Weekly Prayer Posts

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2023 Weekly Prayers
2022 Weekly Prayers

11/09/2024

Dear Light Group,

Jim Goure gave a lecture entitled, “Why? Why? Why?” He said that “Why?” was the most frequent question he got. “I’ve been good, and I’ve been praying, and yet I get sick. Why?” “Why am I on planet Earth? it seems hopeless. Everything is wrong. The world is all wrong. I’m all right. It’s the world that’s wrong. Why?”

Jim’s response? “The greatest answer to questions such as these was given by Jesus when he said, ‘Everything that happens is for the glory of God.’ Everything is for the glory of God.” In support of that statement, Jim reminded us of Jesus being confronted by the man born blind and his disciples asking him who was at fault for the blindness. The man’s parents? The man’s karma? Jesus essentially responded, “None of the above. This was for the glory of God.”

That can be a hard pill to swallow. Everything is for the glory of God? There are many things in life – in our personal lives, in our families, in our nation, in our world – that don’t seem to have much glory in them. And yet, Jim (and Jesus) have told us that all is for the glory of God.

Jim gave us a good starting point for doing so: “When you think of the glory of God, think of the glory of yourself, of the glory of your beingness, of the glory of your becoming a new type of being. Give thanks to God for that happening. Give thanks to the God within, to that which You Are. Give thanks that you are indeed changing and that it indeed is a glory. It may take years before the changes take place. During those years, there is travail, there are tears. But every experience is a glory – if we can see that….So accept whatever happens as the glory of God, as the glory of yourself, as the enhancement of yourself.”

Jim encouraged us to go beyond ourselves and extend this mindset to our perceptions of what is happening in the world. “‘Everything is for the glory of God’ applies not only to things that happen in our lives but to events that occur on the world stage….Every time something happens to you that seems to be negative, if you allow an understanding of Light and Love to enter, Peace is right there. There is a feeling that, ‘It wasn’t hopeless after all. There is something good that has come out of it.’”

To implant this mindset, Jim advocated saying “Thank you, God” a million times a day – no matter what happens.

If you would like a lengthier prayer, you might try this: “I am the living Christ. All people are the living Christ. The Creator is in me, filling me with Love, healing me and directing my life to Light. The Creator is in all people, filling them with Love, healing them, and directing their lives to Light. The Creator changes the consciousness of all people so they become aware of the Good in all that is. The Creator changes aggression to Light and Love and Peace. The Creator creates Light and Love in, through, and around Earth. The world is filled with Light and Love. The consciousness of all humans is changed to Light and Love. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

P.S. In a similar spirit of acceptance and the insight that can arise from that acceptance, I have attached a poem by the Sufi poet Rumi, entitled The Guest House:

11/02/2024

Dear Light Group,

Whichever side you are on in the upcoming election, our imperative as beings of Light is that we pray for what is best for the nation and the world. In a moment, I will offer a prayer suggestion for doing so, but first, a word about the Light Center and United Research.

We are fortunate that the Light Center itself remained intact while Hurricane Helene wreaked massive destruction on western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee (and, as I have previously emailed you, we’ll hold a special Zoom prayer for the area on Nov. 10). But in one respect the hurricane did hit United Research and the Light Center hard, and that was on its finances. October historically has been the highest revenue month for United Research, but revenue generating events had to be cancelled because of the devastation caused by the hurricane.

Over the years, I have tried to avoid mentioning financial matters, instead wanting to maintain a pure focus on the spiritual. But we live in a physical world, and there are times when clearly we need to attend to matters of the physical realm. This is one of them.

I myself have made a special contribution to United Research. If you would like to join me in doing so, you find the Donate link on this United Research website: http://urlight.org/

Now, back to this Saturday’s prayer suggestion: “Lord, let Your wisdom guide America. Let all of our actions be guided by the Universal Christ. Let this Universal Christ guide our thoughts and emotions. Let this Universal Christ guide our voting. Fill all Americans with Thy Spirit, that their voting may be guided by Thy wisdom. Lord, help all Americans recognize that, no matter who wins in this election, we are one people under God. Bind us together, Lord, that we may be unified by Thy Spirit of Love, Light, and Wisdom. Remind us, Lord, to put our ultimate faith in Thee. Give us the faith, Lord, that through Your guidance, our nation will fulfill its Divine mission. Give us faith, Lord, that it is through your guidance that the wellbeing of all will be achieved. Let Thy will be done, Lord. And so it is. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

10/26/2024

Dear Light Group,

Jim Goure worked mightily to enable each one of us to be God-conscious and then get on with fulfilling our Divine mission. It worked…partially.

All of us felt touched by the Divine in some fashion. All of us had an experience of God-consciousness. Some simply felt the Love of the Divine. Others had visions or experiences of clairvoyance and clairaudience. Each one of us had some type of experience that validated the existence of God and that informed us of our own Divinity.

But there have been traps and obstacles. Some people got stuck on having visions and experiencing clairvoyance and clairaudience. Others raced ahead with truly profound experiences of the Divine, but still had deep-seated psychological issues they needed to address. Yet others found it immensely challenging to be grounded or to live in a physical world that is complex and often obstructionist. All of us have experienced trying moments that have shaken us and have threatened to derail our spiritual progress. Getting our whole act together – functioning effectively in the physical world of Earth while remaining attuned to the Divine – has proven to be more challenging than many of us – perhaps including Jim – anticipated.

This underscores the importance of being patient and compassionate – towards ourselves and towards others on a spiritual path. It also underscores the importance of being supportive of each other.

