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

™

December

2014 What’s New • Reminders: AZNA'S FEAST DAY/Potluck: Dec 7th • 8th Annual Christmas Ball: Dec 13th • • WINTER SOLSTICE + Birthday Cake: Dec 21st • Study Group Sunday: Dec. 28th • • 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 3 of JS 4. • In this month’s Prefect’s Corner column, Loren writes about the holiday season… how it brings joy… and can bring home the sadness of this world. Choosing to be Gnostic has brought us greater challenges… but also greater strengths and abilities as well. And our greatest strength… comes when we gather together… each of us encouraging and further waking the Light within each other. That’s why 'darkness' always tries to separate us. So… be a beacon of Light for all you meet this season. • This month’s Featured Talk is entitled “Who Is in Control?” Loren explores a number of questions about control: What does it mean? Where does it come from? Do we need to control…? or be controlled? There’s even a Life Theme based on it: Controller! He finds that others are always trying to control us… not only our actions but our thoughts as well. “Yet our Higher and Middle Mind-Souls don’t try to control others. Once again, it’s our conscious mind… our mammal mind… our monkey mind… or whatever you want to call it… that wants control.” However, “we don’t need control. We need freedom!” And this leads him to explaining the single aspect of 'control' we truly need… the one thing that will lead us out of the mire of the world… and will provide true peace, happiness and fulfillment. ™• 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 • ®

Dec. 2014

Compilation: © 2014 by Society of Novus Spiritus Northwest — All rights reserved. All contributions: © 2013–2014 by their individual contributors — All rights reserved.

Volume 5, Issue 12

—ONLINE VERSION IN COLOR—

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• For the Bonus Talk, we have a delight from Bishop Nancy called “The Reason for the Season.” She shares how she’s so busy lately that she could use an elf… “a little helper.” And then she adds, “I need to take a minute to think what it’s really all about.” “What do I really want to accomplish this holiday season? How can I enjoy it more? What is important…? and what isn’t?” She talks about how gratitude is not only central to our philosophy, but to Thanksgiving. Nancy shares how her own life is tied to the history of this holiday… how this season brings to mind all the things she’s grateful for… and so much more. “I hope this little talk—you could call it ‘Getting through the Holidays 101’—helps us do the holidays with somewhat less stress… and gives us enough wonderful, free memories to last a lifetime.” And… she explains how we can have “a little helper.” • Ministers tend to be infused when they speak. Get them on CD: you’ll hear the full talks just as they were delivered; plus, the guided mediation too. [See p. 8 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, we have: • Azna Group Notes [p. 4]; • Articles (with photos) on November events: Holiday Bazaar [p. 14] and Holiday Cookie Decorating [pp. 9–10]; • Two special features this month: Sky Watch [pp. 4–6] and Historical Notes: Journey of the Soul [pp. 14–16]; • Pearls from Journey of the Soul [pp. 13–14]; • and news from NOVUS MI [p. 13]. •

Upcoming Events Dec. 7th – AZNA'S FEAST DAY & Novena followed by Potluck Dec. 13th – 8th Annual Christmas Ball Dec. 14th – Celebration followed by Christmas Caroling Dec. 21st – WINTER SOLSTICE followed by Birthday cake [Solstice @ 3:03 PM PDT] Dec. 28th – Study Group Sunday: 10:30–12:30 (we start at 11 AM with a meditation) 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. 16th – Celebration & Appreciation Sunday: ministers serve lunch Feb. 22nd – Study Group Sunday: (10:30–12:30) (we start at 11 AM with a meditation)


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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. [It’s rather systematic. Frankly, it’s awesome! I’ve never heard Sylvia like this before: kudos and a big “thank you” to the hosts for sharing this treasure. If you’ve missed a show, it’s available in the archives. –Editor] 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.

