Lesson 1 I Celebrate Myself (Charles) This is the beginning of our new "Celebration" series, and in this and the

next lesson, Betty and I will present our individual thoughts and ideas on our first topic -- the celebration of the self. We have spent a great deal of time over the years discussing what we learn through our ministry, through the lives of others, and through our own lives. And because of our different personalities, we do sometimes differ in specific areas and in the way we express our ideas. The wonderful thing is that generally, we agree! On a higher (or deeper) level, there is unity and oneness of thought. The Art of Perfumery Through our life experiences and studies, we should always be developing for ourselves our own values, our own philosophies. Too often, we go through life borrowing ideas from others, imitating others, rarely creating anything that is uniquely our own. On a trip to England a few years ago, Betty and I visited Cambridge University. As we walked the grounds -- through the various colleges of higher learning, the lovely chapels, and experienced the "pomp and circumstance" of this revered institution -- I said to myself again and again, "What is the real message from all of these minds over all these years? What have they distilled from the great minds and books that we can use every day in our lives?" And I thought how, after all my years of study, of living and experiencing; I have only a thimbleful of knowledge, of information, of insight. What we are talking about here is the master art of "perfumery." "Perfumery" is, of course, the art of preparing perfumes. The beginning point of a fine perfume is in the "essential oils" which come from various plants and/or animals. To prepare an essential oil such as oil of rose, oil

of jasmine, or oil of lilac, the master perfumer must go through a long, arduous refining process called "distilling." Thousands of pounds of flower petals will yield only a few drops of essential oil. Yet that oil is pure essence, pure wonder! In life, we, too, must become "master perfumers." Out of our life experiences and all that we read and study, we must distill our own thimbleful of "essential oil." We then blend principles, ideas, essences, to create a fine fragrance, a wonderful perfume of life. Finally, we let its fragrance go forth from us for all to enjoy and celebrate. What would the finest perfume in the world be worth if it were kept in the bottle? It would be a waste of our time and our life if we did not share ourselves and our own unique perfume of life with others. I Celebrate Joy So often in religion and in philosophy, we forget that our reward, object, and purpose should be JOY! Many people object to the use of the word "pleasure," believing it to be unholy, physical, selfish, gross. How many times have we heard people say? "Things are going too well...something bad is bound to happen!" "You're too happy...you must be a phony!" "You're not serious enough...you'll never get ahead!" "You can only be saved through suffering!" But life -- and the celebration of self -- is pleasurable. My answer to such persons is, " M y friend, if you wish to be austere, pessimistic, gloomy -- so be it! As for me, I choose to be light...optimistic...joyful! I believe in joy, pleasure, beauty, love. I decided many years ago to stop feeling guilty because I expect life to be fun!" To live life on this level is my choice -- you

must make your own choice. What do you want for the rest of this week?... for the rest of your life? Do you want a "gloom and doom" philosophy? Or do you want to have fun out of life? Do you want sadness and suffering, or do you want to be excited about life, excited about the possibilities each day can bring? Every particle in the universe is a starting point for wonder; the universe only awaits your ability to distill its wonders and its fragrance. There is a time to be serious, yes...but not chronically serious. And yes, there is a time to be sad...but not chronically sad. Why not be merry? Be merry and joyous today...and tomorrow -and be spiritually alive and growing in awareness every day we live! I have been "accused" of being a "pantheist." To that I say "Yes, I am a pantheist -- for I believe that God is present everywhere, in all things." I have discovered that the most spiritually aware men and women (I call them "mystics") have a wonderful lightness of spirit, seeing God everywhere, and with a deep understanding of the infinite. I Celebrate Sensuality This may seem shocking to some! Folks have said to me, "Oh, you must be an epicure." If, according to the definition I found in the dictionary, this means that I am sensuous, that I seek pleasure, and that I have discriminating taste, then "Yes" -- I am, indeed, an epicure! Life is itself a sensual experience! To be sensuous means that I can see you. It means that when I hear beautiful music, the nerve endings tingle all through my body. It means that I can marvel at the touch of a baby's soft skin, or at the beauty and fragrance of a rose. Would it be better to live in a cave, isolated from such life experiences? Why should I apologize to God for using the five senses that were given to me? Should I feel guilty for being alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic? When I, like a master perfumer, blend the use of my five senses in the right combinations, I create wonderful experiences.

There are times in life, too, when sadness and grief are natural and normal. We may cry -- a sensual experience. At such times, we should allow ourselves to feel and experience that grief. Then, there is a time for the sadness and grief to end, so that the essential oil of the rest of life can once again blend and bring us joy. My major point here is that each of us has the right -- and even the obligation -- to celebrate the self! Consider, after all, what we have going for us: 1. We are conscious at this moment of being alive -- a miracle!

2.We are sensual beings, with five senses, or receptors, of great sensitivity -- a miracle! 3.We can love! 4.We can give and receive -- those are miracles! 5.We can share what we discover with others! Why not celebrate? We can share our life, our love, with others, so why not celebrate ourselves?

