Everything Is One
Listen to this articleThe idea that we are connected to each other and to all things sounds good when you say it. Then you start to think about it. That means we are connected to the mice, the lions, the trees and the weeds. We are one with the sky, the oceans, the planets, and the asteroids. We are connected to all people and, if there is any, we are connected to life on other planets. This is the Omnipresence of Spirit.
As Thomas Troward said: “… the originating Life-principle is infinite, it is a single unit, and consequently, wherever it is at all, the whole of it must be present.”
I was introduced to Thomas Troward early in my studies toward becoming a Licensed Spiritual Practitioner. Judge Troward was born in England but spent his adult life in India. When he retired, he returned to England and began his study of metaphysics. Soon, he started lecturing on the subject. The lectures he did in Scotland were transcribed and put into book form, and my favorite is The Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science.
Ernest Holmes, the founder of Science of Mind, discovered Troward and valued his spiritual conclusions highly. Are Ernest Holmes and Thomas Troward united in their thoughts, which are …
(Photo by Tim Forkes)
Ernest Holmes: “Spirit is all Life, Truth, Love, Being, Cause and Effect. It is the only Power in the Universe that knows itself.”
Thomas Troward:“… the originating Life-principle is infinite, it is a single unit, and consequently, wherever it is at all, the whole of it must be present.”
In one of my classes I was asked to comment on their thoughts. I encourage you to draw your own conclusions. My thoughts suggest that “Spirit is All,” is quite the statement. Comprehending that statement is quite the achievement. Yet, how could there possibly be any other truth? Not only do I think Holmes and Troward agree, they practically say the same words, although Holmes is getting easier to understand.
When I sit down to meditate, I start by bringing to mind the concept that everything is Spirit. With that thought in mind, I make an effort to physically feel this truth. One day I tried to meditate and was having difficulty because the outside noises, along with the chatter in my brain, were distracting me. I eventually gave in to my distractions. As I sat there, the notion occurred to me that the coffee pot noise is Spirit, the ticking of the clock is Spirit, the hum of the refrigerator is Spirit, the child’s voice … no, wait … it’s a bird … is Spirit and so on.
Even the jolting sound of the truck backing up became a soft sound of cautioning. On and on I went with each distraction; naming it Spirit, naming it God. At some point I found myself in a deep state of reverie. I felt as if I was a part of each sound that came to me. I physically felt the oneness and connection with all the sights, sounds, smells, objects and beings in the Universe. That is what Thomas Troward and Ernest Holmes were saying: There is only Spirit.
Whatever I see, smell, hear, touch, think and say is the One. It is the Infinite Truth. It is the One Life. It is the Omnipresent Spirit. That includes me and what is true for me is true for everyone!
Cheryl Gleghorn grew up in Milwaukee, WI where she attended St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church. The second of eight children, she started learning early on the power of love and compassion. Spirituality was her calling. Because of her affiliation with a marketing group while in her early twenties, she was introduced to the world of self-help and positive thinking … which led to the notion that there was probably a connection to God somewhere in all of that.
In 1996, Cheryl found Science of Mind; A faith, a philosophy, and a way of life. This is the connection to God she was looking for. This movement was started by Dr Ernest Holmes in the early part of the twentieth century… In 2002, after several years of study, she became a licensed practitioner under the umbrella of United Church of Religious Science (later- Centers for Spiritual Living).
Today she attends the Center for Spiritual Living in Bradenton, FL.
Cheryl teaches this philosophy, does spiritual coaching, gives prayer support, leads meditation and facilitates visioning groups.