Skip to content
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Center Staff
  • Board of Trustees
  • Services
    • Sunday Services & Meditation
    • Wednesday’s Wisdom
    • Congregational Songs
    • Archived videos on our Youtube Channel
  • Gallery
  • Media
  • Contact Us
Top Menu

Center for Spiritual Living
Center for Spiritual Living
No matter where you are on your spiritual journey, know that you are welcome here.
  • Programs
    • Animal Kinship Ministry
    • Circle of Love
    • Coming Home – Awakening To Spirit
    • Community Outreach Programs
    • Jewel Tones Choir
    • New Thought Bookstore
    • Shifting Sands
    • Youth and Family
  • Science of Mind Classes
    • Course Descriptions
    • Current & Upcoming Classes
  • Events & Calendar
  • Prayer Ministry
    • Affirmative Prayer: Career and Creativity
    • Affirmative Prayer: Health
    • Affirmative Prayer: Love and Relationships
    • Affirmative Prayer: Spirituality and Consciousness
    • Affirmative Prayer: Wealth
  • Ministers
  • Give
  • Volunteer
  • Blog
  • Programs
    • Animal Kinship Ministry
    • Circle of Love
    • Coming Home – Awakening To Spirit
    • Community Outreach Programs
    • Jewel Tones Choir
    • New Thought Bookstore
    • Shifting Sands
    • Youth and Family
  • Science of Mind Classes
    • Course Descriptions
    • Current & Upcoming Classes
  • Events & Calendar
  • Prayer Ministry
    • Affirmative Prayer: Career and Creativity
    • Affirmative Prayer: Health
    • Affirmative Prayer: Love and Relationships
    • Affirmative Prayer: Spirituality and Consciousness
    • Affirmative Prayer: Wealth
  • Ministers
  • Give
  • Volunteer
  • Blog

Seeing through the Perspective of Oneness

In reading the recommended book for the month, The I of the Storm by Gary Simmons, I was reminded about the value of perspective. In the book, Simmons suggests that when we are in conflict or worry or fear often it’s not an actual threat but the perspective we are viewing the situation from that disrupts our peace.

My sister-in-law, Keira, is one of my greatest examples of walking the talk when it comes to compassion. As a new mom, she often felt overwhelmed when dealing with her crying infant in public. That experience gave her tremendous compassion for other young mothers. One day while visiting the San Diego Zoo with her family, she noticed a young mom with an infant and a toddler. The mom couldn’t quiet the crying infant. Nothing was working and Keira could see the young mom’s frustration and anxiety mounting. Keira left her family with her husband, went over to the woman and offered to hold the crying child. She prefaced it by saying, “I know you don’t know me, but I promise I will stay right here and just give you a break.” Within a few minutes, Keira had calmed the baby and given the mom a moment to calm down, regroup and collect herself.

To me, Keira acted with courageous compassion and from a place of Oneness. At that moment, she allowed God to work through her, as her, to provide support to another human BEING.

Simmons offers that most conflicts arise from the perception of “competing needs, wants and values – combined with misperception, defensiveness, and the need to be right.” Keira didn’t judge the woman’s parenting style. She didn’t say, “I would never take a toddler and an infant to the zoo without help.” Instead, she simply noticed a situation and did “unto others and you would have them do unto you.”

That really is compassion in a nutshell, right? Without judgment or ridicule, simply treat those around you the way you would want to be treated.

As I was reading Simmons words, I thought of a great opportunity to practice compassion every single day: driving. I can judge, criticize and potentially say some unkind things about fellow drivers or I could give them the benefit of the doubt and choose to see them as an example of the Divine. I could think, maybe they honestly didn’t see me or any number of other thoughts that will allow me to find the compassion I need to forgive or forget or at the very least offer some grace.

Compassion. All it takes is a willingness to see past our own definition of ourselves and instead see the oneness in others. Namaste

Share this post

Author: Juli Isola

Recent Blog Posts
  • CSL Capistrano Valley is an LGBTQIA+ Ally

    Pride Month – June 2023 Excerpted from Centers for Spiritual Living’s Spiritually Motivated Social Engagement committee’s 2021 statement for Pride Month. The Spiritually Motivated Social Engagement committee of Centers for Spiritual Living invites our global communities to continue to learn more about Pride Month (see resources below,) support local LGBTQIA2+ groups or create new opportunities…

