Weekly Prayer Posts 2022

Religious Symbols

2023 Weekly Prayers

12/31/2022

Dear Light Group,

As we prepare for the new year, it might be useful to take stock of our blessings, but in a way that is different from how most people conceive of blessings.

New Year’s Eve can be a time of indulgence: indulgence in alcohol; indulgence in food; indulgence in self. Merrymaking can be a wonderful thing, but if it centers on indulgence in ego, indulgence in the material, and indulgence in the senses, how is this drawing us closer to God?

If we instead pause to contemplate our blessings in the way Jesus encouraged us to think of blessings, then we may find things to be grateful for that we had dismissed, and we may find ourselves led to the Light in ways that are more sure-footed than we had thought.

The first of the Beatitudes is “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” There are many ways of interpreting what Jesus meant, but one that has deep meaning is this: We have simply let go. We have let go of ego gratification. We have let go of gross materialism. We have let go of selfishness. We are “poor in spirit” in the sense that we have been hollowed out of desires and attachments to material objects, and we have been hollowed out of entanglements with materially-minded friends. We find ourselves in an open space, hungry for more than what the material world has to offer and instead receptive to what the Divine has to offer: Peace, Love, Joy, Beauty.

Similarly with the second Beatitude: “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” If we have a divine melancholy, if we are aching to end the separation from God, and if we have an insatiable yearning to be reunited with the Eternal Beloved, then we shall be comforted: God will hear our plea and draw us back to the Power and the Bliss of the Divine.

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled” is the next Beatitude. Having values and manifesting “righteous” behavior keeps us from getting distracted and is the way forward, is the way for us to be “filled” with Spirit.

Having been filled with Spirit, compassion for all arises naturally: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” We see all as having come from the Divine, and we know that even wrongdoers are deserving of our forgiveness, compassion, and help. Those who are most highly developed spiritually are the ones best able to provide that help.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Having hollowed out our human desires, having rekindled our desire to reunite with the Divine, having found deep compassion within our hearts, we have purified ourselves and have opened our hearts so that we are able to see God in all of creation.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” Having steadied our hearts, we manifest the Peace of the Divine. We manifest this Peace within our physical bodies, within our minds, within our emotional bodies, with our homes, within our neighborhoods, within our cities, within our nation, within the planet.

Let these blessings be our portal to the New Year. Let us enter “the narrow gate,” even if “difficult is the way which leads to life.” Let us be among the “few who find it.” The rewards of doing so are that we shall see God and that we shall become compassionate peacemakers who help others align with their Divine Selves.

If you would like a prayer that facilitates entering the Divine gate, you might try this: “Thank you, God, for all that has been, for all that is, and for all that will be. Thank you, God, for helping me to see that everything that has occurred in my life has been designed to draw me back to Thee. Lead me to Thy narrow gate, Lord, that I may enter the realm of Divine Love, Divine Peace, and Divine Joy. Keep me focused, Lord, on Thee. Let my words speak Thy Truth and Thy Peace. Let my heart beat to the rhythm of Thy Divine harmony. Let my body act in ways that manifest Thy Peace and Thy Compassion. Keep me centered, Lord, in Thee and Thy Peace, Thy Love, Thy Joy, and Thy Light. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

12/24/2022

Dear Light Group,

There are many ways to celebrate Christmas. The most common way is to do so through an exchange of gifts followed by food and drink. Beyond the strictly material, there is the warmth of family and friends and the uplifting sounds of Christmas carols.

There also may be visits to a church on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and hymns of praise for Jesus. It is good for us to give thanks for the wonderful gift of the life of Jesus. He gave to us Joy, Light, and Peace. That we on Earth were graced with such a fantastic representation of the Universal Christ, that we had in our midst one whose consciousness was completely identified with that of the Divine, that through his life and example we could be given such a magnificent ideal to strive for, such a magnificent representation of Divine Love and Light, is something to rejoice and to give thanks for.

But can we go beyond this? Can we go beyond praising Jesus? Can we receive the greatest gift there is, the consciousness of the Christ Spirit in our own heart? Can we use Christmas as the impetus for the second coming of Christ – the birth of the Christ in our own consciousness? Beyond merely enjoying the material aspects of Christmas, can we make our heart a cradle where Christ can be born again? With the Christmas spirit of goodwill, peace, and love, it is easier at this time of year than any other to cradle and nurture the Christ within.

Can we build on this spirit of goodwill, peace, and love? Can we feel Christ-Peace filling our bodies, minds, and souls? Can we feel Christ-Peace filling our homes? Can we feel Christ-Peace filling our neighbors, our cities, our country, all living things, the entire planet? The Infinite Christ is present in every atom, in every speck of space, in all that is. Can we awaken the loving Christ Presence within us and within all that exists?

If you would like a prayer to accompany the awakening of the Christ within, you might try something like this: “I am That. That Christ Spirit that was in Jesus is in me. That Christ Spirit guides me to live a life filled with Christ-Peace, Christ-Love, and Christ-Light. That Christ Spirit guides me to live a life of service. On the altar of my inner temple, I offer my love, my goodwill, and my service for the wellbeing of all. In my inner temple of Christ Spirit, I behold an intoxicating Christ-Love for my parents, relatives, friends, neighbors, and for all people of Earth. In wonderment at the beauty of it all, I give thanks for the stars, for the rolling waves, for the fluttering leaves, for the song of the nightingale, for all that is. Thank you, God, for the beauty of it all. Thank you, God, for the Love. Thank you, God, for the Light. Thank you, God, for awakening this magnificent Christ Spirit in me. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

12/17/2022

Dear Light Group,

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.” About this, Jim Goure said, “It’s the most fantastic statement! When he made that statement, it was just like in the very beginning when God said, ‘Let there be Light.’ Similarly with Jesus, it was the words coming directly from the Divine….he was saying it not just for self, but for the world….it was declared through every atom of the planet and through everyone on the planet….Those fantastic words resound even yet throughout every atom on the planet and will continue to until all men realize who they really are….”

If this is true, then “I am the resurrection and the life” reverberates in the cells and atoms of our bodies right now. It reverberates in the cells and atoms of all that is.

So what is this resurrection and life, and of what relevance is it at a time when we celebrate the birth of Jesus?

In one sense, it means there is no birth to celebrate, just a resurrection of that which has been dormant, sleeping. We are just resurrecting that which has already exists: the universal Christ consciousness. The “resurrection and the life” reverberating throughout every aspect of our being means the potential for that resurrection of Christ consciousness resides within us, right here and now. There is nothing we need to do other than recognize that this joyful, blissful Christ Consciousness exists within us – now.

If you would like a prayer to deepen your realization of this Christ Consciousness within you, you might try this: “I am the resurrection and the life. Christ Consciousness resounds through every atom of my being. Christ Consciousness resounds through every atom of creation. Christ Consciousness is in me. Christ Consciousness is in all that exists. Christ Consciousness resounds in every cell and atom of creation. This Christ Consciousness is filled with the joy of the Divine. Let this joyful Christ Consciousness resonate throughout my being. Let this joyful Christ Consciousness radiate throughout my being. Let this joyful Christ Consciousness radiate from the center of my being to everyone and everything. Thank you, God, for this joyful Christ Consciousness filling all of creation. Thank you, God, for Thee and Thy Christ Consciousness in all that is. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

12/10/2022

Dear Light Group,

As we continue our theme of the Christ in Christmas, let’s see if we can find the Christ in a place where most people do not look.

For Christians, Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth and life of Jesus. This is merit in this. Jesus was (and still is) a fantastic, fantastic being. What a magnificent example of the Christ he was! What an inspiration he was!

But there’s a problem with this way of celebrating Christmas: it lets us off the hook. We’re allowed to see Jesus as being “out there” in glory and splendor – separate from us. We’re allowed to worship him as our Lord and Savior. We’re allowed to feel that, as long as we have a sacred attitude towards Jesus, we’re doing our spiritual duty.

This begs the question: What about us? What about the universal Christ? What about Jesus’ teachings?

Jesus told us (in the Book of John), “The things I do, you can do and greater.” He told us in the Sermon on the Mount (in the Book of Matthew), “Ye are gods” and “Ye are the Light of the world.” In the Book of John, he told us, “Love one another, as I have loved you.”

If we look in the mirror, do we see the Universal Christ? If we look in the mirror, do we see the loving Christ? If we look in the mirror, do we see the Light of the world?