● Prefect’s Corner ● Greetings and love to all. This time of year brings maybe equal parts of sadness and joy. Look at the faces of the people you see. They all tell a story of the holiday memories both near and distance past… memories that might be happy… or sad… or even a bit of both. They contain sights and smells and feelings… and even conversations that were held years ago. For some reason this year, I see and feel the sadness that seems to be in everyone’s life. The pain of trying to survive without losing one’s mind. The sense that one’s soul has somehow already been taken over by someone… or something. And for those that are taking the spiritual path... innately… somehow… they become larger targets for negativity to attack. I see the sadness and pain in the way people walk. I hear it in their conversations. I read their angst on the social media. The people of this Earth have become numb with pain… and yet, more seems to be inflicted upon them. This pain is from the “virus” of this world which has affected us all. Francine and Sylvia have stated that just surviving… just getting through a single day was sometimes enough. Forget about taking on spiritual lessons. We are winners if we just make it to the end of our lives without going crazy… or succumbing to despair. That is a measure of how tough we must be to survive our time on Earth… our time in 'hell' [in the true sense of the word]. And we, the Gnostics, are the fortunate ones in this world. Material things can bring more comfort, but they don’t necessarily bring relief from the pain. As I mentioned, we are the fortunate ones because we charted to be Gnostic… we chose the ultimate challenge. Right before entered the chute to Earth at our birth… we reached up and rang the Gnostic bell. We asked to become beacons of Light… and pillars of strength…. not only for ourselves, but especially for others. And that does increase life’s difficulty: it’s easier for those who hate the Light to spot us. However, having chosen to be Gnostic Christians also means we have easier access to spiritual tools of protection from the forces that inflict so much pain on so many. We have the armor necessary to combat the 'darkness' of Earth. And we have the ability to not only to survive, but to find peace and happiness. We just need to remember our birthright and all that we brought with us. We have all the spiritual tools to give us protection and comfort. Even more importantly, there are many of us these days: we can form communities of like-minded entities to lean on during the hard times… and provide the strength for others during their hard times. We have the Society of Novus Spiritus: communities of like-minded entities giving us and each other, strength… love… and joy. We all need to share this love and the joy of gnosis—the knowledge that we have learned from the eons of time spent searching and experiencing. We have the support of each other. And that is


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huge… especially when we feel there’s no one with us! All we have to do is join (or start) a Study Group… and then we have strength in numbers. As Christ said, “two or more gathered ….” It is the same for those participating in Novus Spiritus. Attending spiritual Celebrations at a local Society… participating in a Study Group… or signing into the chat room during a New Spirit Radio broadcast each Wednesday… they are all ways of connecting… and reconnecting… with persons of love and strength. All of those activities join us together not only physically, but at the soul level. They give us strength to persevere… to grow… and to become brighter and more powerful Lights. Use the pressures of life to your advantage. Build confidence in yourself as you continue to go through the adventures and experiences of life. With each one, you put another feather in your hat… a medal on your chest. You are a survivor… an example to others….a beacon of Light for many. Let go of the pain of the past…. embrace the present… become one of the truly living. Be someone who is alive… aware… and in the know about who and what we are as well as all the power that we have. If you take that energy into the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations… you will be a source of what this season is really all about. You will be a beacon of Light… a fountain of Love… and others will be drawn toward you, so they too can be lifted from the pain of their lives. I pray that everyone will have a wonderful Christmas and New Year celebration. I pray that old family wounds be healed… and no new ones be created. I pray that everyone will recognize that the season is about Love…. love that is shared in so many ways… and with so many people. I pray that everyone gives themselves first and foremost the gift of Love. By doing that, one can truly be a fountain of Love for with others. May your homes be warm… your tables holding enough food for all… and your gifts be given and received with kindness and love. May the New Year bring spiritual awakening and abundance to all. Blessings and love, Prefect Loren Lehnhoff

● Azna Group Notes ● It’s been a really busy time for the Azna Group lately. Thanks to everyone who donated and purchased items, the Holiday Bazaar & Bake Sale was a success. And we all had a wonderful time at the Holiday Cookie Decorating event. [Later in this issue, articles on each event: pp. 9–10, 14. –Editor] We had a nice turn out for our Potluck on Azna’s Feast Day. Thanks to Stacie, Emily and Jennifer for helping set up and clean up the tables. A special thanks to Stacie for the nice table decorations! Thanks for everyone that brought food. Everything was delicious! Thanks to John for getting the dishes washed up, despite the confusion and kitchen sharing with the Masons. –Tony Zupan, President

Children’s Home Society Christmas Drive As always… Children’s Home Society - S. King Co. needs diapers! And many thanks for everyone that has donated Christmas gifts and diapers. Tony and I dropped them off and they were gratefully appreciated! We are so blessed to be able to share with others. –Kathy Zupan

● Sky Watch ●

Winter Solstice & the Uranus–Pluto Square

Imagine if you will… a time without running water and electricity… a time when all activities danced to the rhythms of sunlight and the seasons. More than 100 years ago, this is how everyone lived: in tune with Mother Nature. And we’ll see why the Winter Solstice is the most ancient of all human holidays.


