Unity Church of Dallas - Rev. Condra's Message

A Message from
Rev. Kurt Condra,
Associate Minister

Stormy Weather

Storms both fascinate and terrify us. Weather forecasters are the best barometers of our dualistic fixation. They seem almost giddy tracking the intensity and progress of Hanna, Ike and Josephine as these three tropical storms/hurricanes gain and lose momentum in their trek across the Atlantic. Beneath the excitement, though, lies an undercurrent of foreboding and dread as meteorologists revise their predictions about when and where each might make landfall.

So if it’s true that we are divinely connected to all of creation, and if it’s true that we exert our creative power in this earthly realm through the thoughts and beliefs we hold, then doesn’t the consciousness of fear and foreboding evident in newscasts about the storms help to create the very conditions we fear?

There’s a story in Unity lore about May Roland, who led Silent Unity, our Movement’s century-plus-old prayer ministry in Kansas City. It’s said that years ago, when a tornado was headed directly for Unity Village, she exhorted, “Your father has no need of you here,” and it turned to cross harmlessly over a vacant field. Frankly, when I first heard it, I dismissed it as exaggerated legend. I regarded it as a depiction of what’s possible with sufficiently enlightened consciousness -- like Jesus calming stormy seas – but I didn’t really believe it. These days, I’m much less skeptical.

I believe that what we hold in consciousness as Hanna, Ike and Josephine approach the Caribbean and the East Coast can affect the outcome. So here’s a suggestion for reframing any lingering dread you might experience in your thinking about the storms:

They are part of creation’s cycle, fearsome in their power to add to life and fearsome in their power to destroy. Yet, in their midst, there is beauty and greatness that can stir feelings of serenity, peace and calm. Try to find a point of stillness in the recognition that there are forces in the cosmos that, while greater than we, are somehow not separate from us. Into this stillness, direct your prayer energy in whatever way you can believe unquestioningly. Use May’s denial, “Spirit has no need of you here.” Or visualize the colored swirls on the weather map dissolving into nothingness. Or use what I believe is the highest-level prayer, “Divine order is established and all is well.”

We teach that prayer is a tool for aligning with source energy and our creative power. I believe our collective prayers have power beyond our comprehension. Give it a shot. Prayerfully shaping the earth’s weather patterns is excellent practice for the even greater work of creating a consciousness for supporting world peace.

We’re all in this together,
Rev. Kurt

Message Date: September 4, 2008