old once over and told him that vertigo was quite common and to take some time off. That is when my daughter in law told him that I wanted him to check my son’s stomach. Our doctor asked if I said this specifically and my daughter in law told him yes. Reluctantly, he asked my son to lie down on the table and my son was a bit embarrassed as he said you are kidding right? Our doctor simply told him that if he didn’t check his stomach that he would never hear the end of it from me.
So as he listened with a stethoscope for about three minutes, he then pressed on my sons stomach and he about came off of the table. Our doctor then turned and slammed his hand on the wall and exclaimed, “How does she do that?!!! He has a hernia!”
My daughter in law then whispered to him that I have a knowing. He exclaimed that I was a crack pot – but that I was a correct crackpot.
My son had a hernia that was about to burst and yes this will cause vertigo. And this was lesson two of many for me.
I have gone over my lessons in this class many times. I can not possibly retain all of the terms I need to remember as I use this wonderful class as a tool. I have conducted healing sessions in my session’s room and they have been successful although they have been very light healing such as a broken heart etc. Baby steps, but I don’t mind at all. I have printed out all of my lessons and I use it as my text book. And each and every time I read it I learn and retain something new.
This is a fascinating course and although I can not recite all I have learned verbatim, my hopes are that some day I will. However, my knowing of what and how to heal is there. I have learned how to identify and ground myself to listen.
It is my belief that terminal conditions do in fact exist and I think that we do have to acknowledge these diagnoses as the proof is in the pudding so to speak – however – we do not have to accept it. In other words, this diagnosis is true in that tests have revealed it is so and if this is our spiritual path out of this existence then so be it – but what if it isn’t? What if this is simply a plight or lesson for us at this time in our life – perhaps a test of faith if you will? If this is so, then I truly do believe this is where spiritual healing comes in. What do we have to lose?
Spiritual Healing in my opinion is all in the eyes of the beholder. Yes, I am aware that some do believe it is the work of the devil – whoever he is? I do all of my work within the divine light of God therefore – the devil as he is called – has no existence in my realm of healing. I have no space for him. He too – is in the perception of the beholder. I call upon God and my angels for healing, guidance and wisdom.
When I am asked if this treatment will cause pain and how does it work, I simply say, it has been my experience that spiritual healing causes no physical pain. As I am a practicing spiritualist I have only had the experience of observing emotional pain. Lots of tears flow in my session’s room and I believe that to be the body’s way of clearing emotional toxins from within one’s self. Not to worry, most healers have lots of hugs and tissues.
I do not believe that any one person has to believe in any thing or any one that you do not want to believe in, in order to be healed. However, it is more than obvious that they do believe that an illness exists inside of them, therefore, they do have a belief in some thing. That is key. It doesn’t matter what you yourself believe as much as it matters that you believe in something. I, myself believe in the divine light of healing and I can call upon my own belief to heal through my knowledge of my lessons learned through this course, faith, love and the divine light of God. I, myself allow my client to choose the ambiance they prefer to conduct our sessions, therefore, if they want candles and a darker setting – so it will be – and if they don’t – then we wont. I created my session’s room for the privacy and comfort of my clients. I can read and heal in a garage if need be. Confidentiality and complete serenity has been beautifully created for my clients comfort and privacy and they, themselves, choose what that environment will be.
As I believe that we are all here for a reason, the healers who have prescribed other treatments have done so for a reason. That reason is based upon past experience and history of possible recovery. Therefore, I am not one to criticize another healer whether they be a surgeon or doctor or???? A client’s treatment is a personal decision that only they can make. Sadly, I can not guarantee a cure, however, what I can offer is my gift of the belief that I can call upon a higher power to allow me to help and try to heal along with other healers and my fee is based upon what they can afford. It has been my experience that when we make this about money, then we take away from the true gift. Someone else who can afford it – will pay it forward. This has always been my belief and the way I conduct my sessions. Through the healing energy I have called upon based upon my faith.
The most precious gift we are given here in this place is time. That is our only risk.
Thank you for this most enlightening class that I will be studying for many years to come.
Many Blessings in Light and Love,
Marti Tote
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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.
As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it’s Seminary since its inception, I’ve had the privilege of watching the Seminary grow.
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May 3rd, 2013
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Druidism by Rev. Marc D. Graham

Master of Druidism

Thesis by
Rev. Marc D. Graham
Castle Rock, CO

THREE DRUIDS
While Druidism has been around for millennia, most of its adherents and practitioners are lost in the mists of time. Few of the ancient practices have been reliably transmitted, and our best records derive from invading forces and writers of folklore. Well‐meaning or otherwise, the tales, legends and histories that have survived to the present cast their subjects in the light of a Roman or Christianized culture, foreign to Druidic and Celtic society. Within the limitations of the available resources, this work will attempt to present an overview of the lives of three druids: one historical, one mythical and one speculative or apocryphal.