There is no one way of being the Christ. We needn’t (and can’t) copy Jesus. What we need to do is find that aspect of the Universal Christ that we best represent – and be that. Each one of us brings something special, something unique to Earth. Each one of us is a special facet of the Crystalline Christ.

Shall we take a moment this Saturday to find within that special aspect of the Christ that each one of us is? If you would like to do this, here is a suggested prayer: “Thank you, God, for Thy Christ Spirit living in my heart. Thank you, God, for revealing to me the nature of the Christ Spirit living in my heart. Thank you, God, for revealing to me the unique nature of the Christ Spirit living in my heart. Thank you, God, for expanding this unique Christ Spirit, for the good of all. Thank you, God, for the beauty and the glory of this Christ Spirit that lives in my heart. Thank you, God, for leading Thy Christ life through me. Thank you, God, for oneness with Thee. Thank you, God, for keeping me focused on this unique Christ Spirit that I Am. Thank you, God, for Thy Goodness, blessing everyone and everything, for all time. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

12/03/2022

Dear Light Group,

With Thanksgiving behind us, the attention of many people now turns to Christmas and the season of gift giving.

One of the greatest gifts the Divine has bestowed on Earth has been the presence of Jesus. He served as a magnificent example of how a human can merge his consciousness completely with that of the Divine. He was a terrific example of a being who had dedicated his life to helping others: he taught, he healed, he comforted, he uplifted. And the love he manifested and the love he gave was the essence of what the Divine wants all of us to experience and to give.

Starting this Saturday, let us use these weeks before Christmas to immerse ourselves in the consciousness of the Christ. In doing so, we shall be celebrating the true meaning of Christmas – not just the birth of Jesus but the rebirth of the Christ in all of us.

I will suggest two prayers. The first will be for Dennis McGovern, the husband of one of our Light Group members, Lorraine McGovern. Dennis passed away on November 19th at the age of 79. He and Lorraine had been married 58 years. They had three children: Todd, Gillian, and Timothy, and they had nine grandchildren. Here is the suggested prayer for Dennis (and his family): “Thank you, God, for Dennis McGovern. Thank you, God, for Dennis’ spirit and for his presence amongst us. Hold him in Thine arms of Love. Enable his spirit to grow in Thee and Thy ways. Bless, O Lord, Lorraine McGovern and Todd, Gillian, and Timothy McGovern and their families. Hold them in Thine arms of Love, that they may know the abundance of Thy Love and Thy gift of Life. Amen.”

The second prayer is for the rebirth of the Christ in all of us. “Thank you, God, for this precious human birth. Thank you, God, for giving birth to the Christ within, while we are still in the physical. Thank you, God, for merging our consciousness with that of the Christ. Thank you, God, for revealing the beauty and the joy of Christ consciousness. Keep us centered, O Lord, in this beauty and joy. Let this beauty and joy radiate from us, that all may be touched by Thy Light, Love, Beauty, and Joy. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

11/26/2022

Dear Light Group,

Jim Goure had a vastly expanded version of thanksgiving. He told us to give thanks for everything. Everything. Whether we thought it was positive or negative for us, we were to give thanks. “Thank you, God,” was what we encouraged us to say.

This was not the easiest piece of advice to follow. It was much easier to judge things, to judge other people, to complain about how things turned out, to get angry when we felt we had been wronged.

But when we were able to flip things around and give thanks to God – or at least suspend judgment – we tended, over time, to find the wisdom in the experience. The people we felt had wronged us in retrospect had done us a favor: we had moved on in a healthier, better direction. That situation that had forced us off of the track we had been on had caused us to reevaluate how we had been living. The embarrassment we had encountered had forced us to look in the mirror and recognize how we had been behaving.

What it all came down to was this: the universe had been working with us all along, presenting us with opportunities to see ourselves and our world more clearly. The frustrations and embarrassments had been stripping us of our ego protections so that ultimately there would be nothing left but the Divine. Ultimately, there would only be the luminosity of the Divine. Ultimately, there would only be the Light.

So let us give thanks for all that has been. Let us given thanks for all that we have experienced. Let us give thanks for everyone in our lives. To do so, you might want to try a prayer such as, “Thank you, God, for all that has been. Thank you, God, for all that is. Thank you, God, for all that will be. Thank you, God, for drawing us back to Thee. Thank you, God, for the Light shining within me. Thank you, God, for the Light shining in everyone. Thank you, God, for the Light shining in everyone. Thank you, God, for Thee in everyone and everything. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

11/12/2022

Dear Light Group,

Our nation was founded by people who wanted to throw off shackles and be free. In 1776, those shackles were deemed to be the “injuries and usurpations” of King George III, who was perceived as having as his objective “the establishment of an absolute tyranny” over the American states.

We threw off the shackles of the British Crown with the War of Independence, and then we created a Constitution “to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility…and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity….”

We certainly have had “the blessings of liberty” for the past 233 years. Given the raucous election that just occurred and the rancorous debates we’ve been having, we may need to wait awhile for “domestic tranquility.”

Soon after the Constitution was ratified, 12 amendments were quickly proposed, the first of which was that there be no law prohibiting “the free exercise” of religion.

What can we take away from this experiment in freedom? To start, we might put our freedom in context. There is greater opportunity for “the free exercise” of religion in America than virtually any other place on Earth. Those of us pursuing a spiritual path might be grateful for that. We might also be grateful for the tremendous efforts and sacrifices of those who have gone before us – those who created a nation and a constitutional structure within which we might have “the free exercise” of religion.

We might also recognize that, however wonderful our nation and constitutional structure, we have yet to create “a more perfect union” with “domestic tranquility,” and if we are holding out for a perfect outer world, we may be waiting a long, long, long time.

In the meantime, we can find “a more perfect union” within ourselves through union with the Divine. Then, the only tyranny we need to throw off is the tyranny of our own thoughts and emotions and ego. The ultimate freedom is not some imaged utopia in the outer world but the freedom that comes from untying the mental and emotional knots within us and merging with the Great Perfection, which is the Divine within us and around us.

In this spirit, you might want to try a prayer such as, “Thank you, God, for America. Thank you, God, for those who have sacrificed so much to bring us the freedoms we have today. Thank you, God, for the freedom we Americans have to explore and to find Thee. Bless and protect this nation, Lord, that we may rise as one people, praising Thee and giving glory to Thee and living as Thou would have us live – full of Joy, Peace, Light, and Love. Give us the strength, Lord, to keep our focus on Thee. Let our inner Goodness shine forth, Lord, that all may feel Thy blessings and that all may grow in Thee and Thy Love. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

Dear Light Group,

Soon after the Constitution was ratified, 12 amendments were quickly proposed, the first of which was that there be no law prohibiting “the free exercise” of religion.

Love and Light,
Tully

11/05/2022

Dear Light Group,

Before the Civil War started, there was much rancor. Newly elected as president, Abraham Lincoln was perceived by Southerners as a threat. To bring harmony where there was divisiveness, Lincoln concluded his first inaugural address with these words: “The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

We are at another divisive moment in our history when we could benefit from having the “mystic chords of memory” touched again “by the better angels of our nature.”

This Tuesday is Election Day, and it is an appropriate moment to pray for guidance so that we may hear the better angels of our nature.

You might want to try a prayer such as, “Thank you, God, for the mystic chords of memory in the heart of every American. Touch those chords, O Lord, that we may remember the Divine America. Remind us, O Lord, of the abundant blessings you have granted this nation. Let our hearts be full of gratitude for Thy generosity. Let us be thankful for the good, generous American people. Touch the chords of memory, O Lord, that we may be grateful for the wonderful leaders who have blessed our land. Touch the chords of memory, O Lord, that we may remember our mission as a nation. Give us the strength, O Lord, to stand tall and be a Light unto the world. Guide us this Election Day, O Lord, that our choices may be Thy choices. Guide us this Election Day, O Lord, that we may choose Light, Truth, Freedom, and Love. Guide us this Election Day, O Lord, that, once again, we may hear the better angels of our nature. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

10/29/2022

Dear Light Group,

When Jesus was born, to find him, wise men followed a star in the east. This weekend, the star in the east will be the United Research Light Center, at which will be the annual Advance.

Over the years, many of us have traveled to that star in the east, the Light Center, in search of the Christ, the Christ that is within each one of us.

As with the wise men, we have “departed into their own country another way.” We have departed from the masses. We have departed from conventional ways. We have departed into the land of the Lord “another way.”

It has not always been easy going “another way.” We have needed protection on this path, similar to the protection Jesus and his family needed by fleeing to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod. Our protection has come from the Light and from the support we have given each other.