With that in mind, you might want to try a prayer such as, “Thank you, God, for my brothers and sisters of the Light. Thank you, God, for those who have supported me. Thank you, God, for guiding me as to how I can be more supportive of my brothers and sisters of Light. Thank you, God, for our community of Light. Give us the patience and insight and love we need to be supportive of each other. Give us that sense of oneness with Thee and with each other that strengthens and uplifts us. Let it be Thy Light that binds us together and that shows us our oneness. Thank you, God, for this love and appreciation that we feel for each other and for the oneness that is. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

10/19/2024

Dear Light Group,

There are topics that people avoid, either because they are not considered polite or because they are likely to stir controversy. Then there is the topic of death, which we avoid because it’s scary or because it’s depressing or because subconsciously we’d like to believe that it only applies to other people, not to us.

But what to do when it strikes closer to home, as it has this week, when I learned that one of our Light Group members, Lorraine McGovern, passed away earlier this month? (Those wanting to see her obituary can find it here: https://www.pilotonline.com/obituaries/lorraine-mary-mcgovern-norfolk-va/ .)

There are several positive ways to view death. One is to have it serve as a reminder for the benefits of our physical lives. This is particularly true for most of us in America. All of us have had challenges, but relative to much of the rest of the world, our lives have been free and well-favored. Having our basic needs met and living in a stable country has freed us to pursue the Divine.

We can also be grateful for spiritual teachers such as Jim Goure. Truly enlightened teachers don’t come around that often, and we have been fortunate to have lived at a time when Jim was with us and to have lived in the same country that he did.

Jim told us that we can’t die. We are Divine, and that Divinity is indestructible. Even our human consciousness has continuity: Jim told us that after our physical bodies die, “You are still you.” Our consciousness continues.

That insight holds great importance for where were are right now. If our minds are a jumble of tangled thoughts and emotions, we’ll carry that jumbled mess with us after we die. Rather than that, why not gain clarity now and carry that with us after we pass away?

Letting go of our fears, our anger, our grasping, and our human desires, we enter the realm of Divine Consciousness. That realm is clear, pure, luminous, indestructible. That realm is open space – not the closed off, frozen space of our judgments and emotions; instead, it is the wide open space in which we are free to be compassionate, to be generous, to love, to give.

This Saturday, let us give thanks for life, for what we have right now, and let us hold a prayer for Lorraine McGovern and others you may know who recently have passed on, that Lorraine and others may be liberated by the Light. If you like, you might try a prayer such as, “The open, freeing Light of the Divine is here now. This open, freeing Light of the Divine is the essence of all that is. This open, freeing Light of the Divine is my essence. This open, freeing Light of the Divine is the essence of Lorraine McGovern. This open, freeing Light of the Divine is the essence of all who have passed on. Lord, bring to Lorraine McGovern Thy Love, freeing her to manifest that Love. Lord, bring to all those who have passed on Thy Love, freeing them to manifest that Love. Lord, bring to all of us still in the physical Thy Love, freeing us to manifest that Love. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

10/12/2024

Dear Light Group,

It is good to remind ourselves who we are and what we stand for, and when it comes to United Research and the Light Center, some of our most powerful reminders are in the Sermon on the Mount. It is there that Jesus said, “Ye are the Light of the world.” If there is one statement that captures our essence, perhaps it is that. Jim Goure referred to it on numerous occasions. We are Light, he said, and our purpose is to be that Light and expand that Light for the betterment of all.

Also in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” Prayers for peace have been at the heart of so many of our prayer initiatives at the Light Center. A peace pole was placed outside the Light Center. We have held international prayer missions to well over forty nations, with the primary purpose of instilling peace and goodwill among people.

Jesus recognized that holding to this kind of mission would not be easy: in the Sermon on the Mount he said, “Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

Jesus gave us further hope when he said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.”

The basic message was this: “Remember who you are. Remember that you are Light. Be that Light for the betterment of all. It won’t always be easy. Don’t expect rewards from your fellow humans. Don’t expect a pat on the back. You may be treated disrespectfully, but don’t despair. It is your hunger for the Divine that will be rewarded, not by the mass of humanity but by the Divine.”

In the midst of a world that seems to be coming unhinged, it is important for us to remember who we are and what our core mission is. In that is our salvation.

With this reminder of who we are and what we are about, you may want to try a prayer such as, “Thank you, God, for brining us back to center. Thank you, God, for reminding us of who we are and of what we are made. Thank you, God, for reminding us that if we hunger after Thy righteousness, we shall be filled. Thank you, God, for reminding us that it is in Thee that we find our salvation. Thank you, God, for reminding us that it is in Thee that we find freedom. Thank you, God, for reminding us that it is in Thee that we find peace. Thank you, God, for reminding us of our mission to be the Light of the world. Thank you, God, for Thy Light, flowing throughout our beings. Thank you, God, for Thy Light radiating out from us, blessing everyone and everything. Thank you, God, for Thy Peace radiating from us to everyone and everything. Thank you, God, for being the Light of the world, in me and in everyone and everything. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

10/05/2024

Dear Light Group,

Let us dedicate our prayers this Saturday to all those affected by Hurricane Helene, which left massive devastation in the greater Asheville, North Carolina area.

