Unity Movement: A Sacred Space | Rev. John Riley

Here’s my heart, Lord, how may I pray with you? How may I pray with you? These six words are really the cornerstone, the centerpiece of the Unity movement. It is certainly part of the Unity culture as it began over 130 years ago. In 1889, the co-founder of the Unity Movement, Myrtle Fillmore, got together with some friends and acquaintances to pray, to hold sacred space, to lovingly listen and to affirmatively prayer. Now, it was so popular that the group began to expand. They changed their names a few times, and by 1907, they added the telephone. In 1927, it became a 24 hour, seven day a week prayer ministry.

And today, 134 years later, they answer two to 3 million prayer requests every day, simply asking the question, how may I pray with you today? Now, prayer is the centerpiece of the Unity movement. Prayer is that practice, that application of raising our consciousness. And it’s, it’s so fundamental to what we believe in Unity. But it’s not just any prayer. Yeah, the the headset device isn’t working for Paul over here. Maybe Paul, if you have a chance, where was I? Praying? Praying. Who’d fought. It’s a centerpiece of what we do, but it’s not just any prayer, it’s affirmative prayer. So what is affirmative prayer and what does it really mean? Well, in shortcut, affirmative prayer is how we get into oneness consciousness.

The Purpose of Affirmative Prayer

It’s how we get into that state of consciousness where we’re living from that every moment of the day. I love Eric Butterworth. In one of his books, the late minister and author, he wrote, metaphysics is a way of thinking and a way of praying, because prayer is that sense of, is a higher form of thinking. So Butterworth said this, he says, prayer is conditioning your life with the activity of God, the activity of spirit, the energy, the movement, the flow of the allness of life, causing a change in your tendency and your consciousness and your awareness. Now, that’s a little different than the prayer we grew up with, isn’t it? It’s not beeching, it’s not asking, it’s really just affirming. This is where we’re at. This is who I am. It’s affirming that truth so that we can live more from that consciousness, as Butterworth says. So you can acknowledge that which already is you’re already, that there’s nothing you need to do to become that. You just have to switch it on a affirm affirmative prayer gets us into the realization that God, that spirit, that allness is present. It is the allness. It is the allness that is within you, and that you and I exist as in each of that allness. Now, I love the metaphor that butter Butterworth uses, and I’ve adopted it as my own. So someday I’m gonna stop quoting him. I’ll just say, that was me.

Probably not. But he talks about God as within us, that that energy, that that allness is within you, like the ocean is in the wave. Yes. There’s no separation. It’s just the wave thinking. It’s a, it’s its own thing. And each of us are the expression of the ocean as a wave. So the allness of God, the allness of the universe of life, love and wisdom, whatever you want to call it, right? Divine mind, isness, the universe, the force, Abba, father loving presence is the allness of life. And you’re it tag. We live in divine mind. We live in divine mind. And affirmative prayer is the practice that helps us get into the consciousness of that which already is. It helps us get into the consciousness of living from that higher self of living. From that, we might call it the Christ consciousness or your divine spark, or your better self. You, I like to call it my authentic self. That’s really who I am. That’s the essence of me. And affirmative prayer is not trying to get more from life, to get more love from God, to get more stuff. But instead it’s helping you to know your oneness.

Raising Consciousness

Now through this and, and raising consciousness. Raising a consciousness. And what does that really mean? Well, in unity, we talk about four different phases of consciousness. We talk about it as the victim consciousness, the victor consciousness, the vessel consciousness, and the verity consciousness. And right off the bat, we’re all it, right? It goes through all of us, and it will go in waves through us at all, at all points in time. That’s called being human. Uh, and I love the way, uh, um, Michael Beckwith talked about these four phases of consciousness. The victim consciousness is really the consciousness of, to me, right? Things happen to me. This stuff is happening to me. That other person is doing something to me. God is doing something to me, and I am simply the, the recipient of what is happening out there. It’s all directed at me. That’s the victim consciousness. And it’s a dualistic consciousness because everything is located out there. Then there’s the victor consciousness with which Beckwith calls by me.

Dualistic Consciousness

And those two victim and victor consciousness, you know, we kind of flip flop on those, right? Well, this person did this to me, but I’m gonna do this and I’m gonna win. And that’s the victor consciousness. Things are done by me. It’s very egoic, right? It’s the ego being in charge and saying, I’m gonna do this and I’m win. I’m the winner. And if I’m the winner, what are all you? Hey, I didn’t say it. That was you. And then there’s the vessel consciousness. And the vessel consciousness is where the ego says, well, wait a minute. There’s this energy that I don’t understand and it’s just coming through me. And that’s the through me word that Beckwith uses. It’s coming through me. It’s not me. It’s coming through me. And that is also dualistic consciousness.

It’s better than being the victim victor. Yeah. But we’re still not owning our true self. We’re still not owning that spark of divinity. We’re not owning that divine consciousness. It’s still a dualistic consciousness where we’re, and it can be egoic, you know? Hey, it wasn’t me, but I’m the only one that could do it. So vessel is still, it’s, it’s allowing that energy to flow, but it’s not taking ownership of it. It’s not saying, yes, this is who I am. I’m, I’m authentic in it. And verity is our oneness consciousness. And Beck Beckwith calls this the as me consciousness where I’m living this expression of, of divine energy. And it is expression as this ness, which is me fully. And it’s where my, my ego is still there cuz it’s talking about it, but it’s taking the backseat. It’s now along for the ride. So this is how it shows up for me. I know when I’m in that state of consciousness is that I’m letting go of the efforting in life. Yes, there’s still stuff for me to do. Yes, I still have my my to-do list. I still have my goals. I still have to do laundry.