Returning to our star in the east, to the Light Center, to the Advance, is our way of returning to the Christ spirit, to our home of Light, to the warmth of our spiritual family.

Should you, too, want to return to that star of the east, I have attached a flyer for the Advance, which includes the times of Advance sessions.

You may join the Advance either in person or online. Should you want links to one or more online sessions, you may contact me or dome@URLight.org

Whether you join the Advance or not, my prayer suggestion for this Saturday is a simple one that can be repeated over and over: “Thank you, God, for the Christ Spirit, bringing Peace and Joy to everyone and everything.”

Love and Light,
Tully

10/22/2022

Dear Light Group,

Last night a friend who has been to the Light Center and has met a number of Light Center people but has not been involved with United Research was asking me about Light Center friends of mine. This got me thinking not only about those Light Center friends but also about the magic of my experiences at the Light Center while Jim Goure was alive.

I felt lifted above the mundane. I felt lifted into a realm of Light and magic. I felt lifted by a greater purpose and a greater potential for life. Hearing “You are a star” – not in the sense of being a movie star but of being a Star of Light – and hearing that this Star could engage the Light to uplift one and all – was thrilling.

Returning to that sense of magic, returning to that sense of greater purpose might uplight us all. In that spirit, I offer this prayer: “Thank you, God, for Thy magic. Thank you, God, for the magic of Thy Light. Thank you, God, for the magic of Thy Light, which brings to us Thy healing energies. Thank you, God, for the magic of Thy healing energies, which fill our beings and radiate from our beings, touching everyone and everything. Thank you, God, for the magic of Thy healing energies, which heal our planet and everyone and everything on it. Thank you, God, for Thy healing energies, which heal the hurts, anger, resentment, and fear on planet Earth. Thank you, God, for making this planet whole in Thy sight. Thank you, God, for making this a planet of Light. Thank you, God, for returning us to Thy heart and Thy Love and the magic of Thy creation. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

10/15/2022

Dear Light Group,

One of my favorite stories from the Bible is the Woman of Samaria.

Jesus had been traveling in Samaria and being tired from his journey, he sat next to a well. He was alone, his disciples having gone into a city to buy food.

A woman came to the well to draw water. Jesus asked her to give him a drink. The woman, a Samarian, was a bit taken aback. She could tell that Jesus was a Jew, and Jews shunned Samarians, seeing them as being low-caste. Why was this Jew talking to her?

Jesus told her that if she knew the gift of God and if she knew who he really was, she would have asked and he would have given her living water. The Samarian woman was still perplexed and told Jesus that the well was deep and he had nothing to draw water any well, much less from a well that deep, so just where was he going to get that living water?

Another cryptic reply from Jesus: Whoever would drink from that well would thirst again, but whoever would drink the water that he would give them would never thirst, for his water would be a well of water springing into everlasting life.

That got the Samarian woman’s attention, and she said, rather directly, “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.”

Jesus then tested her by asking her to get her husband and bring him to the well. The woman answered, “I have no husband.” To which Jesus responded, “Thou hast well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband. In that saidst thou truly.”

Then, the Samarian woman said, “Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.”

There are several things I love about this story. First is the deep compassion in Jesus. Although it does not say this in the Bible, one intuitive reading of this story is that the Samarian woman was a morally lost disciple of Jesus’ from a prior incarnation that he wanted to redeem. As we used to say, she had been “living in sin” with five different men, including the man she was currently living with. But Jesus did not come to judge her; he came to redeem her, to give her the living waters of everlasting life, and he was pleased that she had spoken truthfully by admitting that the man she was currently living with was not her lawful spouse. Jesus showed that he knew her at a deeper level by saying that she had had five such illicit relationships.

A second aspect of this story that I love is that it shows yet another example of how Jesus did not see people in terms of their ethnicity, race, or social position. That she was a Samarian and he a Jew was of no consequence. He saw the Divine in all. It is our ego that discriminates against others and in so doing creates walls separating from us from them. But the consciousness of the Christ is one with Universal Consciousness and sees all as God’s people.

A third wonderful aspect of this story is that it demonstrates how for Jesus no one was a stranger. He loved all unconditionally.

Fourth, there is the implication that, whatever we have done in life, whatever sins we may have committed, we are redeemed when we recognize the Christ. The Samarian woman said of Jesus that she perceived “thou art a prophet.” Jesus gauged individuals solely by their spiritual sincerity and receptivity to Divine Truth, and by recognizing that Jesus was a prophet, the woman showed her receptivity to Divine Truth.

Then comes the whopper. Jesus tells the woman that “…true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeks such to worship Him. God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” God is not something we have anthropomorphized, something we’ve made in our image and likeness – an all-powerful man with white hair and a beard and a sword in one hand to strike us if we’ve been bad and a scepter to bless us if we’ve been good. Instead, “God is a Spirit” and we are to worship “in spirit and truth.”

With the same love and compassion that Jesus demonstrated for the woman of Samaria, with the same connection to Universal Consciousness that sees all as God’s people, let us this Saturday recognize God as a Spirit that resides in all, and let us worship that Spirit: “Thank you, God, for giving us the example of Jesus. May the same love and compassion that lived in his heart also live in ours. May we see all as Thy people. Thank you, God, for letting us know that, no matter what we have done, no matter how we have spent our lives, we are always surrounded by your redeeming Love. Give us the strength, Lord, to live this Love at all times and in all places, for the betterment of everyone and everything. Give us the strength, Lord, to be Thy Spirit and Thy Truth, for the good of one and all. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

10/08/2022

Dear Light Group,

The key to feeling better about life is to step outside of ourselves. The reverse is true: the more we obsess about ourselves and our lives and our problems and our desires and our aversions, the more likely we are to be down about life.

So if the key to feeling better is to step outside of ourselves, where exactly should we be stepping?

Being a part of a community certainly helps. That could include being a member of an extended family. It could mean being a member of a church, temple, ashram, or other religious group. It could mean joining a community service organization.

Whatever the community, it is most helpful if that community has a purpose that is highly meaningful to us. Working for a greater purpose, if it is one that benefits humankind, can be energizing and fulfilling, especially if other members of the community are similarly enthused and united in accomplishing that purpose.

The ultimate way in which we can step outside of ourselves is to merge with Universal Consciousness. This Consciousness is one of Love and Joy. This Love and Joy permeates all that is. By merging with Universal Consciousness, we know that this Love and Joy is in us, is in the trees, is in the flowers, is in the fish, is in the birds, is in all of humankind.

By tuning in to this Love and Joy, we have an appreciation for the beauty of creation. We have an appreciation for everyone. We have an appreciation for ourselves.

To tune into this Universal Consciousness, you might want to try a prayer such as, “Universal Consciousness permeates all of creation. Universal Love and Joy permeates all that is. The plant kingdom is permeated with Universal Love and Joy. The animal kingdom is permeated with Universal Love and Joy. The mineral kingdom is permeated with Universal Love and Joy. The human kingdom is permeated with Universal Love and Joy. The angelic kingdom is permeated with Universal Love and Joy. All that is is permeated with Universal Love and Joy. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

10/01/2022

Dear Light Group,

In front of what was probably two or three hundred people, Jim Goure told us, “You all are in my heart.” At that same event, Jim had also said three times to those assembled, “I love you.” His closing prayer had been, “Thank you, God, for these Thy loved ones.”

That love lifted us. It got us to do extraordinary things. It felt, as Jim said, “There is only love between us, because that is true family.” As a member of that true family, we felt we could do anything.

We are dispersed now, and many of us live alone, or if we live with others, we may at times feel as though we are alone in our spirituality.

But the love is still there. The love that Jim spoke of. The love that Jesus spoke of when he said, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”

The love that uplifted us, the love that made us feel we could do anything, is still with us. If fills and surrounds us.

Many of us feel a connection with a spiritual master, whether that be Jim Goure or Jesus or Mother Mary or St. Francis or another master. Whomever it is, it can be helpful for us to remember that they love still love us, no matter how long they may have been out of the physical. If you do not feel a connection with a spiritual master, it can be good to remember that the Divine loves you.

