Issue # 46

UPWARD BOUND J * O * U * R * N * A * L
SPIRITUAL LESSONS FOR YOUR PERSONAL GROWTH
beginning to end in order
to get the big picture, so
you can really
understand what the
author is saying when
you sit down to read it a
second time - (which is a
necessity). Its the
second reading that not
only makes sense, but
that reveals the deeper
wisdom and sensitivity
the author intended to
convey.
Gibran confirms this in
the book jacket notes
when he says: I kept the
manuscript four years
before I delivered it over
to my publisher because I wanted to be sure, I wanted to be very sure, that
every word of it was the very best I had to offer.
In one part Gibran speaks of teaching and helps the reader realize that
the teacher cannot impart understanding, but only lead the reader in that
direction. Understanding must come from within. And he said: No man
can reveal to you naught but that which already lies half asleep in the
dawning of your knowledge. For the vision of one man lends not its
The Prophet is a
fictional character in a tale by
Kahlil Gibran, who shares his
message of the deeper
meanings of life with the
people of a make-believe
village. It is easy to resonate
with his pearls of wisdom and
get lost in a sense that he is a
real person, in a real place and
time, although long ago and
far away from where we are
today. Whether it was the
authors intention or not I do
not know, but reading The
Prophet is not all that different
than reading the Gospels. In
either case I come away
inspired to live my life by a
higher standard.
The Prophet has been on my bookshelf for more than twenty years
and I have read portions of it and quoted from it on many occasions. I
have used passages in my wedding ceremony and in my Christening
service. And I have pondered its pithy wisdombut I have never read it
from cover to cover, that is until this week.
What struck me was that this is the kind of book one should read from
One Story, Many Writers
Photo by Art Holt
wings to another. My words are inadequate to get you to see what I see,
even though we may be looking at the same thing.
Perhaps this explains why the same stories are often written by many
different authors. There is no such thing as a single point of view on any
subject that can be universally understood by every individual reader. The
Bible is a very good example.
There are four Gospels describing the life of Jesus, each one written
from the individual perspective of its author. Bible scholars agree, the
Gospel of Mark, which was the first Gospel written, leaves out the birth
story and begins with Jesus baptism and launches right into His ministry.
In order for Jesus to be considered greater than Moses it was important to
establish His origin as greater as well, so Luke, the second Gospels
author, painted the picture of Mary and Joseph and the virgin birth that is
so universally celebrated to this day. For Matthew, it was important to
emphasize the Jewish side of Jesus and connect Him with a birth line that
preceded Moses, going all the way back to Abraham. (The oddity here is
that while the birth line is traced from Joseph back to Abraham it ignores
the disconnect with Mary, since she is said to have had an immaculate
conception, making Josephs genealogy irrelevant.) And John, written
many years later, focuses on Jesus from a much more Spiritual
perspective. Four life stories, each with its own point of view.
They all may be correct and they all may have had human influences
and historical inaccuracies, but the important thing is not whether any one
of the Gospels is correct or corrupt, its that we need them all to get a fair
and richer understanding of Jesus life and the nature of that time in
history. All the Gospels should be read repeatedly and with deep
contemplation in order for us to develop our individual beliefs and
personal understandings. And in all probability each of our perceptions
will be uniquely ours.
There are many who consider every word of the Bible to be the
inerrant word of God, and to question any of it is nothing less than heresy.
Others say the Bible is the work of many writers and many points of view,
albeit Divinely inspired. Whichever it may be we can say that the wisdom
the Bible contains and the lessons it offers can lift and inspire every
reader.
Who can question the validity of the lessons and the guidance our
Way-Shower, Jesus the Christ imparts paragraph after paragraph and book
after book? Sometimes presented in mysterious parables (to him who has
much shall more be given; and to him who has little, even that which he
has shall be taken away); and oft-times in simple and straight forward
declarations (There are but two commandments. Thou shall love the lord
your God with all your heart, soul and strength. And likewise, thou shall
love thy neighbor as thy self.)
On the surface the giving and taking parable sounds unfair until one
considers that Jesus is talking about personal qualities such as love and
generosity. A person who is filled with love and expresses that love freely
to everyone he or she encounters, cant help but receive more love in
return. At the same time someone who withholds or restricts the
expression of their feelings will find they are treated in the same way.
More begets more and less begets less. Its the law of cause and effect. A
generous person gives in abundance and his well never runs dry. A
miserly tightwad like Scrooge, more concerned with getting than giving,
finds misery and scarcity as his rewards; again the result of the law of
cause and effect.
