By Rev. Heather L. Boyd
I have given a great deal of thought to exactly what I wanted to express about this spirit quest and how it has effected my life, because it has made an effect. I guess the first thing I want to express is my lack of belief in reincarnation. I believe that when you die you go to heaven and all of your loved ones who have passed on before you are there to greet you when you arrive. I look forward to that as there are some people who have passed, both family and friends that I miss greatly. Because of this deeply ingrained belief, I had a difficult time with some of the lessons surrounding this particular topic. I do have to admit though, I did enjoy wondering about the souls around me a trying to guess how old they would be under the guidelines given, "and so and so must be a new soul", etc. Imagination is a fun tool. I know little to nothing about Karma and Chakras and found that these areas interested me. I would like to explore them more. As my grandmother always told me, "the day you stop learning you die".
The central idea of meditation was the most valuable part of the course for me. From this study I learned that I was stuck in a rut. I had a great deal of negative energy in my space and a very negative individual creating more and more negative energy in my space all the time. This course helped me to take a look at my future, from where I was standing at the time, and make a decision to either follow the path already laid out before me or to step off that path into the unknown and see where that takes me.
When I looked down the path I was already traveling, I noticed that the unhappiness and the constant dire struggle I was experiencing probably would not end any time soon. I was a smoker, drank what most people would consider to be too much and over-weight. My husband offered me no support as a spouse; in fact he was more prone to doing a little sabotage. So . . . I stepped off the path.
In June of this year I quit smoking and when that went I noticed I didn't need the alcohol either. I never realized how much time these bad habits consumed. I began eating a more healthy diet and to date have lost 15 pounds. I separated from my oh-so negative husband of seven years and we will be getting a divorce. I am in the process of cleaning my home from top to bottom and redecorating, painting, etc. along the way. I have picked up a new hobby, photography and I have time now to spend with my family. Unfortunately, the isolation in which I lived with my husband has resulted in my not having any close friends, but I am looking to remedy that situation. I have more time to spend with my son, who has an autism disorder, and help him learn the tools he needs to succeed in life. I am relearning the concept of playtime.
I found the meditation, when I could do it, was soothing and created a center within me from which I could objectively proceed back out into the world. I try to meditate now when I can, and plan to do it more often once things become a little less hectic. I am rearranging my bedroom with the goal of creating a corner in my world where I can go to "unplug". This involves painting the walls a nice relaxing color, eliminating clutter, rearranging the furniture to give me space for a new chair. I am planning on getting one of those zero-gravity chairs where I can sit and really relax and listen to my relaxation CDs by candle light. Overall, my outlook on life has changed dramatically. I am happier, I am more positive, I am calmer, I have more time to devote to the things that really matter and I know that I need to make myself one of those things. Here's to the future!
********************************************
As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. As an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've enjoyed watching the continual growth of the seminary.