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During autumn, the nights become increasingly longer and colder… the Sun rises later and later... and is noticeably less and less warm. And on a planet governed by fear-based superstition, it’s easy to imagine people might begin to wonder when… or even if… things would get better. As their food stores decreased each day, people had to wonder if there would be enough to last through winter. Today, it’s easy for us to understand why it’s hot in August and cold in December:

Earth’s “Sun bath” at the Start of the Seasons

North’s Share of Sunlight & Night

Derived from public domain image by Tauʻolunga

Derived from image by Przemyslaw "Blueshade" Idzkiewicz

In the above left graphic, you can see that the way sunlight bathes the Earth… changes a lot during the year. It also makes it pretty clear why the Sun never rises in December near the North Pole. The image on the right shows the North’s meager share of the “Sunlight Pie” at our Winter Solstice… and its big slice of the “Night Pie.” Little wonder the days are so short and the nights so long! You might notice that the sunlight that does hit the North is more and more indirect as you go further north. So, we not only get fewer hours of light up here, but the sunlight that we do get is less warm. Ancient peoples didn’t know about views from space. But… what they could see from the ground was that the Sun’s path across the sky changes with the seasons! People are smart… they noticed the changes in where the Sun rises and Sun Paths in how high it climbs in the sky. Northern USA Image from US Naval Observatory Stonehenge, like many other ancient constructs, not only measured the rhythms of the seasons, but served religious purposes as well. It’s not hard to imagine ancient peoples looking forward to the change in the solar tide. It’d take a while before it’d get warmer… but they knew the nights would start getting shorter after the Winter Solstice: it marked the “re-birth” of the Sun… the birth of hope. (“I’d started getting really worried… We just might make it through the winter after all.”) That called for a feast… a huge Celebration! [For examples] Looking back, something else we might notice—there used to be little difference made between the secular and the sacred… between astronomy and astrology. Things are much different these days. Astrology has changed radically in the last century. Previously, it was bound up in superstition and mythology… it was seen as revealing the dictates of "Fate." Of course, some still look at it that way… and understandably, some see it as just a bunch of mumbo-jumbo. But many farmers and ranchers to this day, plan their activities by the phases of the Moon… and swear by the Old Farmer’s Almanac.


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It’s quite a task to distill spirituality out from the morass of religions steeped in fear; so is finding the relevance of astrology amidst all the traditional superstitions. And Francine and Sylvia have implied there’s something worth the effort in it. But that story requires much more space than we have here. Instead, let’s simply look at something that’s been occurring in the sky for the last three years. Two of the outer planets, Uranus and Pluto, have been squaring each other since June 2012: they have been dancing back and forth at 90 degrees angles to each other. It’s a rare, very high energy astrological event. So, what does that mean? Simply put, the energies represented by these two planets are at cross purposes with one another… and creating a dynamic tension on a global scale. The last time that Uranus and Pluto “partied” together… we experienced the Sixties (they were conjunct then: 0° apart). The energies of Uranus and Pluto are transpersonal… but on the individual level, they represent energies originating from the Higher Mind-Soul. (The inner planets represent energies imprinted upon the Lower Mind-Soul at birth.) Uranus energy seeks to liberate us from terrestrial conditioning… it doesn’t just ask us to “think outside the box”—for “there is no box”—but to live free and authentically. Pluto energy is often experienced as a dreaded, irresistible force… it’s always asking us to “let go” and transform more and more into what… and who… we truly are. Not surprisingly, the reaction of the mammal mind is to resist strenuously… and to try to maintain "control" of what’s beyond its control. This “square dance” between Uranus and Pluto lasts for three years. Since the Earth orbits around the Sun faster than they do, it appears to us that they move forward in the sky… stop… move backwards… stop… and then move forward again. So, between June 2012 and May 2015, these two planets will be exactly 90° apart… a total of seven times. If we think of it like waves, the energies will crest, or peak, seven times. But they start to become more noticeable when they are 1° away from a peak. The sixth happens Dec 14th; they were 1° from cresting on Nov. 23rd. (You may have “felt something in the air” then… “something hard to identify.”) If one of the planets in your birth chart happened to be at a degree that resonates with that peak… you may have felt these energies impacting you. Otherwise, it’s more likely you may had noticed other people acting differently… or noticed effects in the world around you. And Uranus and Pluto will stay within 1° away from an exact square (90° apart) until the final wave peaks on March 17th. The last crest is typically the most intense… and it also marks the “last call” to heed the energies of the event. Of course, that begs the question: what does this mean for you?