“Lord, give comfort to those who lost their lives in Hurricane Helene. Give comfort to those who lost loved ones in this storm. Give comfort to those who have lost homes and businesses. Give strength to the aid workers. Give strength to those seeking to repair roads, power lines, and communications services. Give aid and comfort to medical workers who are treating the injured and sick. Bring Thy healing energies, Lord, to those who are broken in body and spirit. Bring Thy healing energies to the land and the waters. Bring Thy healing energies to the plant, animal, and mineral kingdoms. Angels of Peace and Light, we call upon thee to bring thy comfort and thy love and thy peace to the people of Greater Asheville. Let this be a time of rebirth, a rebirth in the Spirit of the Lord. May the land and the peoples be reborn in Thee, O Lord. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

09/28/2024

Dear Light Group,

Time and time again, Jim Goure admonished us not to get stuck. Don’t get stuck in the past. Don’t get stuck with antiquated ideas of God. Go within and access the God that is now. Once you do that, then give of that Divinity to everyone and everything.

He also said that we need to desire the Divine with our whole being, with the greatest desire possible, with a desire that goes way beyond any of our human desires.

Then he continued to push our button. He said that if we aren’t healing our fellow humans, we aren’t desiring enough. If we aren’t doing the greater works, we don’t have enough desire. If we’re not one with the Divine all the time, we don’t have enough desire.

But then he said that being one with the Divine is not where it’s at. It has to be more than that, that that is not the end result. It’s just a beginning.

This desire for unity with the Divine and for going beyond must override everything in you. It must, said Jim, override human desires for educational degrees, for the honors given to you by fellow humans. It must override everything in your life. It must be a moment-to-moment desire in you. It means seeing the Divine in everything – in the water that you drink, the breath that you take in and that you exhale, seeing this as holy breath going out to your fellow human. Let that holy breath bring the Holy Ghost to your fellow human. Let what you wear be of the Divine, for the Divine. In everything you do, let it be that way. Let every moment and every thought be the Divine in operation. It must be greater than letting the Divine think through you. It must become being the Creator. You must create as a Divine being. You must go beyond just being one with the Divine. You must become the Creator that creates in a new way. That means every moment must be greater than the moment before.

The more that you give – of the Divine, from the Divine, to the Divine, to everything and everyone – the more you will become the Creator, creating greater good for your fellow human.

To be the Creator, Jim said that it is imperative that you spend great amounts of time being still, being still and knowing that this Divinity is truly there and that you have it, no matter what, that you have it with your whole beingness. Your whole desire is to have this Divinity, to give this Divinity, to everything in creation.

In this state, the innermost ear hears the voice of angels and great beings singing praises to the Divine.

And so it is with you, giving glory to God, giving thanks for your existence, saying, “Thank you, God” for every moment of your existence.

Being the Divine is just the beginning, said Jim. Every moment – make it a moment of extreme desire – of your whole being – of the Divine to manifest in every cell, in every atom around you. But more than that, feel and give this Divine from every atom as Light radiating out on all levels, not just the physical, all levels of consciousness, on all levels of beingness, not just the physical level – on all levels.

If what Jim said resonates with you, you might want to try a prayer such as, “Thank you, God, for this moment, right now. Thank you, God, for every aspect of this moment – its beauty, its frustrations, its challenges, its joys. Thank you, God, for the opportunity to be here now, to be Thy Light for the good of all. Thank you, God, for this Light pouring forth from every cell and atom of my being, blessing everyone and everything with Thy Light. Thank you, God, for Thy Light and Thy Goodness filling all levels of beingness. Thank you, God, for the angelic realm and for the realm of spiritual masters, all singing Thy praises. Let the sound of their praises and the sound of Thy glory fill Earth and everyone and everything on Earth, that all may be lifted up to Thee and Thy Light and Love. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

09/21/2024

Dear Light Group,

In every circumstance, we are reflections of the Divine. Whether we feel up or down, whether we have done good or ill, “Lo, I AM here,” sayeth the Divine.

The Truth, the Beauty, the Love, the Joy, the Light, the Harmony, the Good, the Peace – each one of us is a reflection of some aspect of the Divine.

Egotism steals away all possibility of that realization. “Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted,” said Jesus (as quoted in Luke). The minute one becomes puffed up, God flies away. The delusion of egotism debases us; humility elevates us. When we no longer identify with the little self but our Divine Self, we are free. We no longer are weighted down by our past, by our fears, by our overwhelming drives to attract, consume, and possess things and people to which we are attracted. “My burden is Light,” says the Christ.

In our liberation, we rejoice, as does God. In our liberation, we are free to be fully Divine, to fully manifest an attribute of the Divine. Because we are immersed in Divine Joy, we no longer feel the need to struggle to build up and protect our little selves. With wave after wave of Divine Joy, we want nothing but to be the servant of all.

If you would like a prayer to advance this liberation, you might try this: “I merge my consciousness with that of the saints of all religions. I merge my consciousness with the saints who have liberated themselves and who now, in unison, are singing God’s praises. I, too, am now free. I am free in Thee, O Lord. In Thee are no troubles. In Thee is only Peace, Love, Light, Joy, Beauty, Truth, and Harmony. I am free to be That. As Your reflection on Earth, O Lord, I am the servant of all Thine creation. I serve with Joy. I serve with Peace in my heart. Together with the saints of all religions, I bring Thy Goodness to Earth and to everyone and everything on Earth. Thank you, God, for my being a reflection of Thy Goodness. Amplify Thy Goodness through me, that all may be liberated into a consciousness of Thy Peace, Love, Light, Joy, Beauty, Truth, and Harmony. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

09/14/2024

Dear Light Group,

The spiritual aspirant is humble and keeps his or her focus on God. Not the easiest thing to do in a world filled with cacophony, but do it we must.

