Thoughts Are Things
100 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 5 years ago - ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsThe expression of our lives are the sum of our thoughts and beliefs. Do you want to change your life? Begin by changing your thoughts and beliefs. Explore why life is the way it is and what can be done to change it... if that is what you want!
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Just Ask
May 16, 2019 13:00 - 9 minutes - 9.27 MB“If when one prays his prayer is a recognition of Spirit’s Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Omnipresence, and a realization of man’s unity with Spirit, then his prayer is a spiritual treatment.” – Ernest Holmes It’s been a primary part of my work recently to remind others that the “go to” spiritual practice for us in New Thought is affirmative prayer, more commonly referred to, among those of us who are practitioners, as spiritual mind treatment. When I was studying to become a ...
Judgement Free Zone
May 14, 2019 15:00 - 14 minutes - 13.8 MB“Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what [they] think into it.” - Ernest Holmes I find myself saying frequently, “this is a fundamental part of the New Thought teaching,” and I’ve started to wonder why. There is so much depth in the philosophy, and the philosophy in so many ways reflects the wisdom of the ages. I think I am settling into the personal need to allow the fundamentals to be at the root of my thoughts and experience. A sort of “back to basics” approach to livin...
A Week Off
May 07, 2019 18:24Hello Lovely World! I am taking this week off from blogging/podcasting, but I will be back at it next week to complete the series on “The Sermon on the Mount.” Have a blessed week!! Jonathan
Be... Don't Seem
May 02, 2019 15:30 - 5 minutes - 5.37 MB“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15 Just after the Lord’s Prayer is this little follow up. It speaks to a very important aspect of creation… forgiveness. When we practice forgiveness (and it is a practice), we free our own minds to more infinite creative expression. When we release the attachment to our need to be right, allow forgiveness to...
The Lord's Prayer
April 30, 2019 21:56 - 8 minutes - 8.65 MBIn Matthew 6:9-13 it is written: “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” The Lord’s Prayer is, perhaps, the most famous prayer in the world. It is also a challenge ...
Love Only — Only Love
April 25, 2019 14:30 - 9 minutes - 9.62 MB“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” - William Shakespeare (Hamlet Act 2 Scene ii) When we take the actual time to deeply consider our consciousness we begin the road to create change in our lives. The road map to change is consciousness, but that requires awareness. And all spiritual practice is about deepening awareness. An awareness of our unity with all things. This includes those beings of light whom we may have deemed enemies in our lives.
Adultery, Divorce, Oaths, & Retaliation
April 23, 2019 14:30 - 10 minutes - 10.1 MB“[Jesus] lived in a world of spiritual realization far beyond that of which the average man has any understanding.” - Ernest Holmes Can we begin to accept that we can rise above averages, and that we don’t need to live in the consideration that Jesus, or any other mystical prophet, was somehow greater than we are? I think it’s time!
In Love We Rise
April 19, 2019 18:08 - 6 minutes - 6.19 MB“Owning your own feelings, rather than blaming them on someone else, is the mark of a person who has moved from contracted awareness to expanded awareness.” - Deepak Chopra If there is one thing that I still see as a constant in our society, it is the capacity and seeming need we have to blame. It’s a challenge as a new thought minister to recognize this. It is also daily work to keep my own mind from moving to a place of blame when I am faced with certain experiences and circumstances that ...
The Law and the Prophets
April 16, 2019 20:34 - 6 minutes - 6.18 MB“The Science of Mind does not necessarily create a new religion or sect, for it may be added to any spiritual system of thought since it is a compliment to all.” - Ernest Holmes There is a great deal of confusion among even the most deep adherents to the Science of Mind as to whether we are a religion or something else. It’s pretty clear from Ernest Holmes’ view that this was never intended to be a religion. And it isn’t, in the same way Buddhism is not a religion. It is a philosophy and a w...
Salt & Light
April 12, 2019 23:41 - 4 minutes - 4.38 MB“The Universe and the light of the stars come through me.” - Rumi There is so much about us that is magnificent. Sometimes we forget. At least, I forget sometimes. Spiritual practice is all about remembering. This week I’ve spent some wonderful time remembering who I am and it is in perfect alignment with today’s continued deepening into the Sermon on the Mount.
Blessings 3
April 10, 2019 23:14 - 7 minutes - 6.7 MBWell… where the heck have I been? I start… I stop… there is no consistency. Well, I get it, the starts and stops can be a little challenging. The excuse I offer is this… on March 15 Tucson New Thought took possession of a new space that we are calling our full time home. Since that time I have been deep in trying to make sure the space was suited to our needs. I had broken down my home office and only today have I finally pulled together a semblance of an office space at the new Center locat...
