Novus Northwest News: Vol 5, Issue 10 - Novus NW

™

January

2015 What’s New • Reminders: • Study Group Sunday: Jan 25th • Appreciation Sunday: Feb 15th • • News Flash • Just to recap, on the fourth Sunday of each month… in lieu of a Celebration, we have Study Group Sunday following the time-tested format honed in the Lehnhoff’s Study Group for over the past 2 decades: “close-reading” & discussion. • Doors open at 10:30

AM

– plenty of time for coffee & catching up with one another.

• At 11 AM, we’ll start with a guided meditation followed by the Opening Prayer. Then someone will volunteer to read aloud as the rest read along in Journey of the Soul. • From time-to-time, as needs be, we’ll stop and discuss what we’ve just read… share our understanding of the text… and ask any questions we may have. • At 12:30 PM, we’ll have the Closing Prayer and then enjoy cookies, pastries, coffee, and one another’s company. Last time, we stopped reading on page 4 of JS 4. • In this month’s Prefect’s Corner column, Loren writes about the Message of Love brought by Christ… which was revived and reintroduced by Sylvia. It’s really simple, but the “real journey and tests in our lives is to live that Message… there’s the rub!” “First, we have an issue with love. We don’t understand it” even though we want love… acceptance… more than anything else. And worse, we’ve been trained not to like, much less love, ourselves. If we can’t love ourselves, can we really love others? “The beauty of these teachings is they should be provoking deep thoughts and inspiring us to not just read the words, but to live the words.” The responsibility… the choice is our own: do we give it lip service…? or work at it? “We don’t have to complain …. We just have to live our lives the best that we can.” • This month’s Featured Talk, “Change,” is by Cardinal Virginia. When asked “What’s being going on?” we often say “Nothing much.” But she reminds us that’s not really true. She then shares a number of the changes that have recently happened in her life. “Change is always in the air. And sometimes it’s forced upon us. It doesn’t matter how much resistance we put up, the change is going to happen.” There are some steps that make the process easier. First, “recognize the need for change. There is so much denial. We have every excuse in the world not to change. ™• Published monthly by Society of Novus Spiritus® Northwest • NovusNW.org • Direct all inquiries to ● ● 16710 Ave SE ○ Suite A5 ○ Renton, WA 98058 ● (425) 255-9042 • • Jimi Ellison, Editor • To subscribe, simply click on the “Subscribe Today” link on our “Newsletter” page • ®

Jan. 2015

Compilation: © 2015 by Society of Novus Spiritus Northwest — All rights reserved. All contributions: © 2013–2015 by their individual contributors — All rights reserved.

Volume 6, Issue 1

—ONLINE VERSION IN COLOR—

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“Second, one has to take an inventory of self… to figure out what to do… what to change… what to drop… what to keep. “Then there is the letting go to of the knowledge and emotions of the past. That is really hard. The past has such a hold on us.” Virginia then provides further insight into why the past has such a grip on us. And she shares ways we can make it easier to release and go with life’s changes. • The Bonus Talk, “Azna’s Feast Day,” is the text Loren planned to give: a wonderful testimonial to our Divine Mother… how differently we see and practice spirituality once She becomes part of our lives… and how the Rise of the Feminine Principle is changing our world. But… about a minute into his talk, Loren was infused to ask: What has Azna brought into your life since you’ve become acquainted with Her? Most of us didn’t start out with a Feminine Principle in our belief systems. …. I’m inviting you to share… how this philosophy has affected you… and what it’s brought into your life. • Ministers tend to be infused when they speak. If you get the CD, you’ll hear the full talks just as they were delivered; plus, the guided mediation too. [See p. 7 for how to order.] • “A Soul's Journey - Society of Novus Spiritus Study Group Program “The Novus Spiritus Study Group Program is a gathering of like-minded people who wish to help discover and deepen their own truth.” Go here for full details & forms. • Plus: • Azna Group Notes [p. 4]; • photos from Azna’s Feast Day & Potluck [pp. 9–10]; • Articles (with photos) on: Christmas Caroling [p4], Winter Solstice [p. 5], and the Circle of Lights Christmas Ball [pp. 12–16]; • Pearls from Journey of the Soul [p. 11]; • and we have news from both NOVUS MI [p. 10] and NOVUS NV [p. 11]. •