Taliesin
History records the works of the great bard, Taliesin, a British poet of the mid‐ to late 6th Century CE. Born near present‐day Caerleon, Wales, his home would have been near the Bristol Channel and the borders of Mercia and Wessex. Significantly, the period of his life corresponds with the time of consolidation of the Saxon conquest of Britain, when the Celtic Britons were pocketed in Wales (or Cymru) and Cornwall (Kernow) in the Southwest Peninsula.

Though belonging to the historical era, an account of Taliesin’s origins, recorded in the Mabinogion, places him in the company of the ancient gods, goddesses and heroes of Celtic mythology. In this version, the sage derives his wisdom from a magical concoction brewed by the witch Ceridwen, after which he embarks on a series of adventures similar to those of Fionn mac Cumhaill, the Welsh
Hercules. Outside of this fantastical account, little is known of the man called Taliesin.

The Book of Taliesin is a compilation of poems attributed to Taliesin, and dated to the 10th Century CE—three to four hundred years after the bard’s death. While there is some question as to the authorship of the poems (variations in style suggest multiple authors), historians agree that the bulk of the work could be that of one person. Taliesin may well have created the poems, which were handed down according to the oral tradition of the Britons, and finally compiled centuries after his death. Only slightly nearer in history to Taliesin, the History of the Britons is attributed to Nennius, the 9th Century Welsh monk. This pseudo‐historical work gives passing mention to Taliesin, along with several other British poets.

Beyond the legends, there is little to link Taliesin directly with Druidry. Indeed, by his time Rome (in the form of the recently‐departed Legions and the Church centered there) had effectively ended the age of the Druids. There are records as late as the 7th Century, however, that tell of the survival of some Druids in Ireland to that time. It is not a great stretch of imagination to suggest similar hold‐outs in remote Wales a hundred years earlier. What better position for a surviving Druid—in terms of both influence and protection—than as poet in the king’s court? Given the little that is known of the historical Taliesin, it is reasonable to place him among the Druidic class of Bards.


Merlin
Perhaps the best‐known Druid in the popular imagination is Merlin, famed magician and advisor to the mythical King Arthur. First popularized as Merlin Ambrosius in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain, the wizard is considered by scholars to be a composite character based on Myrddin Wylit, a 6th Century Welsh hermit, prophet and acknowledged madman; and Ambrosius Aurelianus, a 5th Century Romano‐British warlord who successfully fought the invading Anglo‐Saxons. Each of these figures dates from after the period of Arthur—now reckoned by historians as being contemporaneous
with the Roman withdrawal from Britain in 410CE—which would preclude either as being the great Sage of Camelot. In Gildas’s work On the Ruin of Britain, however, Ambrosius is identified as the victorious leader of the Britons against the Saxons at the battle of Mons Badonicus (Badon Hill). This has led some scholars to believe that Ambrosius may have been a model for Arthur himself, rather than his court magician.

Mythical stories of Merlin abound. In one account (borrowed from Nennius), King Vortigern is advised to sprinkle the foundation of a tower with the blood of a “child born without a father”, to stop the on‐going collapse of the tower during construction. The child Merlin fits the bill but, before he can be sacrificed, he reveals to the king the true reason for the tower’s collapse: a lake of battling dragons located directly beneath the foundation. Other legends tell of Merlin’s great wisdom and of his powers of prophecy, shape‐shifting, remote viewing and projection—all abilities attributable to a master Druid.

The legendary accounts imbue Merlin with a preternatural wisdom, derived from his being sired by a demon or incubus, but sanctified by baptism immediately following his birth. His wisdom and knowledge range from the natural world of plants, herbs and animals; to the very human world of politics, war and diplomacy; to the other‐worldly pursuits of divination, spells and prophecy. Though mythical, the Merlin thus described fits within the highest class of Druidry, the Druid himself.


Yeshua bar Yusuf
Better known to the world as Jesus of Nazareth, Yeshua bar Yusuf has been identified by some as a member of the order of Druids. Though the religion attributed to him was largely responsible for the demise of the ancient Druids, there is much in the history, legend and teaching of the Great Master to suggest an affiliation with the Celtic wise men.