Putting God first is the primary Commandment and since the very
nature of God is love, what better way to put God first than to express
your own love to and for the source of all love. When we do that
everything in life falls into place in all that we are, do and have. But its
not enough to offer your love to our invisible and infinite Creator, for God
U P W A R D B O U N D J * O * U * R * N * A * L
is in all people, everywhere and at all times as well. If we love God but
not our neighbor, we are not really loving God at all. Jesus reminded us as
he spoke to His disciples to love one another as I have loved you. Jesus
demonstrated his love to and for every single person He met, healing and
blessing everyone. Even with regard to your enemies he said to turn the
other cheek and walk the extra mile. Jesus demonstrated his love
universally. That is the one another He was referring tonot just to His
disciples, but to each one of us who seeks the lessons He provided for us.
Reading the Gospels multiple times and referring to multiple
resources reminds me just how fortunate we are to have multiple news
sources today. There are many people who think network television news
programs are biased one way and the cable stations just the opposite, and
all the stations profess they are just journalists presenting true and factual
stories. I thank God we have many to choose from for I confess if I were
restricted to only one news source I would be baffled by the one-sided
perspective.
I am a Journalism graduate and I understand the process for accurately
getting and writing a story. You ask questions that address the Who
What Where When Why and How of a story line. Thats being
objective. But the truth is that we all have our personal opinions and
beliefs that influence the way we phrase our questions, or that seek
answers that secretly confirm our personal point of view. Its impossible
not to include the writers viewpoint even if he or she is intent on being as
impartial as possible. And that includes the writers of the various books of
the Bible. Personal bias always influences the result. Two thousand years
ago as the young Christian missionaries went about trying to convert local
pagans, that bias was quite intentional, and their efforts proved to be very
successful.
Wouldnt it have been interesting if we had a Walter Cronkite or
Anderson Cooper writing and recording their observations during the time
of Jesus? I cant imagine a greater story to cover and share with the world.
But as todays theological scholars have found, there appears to be nothing
written or recorded about the life of Jesus anywhere other than the Gospels
themselves and the letters from Paul to the missionaries.
Scholars have searched the ancient archives, and of all the public
records available from that time in the history of humankind, there is
nothing that refers to Jesus life or death.
I guess if there is a word of caution in all this, it is simply that we
should question all the stories and probably the sources a little more
closely. One of the things I found in doing a Google search on the
council of Nicaea was that contrary to what many people believe, that
meeting in 325 CE was not held to determine which books would be
acceptable in the New Testament, but to determine the Divinity of Jesus.
Roman Emperor Constantine had nothing to do with what was to be
included or excluded in the New Testament. But he sure had an influence
on the relationship between Jesus and God.
(Incidentally, it was not until forty years later in his Easter letter of
367 CE, that Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, gave a list of the books
that would become the New Testament. His opinion and that of a limited
number of others resulted in determining the acceptable (orthodox) texts at
the council at Carthage twenty years later in 387 CE.) All other writings
were determined to be heretical (unacceptable) and thus banned. Like
much of history, it was the influence of just a few individuals that
determined the basis of what we believe today. There is much we do not
know for sure, whether fact or fancy.
In my research I found, Christianity was young and still working out
the kinks when Constantine took power over the Roman Empire in A.D.
306. Christian doctrine at the time was inconsistent, especially when it
came to the central question of Jesus' relationship to God.
Jesus was as eternally divine as the Father, said one camp led by the
U P W A R D B O U N D J * O * U * R * N * A * L
Archbishop Alexander of Alexandria. Another group, named the Arians
after their leader Arius the preacher, saw Jesus as a remarkable leader,
but inferior to God and lacking in absolute divinity.
Wanting to consolidate the matter, Emperor Constantine summoned all
the bishops to the imperial palace at Nicaea on June 19, 325.
The Council declared that the Father and the Son are of the same
substance and are co-eternal, basing the declaration in the claim that this
was a formulation of traditional Christian belief handed down from the
Apostles. Under Constantine's influence, this belief was accepted by the
bishops in what would be known thereafter as the Nicene Creed.
As a final order of business, the bishops decided upon a date for the
holiest of Christian celebrations, Easter, which was being observed at
different times around the empire. Previously linked with the timing of
Passover, the council settled on a moveable day that would never coincide
again with the Jewish holiday the first Sunday after the first full moon
on or after the vernal equinox.