I Celebrate Myself

I have always loved the work of Walt Whitman, and he has long been one of my favorite poets. In his Song of Myself, he said, "I celebrate myself." As a very sensuous man, yet a very highly developed mystic in the spiritual realm, he took the absolute, transcendent aspect of God, and fused it with his physical self so that everything he saw appeared godly to him; every created thing was spiritual. You can actually spiritualize every aspect of your life, if you choose to do so. Can you accept that kind of challenge for yourself?

As I thought about Walt Whitman's statement -- "I celebrate myself" -- I asked myself: What is important to me in life? What do I most ardently seek? How do I go about celebrating myself? And I found seven things that I have discovered to be "essential oils" in my own unfoldment.

1.PURPOSE AND MEANING: Since I was a child, I have always wanted to know the purpose and meaning of things. I have always needed a philosophy by which to live. As I grew up, I wanted to know why I was here. I asked some very penetrating questions as a child, but received precious few answers from anyone. I always wanted to know the philosophy of any course I took in school -- whether biology, zoology, psychology, theology, What is the meaning -- the purpose -- of this science, and how does it relate to or blend with other sciences or studies? This always led me immediately into deep waters, but I felt it essential to have a value system that integrates all the aspects of my life and thought, and which can grow and change as I discover and understand new ideas. So, in order to celebrate myself, I must first find purpose and meaning. 2.RECOGNIZE, DEVELOP, AND SPIRITUALIZE THE FIVE SENSES: This has been a major breakthrough for me, and has become one of the major themes of my entire ministry. We have five senses, and it is important that we develop them! Without developing our awareness and becoming increasingly sensitive to the world around us -- whether on a physical, mental, or spiritual plane -- we are not living on the highest level! 3. LIFE IS FOR EXPRESSION: Life is an active, rather than passive, experience. Living and loving are God's offerings to me, and I must accept; I must know life and experience it first-hand. We are here to express, and when we express the highest and best within us, we are living life to the fullest. 4.THE FREEDOM TO BE MYSELF: One discovery I made was that it is absolutely essential to have the freedom to be myself. I need to take charge of my own life, to choose my own lifestyle, and to choose my own life orientation. It sometimes requires courage to be yourself, and to say the things that come forth from within. It is important also to have convictions and beliefs -- but to keep them open-ended.

And I discovered that freedom implies responsibility. If I must have the freedom to be myself, and to express myself, then I must allow others the same freedom. I cannot be free if you are enslaved. The idea of being a free spirit -- free to be and to express yourself in the highest and best way you can -- is massive, magnificent, wonderful. 5.SEEK THE ESSENCE OF LIFE: I came up with the idea that I had to transcend the ordinary, the average...that I had to refine, to go beyond myself all the time, moving deeper, into what I would call "the infinite." I need to transcend the surface of things, to seek the finer substance that is not apparent on the surface. Nothing is as it appears. The object of life is the joy of discovering deeper and deeper levels of being! The object of my life has been, is, and will continue to be: increased awareness of the infinite. Simply stated, this means that I want to be in tune with the Infinite. It is the reason for my existence; it is my search for the mystical essence of life. I learned that to be in tune with the Infinite is a choice we each must make. 6.I AM THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF MY EFFECT: What a threatening day when this breakthrough occurred! No longer could I blame anyone else for my own misfortunes, for my own bad thoughts. I have produced myself; I can change myself; I can change the cause. When we accept that we are co-creators with God, and that we create our own reality, it gives us tremendous power to become, to develop, to enjoy, to live abundantly. We can change the effect -- our lives -- by changing our selves! 7.THE JOY OF EXPRESSION IS THE PURPOSE OF MY EXISTENCE! We are here to express who and what we are. And unless we express our innermost desires, we miss the purpose of our existence! To express ourselves is the reason for all the study, the knowledge, the personal experiences of life, the sadness, the joy, the despair, the ecstasy. Joy of expression is the reason for living! God expresses through us -- it is the reason we are here on earth.

And so, to celebrate myself, I must: - Express myself in a meaningful way. - Live life fully. Use my sensibilities constructively. - Choose to be me. - Pause and discover the essence of my life and the essence of all things. - Realize that I am the cause of my effect. Find the joy of expression, which is the purpose of my existence.

MEDITATION: In the 16th Psalm of David, he said, "Preserve me, O God, for in Thee I take refuge. I say to you, Lord, Thou art my Lord. I have no good apart from Thee. Therefore, my heart is glad and my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure. Thou dost show me the path of life. In Thy Presence is fullness of joy; in Thy right hand are pleasures forevermore." We feel the Presence of God with joy, with peace, with love. Let us be in love with life, in love with the God life that sustains us in health, in love with the life that is ever- renewing, ever unfolding, the infinite life of God. We use our vision, our inner vision, to see life's beauty, life's goodness, and lifes abundance. We are growing continuously toward knowingness, and in knowing, we glow! For the light of God cannot be hidden. We are as a city on a hilltop, radiating out to help others find their way. The God Light within us is always present to protect, guide, direct, heal. And so we celebrate life by celebrating our own self and the greater Self within us.