To reconnect with that love, you might want to try a prayer such as, “Thank you, God, for Thy Love. Thank you, God, for Thy Love, filling and surrounding me. Thank you, God, for Thy Love, lifting me up. Thank you, God, for Thy Love, giving me the strength to press on. Thank you, God, for Thy Love, always guiding me back to Thee. Thank you, God, for Thy Love, always reminding me that I am loved. Thank you, God, for Thy Love and for reminding me that my Inner Being is this Love. Thank you, God, for Thy Love and for reminding me that the Inner Being of my loved ones is this Love. Thank you, God, for Thy Love and for reminding me that the Inner Being of everyone I meet is this Love. Thank you, God, for Thy Love and for reminding me that the essence of all that is is this Love. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

09/24/2022

Dear Light Group,

There is a Buddhist prayer that begins, “Joyful to have, such a human birth, difficult to find, free and well-favored.” This prayer is a reminder to be grateful for our lives and, as Jim Goure told us on multiple occasions, to “Enjoy life.”

Great mystics have told us that the whole world is a play of universal Consciousness and that that Consciousness is one of endless joy. In that ocean of endless joy, we know there is nothing to accept or reject because there is nothing apart or distinct from God. In that Consciousness, we know that our own nature (and that of all that exists) is infinite, pure, eternal, at peace forever.

In that Consciousness, we recognize the basic goodness of life. We appreciate the fundamental goodness of ourselves and of all living things. We appreciate simple experiences. We appreciate that the whole universe – the seasons, the sunshine, the rain, the fog, the snow, the ice, the mud – is working with us and is rich with messages.

In this ocean of joyful Consciousness, we recognize that our purpose in life is just to be. In just being, there is a great celebration of life and a joyful exchange of basic goodness with others.

This Saturday, let us give thanks for our lives, for our human existence and for the opportunity to exchange basic goodness with all life. In doing so, you might want to try a prayer such as, “Thank you, God, for Thy joyful Consciousness, permeating everyone and everything. Thank you, God, for helping me to experience Thy basic goodness in everyone and everything. Thank you, God, for opportunities to exchange Thy basic goodness with everyone and everything. Thank you, God, for this Consciousness of oneness – oneness with Thee, oneness with all life. Thank you, God, for this ocean of joy that is Thee and Thy creation. Thank you, God, for this human existence. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

09/17/2022

Dear Light Group,

Life is fundamentally good. In an era of intense emotions and intense conflict, it can be a struggle to maintain this perspective. But shall we give it a try this Saturday?

We might start with this: there is basic goodness in everyone. That basic goodness may be masked by behavior that we find nauseating, but it’s still there.

We can get started with recognizing basic goodness in others by remembering what Jesus told us, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”

From there, we might remember what Jim Goure advocated. When he demonstrated muscle-testing, we saw that seeing someone as a male or a female only weakened us. When we saw another individual only as Light, we were strengthened. This principle could be extended to those we judge. We could replace our judgments with, “I see Light.”

Then there’s the story Jim told of the woman in California. Her work environment was toxic. People were catty and accusatory. But this woman followed Jim’s advice and started saying, silently, “I love you” to everyone at her place of work. The toxicity evaporated. People became pleasant. Then this woman unintentionally did something that normally would have gotten her fired. But everyone pulled together to correct the mistake and protect her.

We have the same opportunity. Instead of our judgments of others, we could substitute “I see Light” and “I love you” – for everyone we are currently judging. This could include family members, friends, politicians – everyone we have been judging.

Give it a try. See what it will do in your world.

Love and Light,
Tully

09/10/2022

Dear Light Group,

With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, we are reminded of the good that can be extended to others through a life of decency, dignity, equanimity, and service. Queen Elizabeth II embodied those virtues and by doing so served as an example for all of us.

She was never accused of scandals. She never embarrassed her subjects. There were no allegations of impropriety. She always acted with professionalism and calm. Grace and common sense were her hallmarks.

During the seventy years of her reign, there were losses. The British Empire was largely disassembled. The United Kingdom split from the European Union. Her castle burned. Her family – including her children, her sister, and a grandson – engaged in behavior that made front-page headlines on tabloids. Through it all, she never complained. Her own morals remained irreproachable. She was a rock of stability, decency, and reliability.

We do not need a royal title to live a life of decency, dignity, equanimity, and service. We simply need to access our own Divine royalty. We simply need to remind ourselves of the Kingdom of Heaven, which we have been told is within each one of us.

Let us this Saturday honor the life of Elizabeth II while reconnecting with the Divine Royalty within each of us. To do so, you might want to try a prayer such as, “Thank you, God, for Queen Elizabeth II. Thank you, God, for this, Thy royal servant. Thank you, God, for the way she reminded us of the dignity that lives within each one of us. Thank you, God, for her service to all of humanity. Bless her, Lord, and welcome her into Thine arms of grace and glory. May the dignity that Elizabeth embodied live in our hearts and minds and souls, that we, too, may serve to uplift others. Keep us focused on Thy kingdom, Lord, that we may always exemplify Thy Beauty, Peace, and Light. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

09/03/2022

Dear Light Group,

There is increasing concern about the impact humans are having on the environment, and consequently there is an accelerating emphasis on sustainability.

The underlying concern is that the burdens we are placing on the environment might diminish the livability of the planet…for humans. Our concern is primarily for ourselves, for the human species.

But there is a race for whom it has never been just about ourselves. For that race, everything on planet Earth is sacred. For that race, the rocks, the trees, the wind, the animals – everything on Earth is their relative. For the advanced ones of that race, their breath, every step they take is a sacred interaction with the Great Spirit. That race is the Native American.

The advanced ones among the Native Americans have much to teach us about sustainability, about honoring the environment, about living in harmony with nature. Their teachings go much deeper than the materialistic emphasis of today’s talk about sustainability. Their love of earth is much, much deeper than most of us can imagine.

To help us take into a deeper prayer for Earth, I offer for your consideration the prayer of Chief Yellow Lark, a Lakota Sioux:

Oh, Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the winds
And whose breath gives life to all the world,
Hear me!
I need your strength and wisdom!

Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes
Ever behold the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things you have made,
My ears sharp to hear your voice.

Make me wise so that I may understand
The things you might teach me.

Let me learn the lessons you have hidden
In every leaf and rock.

I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother,
But to fight my greatest enemy, myself.

Make me always ready to come to you
With clear hands and straight eyes,
So when life fades, as the fading sunset,
My spirit may come to you without shame.

Love and Light,
Tully

08/27/2022

Dear Light Group,

Harmony is said to be a result of union with Spirit. This can be true in several different ways.

It can mean that we have a harmonious nature, that the energy that radiates from us brings harmony to others, that it naturally helps different people find common ground and find a way to respect each other.

It can mean being in harmony with the Divine. It can mean that we are – in our body, speech, and mind – attuned to and in concert with the Divine.

It can mean that, after much prayer and meditation, we hear the cosmic Aum, the Amen, the Word spoken of in the Book of John. It is said that from this sound all creation was created and that the Word or Aum is what continues to hold together the universe.

Being attuned to this Divine Sound, we find that it permeates and connects everything in the cosmos and that all that is has been extruded from this One Reality, this one Sound.

There are many ways that we humans try to come into harmony with the Divine. The Holy Communion that is practiced in many Christian denominations is an attempt to commune with God. Spiritual music – whether it be church music, the sound of the sitar, the Tibetan horn, or the bhajans of India – is designed to help us be attuned to God. But what appears to be most effective is deep prayer and meditation.

Shall we give this a try this Saturday? You might want to begin by settling slowly into a chair or prayer cushion. Take a deep breath and release it slowly. Then, pray deeply, “Thank you, God, for making me ripe to hear Thy Divine Sound. Thank you, God, for enabling to me to hear Thy Divine Sound. Thank you, God, for entering my heart and letting me feel Thy Divine Sound. Thank you, God, for Thy Divine Sound radiating from my heart to everyone and everything. Thank you, God, for this, Thy Divine Sound, filling and surrounding me. Thank you, God, for Thy Divine Sound filling and surrounding my loved ones. Thank you, God, for Thy Divine Sound filling and surrounding my home. Thank you, God, for Thy Divine Sound filling and surrounding the area in which I live. Thank you, God, for Thy Divine Sound filling and surrounding the United States. Thank you, God, for Thy Divine Sound filling and surrounding all nations. Thank you, God, for Thy Divine Sound filling and surrounding all people. Thank you, God, for Thy Divine Sound filling and surrounding Earth. Thank you, God, for Thy Divine Sound, which connects me with all that exists. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

08/20/2022

Dear Light Group,

One of my favorite movies is Gandhi, about Mohandas Gandhi, the man who preached non-violence and who did so much to help India gain its independence from Great Britain. Although the movie is primarily about Gandhi, there are also several scenes that include Gandhi’s friend and collaborator in the march to independence, Nehru, who became prime minister after India became independent.