Upcoming Events Jan. 4th – Celebration & Novena Jan. 11th – Celebration & Azna Group meeting Jan. 18th – Celebration followed by Birthday cake Jan. 25th – Study Group Sunday: 10:30–12:30 (we start at 11 AM with a meditation) Feb. 1st – Celebration & Novena Feb. 8th – Celebration & Azna Group meeting Feb. 15th – Celebration & Appreciation Sunday: ministers serve lunch Feb. 22nd – Study Group Sunday: (10:30–12:30) (we start at 11 AM with a meditation) Mar. 1st – Celebration & Novena Mar. 8th – Celebration & Azna Group meeting Mar. 15th – Celebration Mar. 22nd – Spring Equinox + Potluck & Auction + Birthday cake Mar. 29th – Study Group Sunday: 10:30–12:30 (we start at 11 AM with a meditation)


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● Prefect’s Corner ● Greetings and love to all. Happy New Year!!! We at the Society of Novus Spiritus are looking forward to this new year. We continue to share the message brought some years ago by Sylvia and her spirit guides Francine and Raheim. We plan to continue to help any who are interested in how to live a spiritual life. The Message is basically quite simple: live the Law of Love brought to us by Christ (which Sylvia repeated again and again in her sermons and lectures.) That simple Message is to love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Then, Sylvia added some more activities to that message: follow your truth… help others as much as possible—or in other words, be of service to God—then just go home when it is time. No need to hang around to make your and others lives miserable. Just go home. The Message really sounds too simplistic. Surely, life must be more complex than that. Just love and help others and then go home seems too easy, doesn’t it? The real journey and tests in our lives is to live that Message… there’s the rub! First, we have an issue with love. We don’t understand it. We can’t really describe love. And in fleeting moments, we may feel something that we call love. However, love is the one emotion or feeling that we are constantly seeking. Because we believe that if we find someone to love us… then we feel we will be accepted… into a family… a group… a community… or something larger than ourselves. And that is what we are always wanting. When looking at the commandment to love, we see the words “love our neighbors as ourselves.” That sounds easy except… how many of us really love our neighbors? And I’m not talking about those persons who live next door… but our co-workers… people who cut us off in traffic… people who push our go buttons. How many of us extend love to them? When we cannot love them… we have put ourselves in a situation where we also cannot love ourselves. I suspect that we do not like ourselves during those moments—let alone love ourselves. Yes, it is a constant struggle to love. It doesn’t happen overnight. And we have to work to achieve that state every day of our lives. First and foremost, we have been taught to not like or love ourselves too much—you know that pride thing. And so, loving ourselves is almost beyond our ability to understand how to feel about that… much less even how to begin the work of learning to love… to accept… ourselves. This is what we at the Society of Novus Spiritus are working hard to do. That is, to provide ideas on how to live Christ’s Message which Sylvia tirelessly strove to reintroduce to the world in its purity. In order to love, we have to be able to stand ourselves… and be comfortable with ourselves in any and all situations. I once knew a person who was very comfortable with himself. So much so that he rented a standard clothes closet in an apartment and called that his home. He could spend hours there with only himself, no music, no distractions… just himself and maybe a book. Most thought he was on the fringes of sanity, but maybe he was more accepting of himself and loved himself more than we could accept. Society has an issue with anyone who doesn’t nicely fit into what is considered the norm. But, he was comfortable by himself. My thoughts are, if we are not comfortable with ourselves… we cannot possibly love ourselves… and then our love of others can be only superficial at best. The beauty of these teachings is they should be provoking deep thoughts and inspiring us to not just read the words, but to live the words. Sylvia never said living this philosophy would be easy, but the basic directions are understandable… and the goals are achievable.