    May 31, 2023
  • Jewel Tones Choir Finale Performance

    June 4th, 2023 Join us for a very special service Sunday, June 4th, as we say good bye to our amazing Jewel Tones Choir. Choir and Music Director Diane King Vann will lead the choir in many of our favorite songs from past choir shows and performances. For many decades, our choir has been the…

    May 31, 2023
  • Daniel Nahmod in Concert Sunday May 7th

    Noon to 1:15 p.m. ~ Suggested Love Offering: $25.00 Award-winning New Thought singer-song writer Danial Nahmod returns to the Center Sunday, May 7th. Daniel will be our featured performer during the service, and will give a concert afterwards. Daniel has been composing and performing since 1999. His songs are recorded and performed world-wide and were…

    April 13, 2023
  • Book Study Wednesdays: The Language of Emotion: What Your Feelings Are Trying to Tell You

    Mary Brogdon digging into and discussing Karla McLaren’s book, The Language of Emotion: What Your Feelings Are Trying to Tell You. From McLaren’s website, “Emotions—especially the dark and dishonored ones—hold a tremendous amount of energy. We’ve all seen what happens when we repress or carelessly express them. With The Language of Emotions: What Your Feelings Are Trying…

    March 26, 2023
  • Spiritual Economics: The Principles and Processes of True Prosperity

    Spiritualize Your Relationship with Money All matter and form originate from Spiritual Intelligence including Money. Learn how to work with spiritual laws to create a greater flow of prosperity in your life. Join us for eight weeks of illumination through understanding principles and practices. Based on the works of Eric Butterworth… Butterworth believed that prosperity…

    March 26, 2023
  • Roots of Science of Mind: New England Fall Foliage & New Thought Tour

    October 12 – 19, 2023 Join Rev. Alice Reid with guest presenter Dr. Petra Weldes for an exciting journey to New England to visit sights where the New Thought movement began. We begin our pilgrimage in Bethel, Maine at the childhood home of Ernest Holmes. We then travel to Belfast, Maine to the home of…

    March 26, 2023
Categories
  • Blog
  • Classes
  • Events
Tags
Affirmation Affirmative Prayer Audio blog center for spiritual living capistrano valley creativity Darin McClure Darin McClure Dr. Heather Clark Dr. Heather Clark Ernest Holmes Forgiveness gratitude gratitude Jason Silva Joyous Living Journal Joyous Living Journal Juli Isola Juli Isola Lisa McClure Lisa McClure Love Love Meditation meditation Music Oneness Parenting Quotes Rev. Dr. Heather Clark Rev. Dr. Heather Clark Rev. Karyn Allen Rev. Pattie Mercado Rev. Pattie Mercado Science of Mind September Warren September Warren spiritual growth Sunday Service Sunday Service Vidette Vanderweide Vidette Vanderweide Wednesday Wisdom Wednesday Wisdom Youtube
Contact Us
Center for Spiritual Living Capistrano Valley
1201 Puerta Del Sol
Suite 100 San Clemente, California 92673

Phone: 949-240-6463

Other contact options

Volunteers: Please check your assignment schedules here.

Latest Tweets
  • https://t.co/p2YlbiLr6r https://t.co/ntd6y49CHo https://t.co/o1SPxRSiuY https://t.co/KZFXDlSphf6 days ago
  • https://t.co/3fqur0Z2nG9 days ago
  • We remember those who died while serving our country. We honor their memory. We reflect on their sacrifice.… https://t.co/ibImziENFv12 days ago
  • https://t.co/p2YlbiLr6r https://t.co/ntd6y49CHo https://t.co/o1SPxRSiuY #spirituality #SanClemente #ScienceofMind… https://t.co/S9KfsyrYFm13 days ago
  • https://t.co/p2YlbiLr6r https://t.co/ntd6y49CHo https://t.co/o1SPxRSiuY https://t.co/U0oJyAm7n020 days ago
  • https://t.co/p2YlbiLr6r https://t.co/ntd6y49CHo https://t.co/o1SPxRSiuY https://t.co/eHNrkhuhcQ27 days ago
Latest Facebook Update

Center for Spiritual Living Capistrano Valley

Center for Spiritual Living Capistrano Valley

Rev. Alice delivers her talk, the Evolution of Self Care, Sunday, June 4th 2024. Self-care is an integral part of our human experience. Your evolution depends on your commitment to self-care.

... See MoreSee Less


Video

View on Facebook

·
Share



Share on Facebook



Share on Twitter



Share on Linked In



Share by Email

Center for Spiritual Living
© Copyright Center for Spiritual Living Capistrano Valley