Final Essay for Master of Mystical Christianity Course

Final Essay for Master of Mystical Christianity Course;   The Master of Mystical Christianity course has had impact on my spiritual thought, prayer life and academic knowledge. I found much of what Mother Maryesah Karelon OMM taught through the lessons to be thought provoking.  The format of Questions for the Heart and Mind inspired me to view the lessons with prayer and reflection, as well as from the academic point of view.   The lessons clarified issues which had been in my mind at the start of the course. In the first lesson, I realized just how important the Scriptures and Sacred Writings are for me. They are my daily spiritual bread. I now have deeper understanding of further dimensions to the Genesis story after studying the teaching of Mother Maryesah. This has been reflected in the blog post I wrote; http://churchinterfaith.blogspot.com/2012/04/in-beginning.html   The second lesson highlighted for me the necessity of ecological respect as a part of spirituality. The third lesson deepened my understanding of each of us being called through the inspiration from God to be priest, prophet and king in our personal lives.   As the course progressed, I learned much about Gnosticism and other movements in spirituality over the years. I relived experiences in myl life through reflection on the lessons and questions. I learned more about myself and my personal spiritual road. I understand more clearly now that God has had a plan in my life, while leaving me free to make decisions.   I realize how important Jesus Christ is to me, and just how much I love and admire Him. Reflections about His Life as put before me by Mother Maryesah led me to spend much time in reading the Bible and Sacred Writings. The understandings I came to during the courses are beneficial resources to me in my ministry.   I derived much benefit from learning more about the mystics Julian of Norwich, Meister Eckhart and Teresa of Avila. The writings of the mystics seemed so difficult in the past for me to understand; Mother made them simple. The mystics are simply writing about their experience. The further we move in spirituality, the more we understand of how God moves profoundly and deeply within our souls as He leads us to growth and wholeness. God leads us to reincarnation of our inner selves as we constantly grow in our spirituality.     The teachings of Mother Maryesah on the mystics inspired in me the thought that God manifests full intelligence in harmony with compassion and emotional intimacy. God is able to reach out to all without over harshness or over emotionality. God is thus balanced, and I believe upon completing the course that it is our life's work to continue to seek harmony within our personal beings.   The overriding lesson I have learned from Master of Mystical Christianity is the reality that: God is not outside me. God is not at the end of a long life road God is not in another heaven that I must move forward to attain. God is within me, and has always been within me. In the final lessons of Mother Maryesah I reflected on all I was learning. I realized that I I simply need to turn within and contemplate the God Who has been in my heart, soul and mind all the time I have been seeking with Him without.  "The kingdom of God is within you," Luke 17;21. (The great Jesus)  "You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you." (Augustine, Late have I loved Thee)

ULC Mystical Christianity Course

 

Questions For the Heart and Mind for the Mystical Christianity Course

1. Have you worked with the chakra energies of your body and if so, what have you learned and experienced? Yes, I worked with the chakra energies of my body as directed by Doctors in India when I was seeking healing after a car accident which had affected my mobility and health. The Doctors enabled me to work with the chakras, and also prescribed prayer as well as medication and therapy. I carried out the same; and experienced much healing. What I learned was that each person has energies within themselves which is linked up to the Great Energy of God. God is aware at every moment of what is happening to each one of us; and within illness there are lessons to be learned. I learned patience and acceptance of what happens in my life, and I also learned to totally trust and depend on God.
2. What have you been taught about the role of sexuality? How has that affected your life and your spirituality? I was taught that sexuality is a gift from God enabling the giving of true sincere love from one to another, sometimes bringing forth a further loved one/s. I was further taught that the gift of love should be shared in exclusive, faithful and ongoing relationship between two people who accept the power of the Divine in their lives. This has affected my life and my spirituality in that I regard intimacy as a great gift to humanity from the Wise Creator God. I believe that loving another more than oneself teaches many lessons of deepening love, selflessness, steadfast loyalty especially in the tough times in a relationship, and forgiveness.
3. How have you encountered your shadow self? Is your shadow your enemy or your friend? If an enemy, what do you need to do to bring reconciliation between you? I believe I encountered my shadow self - which contained much fear - after a car accident some years ago. The resultant time of healing after the accident brought my deeper self to the surface, and I emerged from the experience a different person. My shadow self is now my friend; my fears faded as I experienced deep and true support from Jesus Christ, and the shadow of my fear developed into the quiet strength of knowing the Lord is, indeed, my strength, my rock and my refuge.

Catherine Whittle

Universal Life Church