This month I am working with The Power of Power or The Power of Dominion.  The color associated with this power is purple and the location is behind the throat.  It is the ability to master, dominate and control our thoughts, to convert an idea into words and actions in which we create our lives.  Realize it is not “I” that does the work but, our power within.

As we seek higher consciousness and develop our personal consciousness into spiritual consciousness, we begin to deliberately train, deepen our understanding and use these powers more effectively.  We are all people of power and are empowered by owning that power.  What does “owning our power” mean?  We tend to give our power away.  We take our power and put it out there in the hands of certain people, certain circumstances and certain struggles.  For example, have you ever heard yourself say, “You make me mad!” “You make me feel guilty.” “You are making me a nervous wreck.” “You are breaking my heart.”  Or even “You make me so happy.”  “Without you my life would be empty.”  These are all statements that give our power away to someone or something outside ourselves. Essentially you are saying, “You are so powerful.  You have all this power and I have none.”  Please note – nobody has power over us unless we give it to them.

How do we take our power back?  By saying uplifting affirmations to ourselves.  Ask yourself what am I affirming?  We are BRAVE!  We speak-up more for what we want, for the truth, for what is positive, healthy, helpful and freeing.  We stop saying, “It’s ok, not a big deal.”  When it is even a small deal.

In her book “Divine Audacity”, Linda Martella-Whitsett explains we express our power in concentration; self-mastery and spiritual authority.  Concentration is the opposite of multitasking.  It is focusing on one thing at a time.  Concentration is the power of single mindedness – it intensifies a thought, the way a laser intensifies light.  The question becomes, what do we concentrate on?  In the Bible verse Philippians 4:8 it says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent and praiseworthy, think on these things.”  In other words, keep your mind with all things loving, with all things peaceful, and with all things joyous, and this is what you will bring to you.

Each of these are ideals found only in our truest self – our infinite self – the source of which is divine.  Direct your attention to these attributes and you shall receive the power you seek from within.

The second expression of the Power of Power is Self-Mastery.  Every religion teaches it and every culture values it.  Self-control and self-mastery are the key to power:

  1. Tao de Ching says “He who conquers others has physical strength; he who conquers himself is strong and powerful.”
  2. Sikhism says, “With the conquest of the mind, I have conquered the world.”
  3. Buddhism, “Though one should conquer a million men on the battlefield, yet he, indeed, is the noblest victor who has conquered himself.”
  4. Christianity – “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7

Self-mastery is our capacity to guide our thoughts, words and actions in integrity with our infinite self, instead of reacting from human impulses.  We seek to understand the beliefs and attitudes underlying our impulsive emotions, so we can correct misguided beliefs.  Self-mastery is a claiming of our wholeness and self-determination.  As we trust ourselves, we become deliberate in our actions, unapologetically, but not aggressively.  Just from a place of knowing what is ours. Others will respect us when we respect ourselves.    I am not saying do this in an aggressive way.  There is no need to be aggressive about it.  Difference between aggressiveness and self-mastery, is assertiveness, which is a healthy aspect of consciousness.

Why is it important to cultivate self-mastery in small matters?  Everyday power-struggles, lead to self-condensation and deflation of self-worth, which leads to the dimming of our inner light and withdrawing from being the blessing we are here to be.  Remedies for situations of perceived powerlessness involve claiming our power faculty.  Think about it – whenever we have an issue with someone, ignoring it or sidestepping it, is an act of disrespect.

  1. We disrespect the other person by telling ourselves they can’t handle our honest feedback.
  2. We disrespect ourselves by saying, “It’s not a big deal” or I’ll get over it.

Cultivating self-mastery, along with the courage of our strength ability, we become self-knowing, transparent and confident.