Things did not go smoothly for the newly appointed prime minister. Almost immediately after India gained its independence, there were bloody clashes between Hindus and Muslims. Gandhi, horrified at what was happening, traveled to the most intense area of conflict, Calcutta, and started to fast. He refused to stop fasting until the fighting stopped.

In the movie, there is a scene where Nehru is brought the morning paper, which has the headline, “Mahatma Gandhi – Fast Unto Death,” along with sub-headlines reading, “Calcutta Still in Chaos,” “Riots in Lahore,” and “Police Station Taken by Mobs in Chapra.” Exasperated with the burdens of the office and the chaos in the country, Nehru snapped, “Why must I read news like this in the newspaper?”

I was reminded of that scene this morning as I read today’s paper. The news was universally negative, and it made me feel like the world was full of nuttiness and cruelty. I wanted to say to somebody, as Nehru did, “Why must I read news like this in the newspaper?”

Part of the answer – for both Nehru and for me – is, things are what they are, and we simply have to face that. Another part of the answer is that we mustn’t lose sight of who we are and of the power of goodness within each one of us.

Not long after reading the headline in the newspaper, Nehru flew to Calcutta and pleaded with Gandhi to stop fasting, so that Gandhi, who indeed was weak and near death, could live. Gandhi stubbornly refused to stop fasting until all the fighting stopped.

As Gandhi lay near death, Nehru gave a speech in which he said, “Sometimes, it is when you are quite without hope and in utter darkness, and you have given up hope, that God comes to the rescue. Gandhiji is dying because of our madness. Put away your revenge. What good will come of more killing? Have the courage to do what you know is right. For God’s sake, let us embrace like brothers.”

Both Hindus and Muslims started waking up. Neither wanted Gandhi’s death on their conscience. The fighting stopped. Completely. Gandhi, weak and near death, hearing that the fighting was over, asked for some orange juice and a piece of bread. He lived.

During an earlier fast – again to stop mass violence – Gandhi had said, “When I despair, I remember that all through history, the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it. Always. Whenever you are in doubt that that is God’s way, the way the world is meant to be, think of that, and then try to do it His way.”

So, whatever side you are on, let us this Saturday “do it His way.” Let us remember that “the way of truth and love has always won.” Let us know that, when we are “quite without hope and in utter darkness…God comes to the rescue.”

In that spirit, you might want to try a prayer such as, “Thank you, God, for Thy Way. Thank you, God, for Thy Way of Truth and Love. Fill my heart with Thy Truth and Love, that I may manifest this Truth and Love at all times and in all places and for all people. Merge my consciousness with Thy Spirit of Truth and Love, that Thy Truth and Love may shine forth from my inner being. Merge my consciousness with Thy Spirit of Truth and Love, that Thy Truth and Love may radiate from my inner being to everyone and everything. Fill and surround all of us, Lord, with Thy Truth and Love, that Thy Truth and Love may reign supreme on Earth and throughout all creation. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

08/13/2022

Dear Light Group,

To lead a spiritual life, it helps to have a grip on reality.

But what is reality?

We think we know what reality is. We perceive our world as divided into good and bad, hot and cold, light and dark. We compartmentalize things according to how much we are attracted to them, repelled by them, or indifferent to them. We try to organize our lives around pleasure, entertainment, and safety. We tend to think, “I” am here, and “they” are there.

What if all of this is wrong? What if this is not reality? What if it’s all a light and shadow show? What if it’s all a play – a play of Consciousness?

If it’s all a Divine play, a play of Divine Consciousness, then what? Then several things happen. First of all, if it’s all just a play of Divine Consciousness, then it’s harder for us to get uptight and be judgmental. If everything – including ourselves – is part of the play of Divine Consciousness, then everything – again, including ourselves – is Divine and worthy of our love. That makes it easier to follow Jesus’ commandment that we “judge not, that ye be not judged.”

Also, if everything is a play of Consciousness, then it is easier for us to have a sense of humor. If it’s all a play of Consciousness, then we lighten up and stop taking things so seriously, and we see the humor in life.

Seeing things as a play of Consciousness also frees us, which helps us free others. When we judge others or typecast them or feel an attraction or aversion towards them, we freeze them. In our own minds at least, we have frozen them as a type of person we are attracted to, feel repelled by, or are indifferent towards.

But if we see life as a play of Consciousness and if we rein in our judgments of others, then we are free to see and interact with them as they are, as other actors in the Divine play of Consciousness.

With that mindset, life is so much more spacious. We are no longer locked into being judgmental, into seeing things as either good or bad, no longer consumed with filling our lives with pleasure and entertainment. We are free to experience life as it is, on the spot, not as we have been trained to think it ought to be.

In this greater spaciousness, we are free to see the humor in life; we are free to see humor in ourselves and in others; we are free to act, not for selfish reasons, but for the betterment of all.

Shall we have a go at this spaciousness and freedom this Saturday? If you’re up for it, you might try a prayer such as, “Lord, as I live in your Cosmic Play, keep me always tuned to Thee and Thy Joy. Let me see Thy Joy in all things and all people. Free me of all the memories and thoughts and emotions that shackle me to my little self. Free me to merge with Thy Greater Self. Free me to serve others with wisdom and generosity. Free me to give praise to Thee and to worship Thee, at all times and in all places. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

08/06/2022

Dear Light Group,

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” The most common way of interpreting this quote from Isaiah is that we are not to fear the external world: we are not to fear other people or natural catastrophes or other threats external to ourselves.

Are there additional ways of interpreting this? Could it also mean that we shouldn’t fear what is inside ourselves? Could it mean that we shouldn’t fear the darker side of ourselves? Could it mean that we needn’t fear God’s judgment on our shadow selves, those aspects of ourselves that don’t seem Godlike, that we try to hide?

Many of us have schemes for avoiding unpleasant truths about ourselves, which amount to schemes for avoiding God. We engage in various forms of frivolous entertainment. We create fictions to make ourselves feel better. We indulge in gossip and daydreams.

These schemes only serve to reaffirm our ego, our identity, and to distance us from God. But many of us have a tremendous fear of giving up that identity, of relinquishing our ego.

What to do about this? If we fight it, that will just make us more uptight. But if we take Isaiah’s words to heart – “Fear not…I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you….” – then we have a partner in addressing our shadow side; then we can face that shadow side without fear, without getting uptight about it; then we can let go and let God transform us.

Our objective in letting go of our shadow self and of letting God transform us is to return our consciousness fully to Divine Consciousness. It is easier for that to happen if we purify ourselves, for, as we were told in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

God doesn’t judge us, so there’s no need for us to judge ourselves. If our objective is to return our consciousness fully to Divine Consciousness, then we simply need to let go, to “fear not,” to fear not the loss of our identity, to let God purify us, to let God transform our identity into God Identity.

Shall we give this a try this Saturday? If you’re game for this, you might want to try a prayer such as, “Thank you, God, for revealing to me the purity of Thy Love. Thank you, God, for revealing to me the purity of Thy Light. Thank you, God, for transforming my shadow self into my Divine Self. Thank you, God, for purifying my past, that I may be clean in Thy Sight. Thank you, God, for purifying my shadow self, that the way to Thy Divine Consciousness may be made clear. Thank you, God, for clearing my fears, struggles, and entanglements, that I may be free to live in Thy Divine Consciousness. Thank you, God, for Thy Holy Spirit, filling and surrounding me, that I may abide in Thy Divine Consciousness forever. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

07/30/2022

Dear Light Group,

During the Last Supper, Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled.”

Much easier said than done. Likes and dislikes yank us to and fro. Advertising and our own desires have us running in several directions. Media, including social media, excel at stirring up passions of dislike and fear. By the end of a day, our nerves can be frayed, and our emotions can be in a state of high turbulence.

Is this it? Is this our objective for our lives – that we live in a state of constant turbulence? Or is our objective something else? If so, what is that something else?

In that same Last Supper, Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions.”

What are those “mansions”? One way of interpreting what Jesus meant is that those “mansions” refer to states of consciousness and that they in particular refer to the degree to which our consciousness is fully merged with Divine Consciousness.

So how do we enter the “mansions” with higher degrees of Divine Consciousness? It’s back to basics: “Let not your heart be troubled.” People tend to interpret what Jesus said as meaning, “Don’t worry; I’ll comfort you.” This could be part of what Jesus meant. But it could also be that he was saying more than that.