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The responsibility for this rests upon our shoulders. We have choices along the way. We can give it lip service… or we can pick up the baton and continue the race to the finish line. We don’t have to complain about it. We just have to live our lives the best that we can. We will have an opportunity soon enough to review what we did… and evaluate much we accomplished along our spiritual journey. The new year is here, but it is just another day… a day just like every other day in our lives. It is up to us how we are going to live that day. That is the joy of being on Earth. Every day is unique. And every day is another opportunity to work on loving ourselves… and others... and God. Shouldn’t be that hard to do… because we are all one. Blessings and love, Prefect Loren Lehnhoff

● Azna Group Notes ● Happy New Year! 2015 is going to be an exciting year for the Azna Group. I appreciate all the hard work and fun we had in 2014. And I’m looking forward to working together this year. Let’s see what new ideas we can come up with! –Tony Zupan, President

Children’s Home Society Christmas Drive We just got a letter from CHS - S King Co. thanking everyone for their generosity which made such a difference for so many children this season. And as always, they need diapers! –Kathy Zupan

Christmas Caroling Some have said that they enjoyed the caroling this year more than any other. The residents of the senior center definitely had a delightful time as many clapped and sang along with us. Sometimes it’s the simplest things that can mean so much to others. BTW, there’s even some “orbs” in the photos.


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Winter Solstice Last month, we featured an article about this ancient holiday. Below are some photos from this year’s Celebration. BTW, on the previous page we mentioned “orbs” appearing in the photos. Opinions vary as to what they are and why they appear. However, certain patterns have emerged over time:  “Orbs” appear most often at our Celebrations during Communion. (Everyone’s participating?)  They often show up in large numbers when there’s a strong, jubilant vibe going on [see pp. 12–16].  And we often see one or two in photos of our musical performances.


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● Featured Talk ● Change Good morning… it’s good to see everyone here. I want to talk about change today. Sometimes we are asked what is going on. We answer, “Oh, nothing much… nothing has really changed.” But this is really not true. We are getting ready to celebrate Christmas. Our houses are changing: furniture is moved, trees are brought in and decorated, and lights are put up outside. Our whole house has changed… in just a couple of days. Our family Christmas is celebrated at different homes. The menu has changed… we have even eaten at a Chinese restaurant one Christmas. Each Christmas is different. Yet, when asked… we say that Christmas is the same. The only sameness is that it is on the 25th of December. I look in the mirror: my hair is longer… my color has changed… my body…? Nope, I’m not talking about that. Change is always in the air. And sometimes it’s forced upon us. It doesn’t matter how much resistance we put up, the change is going to happen. I was laid off after 19 years. That was a forced change. That is a change that is categorized as one of the most stressful one can have. Only the death of a family member causes more stress and change. I had that too this past year. My father went Home… and that forced changes to my family. No one is immune to the changes caused by the loss of a family member. We change. We can’t help it. Our little dog, Freyja, has had major changes in her life. And that has forced changes in our lives. She is a diabetic and requires two insulin shots a day. She was very sick, but is recovering slowly. But another change in her health has to do with her back and hips. She has now learned—because of the pain—to walk on her two front legs. Now that is a huge change! And although we have to now carry her up and down the stairs, at least she isn’t totally dependent upon us. We live for change. And each change brings a lesson. Some lessons are hard… and others not so tough… but nonetheless there is change. Other changes are self-induced. Our diet has changed… because we wanted to change it. We want better health. We want to feel better. So, we initiated a change in our diet. As I mentioned before, change is the way to learn. Changing our self is a big event… and takes a lot of effort. We have had to make some changes this past year. Our lives have changed… and our attitudes have had to change in order to make the other changes. One really learns how strong and weak we are at the same time: strength to change… and weakness to fall back into the old ways. There are some steps one has to make in the change process. First, one has to recognize the need for change. There is so much denial. We have every excuse in the world not to change. Second, one has to take an inventory of self… to figure out what to do… what to change… what to drop… what to keep. Then there is the letting go to of the knowledge and emotions of the past. That is really hard. The past has such a hold on us. It is part of the “virus” that we have on Earth. Too often, we can be stuck in the past and never get out. The past is a horrible place to be. The past is the past. The past is who we identify ourselves with. We see who we used to be, but not who we are… or who we could be. But “who we were” can never be changed. And talking about it gets boring… and listening to it gets really boring. Change requires some personal house cleaning. Identifying what we need to let go of… the old emotions… and modified truths that are only true for yourself… the assumptions… and half-baked ideas we mistake for truths.