So a group of men with divergent opinions determined the nature of
Jesus to be equal to and the same as God, resulting in the doctrine of the
Trinity; and then in an unrelated matter chose an astrological system for
selecting the time of Easter. All this leaves us to wonder what else was
determined by committee?
But, thats life. Decisions are made, history is re-written, and new
directions for the path of life are set by well meaning people because the
differences of opinions and beliefs require discussion and eventually some
form of agreement. It was the best they could do at the time with the
information at hand and the circumstances they had to deal with.
Thats simply the way life unfolds. Were only human (well, were
actually Spiritual beings having a human experience) and we are not

U P W A R D B O U N D J * O * U * R * N * A * L
exactly perfect.
In the end it may turn out that there really is only One Story, told and
retold, interpreted, written and edited by many authors, scholars, and
writers; some divinely inspired, some from a humble perspective, others
from self proclaimed expertise. So, what can we do?
We can read a lot, listen a lot, question and we contemplate and ask
why or perhaps why not a lot; and slowly we can learn and grow, form our
own opinions, beliefs and ideas...which shape the way we live and act and
treat our fellow man and the world in which we live. Thats the way it has
been and the result is a world of seven billion people with seven billion
points of view.
Even with all these variables, there is one thing we should be able to
admit and it is that we are one human race, born of one human family eons
ago. What we all have in
common is that we were all
created out of the hand of One
God, made in His likeness, loved
and blessed equally whomever or
wherever we may be.
So, like the God who loves
us unconditionally, perhaps the
only lesson we have is to follow
Jesus commandment to love
one another as I have loved you.

And so it isAmen.
Art Holt
of five, then exhale slowly to the count of five. Repeat several
times before returning to your normal breathing level.
Become aware of how far down in your lungs you can feel your
breathing.
Now shift your attention to your abdomen. As you breathe
in deeply notice how your belly expands and then retracts as
you exhale. Repeat ten times and notice any changes in the
movement of your chest and abdomen.
Return to your normal breathing and listen to the sounds
nearby, including the sounds in your body. Have you become
more sensitive to your surroundings? Does your body feel
more relaxed; is it warmer or cooler? Just notice the
changes and continue breathing through your nose.
Now, slowly begin to breathe through your mouth and
notices the changes it makes in the movement of your chest
and abdomen. Repeat several times
As you continue to breathe through your mouth, become
aware of the roof of your mouth and how the temperature
changes as you inhale and exhale. Repeat several times and
just notice the physical details of your breathing.
Now begin to conclude this exercise. Slowly look around
you, turning your head from side to side, observing your
surroundings in detail and with appreciation. Rise from your
chair or begin to walk if youve been standing.
Allow the experience to make you more conscious of your
breath and your breathing as you return to your normal
routines. Allow yourself to be very peaceful and relaxed.
In this issue our guided meditation will focus on technique rather
than guided imagery. Where do you feel the most relaxed and
comfortable? Standing, sitting, or walking slowly through a garden? For
your meditation choose the one that suits you best.
What is important is your breathing and reaching a state of mind
that is relaxed and free of worry or stress. Brain researchers have
shown that breathing through your nose improves the functioning of
your lungs, circulation and keeps the temperature of your brain in
balance. The following exercise is to train your mind to be still and
heighten your state of awareness. This exercise is based on one from
How God Changes Your Brain by Andrew Newberg, M.D. and Mark
Waldman, neuroscientists at the University of Pennsylvania.
(Take one - two minutes with each step of this exercise.)