Tradition holds that Yeshua’s uncle (possibly, great‐uncle), Joseph of Arimathea, was a trader in tin who made frequent trips to Cornwall on Britain’s Southwest Peninsula. Though generally considered
a rather common element—think “tin cans” and “tin foil”—tin is actually a precious metal, being the fourth in common usage behind platinum, gold and silver. (For comparison, Tin comprises 2.3ppm of the earth’s crust, whereas Uranium is found at 2.7ppm and Lead makes up 14ppm.)

The alloying of tin with copper to form bronze has been known since about 3500BCE. Its discovery gave the name to the Bronze Age—mankind’s first venture into metallurgy—and gave any society with knowledge of its secrets a great advantage over neighbors with only wood, stone or copper tools and weapons. During the Roman Era, Cornwall had been mining tin for more than 2000 years, and its importance to the Roman military machine (for the production of weapons, armor and statuary) cannot be exaggerated. Any merchant with a hold over the importing of tin would be a person of great wealth and influence. The scriptures and tradition suggest that Joseph of Arimathea was such a man.

Scripturally, there are two great gaps in the life of Yeshua—from birth (or infancy) to roughly twelve years of age; and from that time to his mid‐ to late thirties, when his ministry began. Much speculation has gone into what occurred during these years. The less imaginative (though not necessarily less accurate) suggest that the years were spent humbly serving in his father’s carpentry shop. Others suggest that the time was spent learning the great Secrets at the Library of Alexandria or among the Buddhist monks ofIndia and Tibet. Still others have hinted at the Druidic connection, via Joseph of Arimathea’s journeys of trade.

As an apprentice, young Yeshua might have accompanied his uncle from the age of seven. From the age of fourteen, he might have been capable of distant travel on his own. Regardless of the time frame, tradition and local lore place Yeshua in Cornwall at some point prior to his ministry in Palestine. In Did Our Lord Visit Britain? CC Dobson suggests that Yeshua did travel with Joseph of Arimathea to Glastonbury in Cornwall as a youth, later returning on his own “for the purpose of quiet study, prayer and meditation.” He quotes Gildas (see Merlin, above) as stating that Yeshua’s “light and precepts [were] afforded…to this island during the…last year of the reign of Tiberius.” This could refer to 37CE,
the year of Tiberius’s death, or—more likely—26CE, when Tiberius retired from public life.

Legend and tradition aside, the most compelling link between Yeshua and the Druids is in his teaching. Yeshua’s teachings resonated (and echo yet today) with the common people, yet confounded contemporary scholars of the Torah. Those learned men who pored over every nuance, strained every gnat in their study of the Law, choked on the camels so obvious to those with eyes to see. While the scholars debated whether or not it was legal to clap one’s hands on the Sabbath, Yeshua summed up the entirety of the Law in two sentences: Love God with your whole being; and love others as you love yourself. The Druids said, “Lord, thou art everywhere”; Yeshua said, “The kingdom of God is within you.” The Druids said, “Thou hast no need of prayer and sacrifices”; Yeshua said, “The Lord desires mercy, not sacrifice.”

Highly significant is Yeshua’s association with the Tree. The very name, Druid, is derived from the word for “oak tree”, and trees of all kinds were sacred to the Druids. Yeshua’s most obvious connection with the Tree is that of his crucifixion, but does the association go deeper? Though Yeshua is commonly portrayed as the son of a carpenter, the word used to describe Yeshua’s father is tekton (τεκτον). The Greek word can be used to denote a builder, architect or even Master Mason. That wood has been specifically linked with this generic term is meaningful. Additional ties are the Garden, or Grove, of Gethsemane and the crown of thorns. The hawthorn is a plant of significant import to the Druids, representing the month of April (the time of Yeshua’s crucifixion) and the color purple (the same as the robe with which the Roman soldiers mocked him). The hawthorn is also considered to be among the class of “peasant” plants, so its use in fashioning a crown carries an even greater insult.

While the evidence is speculative, connections can be made between Yeshua, his teachings and ministry, and those of the Druids. While his political and mystical leanings may relate to the order of Druid, his role as teacher, healer and counselor link him at least to the order of Ovate.


Conclusion
The three Druids presented here represent a cross section of historicity and likely role within the Druidic orders. While historical references are taken from many sources, much of the speculation is that of the author. It is hoped, however, that—whatever the reader’s personal beliefs and opinions—the thoughts presented here may lead toward new avenues of thought relative to the role of Druidry in the past and yet today.


 

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May 3rd, 2013
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ULC Spirit Quest By Rev. Jean Pagano

Spirit Quest Final Project

Spirit Quest is truly a remarkable course. It presents many tools and offers ways to use them that are both practical and simple. The results, however, and anything but simple – they are in fact quite profound. Of the many tools that were presented, I found two that I believe are most effective for me. These two tools are grounding cords and mock-ups.