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All of these personal attachments must be dealt with… and many released. That’s what change is about: letting go of the old. I’m reminded of a saying on one of the inspirational cards at my home: I AM actively releasing my limiting beliefs and filling the space that they held with positive life-affirming ones. I am letting go of the old—I am embracing the new. That’s the joy of being a Gnostic. We understand that to be awakened… and then alive. We cannot remain static. We need to stay intellectually connected… to continuously change our very being… and the thoughts processes that we have. That is a formidable task… and one that is ongoing throughout our life. As the card said, we need to release… and then fill in the space with positive energy. That is what this Society is all about. We are Light-workers… working to bring positive energy… positive thought… positive changes… in our lives and throughout the world. Become an agent of positive change. It is not impossible… but it does take some work… and thought. It certainly helps to believe that the change will be positive and will be for the higher good. Finally believe that any change you make… will help you become a better person… that you will become awake… and aware… and alive. Amen –based upon the prewritten outline for the talk given by Cardinal Virginia Lehnhoff on 2014-12-14

Novus NW Inspirational Talks with Guided Meditations available on CD For individual talks, visit the Products Table and fill out an order form for this week’s or any previous talk. It will be ready for pick-up on the following Sunday. Cost is $5 each plus sales tax. Or… get a Monthly Subscription: receive all of the month’s talks via mail. Cost is $5 each ($20 or $25) plus sales tax and a $2.50 shipping fee. Subscribe in person or you can email us at .

Dec. 2014 • Novus NW Inspirational Talks Date 7th 14th 21st 28th

Talk Title Azna’s Feast Day Change Winter Solstice Study Group Sunday

Speaker Prefect Loren Cardinal Virginia Prefect Loren Participants

New Spirit Radio Show News Flash: Chris’s first lecture on Nov. 15th went so well that he’ll be doing an encore of “Sylvia Browne Remembered”: Feb. 13th in Porterville, CA. Tune in to the Radio Show or visit here for details. The New Spirit Radio Show continues its weekly broadcasts with Chris Dufresne now appearing every week. He “will be taking questions from the phone lines and chat room for about 30 minutes.” Currently, the hosts are then playing audio clips from Sylvia’s “Discovering You” seminar in 1985. The one hour show starts at 6 PM Pacific every Wednesday at www.blogtalkradio.com/newspirit. You can ask a question by calling them directly—the number’s displayed on the website—or… you can login to the website and ask your question in the chat-room.

● Bonus Talk ● Azna’s Feast Day NOTE: Loren was moved to depart from his pre-prepared text. About a minute in, he was infused to ask: What has Azna brought into your life since you’ve become acquainted with Her? Most of us didn’t start out with a Feminine Principle in our belief systems. …. I’m inviting you to share… how this philosophy has affected you… and what it’s brought into your life. His invitation was very well received… many wonderful and inspiring testimonials were shared. [The actual talk and participation is available on CD (see p. 7). What follows is the talk he had planned to give. –Editor]