Another expression of self-mastery is overcoming compulsive behaviors.  Cigarettes, chocolate; TV; news; texting; wine.  Self-mastery means giving up graven images or having fixed attitudes about life or even about ourselves.  Eric Butterworth wrote: “We hold false attitude about ourselves – I am weak, not as smart as, worthless, unlovable, incapable…to be created in the image of God means that ‘in the beginning’ you were formed as an idea in the infinite Mind.  You can never be less than the God-Idea in expression.  You do not need a new self-image.  You need to let go of the graven image of yourself that you have carved into the fabric of your subconscious mind and to know and release your own divine image.”  Butterworth, “Breaking the Ten Commandments”

The third expression of Power is Spiritual Authority.  Growing up one of my favorite hymns was “Let There Be Peace on Earth”.  My first Sunday at Unity Center of Norwalk, Mother’s Day, 2010, “Let There Be Peace” was the closing song – it was a sign.  The words “Let there be” and “Let me be” are an inward call for Spiritual Authority.  It is a powerful assertion of authority, a creative self-command for our spiritual ability saying, “Let me be the light.”         When I prepare my talks, I prepare them from my human self, my intellect, but as I walk around before I speak at any event, I sing the songs that are being shared or I bring my own.  I ask the highest part of myself to speak through me and there is a shift in my consciousness.   I don’t realize it until the event is over, but at some point, after I have walked up onto the platform, I step into a realm of Spiritual authority, or it comes over me.  I sense a distinction between my human personality and my Infinite self or my Divine Identity directed into service.  I become completely interested in what is important, what will uplift, what will provoke and what will inspire.  I become interested in presence.

There is a story in the Bible that talks about a woman who touched Jesus’s cloak and is healed.  She did not depend on Jesus’s words but his presence that would heal her – in fact it was her faith in his presence.  He stood divine and she reached into Jesus’s Divine Identity to glimpse her own Divine Identity.  Our Spiritual authority does not come from our personality or intellect.  It comes from our source of inner wisdom.  We must partner power with wisdom to be centered in Spiritual truth.  You don’t have to be a minister to assert spiritual authority.  It is a presence. You are standing solidly in the truth of wholeness, in which people feel empowered. They then experience their wholeness while being near you.

Let’s talk about the power of our words.  Have you ever carried a weapon?  Well, I am here today to tell you we carry a weapon all the time.  It is our tongue and our voice.  Have you heard the expression, “sharp tongue” or “words cut like a knife?  These expressions are used when someone is being cut down with words.  I have been on both sides of these kinds of verbal massacres and neither one feels good!  Think of a sword – it is a weapon.  Remove the “s” from the front and tack it on the rear, and you get “words”.  Perhaps, if we remember the sword as the power we wield with our words, we will be more conscious of how we use them.

Know once our words are spoken, their power is released and it is impossible to take it back.  It is important to speak words of truth because lies, manipulations, gossip, belittling’s are destructive uses of our power.  Remind yourself daily to choose words carefully.  Choose words that are truthful, helpful, appreciative, thoughtful, kind, constructive and encouraging.  Be the sword of truth: the words we speak – create our lives.

If you are feeling stressed-out or overwhelmed, you may not be using your sword and speaking our truth.  Your power is not being used properly.

We can cut ourselves off from balanced living if we do not speak up when we need to.  How do we more consciously use our Power of Power?

  1. Get still and enter the empowering silence within. – The more we enter this silence in our center, the more powerful we are.
  2. Tune in, slow your breath, get still, listening and just “be there”.

It is a letting go, not being concerned with definitions or figuring things out.  We can then let go and allow this power to flow through us.  This allows us to do things with greater ease, mastery and joy.

          To Summarize – “We cultivate spiritual practice with the intention to hand-over the self in order to place us on a collision course with Grace and draws us into a deepened state of readiness.”  Cultivate stillness so you can access your Power of Power, have a voice and create the life of your dreams.  Here are some affirmations that may be helpful:

  1. The power that rules the world is within!
  2. The power of my thoughts and words, move me closer to the truth of my being.
  3. I am poised and centered in the Power of God within.