A place to start might be awareness of the various distractions and temptations confronting us. Advertisements continually encourage us to indulge our senses and to live a hedonistic lifestyle. The media seem to promote those with fame, money, and power.

We can do better.

We can start by being calm, humble, sincere, and guileless. We can start by avoiding dark emotions, such as anger and desires for revenge.

From there, we can recognize what is making us feel hemmed in, whether it is our body, our family, our society, our world.

When we awakened to the Divine, we realize that we are not circumscribed by anything. We are omnipresent. Once we perceive our omnipresence, we feel an ineffable peace. We feel attuned with everything: all that exists is a manifestation of our own cosmic body. We see everyone and everything as a manifestation of God.

Once we get firmly anchored in this consciousness, becoming, as Jim Goure used to say, “unshakable, unflappable,” we are no longer disturbed by trials or distracted by temptations. There is a peace within us that is stronger than the mightiest forces of evil.

If you would like a prayer to center yourself in this consciousness, you might try this: “Tune my consciousness to Thee, O Lord. Return my consciousness to that of a guileless child, humbly seeking Thy Wisdom and Truth. Keep me tuned to Thy Joy and Thy Love. Be the armor of my mind and emotions, shielding me from selfishness and ego-hood. Let me be Thy humble servant of Light, bringing the Good to everyone and everything. Let the thoughts of my mind, the emotions of my heart, and the actions of my body always be ones that communicate Thy Goodness, Truth, and Love. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

09/07/2024

Dear Light Group,

During the last year of Jim Goure’s life, I noticed that several people who had been around Jim for a number of years had drifted away. Channeling was big then, and some were drawn to people supposedly channeling big-time spirits from another dimension. Others may have been drawn in by the latest charismatic guru.

Those who had started to drift away might have benefited from reading something Jesus said (as recorded in the Book of Luke): “The days will come when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. And they shall say to you, ‘See here’ or ’See there.’ Go not after them nor follow them. For as the lightning that lighteneth out of one part under heaven shineth unto the other part under heaven, so shall also the Son of man be in his day.”

There are different ways of interpreting what Jesus said, but one would be: “Look, I’m not going to be around in the physical much longer. When I leave, you’re going to feel there’s a void. There will be those who will tempt you to fill that void by chasing after another guru. Don’t do it. Full manifestations of God like me don’t incarnate that often. We’re like flashes of lightning. In the midst of all the darkness that exists on Earth, our Light flashes brightly, from one end of the sky to the other. It will appear that that flash of Light was just temporary, and then complete darkness returned. But I’ve empowered you and given you guidance so you can realize that Light within yourself. That, my friends, is the true second coming of Christ, the recognition of the Light of Christ within you. When that happens, you may see flashes of Light in your third eye that remind you of lightning. I have given you the way. It is through moral discipline and continuous prayer that you can contact God and see that Light. The great guru is not outside of you; it is not in another person. It is within you.”

There is a deep hunger now for leaders of Light. None exists, at least not on the world stage. We may be tempted to hitch our star to a charismatic figure, but the messages of Jesus and Jim have been: You are It. You are that Light. Remember who you are. Be that Light. Stay true to the Light. We have given you the guidance and techniques to do so. You don’t need more. You don’t need to chase after the latest flash-in-the-pan guru. The great guru is within you. That Great Guru is Christ Consciousness. That Christ Consciousness is your true self. It is nearer than near. It is within you, simply waiting to be recognized. Let that Christ Consciousness by your leader. Lead with That.

With these reminders of who we are and what we have been given, you might want to try a prayer such as, “My human consciousness is dissolved into Christ Consciousness. I am one with that Christ Consciousness. That Christ Consciousness directs all my thoughts and actions. I and that Christ Consciousness are one. That Christ Consciousness is vast, Light-filled, and all-loving. That Christ Consciousness is pure love. That Christ Consciousness is Light. That Christ Consciousness suffuses my entire being. That Christ Consciousness radiates blessings for everyone and everything. In that Christ Consciousness is the salvation of my personal world. In that Christ Consciousness is the salvation of the greater world. In that Christ Consciousness is the salvation of Earth. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

8/31/2024

Dear Light Group,

Jim Goure spoke several times about the perils of separation. We conceive of ourselves as being separate from others. We may feel that we are members of a family or clan or a group that is distinct from and perhaps superior to other families, clans, or groups. We may identify with a religion that has declared itself the one true religion. We see nations acting aggressively to assert their separation from superiority to other nations. Jim told us that the result of all this separation is war. There is either war between nations or fierce, sometimes violent clashes between groups. Ultimately, it results in war within ourselves. We feel a need to fight against someone or some group of people, and that leads to turmoil within ourselves.

The opposite of separation is non-separation. In non-separation, we turn to what Jesus said that Jim quoted so often: “God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” If God is a Spirit and if that Spirit created humans in Its image and likeness (as the Book of Genesis tells us), then Spirit is in everyone and everything. If Spirit is in everyone and everything, then seeing ourselves and everyone else as separate is a delusion. It’s a big joke. It’s the ultimate fake news.

How, then, do we get back to the Garden, the Garden of Eden mindset in which there is no separation? We have been told that our link to Spirit, to Oneness (non-separation), is through the Christ. For most Christians, this means going through Jesus, but Jim had a different perspective: the way is through the Christ within each one of us. Jesus embodied that Christ Spirit more perfectly than anyone else we are aware of, and he gave us techniques and commandments for accessing the same Christ Spirit that was in him.