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This day is dedicated to the celebration of Mother God… whom we at Novus know as Azna. We are so blessed to witness the rising Feminine Principle. Mothers are special to all of us. Yes, I know that some are better than others, but when we have a vision of mothers and motherhood, it is of softness only Mothers seem to have. And having a child does that to most women. Mother Azna brings so many new thoughts. Just the thought of knowing there is a Mother God… a Feminine Principle… by and of itself is comforting. So much power has been given to Father God… power and fearful worship… that we have missed the softness and the tenderness of the Mother. So we are blessed to be able to have Her in our lives. Mother has been called many names here on Earth—the Feast Day explanation touches on that—but on the Other Side, She is called Mother. And everyone knows who that is. Mother… how comforting to know She is there. We look at some of the religions of the past thousand years or so—and they are really harsh—the Gods were male… with all the pomp and blustering that males do. But the world is changing… the Feminine is rising. Women are doing more these days than ever before. There are career women: politicians, doctors, and lawyers. And they help to remove some of the bluster… some of the harshness. This is Mother bring forth Her image and Her imprint into the world. I like it… I really do. With Her rising, men have been freed too… to have and show emotion… to show the caring and tenderness that they always kept bottled up. Before, men were in inner turmoil: they had their feelings, but they had to keep the “stiff upper lip” that society demanded. No wonder the men were not joyous… nor emotional. Mother God is powerful, but loving… emotional, but has clarity of mind and is balanced… has compassion, but insists on us fulfilling out contracts—not too soft. Mother is the Activator. She is also Omnipotent. And She is everywhere. That logically makes sense since Mother and Father are of the same Energy: Love. And we are part of Them… we have a Spark of the Divine at our cores. So, we too then are everywhere. The Universe knows all that is. When words are spoken out loud… or thoughts are shared… they are in effect shared everywhere—because We are all one. And since knowledge is everywhere, ideas and synergies can come from multiple places almost simultaneously. She loves us unconditionally and I quote from the book Mother God: “When devotion is given to Her, She comes back with love and protection a hundred fold. The Mother God is also all emotion and can bring action.” Where do you think you Mothers get the love to give… the fierce protection of a child? Mother God is the Great Interceptor. She is Emotion… the Great Activator. She creates the miracles. She dispels negativity. Troops of angels, the Thrones, are at Her side to assist in dispelling negativity and to create miracles. These angels are very active—in contrast, the Principalities of Father God stand sentinel—whereas the Thrones were gathering the souls to take Home. The Feminine Principle has been the foundation of all of the ancient worlds. In fact, women brought to us medicine, architecture, animal husbandry and farming—these are pretty basic necessities to a thriving civilization. Interesting to note that most of us were not taught much about becoming spiritual. This has been a path of self-discovery. We were not taught about miracles—truly holy events—or even how to recognize them when they do happen. That silence continues even to this day. But this Society is one of the sources of such knowledge. Our philosophy offers such a depth and scope that we know how to recognize the signs and events.


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We can never ask too much from Mother. Remember, She is perfect. She is not human. She never gets tired… never gets weary… never gets impatient. She is always there for us… She wants to hear from us. And She really loves to hear a thank-you. Very much like the parable Christ spoke of… where he performed healing miracles for several, but only one came back. Come back to Mother often. She adores hearing from us. Don’t hesitate to say thank you… to request healing or assistance… or a softening of the chart… or whatever else you may need. Don’t be afraid… or feel guilty… or whatever… She is always there. Love from Mother to you… to me… to everyone… is what High Holy Day is all about. This day of celebration of Mother is a day to reconnect… to stay in touch. This day is to honor the Feminine Principle… and to recognize how the emergence of that Principle is changing the world. I am so glad for this day… for this day of celebration of Mother Azna Each in your own way offer yourself to Her… honor Her… celebrate Her in your life. She is there for us always. Request a softening of your Charts during the hard times. Thank Her for all that happens during the good times. The important thing to remember… is just that… remembering Her. Keep Mother God close to you always. Be there for Her as she is always there for you. Walk with Mother and Father as they walk with you. Amen –based upon the prewritten text for the talk given by Prefect Loren Lehnhoff on 2014-12-07


