GUIDE TO STARTING AND GROWING

GUIDE TO STARTING AND GROWING YOUR SEED GROUP FOR STUDYING AND PRACTICING THE SCIENCE OF MIND "Awakening Humanity to its Spiritual Magnificence" By Rev. Margo Ruark and Rev. Nancy Anderson Co-chairs, International and Seed Group Ministries January 2005  2005 Religious Science International, Spokane, WA Seed Group Guide 2 CONTENTS The Purpose of This Booklet ...................................................................................... 3 What Is A Seed Group? ............................................................................................. 4 Why Form a Seed Group? ......................................................................................... 4 Before You Begin ....................................................................................................... 5 Covenant with Living Spirit ..................................................................................... 5 Seed Group Registration Form............................................................................... 5 Guidelines for Seed Groups ....................................................................................... 6 Suggested Meeting Format ........................................................................................ 6 Welcome and Sharing ............................................................................................ 6 Phase One: Spiritual Mind Treatment .................................................................... 6 What Is Spiritual Mind Treatment? ...................................................................... 6 The Five Steps of Spiritual Mind Treatment ........................................................ 7 Phase Two: Science of Mind Lesson .................................................................... 8 Closing ................................................................................................................... 8 APPENDIX A - COVENANT WITH LIVING SPIRIT ................................................. 10 APPENDIX B - SEED GROUP REGISTRATION FORM ......................................... 11 APPENDIX C - RECOMMENDED READING FOR SEED GROUPS ...................... 12 Seed Group Guide 3 The Purpose of This Booklet You have received this booklet in response to a request for information on starting your own seed group for the study and practice of the Science of Mind. You may be living in a foreign country, you may be living in a remote area of the United States or Canada, or you may not be close to an established Religious Science church. Maybe you are already affiliated with a Religious Science church, but wish to branch out and start a seed group around a certain affinity or application of the Principles. Maybe you are an accredited practitioner, teacher or minister seeking to build interest in the Science of Mind in more unique settings than the sanctuary or classroom. Whether you are affiliated with a church or not, we welcome you to explore Seed Group ministry as part of your own spiritual growth and embodiment of Spirit. The vision of Religious Science International is to "Awaken Humanity to its Spiritual Magnificence." The Seed Group Ministry plays a vital part in fulfilling this vision by proliferating seed groups domestically and abroad for the prosperous growth and development of Religious Science and the Science of Mind as a globally recognized teaching. Here, we present an effective, inexpensive, yet "portable" model of ministry. This model can be used by anywhere, at any time, and is entirely dependent on Principle for making it work. God bless you in this important and exciting enterprise! For more information, please contact us: Rev. Nancy Anderson, Co-Chair: International and Seed Group Ministries. revnancyaa@hotmail.com Phone: 011 52 415 152 7518 Rev. Margo Ruark, Co-Chair: International and Seed Group Ministries. Universalcpl@sbcglobal.net Phone: 773-339-4696 Shirley Keller, Religious Science Administrative Services. ShirleyK@rsintl.org Phone: 1-800-662-1348 Seed Group Guide 4 What Is A Seed Group? A seed group is an informal group of individuals who come together on a regular basis, to learn and apply the principles of Science of Mind, to embody and practice Spiritual Mind Treatment, and to support one another in love, trust, and confidence. Seed Groups are usually formed on a spontaneous basis and they may or may not be affiliated with a church, and they may or may not have a trained leader/mentor. They may discuss the Science of Mind textbook, or other book with spiritual focus, to discover truths for their own lives--and to pray/treat for one another. Joining a seed group entails a commitment to attendance and to complete any reading assignments. Seed groups usually consist of between 3-12 people and appoint both a regular facilitator and a secondary facilitator to fill in from time to time. The facilitators are committed to lead the group in the practice of Spiritual Mind treatment and lead the discussion of Science of Mind lessons. When membership exceeds 12 persons, the group divides so the intimacy and level of sharing can be maintained. By the same token, the offering of the spiritual community has now doubled for all those involved. Seed groups often meet in more intimate or unique settings, such as a member's home, or a coffee shop. However, many successful Seed Groups that are affiliated with churches also comfortably meet in the familiar surroundings of the church facilities. Meeting frequency varies and is completely up the group--once, twice or four times a month. NOTE: With the exception of church-affiliated Seed Groups, the majority of Seed Groups are informal groups that have no legal affiliation to Religious Science International. That means they are not charter members of Religious Science International, have no voting privileges at Congress, and have no obligation to report membership, attendance or income to RSI. Likewise, they are not under the taxexempt umbrella of RSI. Why Form a Seed Group? If you sometimes wonder why you're here, how you can improve your life, would like to know more about effective prayer, or how to live your faith day to day, a Seed Group may be helpful. In a Seed Group, it's OK to talk about all of these things with others