Let us use this Saturday’s prayer to do just that, to access the same Christ Spirit that was in Jesus. In doing so, you might want to try a prayer such as: “The same Christ Spirit that was in Jesus is in me. The same love of God that was in Jesus is in me. The same Spirit of Love that was in Jesus is in me. The same compassion that was in Jesus is in me. The same forgiveness that was in Jesus is in me. The same humility that was in Jesus is in me. I am That. I am that Spirit of Light and Love. That Spirit of Light and Love fills and surrounds me. That Spirit of Light and Love is in everyone and everything. That Spirit of Light and Love is universal. I live and move and have my being in this Spirit of Light and Love. That Spirit of Light and Love centers me. I am centered in that Spirit of Light and Love. That is who I Am. I Am that Light and Love. I am Spirit and Truth. The Truth of that Spirit is Love for all that exists. I Am the Light of the world. I Am the Love of the world. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

8/24/2024

Dear Light Group,

We tend to think of the Bible as filled with supernatural tales, but it also holds wonderfully human moments.

One of those moments was when Philip finds Nathaniel and basically says to him, “Hey, Nathaniel, terrific news: I have found the Messiah!” This reminds me of the enthusiasm of the early days of the Light Center when people were so pumped about Jim Goure and his message and the special energy at the Light Center. We enthusiastically recruited our friends to join us there.

Just as Jim seemed to know so many of us at a deeper level, even if we had not spent time with him, so Jesus immediately tuned into Nathaniel, and as Nathaniel was walking towards Jesus, Jesus said, “Behold, an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile!”

Nathaniel said to Jesus, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God. Thou art the King of Israel.”

in light of Nathaniel’s immediate recognition of Jesus as the Son of God, Jesus said, “…hereafter ye shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”

There are a couple of lessons for us in this story. First, when we have cleared our own consciousness enough so that we recognize the Christ in an advanced being, it can mean that we are ready – ready for that great being to work with us and elevate our consciousness to that of the universal Christ.

Second, it reminds us of the importance of humility. Jesus found Nathaniel to be a person “in whom is no guile.” Ego and self-importance are a turnoff to God. If we want the door to the Kingdom of God opened for us, we must approach that door as guileless, humble children. In a world where many long for riches and stardom, it can be challenging to be humble. But them’s the rules.

So, this Saturday, you may want to try a prayer such as: “Lord, I come to Thee as Thy child. I am nothing but what Thou hast made me. It is Thine energy and thought that hast created me. I am composed of nothing but Your energy and thought. Merge me with Thy Light. Teach me the humility that Jesus exemplified. Teach me the humility of Thine saints. Let me come before Thee as a simple child, sweetly and innocently calling to Thee, my Maker. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

8/17/2024

Dear Light Group,

We tend to think of the Bible as filled with supernatural tales, but it also holds wonderfully human moments.

Nathaniel said to Jesus, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God. Thou art the King of Israel.”

in light of Nathaniel’s immediate recognition of Jesus as the Son of God, Jesus said, “…hereafter ye shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”

Love and Light,
Tully

8/10/2024

Dear Light Group,

“When the consciousness is pure, you find the whole cosmos filled with purity, replete with the taintless presence of God.” So said the Hindu saint Yogananda.

This reverses our usual way of thinking, doesn’t it? Don’t we have a tendency to see our world as filled with darkness and wrong-doing? Yogananda is essentially saying, “It’s all in your mind. If you had the mind of God, you would not be seeing darkness and wrong-doing. You would see nothing but the pure presence of God. That pure presence of God, according to the ancient sages of India, is Truth, Love, and the Good.”

What if Yogananda was right? How would that change how we go about our daily lives? For starters, it would be magnificently freeing. Our energies would no longer would be consumed with judging others and judging world events and judging the weather and fretting over this, that, and the other aspect of our lives and tying ourselves in knots of anxiety over what might (or might not) happen in the future. What a relief! What a freeing way to live!

With our minds cleared and our energies freed up, we can focus on God and the Bliss, Joy, Peace, and Beauty that surrounds us.

If you would like a prayer to move into that state of consciousness, you might try this: “Divine Bliss, Joy, Peace, and Beauty are here now. That is the real world. The real world is the world of God. The real world is the world of Divine Bliss, Joy, Peace, and Beauty. Divine Bliss, Joy, Peace, and Beauty is the essence of everything that exists. Divine Bliss, Joy, Peace, and Beauty is the essence of every person. The material world is impermanent. The only constant is Divine Bliss, Joy, Peace, and Beauty. That is my essential nature: Divine Bliss, Joy, Peace, and Beauty. I am That. I am that Divine Bliss, Joy, Peace, and Beauty. Let me sing God’s praises for this Divine Bliss, Joy, Peace, and Beauty. Center me, O Lord, in this, Thy Divine Bliss, Joy, Peace, and Beauty. Free me to always be in the consciousness of Thy Divine Bliss, Joy, Peace, and Beauty. Keep me centered, O Lord, in Thy Divine Bliss, Joy, Peace, and Beauty. When I stray, O Lord, bring me back to Thy Divine Bliss, Joy, Peace, and Beauty. In Thee and Thy Divine Bliss, Joy, Peace, and Beauty is my salvation. In Thee and Thy Divine Bliss, Joy, Peace, and Beauty is the salvation of Earth. Let me always be an instrument of Thy Divine Bliss, Joy, Peace, and Beauty, that all may know Thy Divine Bliss, Joy, Peace, and Beauty within themselves. Let me always be an instrument of Thy Divine Bliss, Joy, Peace, and Beauty, that all may sing Thy praises. And so it is. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

8/3/2024

Dear Light Group,

God is there for those who are trying…and are ready. Time and again we see Jesus helping and healing people he senses are ready to receive what he has to give. A case in point is the Samaritan woman at the well who evidently had been sleeping around, having affairs with several different men. But she was honest about not having a true husband, and her honesty and humility left her open to hearing the word of the Christ: “Sir, I perceive thou art a prophet.” It was to this woman that Jesus made one of his most profound statements: “…worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.”