Blessings 2
March 12, 2019 16:43 - 5 minutes - 4.88 MB“In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” -Eric Hoffer How resistant are you to new things? This is a question I ask myself, not infrequently. To be honest, I think I have let go of a lot of resistance over the years, partially because I understand now that “what I resist persists.” When I am open hearted, I get to live in cooperation with God, with nature, and with humanity.
Blessings 1
March 11, 2019 18:42 - 5 minutes - 4.77 MB“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson What is a blessing? A standard dictionary definition would offer this: a blessing is “God’s favor and protection.” This a potentially a problematic concept for New Thought philosophy given that we do not teach the concept of God separate from the self. So if we are seeking God’s favor and protection, what...
Ascending the Mount
March 06, 2019 18:03 - 5 hours - 5.4 MB“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them.” -Matthew 5:1-3 I had this thought today that I could do a little metaphysical interpretation of the New Testament. Now, before you settle into groans, let’s check in. There are many who come to New Thought teachings because they have had a previous relationship with Christianity that was less than ideal. As a result, there can be an attitude of resi...
A New Thought Lent
March 05, 2019 15:37 - 5 minutes - 4.88 MB“Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who you are.” -Harold S. Kushner Where is the evidence of our love? Is it in the words we use? Is it in the actions we take?
Now...Here
March 04, 2019 16:40 - 3 minutes - 3.53 MB“Heaven–as you call it–is nowhere. Let’s just put some space between the w and the h in that word, and you’ll see that heaven is now…here.” -Neale Donald Walsch There is an idea that’s been ruminating in my mind this morning. It’s a little bit of a trap. I sometimes find it difficult to be here now. Do you? The practice of being present is so big in our culture right now… and it is one of the most challenging aspects of living a spiritual life. I find myself stuck between my thoughts of who ...
Diamond Life
February 28, 2019 17:37 - 4 minutes - 3.75 MB“A diamond has many polished facets and it takes them all to make it shine in its full beauty.” -Emma Curtis Hopkins Today I am feeling full of life. I am so grateful for this existence and for all the magnificence that accompanies me on the journey of time and space. I relish in the multiplicity that is derived from unity.
Question the Answers
February 27, 2019 21:01 - 4 minutes - 4.58 MB“People wrap themselves in their beliefs. And they do it in such a way that you can't set them free. Not even the truth will set them free.” -Michael Specter How certain we are that we are right. To believe we are right is the most limiting belief we can have. And I admit, I believe I am right… but I am willing to be wrong. So I keep exploring.
You Be You
February 26, 2019 17:33 - 5 minutes - 5.01 MB“I know they make fun of me, but actually all these years people have thought the joke was on me, but it’s actually been on the public. I know exactly what I’m doing and I can change it at any time… I am sure of myself as a person.” -Dolly Parton Yesterday was a very full day. It wasn’t supported by my decision to sleep in later than usual. Clearly, though, I needed the time, and if I am going to be honest (and why would I be anything but honest) if I had made an entry yesterday in the blog ...
Snow Day
February 22, 2019 19:21 - 4 minutes - 4.6 MB“Studying many scriptures is pointless if one does not practice the wisdom contained within them.” -The Dhammapada Today is a beautiful and unexpected day. Well… every day is, really. We’ve just convinced ourselves to live in expectation. It’s more comfortable to do that.
Growing Up (Again)
February 21, 2019 15:53 - 5 minutes - 5.71 MB“Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-imposed nonage. Nonage is the inability to use one's own understanding without another's guidance.” -Immanuel Kant I have been on a particular journey of pressing against the establishment for more than a year. I have been pressing the boundaries of what is considered acceptable among some of my peers. I am a firm believer that as long as we remain in our safe zone, wrapped in comfort, we do not expand our sensibilities which lead to growth. Fo...
Spiritual Entrapment
February 20, 2019 18:14 - 5 minutes - 5.5 MB“This isn’t a journey about becoming something. This is about unbecoming who we are not.” -Adyashanti Today I had this come up during meditation, “Are we liberated by or trapped in our spiritual practices?” I think the question is related to yesterday’s blog and podcast on allowing our practice to become rote. When practice becomes rote it eliminates effectiveness, and we cease to benefit from the growth. That is the time when I believe we are trapped. There are many other ways, I think, tha...
You "Rote" It?
February 19, 2019 16:46 - 4 minutes - 4.68 MB“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” -Rumi In alignment with the concept of spiritual bypass I covered yesterday, there is another detrimental aspect of the spiritual life that can begin to take hold… if we are not paying attention.
Spiritual Bypass
February 18, 2019 16:55 - 5 minutes - 5.48 MB“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” -Carl Jung Last week, I completed five days of presenting some of the spiritual practices we utilize in this teaching. It was a good reminder to me that I deeply believe this approach to the experience of life has value and works to establish a new way of being.