Simply put, for the last three years all of us—and that includes groups, companies, societies and nations—have been asked to move forward… to let go of the past… We have been asked to let go of behavior patterns… ways of being… and allegiances… that no longer work well for us. We’ve been asked to be courageous enough to embrace change and uncertainty. And matters long hidden… long ignored… or long suppressed are trying to rise to consciousness. In case you want to know more, here are some links to articles about this rare, astrological event: • The Basics • Uranus Square Pluto Part Six: Almost There! • 2014-2015: Dominators & Dictators • Pluto Uranus Square + Cardinal T Square – Dec. 2014 • You Say You Want A Revolution? • Note that things are always in flux… some times more than others. But, the energies of the Universe are here to assist you. If you will, grab your surfboard and ride the wave of transformation. As always, the choice is yours. Remember… there’s nothing wrong with you… it’s just this planet. –Jimi Ellison


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● Featured Talk ● Who Is in Control? Good morning… it’s so very good to see everyone today. November is here and Daylight Savings time is over for the year. We go to work in the dark… come home in the dark. It’s the time of year we rarely see daylight. Yet, we blindingly change our clocks. The question we should ask ourselves is, “Who is in control?” Who is control of you? Then let’s ask, “Who needs to be in control?” The world…? your work…? your family…? or you? Also, what is control? How much control do we need? And who needs controlling? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, control means to:  direct the behavior of (a person or animal); to cause (a person or animal) to do what you want;  have power over (something);  direct the actions or function of (something); to cause (something) to act or function in a certain way.

There are controllers everywhere. Your furnace thermostat has a controller. Your computer can be used for a controller. When you get in a car, you are one of many controllers: there’s the fuel controller… the fuel-air mixture controller… and the list goes on. Where does all this control come from? What about Mother and Father God? They Love us unconditionally… they gave us free will: they don’t impose controls upon us. That is so not us. We try to control situations…each other… animals… even the weather. People even try to control that! What a disaster that would be if we could. That’d be like an electric blanket with a single controller: too hot for some… and too cold for others. And we won’t even talk about rain. We are under the control of someone or something… from the moment we are born… until the moment we die. Probably the freest time in our life is when we retire. And hopefully, we’ll go Home before being put in a home… where everything is controlled. Control is everywhere in our lives. Then to top it all off… there’s even a Controller Theme where someone often spends their whole life trying to control others [the lower manifestation of the Theme]. They think it is their duty to order everything around them… and that includes us and the entire world. They believe they were born to control… everywhere and everything. And they end up making everyone around them miserable. And they are the most miserable of all. They tell us what to wear… how to walk… what we can say… who we can talk to. They try to control every facet of one’s life. There is nothing that they won’t try to take over. They want your power… they want your mind… and if possible, your wallet. They can’t stand to see anyone free and happy. Happiness scares them. They don’t understand “going with the flow.” They have to control that too. Yet our Higher and Middle Mind-Souls don’t try to control others. Once again, it’s our conscious mind… our mammal mind… our monkey mind… or whatever you want to call it… that wants control. There are some who think using the phrase monkey mind isn’t a good thing. But using it as a metaphor that everyone can immediately understand (not to mention having a sense of humor) can be a good thing. Control of words and how one uses them should not be surrendered to another… no matter how controlling they try to be. They only thing…. the only thing… we need to control is the integration of our intellect and our emotion. We need the intellect to be the controller of our life. An executive at work recently said, “Use the head… and then follow with the heart.” That sure sounds like leading with intellect and using the emotion to active. That’s the only control we need in our lives. Everything else will work from that!