But for those who may be trying but are not ready, Jesus had a different message. There was a young man who asked Jesus what he needed to do to achieve eternal life. Jesus essentially told him he needed to adhere to the Ten Commandments. The young man said he had been doing that. Jesus then said that the next step was for the man to give away all his possessions. The young man went away sad: he had many possessions and did not want to give them up. He was not ready.

If we are trying but not yet ready, God still loves us, but it is unlikely that we’ll reach the Kingdom of Heaven anytime soon.

To better prepare ourselves for reception into the Kingdom of Heaven, to the joy and bliss of the Divine, we can start by letting go of our material desires and of our attachment to the senses. This material world is just the dream of spirit. The more we can see it as an impermanent, ever-changing dream, the more we shall thin the veil of illusion that hides the Joy and Love of the Divine. The more that we are watchful of our company – the company of our friends and the company of our thoughts – the more we make ourselves ready for the company of the Divine. The more that we establish virtue within our hearts and minds, the more we think and feel goodness, then the more that powerful force of goodness comes into our lives and the more spiritual our lives become.

If you would like a prayer to accompany this mindset, you might try this: “I let go of my material desires. I let go of my sensory perceptions. What I sense now is Christ Intelligence. The vibration of the Christ is with me. This Cosmic Vibration puts me in contact with the Christ Intelligence behind all creation. I and this Christ intelligence are one. This Christ Intelligence pervades all creation. This Christ Intelligence and I are one. In that Christ Intelligence is Goodness, Peace, and Love. I am that Goodness, Peace, and Love. I am That. I am that Goodness, Peace, and Love. Let this Goodness, Peace, and Love shine forth for the betterment of one and all. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

7/27/2024

Dear Light Group,

One of the greatest challenges of being alive today is focus. Jesus told us over and over to be focused: “The Light of the body is the eye. If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of Light.” A single eye (the third eye chakra) that is focused on the Divine Light ensures that our whole body will be filled with Light. Then there is this: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and dust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal – for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Again, the message is: Focus. Focus on the Divine. Make the Divine what you treasure and then focus on that: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God.”

Some might be tempted to say, “Well, good luck with that, Jesus. In our day and age, we have so many distractions: social media, cable news, advertising, video games – the assault on our consciousness is nonstop.”

If we passively absorb this that is thrown at us, it is so easy to have what the Buddhists call “monkey mind.” If you watch monkeys, they are constantly jumping around, going from one branch to another to the ground back up to a branch and then on to other branches. If we observe our own minds, how often are they behaving like monkey minds – jumping from daydream to emotional reaction to worry to elation to hope to fear and on and on and on?

In the midst of all this noise and restlessness, we aren’t helpless. If we have a bit of monkey mind, we can simply observe it: “Well, all right, there it is: monkey mind.” If we observe that monkey mind with a bit of compassion towards ourselves (knowing we’re not alone) and a bit of humor (humor always makes the going down easier), then we’ll develop distance from the chaos as well as some measure of equanimity. That calmness will be a starting point for focus, for focus on the Divine.

If we can settle down, then it can be helpful to remember the Love of the Divine. It can be helpful to remember that, no matter what we have done, the Divine always loves us. That Love of the Divine is always there for us. If we know we are always loved – no matter what happens – then an inner peace descends on us, and we feel free to be, free to Be Divine.

If this focus on the Love of the Divine makes sense to you, then you might want to try a prayer such as: “I am not my mind. I am not my thoughts. I am not my ego. What I am is All Pervading Love. Every cell and atom of my physical being is this All Pervading Love. This All Pervading Love fills and surrounds me. With this All Pervading Love, I join Jesus and the saints and the spiritual masters in giving this Love to one and all. I am That. I am that All Pervading Love. That’s all there is, that All Pervading Love. That All Pervading Love fills and surrounds all creation. I and that All Pervading Love are one. In that All Pervading Love is Peace. In that All Pervading Love is Joy. I am one with That. Let this All Pervading Love guide my body, speech, and mind, that all may be touched by this All Pervading Love. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

07/20/2024

Dear Light Group,

In 1807, the poet William Wordsworth wrote “Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood.” In that poem, he said,

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting….
But trailing clouds of glory do we come…
Heaven lies about us in our infancy!
Shades of the prison-house begin to close
Upon the growing Boy,
But He beholds the light, and whence it flows,
He sees it in his joy….
The vision splendid…
At length the Man perceives it die away,
And fade into the light of common day….

In the purity of pre-birth or perhaps early childhood, we “behold the light” and see the “joy” – and then it “dies away” and “fades into the light of common day.”

Instead of “a sleep and a forgetting,” Jesus admonished us to remember who we are and that we came “trailing clouds of glory.” When his disciples asked him, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”, Jesus “called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them and said, ‘Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’” Elsewhere, Jesus said, “…whosever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.”

As we grow older, we become willful, and as we see guile in others and perhaps in ourselves, and as we overlay what we experience with judgments of good and bad, the joy and light we knew as children “fades into the light of common day.”