Visioning
February 15, 2019 16:49 - 7 minutes - 6.93 MB“All illumination, inspiration, and realization must come through the self-knowing mind in order to manifest in man. Vision, intuition and revelation proclaim themselves through man’s self-knowing mind.” -Ernest Holmes To wrap up this week’s offering of spiritual practices to carry with you I am choosing to end with the practice of visioning. Visioning is a process whereby we purposefully and actively seek to tap in and make ourselves aware of the unlimited flow of the Infinite Mind. It is a...
Prayer / Treatment
February 14, 2019 16:35 - 7 minutes - 7.01 MB“Through prayer , life can become a continuing experience of health, happiness, success, joy, and abundance.” -Ernest Holmes Prayer. It is the primary tool we use in New Thought to change our lives. In my branch of New Thought, Religious Science, we use an odd sounding term to refer to prayer. We call it spiritual mind treatment. In the teaching a common test question for students is, “Are prayer and spiritual mind treatment the same thing?” It is, of course, a loaded question. The answer is ...
Affirmations
February 13, 2019 16:36 - 5 minutes - 5.36 MB“DAILY WE MUST CONTROL ALL THOUGHT THAT DENIES THE REAL; AFFIRM THE DIVINE PRESENCE WITHIN US; then, as the mist disappears before the sun, so shall adversity melt before the shining radiance of our exalted thought!” -Ernest Holmes
Meditation
February 12, 2019 18:58 - 8 minutes - 7.33 MB“There’s only one life. That life is God’s life. That life is perfect. That life is my life now.” -Ernest Holmes What do you think of when considering the word meditation? Are you like me when I first considered meditation? I could feel the anxiety well up, my heart felt like it was in my throat, my breath would quicken, and the first thought in my mind was, “I can’t meditate, what’s the point?” That was decades ago, for me, and I am grateful I worked through my anxiety (which in fact was s...
Centering
February 11, 2019 18:30 - 7 minutes - 6.99 MB“I would rather see a student of this Science prove its Principle than to have him repeat all the words of wisdom that have ever been uttered.” -Ernest Holmes Practice. The actual application of the method. Moving beyond theory. To become a living embodiment of the theory through practical application is what is requested of New Thought followers. So this week I am going to offer five practices to try, one for each day.
Ownership of Destiny
February 08, 2019 19:30 - 4 minutes - 4.05 MB“The question, ‘What’s in it for me?’ is the internal dialogue of the ego. Asking, ‘How can I help?’ is the internal dialogue of the Spirit.” -Deepak Chopra What is yours to do? I just finished a great conversation with a dear friend and this question is what has come through as a result of that conversation. I have been telling a story for some time now that I had an awakening, an illumination moment in Toronto on Easter 2017 that has led me to this point… the point where I am now. On that...
Beyond Adulting
February 07, 2019 19:26 - 5 minutes - 4.76 MB“The only drag about adulthood is we think we need to act like an adult.” -Rev. Patrick Feren I just came across this quote from the time I was on the Sacred Journey of Childlike Wonder about a month ago. It was something I needed to hear today because I have been struggling a little with adulting in the last couple days. What does that mean exactly? It means that I was not finding joy in what may be considered the mundane tasks of living.
Answering A Common Question
February 06, 2019 18:34 - 4 minutes - 4.09 MB“Know that nothing can hinder you but yourself. If you believe you can, you can. You cannot fail if you start with the proposition that Life is all there is.” -Ernest Holmes How do we make it work? We don’t. That’s the good and bad news of it all. I think I have been challenged by faith lately. It seems to be at the forefront of my mind, and it is being reflected around me. I was having a conversation recently with someone who is looking to make change in life and the question that kept c...
Love Language
February 05, 2019 20:00 - 4 minutes - 4.47 MB“When you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out–because that’s what’s inside. When you are squeezed, what comes out is what’s inside.” -Wayne Dyer
The Smell of Love
February 04, 2019 17:05 - 4 minutes - 3.9 MBI am trying something new. I have been wanting to return to podcasting after some time away. So I am offering my musings in both podcast and written form. You can listen. You can read, You can listen and read! Enjoy! To read the corresponding blog go to jonathanzenz.com Check out the work I am doing as the Founding Spiritual Director of Tucson New Thought by visiting tucsonnewthought.org.
Forward to the Future... Oops!
February 01, 2019 16:46Every negative event contains within it the seed of an equal or greater benefit. Napoleon Hill This may be the most important blog I’ve written. It starts with this important question: How do I deal with the crap the Universe is throwing in my direction? The answer is more than can be illuminated in one blog entry. So here is one small expression of possibility… I believe there is a Universal presence that is aligning itself in myriad ways to create. All that exists is this Uni...