It could be that Jesus meant, “Union with Divine Consciousness (entering the higher level ‘mansions’) is possible only by stilling the restlessness of the heart.” If that’s the case, then, instead of leaning on Jesus, we get to work on ourselves. It means recognizing the things that cause a restless heart – and simply letting them go. All of our likes and dislikes, all of our passions, all of our emotions, all of our hurts, all of our guilt – we just let it all go. (This is beginning to sound like the first step of the Seven Steps to Effective Prayer, “I release all of my past…to the Light.”)

To pull all of this together: The turbulence we may feel within ourselves or see in the external world is not real. That which is real is Divine Consciousness. The rest is just a show – like seeing a movie or a TV show: it looks real, but it’s not. The only thing that endures, the only thing that is real, is Divine Love, Light, Truth, Spirit. To enter the “mansions” where Divine Love, Light, Truth, and Spirit reside, we must calm our hearts (“Let not your heart be troubled”). A calm heart enables us to keep our focus – our unwavering focus – on Divine Consciousness. And with that, we enter our Father’s house, which has many mansions.

Shall we give this a try this Saturday? In doing so, you might want to try a prayer such as, “I let go of any turbulence in my heart. I release this turbulence to the Christ Consciousness. I let go of the causes of this turbulence. The Great Comforter brings peace to my heart. The Great Comforter calms my heart. The Great Comforter leads me to the inner mansions, to deeper levels of Divine Peace, Light, and Love. I let these inner mansions be my safe place. I allow my consciousness to reside in the Divine mansions where Love, Light, Truth, and Peace reign supreme. Keep me centered in Thee, O Lord. Keep my consciousness always housed in Thine mansions of Love, Light, Truth, and Peace, that I may live all the days of my life centered in Thee. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

07/23/2022

Dear Light Group,

In December of 1976, Jim Goure gave a talk on universal healing. At the beginning of that talk, he mentioned that recently he had been standing in the kitchen-dining area of his house when Jesus came to him. Jesus showed his face on the wallpaper. He showed his face in Jim’s cup of coffee. Jim interpreted this as meaning that the Christ is universal – It’s everywhere.

During that same lecture, Jim said that where there is the Christ, there is healing. He also said that everyone – everyone – has one issue or another: a physical ailment, a mental problem, something that we allow to hold us back, something needing healing..

From there, the logic flowed swiftly: If everyone has an issue that needs healing and if where there is the Christ, there is healing, and if that Christ is both universal and within us, then our mission is to put that Christ into the service of universal healing.

That, in essence, was the mission Jim laid out for all of us: the Christ is within you, as it is within everyone and everything. We have a mission of putting that Christ into action to heal, not just ourselves, but the entire planet. A healed planet, Jim said, would be a peaceful planet.

Within a few days of giving that lecture, Jim put his words into concrete action. He and a group of followers went to Jamaica, which at the time was a Communist nation roiled by internal conflict. Twelve hundred Jamaicans gathered to hear Jim speak. They were hungry for a change. They were hungry for the Light. Jim taught them the Light Prayer.

Shortly thereafter, the Communist regime was voted out of power. Jamaica became a free country.

This transformation of Jamaica through prayer inspired Jim to lead prayer missions to other countries, forty in total by the time he passed away.

I mention this lecture by Jim and the trip he and others took to Jamaica as a reminder of United Research’s core message: The power of the Christ is unlimited. It is our mission to deploy that Christ for the uplifting and healing of all people, so that we may have peace on Earth.

In that spirit, you might want to use this prayer: “The Universal Christ is within me. The Universal Christ is within everyone. This Universal Christ heals my body. This Universal Christ fills and surrounds all of my organs, healing them and directing their energies to Light. This Universal Christ fills and surrounds my mind, healing it and directing all of my thoughts to Light. This Universal Christ fills and surrounds my spirit, uplifting it, purifying it, and directing it to the Light. This Universal Christ fills and surrounds my loved ones, healing them and directing their lives to Light. This Universal Christ fills and surrounds the city in which I live, healing everyone in this city and directing their lives to Light. This Universal Christ fills and surrounds the United States, healing everyone in America and directing their lives to Light. This Universal Christ fills and surrounds North and South America, healing everyone in the Americas and directing their lives to Light. This Universal Christ fills and surrounds Europe, healing everyone in Europe and directing their lives to Light. This Universal Christ fills and surrounds Ukraine, healing everyone in Ukraine and directing their lives to Light. This Universal Christ fills and surrounds Russia, healing everyone in Russia and lifting the Russian people up to a Light-filled way of being. This Universal Christ fills and surrounds Africa, healing everyone in Africa and directing their lives to Light. This Universal Christ fills and surrounds Asia, healing everyone in Asia and directing their lives to Light. This Universal Christ fills and surrounds Iran, healing everyone in Iran and directing their lives to Light. This Universal Christ fills and surrounds China, healing everyone in China and lifting the Chinese up to a Light-filled way of being. This Universal Christ fills and surrounds Australia, healing everyone in Australia and directing their lives to Light. This Universal Christ fills and surrounds Antarctica and the oceans and the islands of Earth, healing these places and directing their energies to Light. Earth is a planet of Peace and Light. Everyone and everything on Earth shines with the Light and Peace of the Divine. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

07/16/2022

Dear Light Group,

I was contemplating how our prayers could remind us of our core, give us strength, return us to our center – and one of our Light Group members, Jacquelyn, forwarded to me this message from Joseph White Eagle, an elder of the Cree Indian tribe, which felt like it was on point:

We would not be living in this troubled time if it was not our spiritual destiny to do so. We have been honored to live on the skin of Mother Earth to see what is all unfolding. It is the worst of times in the history of mankind where the strongest spirits manifest in this physical reality, for we are chosen as the bridge that the next generations can cross over troubled waters to a new era. Pain, suffering, loneliness and separation is what we must all endure so the next generations can shape a world that we envision. We are here to fall down so we can get back up. We are here to give hope when things are at its darkest. We are here to pass the torch burning with a sacred fire that will live way beyond this time. For we will be known as the generation that lived and persevered through the darkest times so a new way of life can manifest from it. For it is our age and maturity in this troubled time that we can grasp the situation we humans are in. We are the strong spirits that started building the foundation back to the old ways. We all should be honored to have witnessed, endured and survived this most tested time that many generations in the future will talk about and say: This was the beginning of mankind reconnecting back to the circle of life. Ekosi.

Instead of bemoaning the condition of the world, Joseph White Eagle encourages us to see this time as our destiny, our opportunity, our mission. It is our honor, he says, to be living on Earth at this time. We are among the strong ones, chosen to create a bridge between troubled times and a new era for future generations. We are here to give hope, to show resilience, to keep alive and pass the sacred fire torch to future generations. Our mission is to build the foundation that will enable others to reconnect to the circle of life.

With Joseph White Eagle’s message as our inspiration, you might want to try a prayer such as, “Thank you, God, for my being an instrument of Thy greater mission. Thank you, God, for giving me the strength to fulfill this mission. Thank you, God, for giving me the vision to see beyond myself, to see that I am a part of something much bigger. Thank you, God, for connecting me with like-minded spirits. Thank you, God, for Joseph White Eagle and others of our brothers and sisters who have reminded us of Thy Spirit. Thank you, God, for the love that flows between us. Thank you, God, for reminding us of Thy greater mission of bringing the Light to all. Thank you, God, for the Light that protects us and guides us. Thank you, God, for this mission of being the Light of the world. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

07/09/2022

Dear Light Group,

With all that’s going on in the world, it’s easy to forget that there is more to life, that this is not all that exists, that there are other realms with higher energies – and that we can tap into those higher energies.

One of the higher realms that it is so easy to forget is the angelic realm. But there they are, singing God’s praises, ever ready to help.

So, why not tune into them this Saturday?

In doing so, you might want to try a prayer such as, “Thank you, angelic friends, for your presence. Thank you for always being with us. Thank you for your loving, comforting presence. Thank you for your loving guidance. Thank you for your protection. Thank you for reminding us of who we are. Thank you for guiding us back to our Divine Presence, which is our essence. In that Divine Presence, in that Presence of Divine Light and Divine Love, we radiate our love and gratitude for you and we praise and give thanks to God for the Light-filled beings that you are. With our hearts overflowing with Love, we give thanks to Thee, O Lord, for Thy angels and for Thy glorious creation. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

07/02/2022

Dear Light Group,

Monday is July 4th, Independence Day, commemorating the day Americans declared their freedom from a tyrannical monarchy.