The grounding cords were used for just that purpose – grounding. When negative or unwanted energies presented themselves, a grounding cable was to be dropped from the back of the head straight down into the earth. All of the negativity that was present was to be funneled down this passageway all the way down to the centre of the earth where it is burned up my the molten core of the planet.

For me, the trick was to recognize exactly where the need to use a grounding cord arose. Often times, when negative energy presents itself, it is hard to really focus on the notion of a grounding cord. But, with practice and results, I would suddenly think to myself “Hey! It is time to ground out this energy”, and I would drip the grounding cable and send the negativity straight down the cable into the waiting blast furnace. By burning away the negativity, it is dissipated; by bringing in a golden sun directly thereafter, any residual negativity that falls on us is burned away, transmuted, and purified.

Interestingly enough, there is, in my mind, a relationship between the molten blast furnace in the earth and the golden sun. They both really do the same thing, however, in one case we send things to be transmuted – in the other, we call the transmutation down upon ourselves for the same end.

Mock-ups are by far the most important tool in the Spirit Quest collection of wonders. The premise, as I understand it, is that if we can picture something in our mind’s eye, we energize it in such a way that it actually has potential. When we release that potential into the universe, we send it like a seed unto the winds until it finds fertile ground.

On a number of occasions, I used this technique to either help with projects I was undertaking at the time or to help with projects that are yet to begin. For example, in a job interview situation, where benefits or salaries are going to be discussed, mock-ups are best done before hand to try to “direct” the negotiations, once they commence. The most important thing is that one must picture it and then let it go. To dwell on it is to hold it back and then it will go nowhere.

The mock-up itself can be used in a variety of situations, and is very powerful. It is proof that Spirit moves in mysterious ways. The other interesting component is that the mock-up must have, at some level, a connection with the physical world. Can it be that our minds can affect the world around us? Seemingly so – it is hard to believe, but, I believe.

These are but two examples of the richness found in Spirit Quest. Each week was a different way of experiencing Spirit and deeper forays into the Spirit Quest that we all undertake when we look to further ourselves and our education. From chakras to time, to reincarnation, to many points along the way, this course is a wealth of practical exercises and essential information. Though the course is over and I feel that I have lost a good friend, the lessons will stay with me for a very long time.

By Rev. Jean Pagano


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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more.
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May 3rd, 2013
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Spiritualism

Universal Life Church - Spiritualism Course
An interesting concept from this course was the discussion about not being able to learn anything if you already thought you knew about it. This ties in with the concept of each of us finding our own path to god. Believing that we alone have the secret formula, the one true way to reach god, divides us from all others, when we should instead be recognizing and celebrating the gift of our own unique experience of God’s creation.
Much horror has been perpetrated in the world in the name of God. Believing that we alone know the truth is a very dangerous idea. It is only in recognizing that we are all travelers on the road, searching for the way to whatever our own concept of God may be, that can we be freed of the human ego trip of being right and justified in our actions.
The second concept I found of interest was the one about scientists in their white lab coats. The white lab coat being a form of spiritual dress for the religion of science rang a bell within me. I find this idea to be very true.
Western civilization has embraced the notion of reality being only that which we can demonstrate, prove and repeat under controlled conditions. The problem inherent in this is that we have no way of actually verifying or observing anything other than through our own senses. And by their very nature our senses limit us. A dog can hear and smell things that we can not perceive because of the limitations of our physical senses. Does that mean that what the dog smells or hears does not exist, because we can not hear or smell it?
That is the type of logic on which scientific experiment is based. More and more we are finding that as we create more sensitive devices we are detecting things that science did not admit the existence of in the past. How much of what we believe will be proven false by the very science that created our beliefs to begin with? We have latched on to science as the new religion although few would look at it in that way.
The interesting thing is that now the science of quantum physics has brought science back to the idea of God. Science is now demonstrating that the hard fast rules we thought the universe was working by are not so hard and fast as we thought. Quantum physics is not yet a household word. But as more and more people are confronted with it, we will be forced as a society to acknowledge that the spiritual has a real place in our lives.
As a minister I struggle with finding my place in the world. My life has been rich because of the spiritual dimension that gifts me with a true appreciation of how wondrous the world is and what a blessing it is to be alive, even in its most painful moments. But my own experiences and beliefs do not put me in a position of being able to counsel others on how they should approach life. I try to be open and listen, to perhaps point out things I see from my perspective. But, the ministry does not confer the right to impose anything on those who seek our help. It is many times difficult to stand back and be gentle, when the impulse is to rush in with what is after all, only my own opinion, the fruit of my own experience.
The ministry is both an opportunity and a burden in many respects. The opportunity lies is seeing the ministry as a prod to always examine what it is that motivates us. It gives us frequent pushes in the direction of self growth. The burden lies in the fact that it is a way to feed the ego. It is only too easy to succumb to the belief that as ministers we are closer to God than others are. The final lesson in this course spoke to that in a very real way.
We are all only fellow travelers, one no better than the other, just on a different road, at a different point in the journey. The only clear thing I can see is that our society is in a spiritual crisis, longing to find some meaning in our existence. If there is any place that I believe we as ministers can truly be of help, it is in reaching out and affirming that there is no one right way of finding God. We must all struggle to find our connection, and only in respecting each man’s right to choose his own path can we support each other.
Rev. Cynthia Boelens
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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.