Don't Fear the Forest
January 31, 2019 16:33“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.”- Rosa Parks What if it is all true? What if it really works to live in faith rather than fear? Sometimes I feel like these questions needs to be asked. In the work do I observe people around me whose baseline approach to living is letting fear be their guide (and I do this occasionally too). Fear is the norm. We are given warnings all the time, fr...
Shake and Wake
January 30, 2019 16:07“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.” Søren Kierkegaard For the past couple days there has been a lot of news about deep freezes, hate crimes, lying politicians and political advisors, unrest in foreign governments, and on… and on… and on. Well, I guess it’s been more than a couple days.
Flow
January 29, 2019 22:02“Energy flows where intention goes.” -Rhonda Byrne We had the inspection of our home yesterday. It was thorough and exhaustive resulting in a 74 page document outlining every little detail discovered by our inspector. I was able to be there as he did his work, which is unusual. Normally the buyer in the transaction is not present, the realtor is there—it is not typical that the buyer is already occupying the space being purchased.
Spiritual Home Inspection
January 24, 2019 20:40“Your sacred space is where you can find yourself over and over again.” Joseph Campbell It is not uncommon to use the metaphor of building and construction to describe the belief system and its relationship with the expression of our lives. When we are born, we begin the process of laying foundational beliefs. Just like with a home, a strong foundation will benefit the structure — any problem with the foundation will be detrimental.
We Are, It Is, That's That
January 23, 2019 15:09“When we use the word God or Spirit we do not mean a tribal God, but the Supreme Mind and Power back of all created form, the Intelligence which responds to us, the Intelligence which rises through the mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms, and blossoms in the human mind as It approaches the conscious recognition that It is one with this Oversoul.” Ernest Holmes. Returning to the roots on which we blossom in the New Thought paradigm, what is written above is such a...
That Which Unites Us
January 22, 2019 18:39On either side of the wall are God’s children and no man-made barrier can obliterate that fact. Whether it be East or West, men and women search for meaning, hope for fulfillment, yearn for faith in something beyond themselves, and cry desperately for love and community to support them in this pilgrim journey. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I had initially intended to write something yesterday using the quote above. I just had a weird day so it took me until today to ge...
Rekindle the Wonder
January 19, 2019 17:54Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering. Saint Augustine If there is anything I bring home from the Sacred Journey of Childlike Wonder (and there is a lot that I am bringing home) it is that life is too short to give in to trivialities. What matters to me is connection, and there ...
Piko. Piko. Piko.
January 18, 2019 17:39There is no future. There is no past. I live this moment as my last. Lyrics from “Rent” by Jonathan Larsen At last night’s bonfire on the beach (an annual tradition for the sacred journey) we journeyers reflected on the events and exploration of the past week. The reflection time is the last evening event of the sacred journey. We will close with a morning event today… and gratefully I know little about the event this morning, except that it is on the beach and involves sandcastles....
The Wonder of a New Perspective
January 17, 2019 18:15If you’re not in awe you’re not paying attention. Lyrics from “Awe” by Lisa Ferraro & Erika Luckett I think of music mostly. There is always a song in my head and it usually relates in some way to what is happening in my world at the moment. This week has been no different… especially yesterday. The song in my head a lot this week has been “Awe” by Lisa Ferraro and Erika Luckett.
Nine
January 16, 2019 17:19I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing. Plato The Sacred Journey of Childlike Wonder took a deep dive yesterday. I love these beautiful little gems of care provided by our hosts which deepen into self-discovery, and ultimately self-actualization. During our midday workshop yesterday we were reminded that all the work we do while we are here means nothing if we don’t carry it with us beyond this experience.
What Is Sacred?
January 15, 2019 17:41Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again. Joseph Campbell For the sixth year in a row I have enjoyed the sacred spaces of the Kauaʻi Hindu Monastery. The Sacred Journey took us, as it does each year, to the monastery where we had an audience with Sadasivanatha Palaniswami. This is the activity I most look forward to each year I visit the island. I become deeply reflective in this most magnificent place. This year was no different.
Paint Your Own Magnificence
January 14, 2019 17:14We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. T.S. Elliot Over the past several days one thing has become abundantly clear, my spiritual practice and understanding is made better when I have variety in my life experiences. I love to be creative and the Sacred Journey of Childlike Wonder as re-awakened that delight within me. For that I am truly grateful.
Brand New Baby Day
January 12, 2019 16:59“Youth is not a time of life-it is a state of mind. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.” - Ernest Holmes (Living the Science of Mind, p. 177)
It's Not A Resolution
January 11, 2019 18:11“Just because today provides a setback, doesn’t mean tomorrow there won’t be a rocket launch into greatness.” - Jonathan Zenz