Over the two hundred forty-six years since that declaration, we as a nation as well as individuals have been learning that being free from something does not necessarily make you free to be something else. Think of all the nations that, especially since World War II, have gained their independence and then squandered it on corruption, oppression, and civil conflict. Think of all the people who get out of a bad relationship or a challenging job only to land in the soup with their next relationship or job.

We are at a moment in America when our social fabric is under high stress – from both internal as well as external forces. There is a great desire to be free of these stresses. There is a sense that, if only we could be free of the outrageous behavior of the other side, then we would be free, then all would be well.

This begs the question: If we were free of the other side, who would we be? What would values would drive our behavior?

There is much in our history that can inspire us as we think of who we want to be: Magnanimous in victory (think of the Marshall Plan after the close of World War II). Concerned for the welfare of all (think of the more than two hundred forty thousand American Peace Corps volunteers who have served 143 countries). Defender of freedom (think of all the times our armed forces have come to the aid of nations fending off oppressive forces).

As we celebrate Independence Day this year, let us reaffirm that that which we feel Divinely guided to be, and let us give thanks for America, this nation that has afforded us – as well as others around the world – the opportunity to be Divinely guided.

In doing so, you might want to start by reflecting on your own essence. Each one of us, in our core being, manifests a Divine attribute. It could be Love. It could be Joy. It could be Truth. It could be Beauty. It could be one or more of the numerous other Divine attributes that may be at your core. The key is to remember: “That’s who I Am. That is my Divine nature. That is who I Am free to Be.”

Then you might take the next step with a prayer such as: “Thank you, God, for the freedom to Be. Thank you, God, for the opportunity to manifest Thy Divinity. Thank you, God, for America, the nation which has allowed me the freedom to Be. Bind our wounds, O Lord, that we may recognize Thy Spirit in everyone. Hold us in Thy Light, that we may always be true to Thee. Lift us up, O Lord, that we may rise above our passions and aggressions to see Thee in all that is. Keep our focus on Thee, O Lord, that we may always be guided by Thy Truth and Thy Love. Thank you, God, for America. Thank you, God, for the freedom to Be. Thank you, God, for Thee in me. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

06/25/2022

Dear Light Group,

As we get closer to July 4th, my neighbors are starting to display their American flags. There are many highly patriotic people in the city in which I live, and those flags have deep meaning for them.

What does the American flag mean for you?

The flag symbolizes different things for different people, but more often than not it stands for freedom. Freedom from oppression. Freedom to be who we want to be.

Great sacrifices have been made over the years so that we, today, may live in relative freedom. Because of those who bravely fought, against tremendous odds, for freedom from an oppressive British monarchy and because of those who fought to end slavery and those who fought to liberate the world from Nazi tyranny, America has been the land of the free and the home of the brave.

How can we best honor those who have given the full measure of their lives so that we, now, might be free?

One way we can honor them is to live freely. That, however, is easier said than done. To be truly free is to look at our biases and judgments…and let them go. To be truly free is to let go of “me” and “mine” and “I want this” and “I want that” and to see that there is only the Divine. To be truly free is to let go of our desires and just be. In letting go, there is the possibility of tremendous freedom. In letting go, we realize that we don’t have to push so hard to maintain our ourselves and our little world. We realize that we can open our eyes and ears and feel the universe around us.

None of this is easy. We live in emotional times. It is hard not to get swept up in the emotions of the moment.

But behind the turbulence and the stormy emotionalism is the Light. We are freest when we focus on that Light. We are freest when we are not distracted from that Light but instead are its fullest expression.

This is freedom, that we be expressions of basic goodness. Recognizing that basic goodness lives within ourselves – and within everyone else – takes tremendous discipline. But with this discipline and with letting go, we gain a sense of dignity, of our own basic goodness, of gentleness and peace. We feel free, and with that feeling, we are free to act bravely, compassionately, joyfully.

Let us, this Saturday, honor those who have brought us to this moment, to this special place and to this point in time, when we are free to recognize and to live our basic goodness, when we are free to seek the Light in our own way, when we are free to let go and simply Be Divine: “Thank you, God, for all those who have given generously of themselves so that we may be free. Thank you, God, for our forefathers and foremothers who were so strong, who held to Truth, that we might be free. Thank you, God, for those who held to Truth and Goodness, that slavery might end and the dignity of all might be recognized. Thank you, God, for those who have given their lives that freedom might exist, not just for Americans but for all peoples of all lands. Thank you, God, for America, for the land of the free and the home of the brave. Thank you, God, for leading me to ultimate freedom. Thank you, God, for freeing me to be a fuller expression of Thy Light, Thy Love, Thy Peace, Thy Joy. Let this, Thy Light, Love, Peace, and Joy, shine on all, that all may be free. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

06/18/2022

Dear Light Group,

Yogananda, a saint from India who was guided to come to America in the early part of the 20th century, was bubbling over with joy. His books, his lectures, the way he walked, the way he smiled – his whole being was infused with the joy he felt through his connection with God..

When, many years ago, I visited Yogananda’s hermitage in Southern California, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean, I could feel his joy in the very walls of that hermitage, decades after he had passed away.

This is not to say that Yogananda’s life was without trauma. His mother died suddenly when he was a young boy, and Yogananda was inconsolable. A brother and a sister died at relatively young ages. One of his best friends from childhood joined him in America – and then betrayed him. America initially greeted him with open arms, but then rejected him when he refused to discriminate against Blacks. Yogananda was hounded by yellow journalists thought who they could frame him for hypnotizing women and leading them into scandalous behavior (the courts, fortunately, found no evidence of this and exonerated Yogananda).

Through it all, Yogananda was able to return to his blissful communion with God and to return to his mission of bringing the Light of Divine Wisdom to people in the West.

Yogananda reiterated over and over that this blissful communion with God was available to all of us. If we were disciplined about meditation and about leading a life focused on God, we, too, could experience that overflowing joy that comes from communion with the Divine.

Let us this Saturday tune into this joy, that our lives may be full of Divine Joy. To do so, you may want to try a prayer such as, “Thank you, God, for the Joy that lived in Yogananda. Thank you, God, for Thy Joy that has lived in all great saints and masters. Thank you, God, for Thy Joy that lives in me. Thank you, God, for Thy Joy that surrounds me. Thank you, God, for Thy Joy that fills and surrounds all people and all things. Thank you, God, for Thy creation, which is always drawing us back to Thee and Thy Joy. Thank you, God, for the joy of being alive, for the opportunity to experience Thy Joy in all things and in all people. Thank you, God, for the Joy that is Thy creation. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

06/11/2022

Dear Light Group,

As a young woman, Reinee Pasarow went into anaphylactic shock and was taken by ambulance to Adventist Glendale Hospital in Glendale, California where she was declared clinically dead by an emergency room physician. Renee’s personal physician subsequently burst into the ER with something of an attitude that, “She’s not going to die on my watch.” That physician eventually revived Renee, and she lived for many more decades, until she was nearly 70 years old.

During the period when she was in shock and then declared dead, Reinee left her body and went into the Light. Part of her experience in the Light was that of a life review, or, as Reinee put it, it was more of a reliving of her life from a much greater point of consciousness. She saw that nothing had gone unnoticed – not a thought, not an intention, not a tear shed, not a smile, not a blink – nothing in our lives goes unnoticed.

In reliving her life, Reinee became aware that the greatest of her actions was not from having owned anything or known anyone or having had any titles or having achieved anything or having been successful. Instead, she was shown that the most significant of her actions were those motivated by selfless love.

The greatest of these acts of selfless love had occurred when Reinee was a teenager working at a camp for retarded children. She had been kind towards a young boy who was particularly difficult and obnoxious and abrasive and who had usually been rejected by others in the camp, including the counselors. Reinee had taken him aside on a hot summer day and sat him on a wall and had given him some punch. She told this young boy that he was precious, that he was unique, and that he was lovable by the very fact of his existence. Her intention was to express selfless love to this child who seemed to be abandoned and rejected and viewed as worthless to all. It was an action that no one recognized. It was an action that Reinee herself had forgotten until her near-death experience.

Renee’s sense while in the Light was that to have given one instance of selfless love – such as the one she had given to the young, retarded boy – was to have achieved something greater than if she had become president of the United States or had won the Nobel Prize. That mere instant of showing love was greater than anything we recognize as showing accomplishment in this material world.

What was important was not merely the action but the intent and the motivation. The only motivation that counted was selfless, altruistic, unconditional love.