As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church  minister supplies. Since being ordained with the Universal Life Church for so many years and it’s Seminary since the beginning, I’ve watch the huge change and growth that has continued to happen.



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As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it’s Seminary since its inception, I’ve had the privilege of watching the Seminary grow.
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May 2nd, 2013
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Spiritual Development Course

Noosphere (pronounced /ˈnoʊ.ɵsfɪər/; sometimes noösphere), according to the thought of Vladimir Vernadsky and Teilhard de Chardin, denotes the “sphere of human thought”. The word is derived from the Greek νοῦς (nous “mind“) + σφαῖρα (sphaira “sphere“), in lexical analogy to “atmosphere” and “biosphere. Introduced by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin 1922  in his Cosmogenesis“. Another possibility is the first use of the term by Édouard Le Roy, who together with Chardin was listening to lectures of Vladimir Vernadsky at Sorbonne. 1936 Vernadsky accepted the idea of the Noosphere in a letter to Boris Leonidovich Lichkov (though, he states that the concept derives from Le Roy).
In the original theory of Vernadsky, the noosphere is the third in a succession of phases of development of the Earth, after the geosphere (inanimate matter) and the biosphere (biological life). Just as the emergence of life fundamentally transformed the geosphere, the emergence of human cognition fundamentally transforms the biosphere. In contrast to the conceptions of the Gaia theorists, or the promoters of cyberspace, Vernadsky’s noosphere emerges at the point where humankind, through the mastery of nuclear processes, begins to create resources through the transmutation of elements. It is also currently being researched as part of the Princeton Global Consciousness Project.
For Teilhard, the noosphere emerges through and is constituted by the interaction of human minds. The noosphere has grown in step with the organization of the human mass in relation to itself as it populates the earth. As mankind organizes itself in more complex social networks, the higher the noosphere will grow in awareness. This concept is an extension of Teilhard’s Law of Complexity/Consciousness, the law describing the nature of evolution in the universe. Teilhard argued the noosphere is growing towards an even greater integration and unification, culminating in the Omega Point, which he saw as the goal of history. The goal of history, then, is an apex of thought/consciousness.
One of the original aspects of the noosphere concept deals with evolution. Henri Bergson, with his L’évolution créatrice (1907), was one of the first to propose evolution is ‘creative’ and cannot necessarily be explained solely by Darwinian natural selection. L’évolution créatrice is upheld, according to Bergson, by a constant vital force which animates life and fundamentally connects mind and body, an idea opposing the dualism of René Descartes. In 1923, C. Lloyd Morgan took this work further, elaborating on an ‘emergent evolution‘ which could explain increasing complexity (including the evolution of mind). Morgan found many of the most interesting changes in living things have been largely discontinuous with past evolution, and therefore did not necessarily take place through a gradual process of natural selection. Rather, evolution experiences jumps in complexity (such as the emergence of a self-reflective universe, or noosphere). Finally, the complexification of human cultures, particularly language, facilitated a quickening of evolution in which cultural evolution occurs more rapidly than biological evolution. Recent understanding of human ecosystems and of human impact on the biosphere have led to a link between the notion of sustainability with the “co-evolution” [Norgaard, 1994] and harmonization of cultural and biological evolution.
The resulting political system has been referred to as a noocracy.
American integral theorist Ken Wilber deals with this third evolution of the noosphere. In his work, Sex, Ecology, Spirituality (1995), he builds many of his arguments on the emergence of the noosphere and the continued emergence of further evolutionary structures.
The term Noöcene epoch refers to “how we manage and adapt to the immense amount of knowledge we’ve created.” 
The noosphere concept of ‘unification’ was elaborated in popular science fiction by Julian May in the Galactic Milieu Series. It is also the reason Teilhard is often called the patron saint of the Internet