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This philosophy is so strong… and living it is so easy, and yet, so hard. It is easy to understand because it is simple! It is hard because there are so many ways for easy to come through. And we have been taught that easy cannot be good. In this philosophy we don’t need control. We need freedom! We need to “go with the flow.” We need to be free… to be free of the controllers and bindings that hold us so close… and so tight to the world. I have learned that people are good… that our souls should be free. Our minds should not be controlled by others who have no idea of how much they keep us tied to the world… and mired in its negativity. It’s our job to work through the restraints… it’s our job to untie our bonds. We have the tools… and we have the power… to remove ourselves from the controllers… no matter what organization or family one’s in. Being a controller is really hard… I mean think about it. They’ve taken on the responsibility to control the world and everything in it. How ambitious and self-important! We have a way of life that teaches us to take control of our life. Francine has told us that the answers are within. We have been told to seek by following “our own Truth”… and to do that with Love. Follow your Truth… and whatever you do… do it with Love in your heart. Sylvia has told us more than once that life is very simple. All we have to do is follow the new Law: love God with all your heart… and your neighbor as yourself. Follow your own Truth. Do everything with Love. Love God and yourself and your neighbor. Nowhere do we talk about controlling others… or allowing ourselves to be controlled. Quite the opposite! Taking 'control' [in the true sense of the word] of yourself is not that hard. We have been talking about it for a long time. All we need to do is practice keeping the head in charge… and let the heart do the heavy lifting. I say practice because this is not a one-shot deal… it’s a lifelong endeavor. It’s simple: lead with intellect and then activate with emotion. That’s how to take 'control' of your life… and not be controlled by others. Be free… the way we were meant to be. Remove the controllers in your life. Take on the responsibility for yourself. Trust your 'instincts'… the feelings from in-side you… they come from your Upper Mind-Soul. It’s not trying to control you… it’s trying to guide you through your Chart… which the real You… the eternal You… wrote! All we need do is to let go and cooperate with our God-Center: that requires we keep working to stay in an integrated state of mind and emotion… to rejoin… to reintegrate… what this world broke apart. Remember the instructions from Christ: love God… love your neighbor as yourself. And remember the rules of Novus: be nice… be happy and play fair. Walk with God as God walks with you. Amen –based upon the prewritten outline for the talk given by Perfect Loren Lehnhoff on 2014-11-02

Novus NW Inspirational Talks with Guided Meditations available on CD For individual talks, visit the Products Table and Nov. 2014 • Novus NW Inspirational Talks fill out an order form for this week’s or any previous Date Talk Title Speaker talk. It will be ready for pick-up on the following nd Who Is in Control? Prefect Loren Sunday. Cost is $5 each plus sales tax. Or… get a 2 th Transformation is Slow Prefect Loren Monthly Subscription: receive all of the month’s 9 talks via mail. Cost is $5 each ($20 or $25) plus sales 16th Reason for the Season Bishop Nancy tax and a $2.50 shipping fee. Subscribe in person 23rd Study Group Sunday Participants or you can email us at . th Service Defines the Season Prefect Loren 30


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Christmas Wreath Making A few of us got up bright and early on the last Saturday in November… and found that it had started snowing! (Some of us actually got about an inch or so.) But it didn’t last long; and we trekked out to Carl’s place to turn “boughs of holly” into wreaths for the Christmas Ball. Except for getting pricked from time to time, it was a lot of fun… and we ate pizza! Big thanks go to Carl as well as Stacie Sager, Suzana Castro & family, and Tara Peltier & sons for coming out and crafting the wreaths. –Editor

Holiday Cookie Decorating When this event was proposed a few months ago, I didn’t know what to think. Some might say it’s because I was raised in Texas… but I’d never heard of such a thing before. So, I was quite curious to see why everyone else got so excited. As you’ll see in photos below… a couple of people might have just been looking forward to getting a head start on the creamy icing during the preparations. We’d just finished a stimulating Study Group Sunday… so there was lots and lots of conversations going on before Stacie, Tony and Emily started bringing out the cookies and decorations. Wow... so many colorful choices! And as soon as we got started… things got very, very quiet… total silence. Everyone was so engrossed in decorating their cookies. It was almost like we stepped back in time… to the holidays when we were young children. Everyone was so intent getting the icing and the tasty decorations just so. And in this regard, I definitely had a deprived childhood. It was great fun! A big thank-you to Stacie for baking all the cookies and putting it all together... and to the Hickmans and Tony Zupan for their help in the kitchen—even though they did get paid in cookie icing. –Editor


