Your Christ Consciousness

Dear Light of the World,
 
Christ Consciousness. . . . We talk about it all the time, but just exactly what is Christ consciousness and why does it matter? Is it just another kitschy phrase like “have a nice day” or “it is what it is”? Or is Christ Consciousness a meaningful term that can enhance my life and maybe even my world? (One of the reasons I was drawn to Unity in the first place was that I discovered teachings in Unity that went beyond interesting theology and ideas, and were actually useful in improving my life experience!)    
 
Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore describes the Christ as ‘the perfect Word or idea of God … the embodiment of all divine ideas … which unfolds in true man as potential perfection.’ In other words, our Christ is our perfect God-self just waiting to happen! Consciousness is a state of alert awareness.  
 
Being consciously aware of our Christ nature is critical to our understanding of who and what we are, and impacts how we live our life. If I think myself to be just another fatally flawed human being struggling to get from day to day and maybe find a measure of happiness along the way, I live my life from a place of exertion that is ultimately hopeless. However, if I know the Truth of who I am--the perfect idea of God, embodying all divine ideas and unfolding toward my potential perfection--I can live from my innate divinity, inspired and empowered. What a difference! No longer a victim, a candle in the wind, but rather a victor, powerful and destined.
 
How do we move from an intellectual understanding to embrace and express our Christ consciousness? That, my Friends, is always the million dollar question! Our shining example is in the life and teachings of Jesus, our teacher and Way Shower. When I consider his demonstration of Christ Consciousness, three A’s come to mind: Awake! Aware! Active! 
 
Awake! – Awakened to the truth of his being, he knew in every bone and sinew of his being that “the Father and I are One.” He was awake to himself as a fully human being as well as the perfect Word of God in expression. He was awake to this truth not just sometimes or most of the time, but all the time.  
 
Aware! – Awakened to what he was--fully human and fully divine--he was aware of the divine capabilities at his beck and call. He’d developed those 12 Powers we talk about--Faith, Love, Strength, Wisdom, Power, Imagination, Understanding, Will, Order, Enthusiasm (Zeal), Release and Life--in a full and balanced way. He was aware of who he was and what he could do.  
 
Active! – From his Christ Consciousness, Jesus lived large in this world. His teachings and all of his activities demonstrate him drawing on being awake and aware, and putting his Christ Consciousness into action. As a result, the world has been forever changed. 
 
As did Jesus, we can likewise choose to engage our Christ Consciousness. Awakened to our God-self, we can nurture that awakening with our daily time in the Silence. Aware of the depth and breadth of powerful gifts we have, we can further their development in our spiritual studies and exploration.  
 
But being awake and aware isn’t enough; we must engage these spiritual gifts in action, stepping out in love as we are divinely guided. We don’t have to do it all; we don’t have to do it by ourselves. But our Christ Consciousness seeks to express itself in loving, caring action--to self first, then at home, then in our greater sphere of influence. In nurturing our awakening and awareness, we are empowered to profound and meaningful action for the greater good of us all.  
 
Blessings,
 
Rev. Laurie