So how do we return to our personal Garden of Eden, to that state of innocence, humbleness, guilelessness, to that state of love, trust, and joy that we knew as children? How do we “be converted and become as little children”?

One answer is: Just let it go. Let the whole structure of personality and judgments that we have built go. Let the walls we have built around ourselves go. Let the bureaucracy we built up inside of ourselves – the thoughts and feelings that are so busy creating things for us to do and say and be – just let it go.

In the letting go is our freedom. In that freedom is our return to the Joy and Light we knew as children.

If you would like a prayer to celebrate this freedom, you might try this: “I am free. I am free to be Joy. I am free to be Light. I live and move and have my being in Joy and Light. The heaviness of personality and its desires is gone. There is only Light. I am merely Joy and Light moving through space and time. This Joy and Light pervades all creation. The thin veil of illusion has been dissolved. There is nothing separating me from this Joy and Light. I am That. I am that Joy and Light. Being this Joy and Light, I am free. Being this Joy and Light, I radiate this Joy and Light to others. All are uplifted by this Joy and this Light. All is Joy and Light. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

07/13/2024

Dear Light Group,

Living in the world but not being of it is a challenge all of us must overcome. It is so easy to be caught up in the lures and distractions of our material world. It is so easy to obey the commands of our five senses and run hither and yon to satisfy those senses.

Jesus showed us that liberation from the constraints of the material world is possible. He showed us that, despite being hounded and harassed by the priests and Pharisees, he could stay centered in the Divine. He showed us that even after being tortured and killed, he never lost his oneness with the Divine.

He told us, “The things I do, you can do – and greater.” So if he could stay centered – no matter what happened – so can we.

If we, too, stay centered in the Divine, what is on the other side of the veil of illusion that is our physical world? Ever-existing, ever-new bliss. The bliss and joy of the Divine, present in all creation, is there for us to experience. We can know the blissful Presence as our own. We can enter the eternal paradise of complete liberation in Spirit.

If you would like a prayer for that liberated state of consciousness, you might try this: “The Christ Consciousness in me frees me. I am risen from the human plane of existence to the Divine Plane. I realize that this material world is merely the thought-dream of Spirit. I realize that the experiences of this earthly life have no more power over me than do my nightly dreams. I realize that Christ Consciousness is omnipresent throughout the cosmos. I enter into the pure state of the Divine that is beyond all creation. I am liberated in Spirit. I am merged in Spirit. I am one with Spirit. I know the bliss of the Divine. Blessings of Bliss and Light fill my being. Waves of Bliss and Light radiate from my heart center to all mankind, that it, too, may be lifted into Spirit. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

07/06/2024

Dear Light Group,

With the Fourth of July, our attention turns again to America. What a wonderful country! Blessed with abundant natural resources. Blessed with tremendous natural beauty. Blessed with an energetic and highly innovative culture. Blessed with a big, generous heart.

Well, ok, it does have a few issues to contend with, and, yes, some of them are quite significant. But can we put aside our fretting for a few moments and let the Divine decide?

Jim Goure advised that we pray that the leadership of a country rest on the shoulders of the Christ. How about we do that for the U.S.?

In that spirit, you might want to try a prayer such as, “Thank you, God, for the United States of America. Guide us, Lord, through these turbulent times. Give us Thy wisdom, so that we make choices aligned with Thy will. Give us the strength, Lord, to be strong when strength is called for. Give us the compassion, Lord, to help those in need. Give us the inner sight, Lord, to see Thy vision for America. Untangle the knots within our hearts, Lord, that we may beat with one heart, Thy heart, full of Divine Love, Power, Wisdom, and Peace. Let us, Lord, be a Light unto the world. Let the leadership of America, Lord, rest on the shoulders of the Christ in each one of us. Let this Christ speak with its voice of Divine Harmony and Power. Let America be a beacon of Light and Love for the world. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

06/29/2024

Dear Light Group,

During the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples that the Father would send them the Comforter. One might read that and think, “That’s great, Jesus, but what about us in the 21st century? We could use a dose of the Comforter, too!”

We might imagine Jesus replying, “Well, my child, what is preventing you from recognizing that the Comforter is with you right now and has always been?” Two possible answers might be restlessness and fear. Restlessness from all the things on our to-do list and from demands put on us by others and from the buzz buzz buzz of restless thoughts in our minds. Fear of any number of things, from things in our personal world to things in the greater world.

So in the midst of restlessness and fear, how do we tune into this Comforter that is with us at all times? A starting point might be to remember what Jesus told his disciples after he had resurrected: “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” The Christ Spirit is with us always. Always.

That Christ Spirit encompasses our bodies and everything else in its love. It provides Infinite Grace and Eternal Protection. Simply recognizing this starts to calm the fears and the restlessness.

We can strengthen our ability to recognize that Christ Spirit by maintaining good company and by sustaining regular prayer and meditation.

Beyond that, we can bring ourselves back to center, back the center where the Comforter resides, through prayers such as, “Thank you, God, for the Divine Comforter. Thank you, God, for the Joy of the Divine Comforter. Thank you, God, for the Joy of creating, that is the Spirit of the Divine Comforter. Thank you, God, for this joyful creativity of the Divine Comforter residing in my heart. Thank you, God, for the Joy of knowing that the Divine Comforter is expanding the Good within me and within all creation. Thank you, God, for the Joy of knowing that I am surrounded by angels and great beings of Light and that these angels and great beings of Light are with me at all times and in all places, helping me to to be a creator of Joy and Comfort for others. Thank you, God, for the Joy of this oneness with Thee and Thy joy and Thy Light and Thy Love. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

06/22/2024

Dear Light Group,

A few days after his 49th birthday, Jim Goure received this message in prayer: “Light fills the world. Retire from government. Move away to the high country. Peace will come to all. Peace is in you. Maintain Peace. Man needs Peace. Man needs Light. Man needs Love. See man filled with Peace, with Light, with Love. Yes, you need to work in a different way now and in a different area.” With that guiding message, Jim moved his family to North Carolina and dedicated his life to prayer for peace and to helping all who came to him.