Being Able to Make Choices 

I still have to feed the cats and clean the litter box. I still have to do all of those things in life. I, well, actually, I don’t have to. Did, you know, I don’t have to do that. It’s gonna be pretty smelling my house after a little while. But it’s my choice. I choose to do that. And the way I know I’m in verity consciousness is that I just let go of the efforting. And I do these things that I, that are mine to do with ease and grace. And I and I, when, when there’s a choice or decision to be made, it’s like Margot’s saying, I let go. Here I am Lord, show me the way that divine consciousness is, is coming through me, as me, as I express it. And so it’s affirmative prayer helps us get into that state of understanding, of knowing our want.

Steps of Affirmative Prayer

This knowing that the ocean is not separate from me. And in the same way you and I are not separate. We are, we are one. And that’s severity, consciousness, that’s the “as me” consciousness. Now, Unity offers a prayer practice, a prayer practice for us to, to move through. And there are many ways to achieve this, uh, level of consciousness. And, and for me, it’s a lot of, it’s through meditation and affirmative prayer and non efforting. And I’m getting, and I get there. But here’s the practice that we, that we offer. It’s a five step practice and it begins with relaxation and release. Relaxation and release. So whatever you’re, whatever you’re thinking right now, whatever stress or strain you have, just relax and release it. That’s not always an easy thing to do because that story keeps coming back up, right? So again, we bless it and we release it.

We just allow it to drift away. Like clouds in the sky, not efforting, right? Not trying to wipe it away. Just say, oh, there it is. Notice it. It’s like, oh, look at that pretty cloud. I’m just gonna let it drift by. So it’s a releasing and it’s a relaxing. And then we move into the second step, which is meditation. And meditation takes many forms. The one that I like, I’ll often, you know, focus on my breath. A mindful breath meditation where I’m just focusing on the breath coming in, focusing on the breath, going out. I might use an affirmation. I am at peace. I am a peaceful expression. So drawing in the love of the universe, expressing that in there. And we go into meditation until we get to the silence.

The silence is the product of meditation. When we stop thinking and we’re just being, and we’re being in the presence of the allness and in the silence. And you may be in the silence for hours at a time. You may be in a silence for moments at a time. But when you touch that silence, there’s an experience of like the daily word said, free. It’s like, ah, I’m there. Oh, that was my ego. I’m not there anymore. Go back into meditation. Now the Fillmores did this practice for hours at a time. Myrle Fillmore did it for six hours a day. I think it was as she was focusing on the healing energy of love flowing through her. And Charles Fillmore did it cuz he was the thinking guy cuz he wanted to figure it out, right? So he, he meditated for hours at a time. And you know, I don’t know, Fillmore said he got answers through sleep. I don’t know that that means he fell asleep during the meditation.  I don’t think it matters, let me just say that.

But after the silence, when you’re at that state of consciousness, verity consciousness comes affirmative prayer where we are affirming the truth of who you are. It’s that simple, affirming the truth of who you are. Not affirming what’s lacking in your life, not wishing for more stuff, cuz that’s coming from a place of lack, but seeking first the kingdom of God as the master teacher said, which is oneness. And then all things are added unto you. So allowing that oneness just to be, and allowing that to guide you through your life, through every day. How would your life be different if before that meeting, before that difficult conversation with that someone where you got into that state of consciousness first and then approached the conversation, would it be a little different?

And then the fifth step in affirmative prayer, the five step process is gratitude. Having a felt sense of gratitude. Thank you. And all things will be added unto you. Eric Butterworth said this, you have the allness of the infinite process of God ever within you. Spirit is always there flowing. That energy is always moving and it is his good pleasure to give you the kingdom. It’s all present. And all you need to do is throw the switch, is say yes, is to practice it, is to accept it and then to be as it. So affirmative prayer is being in the state of oneness consciousness and affirmatively praying with others is holding that principle, that truth with someone.

It’s just holding that consciousness because we’re all one. So you can hold that consciousness for another one, even if they can’t, even if they’re somewhere in victim or victor or verity consciousness or wherever, wherever they’re at. And we’re all gonna get there. Yeah. So it’s not just, you know, it, it’s being the, with the intention of being more present and being that affirmative, uh, piece for them. So praying with someone is being the presence of love with another as they release their concerns. Praying with someone is being a tuning fork for another. As they begin to focus their mind, it is holding a oneness consciousness with another, without any judgment, without any dialogue, just holding that consciousness. And it is affirming truth with one another. And by truth we mean the truth of their being. Not the little ‘t’, which is, you know, based on complete story and fiction, but the truth of their being. And then finally praying with another is affirmatively playing with another. Is giving thanks with one, with one another. So you can be in that state of gratitude, be in that state of awareness.

How May I Pray With You?

How may I pray with you? Does that give it a little different feeling? How may I pray with you? It is a sacred, sacred experience for those who have done it. And of course they say, when you pray with someone, you’re also praying for yourself. How may I pray with you? This is the centerpiece and the sacred work of the prayer ministry here at Unity Palo Alto. Your prayer requests that come in online or in our prayer are held in sacred space and prayed for prayed. I pray with you in it throughout the month. And then I send it to silent Unity, where, where it is held in prayer space for another 30 days, affirming. They don’t read it, they just affirm because there’s no need to read it. The universe already knows. And today we are blessed as a spiritual community because today we are expanding our prayer, uh, ex ministry here with the prayer, chaplain installation and dedication ceremony. And that’s what we’re going to do right now. So I’m gonna ask our new prayer chaplains to come up onto the stage.