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● Bonus Talk ● The Reason for the Season Good morning everyone. We are at the start of our holiday season. We will be getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving soon… and then Christmas and New Year’s Eve! For most of us, these two months are the busiest of the year: we are like Santa making lists… shopping… mailing cards to old friends… baking… and decorating for the holidays. I don’t know about you… but I need a little elf or a miracle to help me get it all done. And… I need to take a minute to think what it’s really all about. It’s is not about pressure and the perfect day (nothing is really perfect). What do I really want to accomplish this holiday season? How can I enjoy it more? What is important…? and what isn’t? In Journey of the Soul 8 (JS 8) Sylvia speaks about the holidays and the “12 days of Christmas” where you’ve got “pipers piping” and “lords a leaping”—you know how the song goes. Now we aren’t going to send all of that to our loved ones. But… she suggests doing something nice for someone on each of the “12 days of Christmas”… like calling someone you have not talked to in a while. She said that after 12 days it would become a habit… and that we should all do something nice for someone every day anyway. That would be a nice habit to get into. In Novus Spiritus, we have the three rings that signify our motto: Gratitude, Loyalty and Commitment. If we are living by our motto, Gratitude should be a daily practice of ours. In less than two weeks we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. In 1620, the Pilgrims landed in the New World and many perished from lack of food. It was a terrible year of death and hardship: nearly half of them that came over died. Thanks to the help of the Native Americans—who taught how them to plant corn and other vegetables—the next year they were able to give thanks to God for their harvest.


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In 1621, 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims had a feast that lasted three days thanking God for their blessings. In 1863, our government made Thanksgiving a federal holiday. It was founded as a religious observance for all people to give thanks to God for the blessings they have been given. Today it has become a custom of many to say a prayer before the Thanksgiving meal for all the blessings that we have received. I will be having family over for Thanksgiving dinner; and I am thankful for my family whom I love very much. The cooking is a big task that takes several days to shop and bake and cook for our Thanksgiving dinner. I’m thankful that I afford the food to do it and that my kids and grandkids are very helpful in helping me prepare it. I’m also thankful that the others know I will kill them if they come into the kitchen when we are running around working like beavers. (To save their own lives… they watch football or talk in the living room.) I’m also thankful I don’t have 90 Indians and 53 Pilgrims coming to stay for 3 days. We’ve learned that before we come in to this life there are many very complicated plans that have to fall in place to make us the people that we are. About 25 years ago, I began to think about that when I first met my dad’s cousin, a historian. She had traced our family back many generations. To my surprise, among the 53 Mayflower passengers who survived that first winter were Elizabeth Tilley and John Holland. They later got married and became my great, great, great—I’m not sure how many more “greats”—grandparents. And because of all of that… I stand here before you today. (I also think it is quite amazing how out of the billions of people in the world… Loren had to travel half way around the world to the Philippines to meet Virginia. That’s like finding a needle in a haystack.) I am so thankful for this philosophy that we have. To really benefit from it, it has to become not just a thing we do on Sunday…. but something we make part of our everyday lives… and live it daily. We have been given so much knowledge… and so many ways to make our “journey of life easier”—that’s far more than just a phrase in one of our prayers. A quiet mind is a requirement to connect to our Higher Consciousness. It may be harder than usual to have a quiet mind—there’s so much going on at this time of year—but it helps if we remember to take time to quiet our minds and to do a daily meditation. In reality, we can accomplish more when we take the time to check in with Mother God: it keeps us on the right path and puts our lives in perspective. Instead of focusing on all that needs to be done, I try focus on what I am thankful for. I’m very fortunate that there are so many people in my life that I need to shop for and cook—there are many who are alone for the holidays. I’m thankful that I can afford to purchase the food that I need to cook: some are faced with an empty cupboard. I have a warm home for family to come to… and a loud and fun family to celebrate the holidays with. It is so easy to get overwhelmed with the things in life. Often, we don’t see what’s right in front of us… or what’s really important. It’s easy to not pay attention to all the blessings that we have. Many people get stressed out when family gets together for the holidays. Some may have an Uncle Ralph who is a grump… or a sister who gets on their last nerve. I don’t have an Uncle Ralph or a sister… so it’s not me! Anyway, you know what I mean. We need to take into account that we are not clones… and we don’t all think the same… and that’s OK. Think about that when you encounter someone who has to have the last word. Is it more important to win the battle but to lose the war? Sometimes, it is more powerful to just keep quiet. Do you want to argue…? or, to be happy? Think of that when dealing with a loved one who drives you nuts. In one of Perfect Loren’s latest talks, he tells us why communication is so difficult. We might think another knows just what we are saying… but we use idioms… which he explained are phrases that have a different meaning than the words used.