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More Photos from Azna’s Feast Day

Novus Spiritus Michigan ― January 2015 Newsletter Taylor, MI: Celebration Held the 1st Sunday of Each Month at 11 AM Starting a new year is always wonderful and exciting. Starting our spiritual services this year with the Winter Solstice helps to put old hurts and negative energy in the past. Join us Sunday Jan. 4th at 11 AM for our Solstice Celebration and inspirational talk. Please stay for refreshments. At 12:30 the Study Group will meet until 1:45. Then, Azna's Round Table will have their meeting. I want to thank the Round Table for their beautiful contribution to our church this past year. If you have noticed that the refreshments, luncheons, and Azna's Feast Day were even more enjoyable this past year, it was because of this new group. If you haven't been for a while, we miss you. If you have been sick, we have been praying for you. If you have never been, then you miss us. Azna's Blessing's, Cardinal Anita Mahan


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● Pearls from Journey of the Soul ● Q - In church, Sylvia washes away the pain from life, and gives us courage, hope, and faith to go on. I think it is very important too—not just because Sylvia is there… or not there—it is the Spirit of what moves through Gnosticism. I think if you are coming just for the purpose of seeing Sylvia, you are coming for the wrong reason. –Raheim, one of Sylvia’s Spirit Guides: JS 4, p. 115 Concentrate on the wonders of life, rather than all the suffering of life. Suffering is to be experienced and learned from. –Raheim: JS 7, p. 58

Novus Spiritus Nevada ― January 2015 Newsletter Las Vegas, NV: Celebration Held the 1st Sunday of Each Month at 11 AM We are ready to celebrate! Society of Novus Spiritus is growing! You are invited to the minister ordination of our four Ministers-in-Training on Feb. 1st. What an interesting journey they have taken to get to this day of celebration! They all have been members of Novus Spiritus for years. When they decided to become ministers, their gratitude, loyalty, and commitment to an all-loving Mother and Father God and the universal truths as Gnostic Christians came shining through. Completing the sixteenth month-long course of study was not only a dynamic activation of their spirituality, but also gave them a “boatload of knowledge” on the value of acknowledging and following their Charts. Our Ministers-in-Training (soon to be ministers) are a true asset to the growth of our belief system. It’s a pleasure and privilege to work with them. Thanks to Sylvia for founding Novus Spiritus. God bless you always. Wishing you blessings this season: Winter Solstice, Christmas, and the New Year. Here’s a short version of the Pillar of Light meditation from Sylvia (Journey of the Soul 8, p. 55): Dear God, we do not ask that You or your son Jesus Christ descend to us. We want to ascend to You. …. We feel ourselves ascend…to Your Blessing, to Your Grace, surrounding the whole room in a Purple Flame, rinsing out all the negativity … we have gone through this year. [We want to] bask in the blessing of all the good that we have done. … showing everyone in our world that Novus Spiritus does have the answers[. We are] more and more convicted that our Soul is dedicated to the thrust of this Mission, to make our New Year’s resolution to rid the world of guilt and pain and … fear. …. Bring yourself all the way back to yourself … basking in the Christ-Consciousness, the Holy Spirit, God the Father …with the feeling of completeness … knowing that you are loved. • Jan. 4th: Winter Solstice Celebration. This is the time to bury all of the old pains and guilt and illnesses and fears under a white mantle of snow which will purify deeds we have done or deeds done to us. We will choose a special color of candle for the year. • Feb. 2nd: On the eighth anniversary of Novus Nevada, four Ministers-in-Training will be ordained as Ministers of Society of Novus Spiritus. After the service, there will be a celebration to welcome them. • March 1st: The talk will be “Looking Forward in Our Mission of Sharing God’s Love.” Cardinal Ellen Schloss


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Circle of Lights Christmas Ball Hard to believe this was our 8th Ball! This one seemed remarkably fun… and it’s striking how many “orbs” showed up in the photos. See for yourself.


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