Let us begin: Find that comfortable, quiet place where you
will not be disturbed and let go of anything in your hands or
lap.
Do nothing but pay attention to your breath. Breathe in
slowly through your nose and notice the cool temperature of
the air.
Exhale slowly through your nose and notice the warmth of
the air you breathe out.
Repeat your breathing; in and out in nice, slow deep
breaths. Keep your thoughts returning to an awareness of
your breathing whenever they stray.
Continue breathing and notice how focusing on your
breathing diminishes your distracting thoughts. Continue to
focus on your breathing.
Shift your focus to your chest and feel how it rises and
falls with each breath you take. Breathe in slowly to the count
M E D I T A T I O N
Dottie Holt, Rev. Arthur Holt,
Licensed Unity Teacher Unity Minister

Upward Bound of Unity, Inc.
10870 SW 71st Circle
Ocala, FL 34476
Phone (352) 861 - 5518
Email: UpwardBoundRev@aol.com

Upward Bound Journal
is a Unity publishing ministry based on Biblical teachings and dedicated
to writing and presenting spiritual, inspirational, and metaphysical
principles which empower people to enrich and transform their lives.

For more information about Upward Bound email us at:
UpwardBoundRev@aol.com or go to our website:
www.upwardboundjournal.com.
Issue # 46
Upward Bound Journal is of Upward Bound of Unity, Inc. 2010

Member: Association of Unity Churches International, SunCoast Unity Ministers Association, and
affiliated with: Unity Institute and Silent Unity, publishers of Daily Word. Upward Bound of Unity,
Inc. is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3), charitable corporation sustained entirely by your tax deductible
gifts.
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U P W A R D B O U N D J * O * U * R * N * A * L
WORDS WE LIVE BY
Our thoughts and words create our reality. Let us acknowledge
another word that will impact our lives in wonderful ways. This time
the word is Body & Soul.
Do you consider your body and soul to be one and the same
thing? Perhaps we might better understand the nature of life if we
recognized that while we are in our human life experience the
body is where the soul resides, but that in an eternal sense the body
and soul are very different.
Were quite aware that our physical body has a beginning and
an end, is born and eventually dies, a temporary and somewhat
frail structure in the realm of eternity. Our soul, on the other
hand, has no physical dimension nor is it limited by time, and yet
it is the true essence of who and what we are; perhaps a definition
of eternity.
The body may look and feel real enough, but if we lose a part of
it, like an arm or leg, or even the function of movement through
paralysis, the soul remains unaltered, for the soul cannot be
dismembered or reduced in any way. Our body is the house and
the soul the resident. But, its the soul that makes the body-house a
home.
Our confusion comes from thinking that our thoughts are our
soul in action, when it is much more likely that our thoughts are
connected with our human, physical, ego sense of self...our
personality rather than our perfection. Our sense of oneness that
occur in times of prayer and reflection, our feelings of joyful
appreciation, wonder and oneness with our Creator, those are
more closely a description of the presence of our soul making itself
aware to our human self. That self is the eternal reality of our soul,
that of us that lives forever.
To know your soul, pray often, with deep reflection and loving
appreciation. Blessings, Art & Dottie
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Upward Bound Upward Bound Upward Bound Upward Bound
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Photo by Art Holt
Dear Friends and Supporters Dear Friends and Supporters Dear Friends and Supporters Dear Friends and Supporters,
Its time for our once-a-year subscription/fund raising effort for Upward Bound
Journal.
As a reader/subscriber via the internet, using on-screen readable and/or printable PDF
files, in is important to understand that your financial support for the Upward Bound
Journal ministry is just as important as for those who receive the printed hard-copies.
When everyone reaches the earth friendly point of paperless communications, it will be
impossible to continue a publishing ministry like Upward Bound without the financial
assistance it takes to support the time, effort, travel and related expenses we continue to
incur.
A single annual tithe to Upward Bound Journal is what we need to continue writing,
photographing, publishing and sending electronic (PDF) copies to a growing number of
people; fulfilling our purpose of enriching and transforming lives. We also have much
work to do to upgrade and maintain our Upward bound Journal website. In fact, its long
overdue
For those on-line readers who have already sent a check, we extend our sincere
thanks and richest blessings. Like Spirit within, you knew our needs before we asked.
Remember, your donations are fully tax deductible and your donation should be
whatever amount is meaningful to you.
With every donation we receive, we rededicate our efforts to make the next issue of
Upward Bound Journal better than the last, our words more meaningful, and our
photographs more appropriate.
We hope that it shows.
Thank you one and all.

Art & Dottie Holt Art & Dottie Holt Art & Dottie Holt Art & Dottie Holt