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Yesterday I was watching QVC, the shopping station on TV, and the person was advertising jewelry boxes. If someone says something is “bad,” you might think it’d be something you wouldn’t want… right? Not always… The seller was telling about how wonderful the jewelry boxes were. She said these are “the best... the badest!” I decided that if they were that “bad” I had better not buy one… and that saved me a bunch of money! Even when we think we know what someone is saying, we might hear it wrong. When I was a child there was a song that went like this, “The shrimp boats are coming… they are coming to night. The shrimp boats are a-coming… their sails are in sight.” I would sing right along with the song—but I thought they were saying the “shrimp folks are acoming.” And I pictured little, short, shrimp, munchkin-like people. I didn’t live in New England, so I didn’t know about shrimp fisherman. And it was years before I realized I was singing it wrong! While you are in the spirit of doing something nice for someone every day, don’t forget to take the time to do something nice for yourself. JS 8 also says that Gratitude starts with being grateful for yourself. Be grateful that we were given the chance to come down here to learn and experience. Be grateful for this teaching… as it is a life raft that keeps us afloat when things get rough. When you think back on all the Thanksgivings… the Christmases… and the New Year’ Eves… isn’t it the time spent with our friends and family that you remember the most? Those memories are the best part… not how many gifts you received… or how much money someone spent. I was thinking about that and I thought of the Christmas Ball we have every year. I think this will be our 8th one. Its lots of work to make it great… and they all have been. Then I thought of my very best memory from it—it happened last year. I was sitting at a table where I could see out the door of the room we were in. The wonderful dinner was over and Santa had just given out the gifts to the children. Santa had left the room… and was walking down the long hall to the men’s room so he could change his clothes. All of a sudden—a little boy of about 3 years old saw him leave… and he sneaked out the door unbeknown to almost everyone. Then he ran as fast as his little legs could carry him… chasing after Santa. I sat with my mouth open wondering what is going to happen if he catches him… or sees him taking off the Santa suit. It was so funny seeing his little legs speeding after Santa like he had won the lottery. He was gonna catch Santa! Just about the time Santa had gotten to the men’s room, the little guy’s mom came running out the room. She ran and picked up the little guy just in time! It was so cute. And that’s my best Christmas Ball memory! Sometimes the best things in life are free… like that memory. I hope this little talk—you could call it “Getting through the Holidays 101”—helps us do the holidays with somewhat less stress… and gives us enough wonderful, free memories to last a lifetime. Oh, and by the way… remember how at the start I said I’ve so much to do that I need a little helper or a miracle to get everything done. Well… what I was thinking is that I do have one… and so do you. We all have our own helper: our Spirit Guides that are always with us to be our own personal assistants. They never leave us and are here to help us with it all. Ask for their help… take the time to quiet your mind to connect to your Higher Consciousness. Happy holidays to you and your families. –based upon the prewritten text for the talk given by Bishop Nancy Hull on 2014-11-16


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● Pearls from Journey of the Soul ● The Theme of Controller means exactly what is stated. The person with this Theme must absolutely be in charge and control every situation. They cannot be content to let someone else lead or run the show. They must be in charge and rule like a monarch rules. It must be their way or not at all. They can be very difficult to deal with— for themselves as well as others. …. The Controller would take over everyone's lives and make them feel inferior in the way they are living it. The Entity with the Theme of Controller must invert the Theme to control their own life and not let it spread out to others, even if this is difficult. They must realize everyone has their own Theme to perfect. –Sylvia: JS 8, p. 70


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Today [December 14th] officially from the old text, started the “Twelve Days of Christmas.” Each day I want you to start, not sending to your loved ones “twelve gold rings and seven dancing males” or whatever—because if you do, they are going to call the cops—but every single day go out of your way to do something kind. That is your twelve gifts to the Christ child. –Sylvia: JS 8, p. 55 [E]mpower the Feminine Principle so that it brings about peace in the world. …. [I]n each one of you [men] should be also the Feminine Principle that you must awaken. The same as in every woman—she must awaken the Intellect. –Francine, one of Sylvia’s Spirit Guides: JS 2, p. 27 The other side of the brain… the left side… is the real ego: the “I Am.”