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.
As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church  minister supplies. Since being ordained with the Universal Life Church for so many years and it’s Seminary since the beginning, I’ve watch the huge change and growth that has continued to happen.
Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar
As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it’s Seminary since its inception, I’ve had the privilege of watching the Seminary grow.
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May 2nd, 2013
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The Unvarnished Gospels by Rev. Blackman

Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
Gospel the four accounts at the beginning of the New Testament about the saving work of God in His Son Jesus Christ. The writing of four gospels introduced a new literary category into  literature. The Gospels are not true biographies, because apart from certain events surrounding his birth (Matt. 1-2; Luke 1-2); and one from His youth (Luke 2:41-52), they record only the last two or three years of Jesus’s life. Moreover, the material included is not written as an objective historical survey of Jesus’ ministry. The Gospel presents Jesus in such a way  that that a reader realizes that God acted uniquely in Him. The authors of the Gospel wrote not only to communicate knowledge about Jesus as a person, but also to call us to commitments to Him as Lord.
The Gospel produce four distinctive portraits of Jesus rather than exact photographic likeness. Thus, there are four Gospels accounts of the one gospel the good news of salvation.
Why, are there four versions of the same story? Why not one account? This question is as old as the church itself. Around A.D. 150, Tatian compiled a life of JESUS, called Diatessaron, by harmonizing the four Gospel. His contemporary, the heretic Marcion, attempted to resolve the problem by choosing on Gospel, Luke,and discounting the others.
The church, however resisted Tatian’s artificial life of JESUS and Marcion’s choice of one to Tatian and Maricaon, the church had accepted each of the four Gospels as a  faithful and complementary witness to Jesus Christ. The church adopted symbols for the Gospels-Matthews a lion, Mark an ox, Luke a man, John an eagle or variation thereof-from the fourfold witness to God in Scripture (Ezekiel 1:5;10:14; Rev. 4:7).
If one sets the four Gospels side by side, it becomes apparent that Mathew, Mark and Luke have much in common. Each Gospel arranges its material in a similar fashion,and each Gospel arranges its material in a similar fashion, and each Gospel casts the life of Jesus within the framework of  Galilean ministry that extended from Jesus baptism to His death, with emphasis on Hid final days.
Yours In Christ,
Andrew Blackman
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May 2nd, 2013
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Spirit Quest

I have really enjoyed this course but it took longer than I expected.  Being a single mother and trying to work and study it was not always easy to meditate and read the course work 3 times.  But I got there in the end. 

Since starting this course it has taken me on a journey.  I found a new partner who is spiritually minded and a Reiki healer and we have become engaged.  I have also given up alcohol and feel more comfortable in my sobriety. 

I have used some of the tools now in my new business.  I have coached 2 people who were suffering and I guided then to do meditation and look for the answers from within. 

I have started some great workshops where I do guided meditations and have used some of the techniques such as the roses and golden sun to aid me in this. I really needed the grounding cord information for this work.  I believe that meditating is where we will get all our answers.  I also use the Angel cards which always give people great answers.  I have a larger scale workshop planned in a few weeks in the local Hairdressers and have had to ask for some help from my friend a Reiki healer and another who is into Angel cards to assist me.  I will be doing a lot of goal setting and getting people to create there future and I will be opening and closing the evening with guided meditations.

Everything in this course I could relate to.  I have steered away from Reiki and working with healing energies as I feel it is my path to work with the mind.  I do more work with the subconscious mind.   I use the meditations, affirmations, positive thinking and creative visualisation.  Forgiveness is also something I apply to my work now.  I believe we create everything and if we don’t forgive this will fester and becomes an illness. 

I must say there was really nothing in this course that I didn’t believe in.  I had some knowledge of some of course but it was fabulous to read it through in a different perspective. 

I would like to thank ULC for everything they have given me.  And I wish you all the love and joy you could wish for. 

Rev. Yvette White

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Many people get ordained through the Universal Life Church as a means to become wedding officiants, but also to study through our online seminary. If you need minister supplies or online ceremonies, we have a wide selection to choose from, as well as a place for spiritual articles and spiritual bookmarks. If you need any assistance in any area of your ministry, please feel free to contact amy@ulcseminary.org and we’ll give you all the help we can. Visit our FB Page at ULC Seminary.
As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it’s Seminary since its inception, I’ve had the privilege of watching the Seminary grow.
spirit quest, spirit quest course
May 2nd, 2013
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DRUIDISM

I would first like to thank Amy for all her hard work. I really enjoyed this course. This course brought a lot of insight to me. I never learned much about the Druids, but I have had knowledge of some Celtic history. I liked the history of the Druids.