Let us remember the lesson that Reinee learned while in the Light: at the end of the day, it is selfless kindness and love that counts.

You might want to dive deeper into this selfless kindness and love with a prayer such as, “Thank you, God, for always reminding me that I am here on Earth to be kind. Thank you, God, for reminding me that I best reflect Thy Love when I act with selfless love. Thank you, God, for filling my heart with this selfless Love. Let me, to the end of my days, always express this Love. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

06/04/2022

Dear Light Group,

In his letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul says, “And let us not weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap – if we faint not.”

Paul’s advice feels timely, as contend with a war, dissension, and mass murder. Let us not despair (let us “faint not”) and hold to the Light.

There is much drama in the world, but let us turn inward to the Divine Peace within and let us not be “weary in well doing,” recognizing that in due time “we shall reap.”

In that spirit, you might want to try a prayer such as, “Thank you, God, for Thy Peace residing in my heart. Thank you, God, for Thy Peace radiating throughout my being. Thank you, God, for Thy Peace radiating from the center of my being, blessing everyone and everything. Thank you, God, for Thy Peace radiating from the center of my being, blessing the city in which I live. Thank you, God, for Thy Peace radiating from the center of my being, blessing the United States of America. Thank you, God, for Thy Peace radiating from the center of my being, blessing the people of Ukraine. Thank you, God, for Thy Peace radiating from the center of my being, blessing the people of Russia. Thank you, God, for Thy Peace radiating from the center of my being, blessing the people of Europe. Thank you, God, for Thy Peace radiating from the center of my being, blessing all the people of Earth. Thank you, God, for Thy blessing of Peace, filling and surrounding Earth and everyone and everything on Earth. Thank you, God, for Thy blessing of Peace, filling all of creation. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

05/28/2022

Dear Light Group,

In the Book of John, Jesus says, “God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.”

If we pause to consider the meaning of this, the implications are revolutionary, dramatic, fantastic. The Old Testament God, who could be a frightening, capricious, jealous male, has been transformed into an energy – an energy of Spirit and of Truth. No longer a distant male to whom we might pray – or to whom we might cower as He rains frogs or brimstone on us – this God is within us. It is us. This God’s Spirit and Truth is within us and within everyone and everything. This Spirit and this Truth is here, now. All we have to do is click into it.

This Spirit and Truth dearly wants us to recognize It. It wants us to know that all of the abundance we seek, all of the health we seek, all of the joy we seek is in this Spirit and this Truth. All we have to do is let go – let go of our day-to-day concerns, let go of our personalities, let go of our past, let go of our fear of the future – and instead be present with this Spirit and this Truth.

If you would like to use this Saturday to get in to this Spirit and Truth, you might try a prayer such as, “I am that Spirit. I am that Truth. That Spirit and Truth is glorious, magnificent, fantastic. That Spirit and Truth is creating ever greater manifestations of Divine Beauty and Joy. Glory be to God for this magnificent Spirit and Truth. Praise be to God for this wonderful Spirit and Truth. Praise be to God for this Spirit and Truth living inside of me. Praise be to God for this Spirit and Truth living inside everyone and everything. Thank you, God, for being in me. Thank you, God, for being in my loved ones. Thank you, God, for being in everyone and everything. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

05/21/2022

Dear Light Group,

When we call time-out, when we are able to bring a halt to the relentless chatter going on in our minds, we create a gap in which we can see the beauty of the world in which we live. When we stop spinning around, when we stop rehashing what has happened in the past or obsessing about what might happen in the future, we find ourselves firmly in the present. And what do we find in this present moment? We find that we may be sitting or standing. We can feel the chair we are sitting on. We can feel the ground on which we stand. We may hear sounds. There may be distinct odors. There may be a particular taste in our mouth. We may see before us things in our home or things out of doors. We are fully in the present moment – not mired in the past or fearful of the future – just here, now.

This is our world. We needn’t judge it as either good or bad. It just is what it is.

The more we slow things down and see the world as just what it is, the more we let go of our judgments about this world, and the more we let go of evaluating this world in terms of what it will or will not do for us, the more we are able to see the intrinsic beauty of our world. The greenness of the leaves on the trees becomes more vibrant. The blueness of the sky becomes more magical. The mundane objects in our home become special, beautiful, magnificent.

This is our world. We have created it, and it is a beautiful world.

This Saturday, let us give thanks for this world: “Thank you, God, for the beauty of this world. Thank you, God, for our five senses, by which we can experience this world. Thank you, God, for enabling us to see the beauty in all of Thy creation. Thank you, God, for the beauty in all things. Thank you, God, for the beauty in all people. Thank you, God, for Thy Divine sight, which enables us to see things as You see them. Thank you, God, for Thy beauty in everyone and everything. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

05/14/2021

Dear Light Group,

“You Are a Star” was the title of one of Jim Goure’s lectures. In that lecture, he talked about the billions of galaxies and zillions of stars that exist and told us that we are not separate from them. He essentially told us, “You are not separate from those galaxies and stars. You are all that is.”

That’s not the consciousness we live with on a daily basis. Most of us are consumed with thoughts of what we need to do today and our dreams and our fantasies and what we want to acquire and what we want to avoid and oh, my, the state of the world!

But are all those thoughts and dreams and fantasies and worries real? If, as Jim Goure told us, we are all that is, if we are all the galaxies and stars, if we are not separate from anything that exists, then of what significance are our obsessions about our own little worlds?

Instead, Jim encouraged us to get into the consciousness of universal Love, universal Light, universal Beauty, universal Peace. This, he said, would be our most powerful contribution to elevating not only our own little world but that of the planet and the universe.

So let us, in our prayers this Saturday, remember, as Jim told us, that we are a star, and just as our sun (a star) gives and gives and gives of its light, so, we, too, can give and give and give of our Light, our Love, our Beauty, and our Peace.

In doing so, you might want to try a prayer such as, “I am a star of Light. I am a star of Love. I am a star of Beauty. I am a star of Peace. From the star center within me, I radiate Light, Love, Beauty, and Peace to everyone and everything. I expand Light, Love, Beauty, and Peace throughout the universe. The universe is filled and surrounded with this Light, Love, Beauty, and Peace. I am that Light, Love, Beauty, and Peace. This is who I truly am: Light, Love, Beauty, and Peace. Light, Love, Beauty, and Peace is my essence. I give and give and give this Light, Love, Beauty, and Peace to everyone and everything. Light, Love, Beauty, and Peace is my essential nature. At all times and in all places, I give and give and give this Light, Love, Beauty, and Peace. This is my mission on Earth, to give and give and give this Light, Love, Beauty, and Peace. There is no more of the little “I,” the one that sees itself as separate from other people and other things. Now there is only the consciousness of Light, Love, Beauty, and Peace. In being this Light, Love, Beauty, and Peace, there is infinite Joy. I am That. I am that Light, Love, Beauty, and Peace. Amen.”

Love and Light,

Tully

12/7/13

Dear Light Group,

Everything is Divine. There is no place that God is not. In the deepest part of the ocean, “I Am there,” sayeth the Lord. In the furthest reaches of space, “I Am there.” In the most microscopic parts of our own physical bodies, “I Am there.”

So we can never, ever move out of the heart of God. We can never, ever move out of the essence of God. That essence fills and surrounds and is us.

This essence that fills and surrounds and is us can be experienced in many different forms: It is Light. It is Joy. It is Peace. It is Beauty.

The more we are able to still our restless minds. The more we are able to relinquish our powerful desires. The more we are able to let go – the better we are able to experience this Light, this Joy, this Peace, this Beauty.

And once we experience this Light, Joy, Peace, and Beauty, we know that it is infinite, and we know that there is nothing to do in life but to give of this Light, Joy, Peace, and Beauty. In giving this Light, Joy, Peace, and Beauty, the transformation of ourselves and of others and of Earth occurs.

Regular practice of prayer and meditation is the way to enter and stay anchored in this state of superconsciousness.

So, this Saturday, let us enter that which Is, that which is Light, Joy, Peace, and Beauty. To do so, you may want to try a prayer such as, “I am That. I am that Light that is the essence of everything. I am that Joy that permeates everything. I am Peace in all things. I am the Beauty that Is.”

And then, “Let this Light, Joy, Peace, and Beauty expand, for the good of all.”

Saying these prayers over and over will help you enter and stay anchored in a state of superconsciousness.

Finally, you might want to close with, “And that’s the way it is! Thank you, God!”

Love and Light,

Tully