–Sylvia: JS 5, p. 131

The “Son” in the Trinity is You …. Not just one man, but all of Us as Sons and Daughters. We make up the Triumvirate: Father God, the “We” part, and the Feminine Principle. That is the Trinity—not just Buddha and not just Christ. We have missed the boat all along. The Gnostics knew it. We knew it at one time, and then we forgot it. Now that we have regained it, we cannot let it go! –Sylvia: JS 8, p 65

Holiday Bazaar and Bake Sale Last month, we once again were treated with the creations of the talented handcrafters and bakers here. Of course, there were some who donated a number of somewhat bizarre items—can you say “coffee cup”? And practically all of the items either found new homes… or ended up in our stomachs. A huge thank-you to everyone who participated… it was this year’s last fundraiser for the Azna Group.

● Historical Notes: Journey of the Soul ● When I picked up Journey of the Soul 1 for the first time, I noticed it said “Topic 1 is the first of 16 Topics” on the copyright page. But I looked on the Products Table up here and saw that the series has only eight volumes. And the book order form for Study Groups also said there were only eight. And I’m not the only one who has wondered about this. In fact, I was recently asked if only ministers are allowed to read the “missing 8.” No, there’s only eight… but obviously, more were planned. Recently, I dis-covered something. And in the spirit of the Uranus-Pluto square that brings to light things previously unknown [see p. 6] I felt I should share my find in this issue.


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Below is a scan of the last page of the earliest printings of Journey of the Soul 1.

Technical notes about the image above:  The original was full-color scanned at 600 dpi. The resulting image was converted to greyscale—like the later ones, this print of JS 1 was done on colored paper—before reducing it to a 300 dpi graphic.  In order to fit into this issue better, the order form at the bottom of the page has been cropped out;  Unlike later “spiral-bound” prints, the early ones were “strip-bound”—thus the holes along the left edge.


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On several occasions, I spent some time reading it very closely and then thinking through the implications in light of what I know… and understand. And last month, I found myself feeling moved… being compelled… needing… to write about it. The essay below was the result. Gnostics dream BIG. We always have and always will. After all, we came to this 'dark' planet intent upon remembering… who we really are… why we are here… as well as helping others to awaken—if they Charted to do so—or at least… help make their journey through life easier. As Francine has told us, we have attempted to establish Gnosticism on Earth before: we tried two thousand years ago during the heyday of the Roman Empire… and we tried again a thousand years ago in France. But the political, social, and religious institutions supporting patriarchy eventually won out: awareness of Mother God… and our true nature as Sons and Daughters of God…was once again suppressed… and all but erased from human history. Sylvia and Denizens of Earth’s Other Side had BIG dreams for Novus Spiritus. There are tapes of minister meetings… and trances with Francine and Raheim… it was anticipated that local Novus Spiritus Societies would be opened all across this country… as well as across the world. An enormous effort was mounted to recruit and train the number of ministers that would be needed. And a total of 16 volumes of Journey of the Soul were planned… with a new volume being released every four weeks! (See the scanned image on the previous page.) Many answered the call for minister training… and a good number of them showed up… and some finished their training. Alas… almost all soon faded away… and were never heard from again. But Sylvia and the few ministers who remained committed persevered anyway. Despite a shortage of manpower and time, work on the Journey of the Soul series continued. The first “Journey” was released in December 1991. But it wasn’t long before its original ambitious scope had to be curtailed to fit the realities of this world. The second volume came out three months later in March 1992. It was six months before the third was published: September 1992. Seven months passed before the next volume came out: April 1993. Eight months later, the fifth one was published in December 1993. It was after this point that the titles and subject matter of the last three volumes departed from the original “Course Outline.” The sixth of the series came out six months later: June 1994. Five months later, the seventh volume was published: November 1994. Then nine months passed—the originally 16th topic, “Novus Spiritus,” was released as the eighth and final volume of the series in August 1995. Two decades have passed since then. Sylvia persevered in her Mission… but her energies were focused outside Novus Spiritus: television appearances… lecture tours… cruises… and salons… avenues that maximized the number of people hearing Christ’s true Message: God is Love… and that means Mother God too! You have lived before… and if you’re crazy (or ambitious) enough… to come back down… you’ll live here again. But we’ll all eventually return Home. We’ll spend Eternity enjoying the company of the loved ones in our current lives… as well as all the ones from previous lives… and basking forever in Mother and Father God’s Unconditional Love as their Eternal Children. Sylvia “graduated” a year ago… she’s sorely missed… but the Gnostic Mission continues. It’s up to those of us still here to carry on… and hopefully… establish Gnosticism on this planet for the first time ever. All of us involved in Novus Spiritus invite you to join the effort. –Jimi Ellison; Nov. 2014

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR to YOU and YOURS!