This course started with the history of the Druids. The first accounts or known records of the Druid Society came about in the time of ancient Rome around 400’s BCE. This was near the Black Sea. The accounts by Roman historian’s show that Druids were not true a religion, but rather a Society of people in the midst of pre-Christianity. They were a professional culture located in various sections of the Celtic Nations of Western Europe and the British Isles.
Among the tribes there were three classes of men or women held in special honor: 1. The bardoi (bards) who were the singers and poets. 2. The ovateis (ovate) who were the interpreters and seers of sacrifice and natural philosophy. 3. The druidai (druidic) who, in addition to the science of nature, also studied moral philosophy.

The Druids followed much of the Celtic cultures and ways of life, by their Celtic Wheel of the Year, or Sabbats and their Religious faith. From the Celtic Tree of Life they found their knowledge for everything continued in a circle, and everyone within the cycle had a connection. Animals, plants, water, sky; it all joined together to create a rhythm and harmony that still exists in the Druids Society today.

There are people, still today, that believe that Christianity or other religions are not for them, but they want religion in their lives. They believe Celtic spirituality is a viable and healthy alternative for them.

I enjoyed learning about the traditional areas of the Druidic practice. There is no initiation into any of these groups. I didn’t find any part of this course that I disliked. I must talk a little about the groups in the Society, because it was so fascinating.

The Bards were musicians, and poets who sang or told the history, laws and heroic tales. They were seers, diviners, dream-weavers and word magicians. Bards were “the keepers” of tradition, of the memory of the tribe. They were the custodians of the sacredness of the Word. They were educated for many years, some 12 to 20 years.

The Ovate conducts prophecy and divination, the healing arts and awareness of the Otherworld. They learned the power of seeing and envisioning. They seeked understanding through the study of herbs, plants and the physical healing energies of the earth. They worked with the processes of death and regeneration. They specialized in divination, conversing with the ancestors, and prophesying with the future.

The Druids were the leaders of the society. They were admired for their long education. Some training took 20 years. The Druids are teachers, modern day priests, ambassadors, astronomers, genealogists, philosophers, musicians, theologians, scientists, poets and judges. They also lead all public rituals.

The Celtic’s had over 56 major Gods and Goddesses. They were very interesting. I would like to have known how to pronounce some of their names.

One other area of interest was their Celtic Tree Calendar. It was based on the moon. The Druids revered all things in nature, so to know your moons, your trees and alphabet helped you in harvesting and celebrating good times to marry.

This course has so much information, everyone will enjoy taking it. It is a must course to take.
Blessings to you all,

Rev. Nancy Rutledge

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.
As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it’s Seminary since its inception, I’ve had the privilege of watching the Seminary grow.
druidism, free online seminary, metaphysics, online ordination, online seminary, religion, seminary, seminary program, ulc, ulc seminary, universal life church , , , ,
May 2nd, 2013
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Comparative Religion

Comparative Religion Course
The Comparative Religion course offered by the Universal Life Seminary filled in so many gaps for me and deepened my knowledge of the various great religions in so many ways.
I found a great benefit in the exceptional time spent in clarifying the specific definitions of terms and deities, the immensity of holidays and exactly what they mean, and the exact truth about the foundational beliefs and history of these great religions.
I have studied and practiced all the great religions over the years in depth yet this course made the deeper truths more tangible to me. Taking this course was also quite humbling as well and I felt I had a solid knowledge of most great religions but after studying and practicing this material, I realized that I truly did not. The exercises brought a lot of home inside of me in a real way, in a way that was both informatively experiential and in a way that I enjoyed doing. It deepened my own relationship to internal spirituality; clarifying some things, dropping others, slightly adjusting others… I feel like my own spirituality has grown from these courses as has my ability to be service to my clients as a spiritual advisor and teacher.
I have been involved deeply in many of the great religions, inducted into Sufism by Sheik Nur, personal teachings by Tibetan Lamas Sogyel Rinpoche and His Holiness Jamgon Kongtrul, the emanation of Manjushri, and more as I was under the personal guidance of the world famous scholar Dr. Lex Hixon for 10 years, a PhD from Columbia in Comparative Religion and author of many best sellers like “Coming Home” a book describing the Experience of Enlightenment as seen through all the religions. This course gave me much needed details and a deeper background which explained the actual spiritual practices I was involved in a way that I could take the practices deeper inside myself and to my students. I feel that prior to this course that I have haphazardly thrown around knowledge improperly for years. I feel so much more confident in the fullness of my knowledge now. There is a satisfying feeling after having taken this course. And I am inspired to take more courses from the Universal Life Seminary because of it. The 4 Gospels and the Druid course are next for me. I also loved the comparison/similarity theme/approach that she uses so regularly. Using direct comparison all the time is so different from taking just one course on one religion and then the next courser on another as I have taken them in the past. Her approach allowed my mind to see the similarities and the differences really clearly which I loved because my work involves teaching primarily that there are basic similarities found in all religions and that they are the wanting the same thing at their core. Being a student of all religions, the unifying nature of this course made me smile a lot, expand my awareness, and open my mind to places I had not gone before taking the lesson. It was very interesting, informative and not dry at all. I looked forward to every lesson.
I would have preferred proceeding at my own pace which would have allowed me to be connected more to my own flow of learning which is how I excel best and retain the most information
I would have loved to have been able to talk with other students and have live discussions on the topics. I would have loved a forum so all who were taking the classes could chat online and exchange opinions etc. and have the teacher available for commentary also.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this course and am grateful for having taken it. I learned so very much. I especially loved the graphics and the exercises. The exercises helped the material become real for me and I have passed this site and some of the exercises on to my own students with great success.
I am very interested in taking more courses from Kathryn as I thought she was an excellent presenter as she kept my interest with her attention to detail and all the graphics. I loved the use of the graphics. Keeping one interested in the material is an art form and I think she did a damn good job of it.
With Great Love and Respect,
Rev. Beverly Marie Bright
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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.