who are on a similar journey. The chances are that in listening you'll find out who you really are, learn more about who God is, and discover resources that will energize your life. People form Seed Groups for a number of reasons, the first of which is to affiliate with like-minded others who are interested in studying and practicing the Science of Mind. Most people in Seed Groups join for themselves and their own personal growth. When people are asked what they seek in an informal spiritual group, they usually respond with answers such as, to find: Seed Group Guide 5       Spiritual community Inspiration Exploration of spiritual ideas Intellectual stimulation Shared Values Support for their spiritual journey. Whether self-selected around a common interest, or launched at the invitation of a caring Pastor, Seed Group members don't require conformity, in fact, often welcome and expect diversity. They also expect respect for their integrity and are willing to grant it to others in the more intimate Seed Group settings. Before You Begin Covenant with Living Spirit Before beginning your first Seed Group meeting, and before accepting or inviting new members into the group, have each participant sign the Covenant with Living Spirit located in the appendix. These are not turned in to anyone or kept on file anywhere, but represent the individual's commitment to attend and participate in the spiritual work of the group. Groups may also feel free to craft their own covenant document. Seed Group Registration Form As close to your first meeting as possible, the facilitator needs to register the Seed Group with Religious Science International in order to continue receiving support and materials. This applies to all Seed Groups, whether affiliated with a church or not. In addition, RSI is committed to give all Seed Groups guidance and assistance and a trained mentor if requested, whether affiliated with a church or not,. Please sign and date the registration form in the appendix and mail it to the address shown. Seed Group Guide 6 Guidelines for Seed Groups 1. Commit to meet regularly, at least once a week, if possible. 2. There are to be no interruptions while one person is speaking, no cross talk and absolutely no advice giving. The group puts total faith and radically relies on the Presence and Power of Spirit to reveal the answer to prayers. 3. The group totally supports the person speaking in love, in trust and in confidence, and knows the truth for a person when that person may have difficulty knowing it for him/herself. 4. There is total confidentiality in the group. Each person decides what to share and any person may pass at any time. 5. The group meeting is a holy and sacred experience. Every person is treated with a deep sense of dignity and respect. 6. The entire meeting, with spiritual mind treatment and lesson, should not exceed one hour. All social activities should be after the spiritual work is completed. Don't worry. You can't do it wrong if you rely on the guidance of Spirit. Each group will have it own unique identity. You may find better ways to guide the group but follow the general guidelines. They are designed to make Spirit/ God your focal point and to prevent any one person from attempting to monopolize the group. Suggested Meeting Format Welcome and Sharing The meeting begins by recognizing each member of the group and by recognizing the Presence and Power of Spirit. The leader then begins with an opening prayertreatment. Each person takes not more than three to five minutes (depending on the size of the group) to share what is going on in his or her life, any personal challenges, successes, visions, goals and dreams. Phase One: Spiritual Mind Treatment WHAT IS SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT? Spiritual Mind Treatment is defined as "the act, the art, and the science of inducing thought into Mind." Spiritual Mind Treatment is a form of prayer called "scientific Seed Group Guide 7 prayer." It is scientific because it follows an impersonal and immutable creative law. Its results may be observed and its methods may be learned and repeated with predictable results. THE FIVE STEPS OF SPIRITUAL MIND TREATMENT Step One: Recognition. We recognize the Presence and the Power of Spirit. We affirm that the Universe is on purpose and created everything out of Itself. We proclaim that God is in Its creation but is also greater than Its creation. God is here and everywhere. "There is no spot where God is not." Step Two: Unification. We unify our consciousness with this One Presence and this One Power. We turn away from all outer conditions and focus exclusively on God. Because God is everywhere present, God must be present in us. God is a living reality within us because we are immersed in the Presence of God. Step Three: Realization. We listen. We are open to a higher and greater way of seeing, a greater way of feeling, a greater way of knowing. We are receiving higher, more lofty thoughts, thoughts of wisdom. We take these thoughts and formulate our prayer word or our declaration of truth. We declare our word, clearly and specifically. The words we speak are not the result of ordinary human thinking, the words are the result of higher inspiration, higher intuition and higher insight. We are receiving the answer to the prayer before we are actually articulating the prayer. This is what the Bible means when it says, "Before they call, I will answer." Step Four: Thanksgiving. We know that gratitude provides additional power towards the manifestation of the prayer. It's like a booster. Thanksgiving is the simple statement of gratitude from a grateful heart that feels so blessed to have been given insight into the nature of the universe an is so blessed to know that the treatment is now complete in Mind. Step Five: Release. We let go of the prayer and let God bring forth the result. We have spoken our word, we have chosen the "what." We now get out of the way and trust the Universal Power of Spirit to determine the "how" and bring forth the result. In the meeting, the process of spiritual mind treatment might look something like this: 1. Recognition. The leader takes a moment to recognize the Presence of God in the meeting, and operating within each participant individually. That whatever is taking place in the meeting is Spirit expressing itself and that the business of Spirit is good and only good. Unification. Individual minds of the participants are unified with the One Mind of Spirit as the leader guides the group into meditation. This is the listening phase of the process. During this time the group becomes quiet and silent for at least 2. Seed Group Guide 8 two to three minutes as to allow Spirit to speak to them. As a result of the meditation, participants share what was revealed to them in meditation and state their Spiritual Mind Treatment request to the group. Example: "I am requesting to know myself as Perfect Health and I ask my group to support me in this request." 