As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church  minister supplies. Since being ordained with the Universal Life Church for so many years and it’s Seminary since the beginning, I’ve watch the huge change and growth that has continued to happen.



Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar
As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it’s Seminary since its inception, I’ve had the privilege of watching the Seminary grow.
metaphysics, online ordination, online seminary, seminary, ulc, ulc seminary, universal life church , , ,
May 1st, 2013
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Gnosticism

Final Essay :  Gnosticism
Submitted by Ernest Kayorie

After the completion of the extensive and sometimes tedious reading associated with the course, I would like to state that this has been an extremely informative course.  While the subject is very interesting, it can be off setting because of the numerous definitions and oftentimes convoluted concepts.  In many ways, it has involved  learning a new vocabulary. She uses many resources to present the various topics and information important to a proper understanding of the subject.  The most important part of the course for this writer was the summation because it brought together many of the ideas presented throughout the course.

The idea that Gnosticism was and is a distinct pre-Christian movement certainly makes sense and comparisons between Christianity and Gnosticism should be based on that concept.  Oftentimes, one gets the distinct impression that Gnosticism was  and is viewed as a aberration of Christianity.  This belief system  attempts to relate the story of man’s origin and how the known universe came to be. It also relates how that universe continues to unfold.  This explanation is no different than the accounts in the Book of Genesis or any other creation story/myth with all  variations on how the universe came to be.

Gnosticism presents ideas on the never ceasing potential that exists within man.  It states that man strives for union with that part of him/her that is divine and immortal.  The belief in the limited  aspect of deity that was represented by the Jewish god, Yahweh was challenged by Gnostic wisdom because it saw man has a being of perfection who was simply attempting to return to or remember its rightful place in the universe.  Gnosticism presented a lofty alternative to the  small/petty cultural deities who were prone to human emotions.  Who says we don’t create gods in our image? 

The fact that this search for gnosis (wisdom) was existent at the time of the writing of the gospels and was prevalent throughout the known world is not surprising.  Traditions tracing their origins prior to anything Christian (Hinduism, Buddhism) share their secret wisdom with those who are able to understand.  What that truth entails is expressed differently in every culture and, at the same time, it shares commonalities which are self evident.  The teachers of wisdom and the seers who share the responsibility of  bringing this secret knowledge to those who wish to hear were certainly familiar with the ideas presented.   The fact that some of these Gnostic ideas influenced the writings that found their way into the canon of the fledgling organization that was to become the “Church” also should not be surprising.  The placing of what came to be known as Gnostic thinking on heretical lists is also not surprising.  The knowledge presented within Gnostic texts was not for the commoners.  It was too heady and convoluted and also it gave too much potential/power to everyman. Gnostic thinking continued to have influence throughout the growth of  western thought and is certainly a factor in establishing our ongoing quest of finding out who we truly are.

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Many people get ordained through the Universal Life Church as a means to become wedding officiants, but also to study through our online seminary. If you need minister supplies or online ceremonies, we have a wide selection to choose from, as well as a place for spiritual articles and spiritual bookmarks. If you need any assistance in any area of your ministry, please feel free to contact amy@ulcseminary.org and we’ll give you all the help we can. Visit our FB Page at ULC Seminary.
As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it’s Seminary since its inception, I’ve had the privilege of watching the Seminary grow.
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