3. Realization. As the request is stated, each participant does a Spiritual Mind Treatment for the requesting person. This process continues to take place until all participants have stated their requests and all treatments have been completed. Thanksgiving. After all prayer requests are made, each person expresses thanksgiving and gratitude for all the blessings in their lives and for the truth that each of their requests are fulfilled. Release and recapitulation. Before closing, anyone may make an additional treatment request and anyone may do a prayer treatment for that person. 4. 5. Phase Two: Science of Mind Lesson At each meeting, one member of the group is charged to give a short Science of Mind lesson not exceeding 15 minutes. The lesson can be developed from material in the textbook, other writings of Dr. Holmes, or other Religious Science teachers. A list of suggested books is in the appendix. It is important that the material be based on the principles of Science of Mind. After the presentation, each member of the group is invited to discuss the material. The leader guides the discussion. It is important to allow all members to participate in the discussion. You may also choose to assign readings from Science of Mind books and materials to provide more structure to the discussions. Closing The purpose of a closing treatment is to send the participants away in an uplifted consciousness, open and receptive to new inspirations that build upon what was revealed at the meeting. The facilitator may do this on behalf of the group or members may all participate in the closing treatment. Members may stand in a circle and join hands if they so wish, and make closing affirmations and blessings upon the group for the coming week. Seed Group Guide 9 Thank you! By choosing to become a Seed Group committed to teaching the principles of Science of Mind, you can learn to use scientific prayer to co-create a wonderful and exciting life. You can learn to take dominion over your life as you demonstrate health, prosperity, loving relationships and creative self–expression. You can learn the meaning of inner peace. As you establish peace and harmony within yourself, you help bring peace and harmony to the world. Keep up the good work! Your comments and suggestions on this guidebook are welcome. Please address correspondence to: Rev. Margo Ruark , Co-Chair International and Seed Group Ministries Religious Science International Email: Universalcpl@sbcglobal.net Seed Group Guide 10 APPENDIX A - COVENANT WITH LIVING SPIRIT I agree to take time each day for my spiritual practice. This is my time to be alone with Spirit. I agree to fully participate in my group, to remember my group participants in my daily prayers and to make my group a priority in my life. I agree to learn the teaching of Science of Mind and be guided in my day to day activity by Science of Mind principles. I agree to see all life as holy and sacred and all people in my life as holy and sacred expressions of life. I agree to practice unconditional love, non-judgment, compassion and forgiveness every day. In return for my agreements and this Covenant With Living Spirit, the Presence of Living Spirit provides me with an abundant and prosperous life, provides me with radiant health, loving and meaningful relationships and allows me to live a fulfilled life of freedom and creative self-expression. And so it is. Signature of Participant: ________________________ Date: __________ Seed Group Guide 11 APPENDIX B - SEED GROUP REGISTRATION FORM We pledge to teach and practice Science of Mind principles to the best o our ability. We pledge to teach and use Spiritual Mind Treatment at every meeting. Signed: _________________________________ Date: ______________ Facilitator's Signature Print Facilitator's Name: ____________________________________________ Facilitator's Address: __________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Facilitator's E-mail: ____________________________________________ Facilitator's telephone: _________________________________________ Meeting Place of Seed Group: ________________________________________ Number of participants: _____________________________________________ Frequency of meetings: ______________________ Are you currently affiliated with any Religious Science Church? Yes No If yes, which one? ______________________________________________ If no, would you like a sponsoring church or an RSI minister or practitioner as a spiritual coach at this time? Yes No Are you interested in more formal, accredited classes in the Science of Mind either online or correspondence? (NOTE: There is a fee for accredited classes.) Yes No E-Mail this form to Rev. Margo Ruark, Co-Chair, International and Seed Group Ministries at universalcpl@sbcglobal.net Or send regular mail to: Universal Center for Positive Living 3133 Cuyler Avenue Berwyn, IL 60402 USA Seed Group Guide 12 APPENDIX C - RECOMMENDED READING FOR SEED GROUPS Books by Ernest Holmes The Science of Mind This Thing Called You This Thing Called Life Creative Mind Creative Mind and Success How to Use the Science of Mind Living the Science of Mind Other New Thought teachers: Raymond Charles Barker, The Power of Decision Eric Butterworth, Spiritual Economics Robert Bitzer, Collected Essays Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance, The Wisdom of Ralph Waldo Emerson Emmet Fox, The Golden Key Louise Hay, You can heal your life Joseph Murphy, Power Of Your Subconscious Mind Frank Richelieu, The Art of Being Yourself J. Kennedy Shultz, You Are the Power