Can we, too, receive guidance from this message?

It can be hard to feel peaceful in this world. We tend to blame others for our lack of peace. If it isn’t our relatives or the people at work, then it’s those people or nations we perceive to be a bit crazy who keep disrupting the world stage.

But that’s not all. There are hurts that we carry around with us. Hurts from how others have treated us. Hurts from thwarted desires. Hurts from seeing others act in hurtful ways. Holding on to these hurts makes it hard for us to feel peaceful.

How to get out of this mindset of anxiety and hurts? Back to the message Jim received: “Peace is in you.” It’s already there. The Peace of the Divine is within us. That is the starting point. If peace is within you, then others will pick up on that peace, and they, too, will become peaceful, and peace will spread.

Jesus was intensely despised by the scribes, priests, and Pharisees and was constantly being harassed by them. That would be enough to leave most of us feeling agitated, yet Jesus stayed centered in the Divine, and this enabled him to say, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid,”

So the first lesson from the message that Jim received is, “Peace is in you.” It’s there, within us. Combined with what Jesus told us, we can say, “The Peace of the Christ is within me. No matter what is going on in the external world, that Peace of the Christ is within me.”

Once we feel Peace within ourselves, then we can go the next lesson from the message that Jim received: “Man needs Peace. Man needs Light. Man needs Love.” Boy, does he (and she) ever, and the guidance is: Give the Peace within to all.

Shall we give it a try this Saturday? If so, you might want to try a prayer such as, “The Peace of the Christ heals all my hurts. The Peace of the Christ transmutes all of my hurts, all of my grasping, all of my anger, all of my fears – these are all transmuted to Light. In that Light is the Peace of the Divine. In that Light, I am free. In that Light, I am free to be Divine. In that Light, I am free to extend Divine Love to one and all. In that Light, the Love of the Divine expands. In that Light, the Love of the Divine fills and surrounds my home. In that Light, the Love of the Divine fills and surrounds the city in which I live. In that Light, the Love of the Divine fills and surrounds the United States. In that Light, the Love of the Divine fills and surrounds all nations. In that Light, the Love of the Divine fills and surrounds planet Earth. I am a beacon of Light and Love, radiating Light and Love to all creation. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

6/15/2024

Dear Light Group,

When Jim Goure was growing up in Pueblo, Colorado, his family attended a one-room, non-denominational church that at most could seat fifty people. The preacher was a farmer who donated his time to the church. The Bible was the sole source for that farmer’s sermons.

Sometimes parishioners were asked to recite their favorite passages from the Bible. Jimmie Goure (he was known as Jimmie then), would recite, “Jesus wept.” It was a short passage (perhaps the shortest in the Bible) and therefore easy for Jimmie to remember. The farmer-preacher would get a bit annoyed that Jimmie kept reciting that passage.

But little Jimmie Goure was on to something. There are two places in the Bible where “Jesus wept.” In the first instance, Lazarus has been dead for four days, and Mary, the sister of Lazarus, has come to Jesus. She falls at his feet, crying, and says to Jesus that if he had been there when Lazarus was ill, Lazarus would not have died. Then, Jesus weeps. According to Jim, Jesus was weeping because Mary, who had been around Jesus and had heard his message and had seen him perform miracles, still didn’t get it. She hadn’t embraced Jesus’s teaching that the Divine was in her.

The second time the Bible records Jesus weeping was when he approached Jerusalem in the final days of his physical life on Earth and, seeing the city, “wept over it,” saying, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.” Again, Jesus was weeping for people who didn’t get it (and who were going to suffer for their self-created ignorance).

Spiritual masters, such as Jesus – knowing the magnificence and the beauty of the Divine – weep at mankind’s misunderstandings. These masters are totally immersed in the Love of the Divine. They see the Light of the Divine in each one of us. With everything they say and do, they try to convey the message, “Hey, you’re looking in the wrong direction. You’re caught up with the material world and with your personal identity. That’s not the real you. You were made in the image and likeness of the Divine. The Divine is in you. You are the Divine.”

This may sound right. It may uplift us. But then, like Lazarus’s sister, Mary, we return to our old ways. This misunderstanding and this inability to get fully immersed in the Divine is what causes spiritual masters to weep.

This Saturday is an opportunity for us to remember who we are and to reaffirm our commitment to returning to the Divine. In doing so, you might want to try a prayer such as, “Lord, show me Thy glory. Pull me back to Thee with Thy Love and Thy Light and Thy Beauty. Lord, keep me from being distracted. Keep me focused on Thee and Thy Love and Thy Light. Always remind me, Lord, that it is Thee that I see when interacting with others. Let me see Thee in their eyes. Let me know that, no matter what happens, it is Thy drama being played out and that at the end of that drama, we are all one in Thy Light and Thy Love. Remind us always, Lord, that in everything we do and everything we say and everything we think and everywhere we go, all this is merely a search for Thee. Remind us, Lord, that there is nothing to do, nowhere to go, nothing to say – You are right here, right now, and there is nothing that needs to be done except to give thanks for Thy Light, Thy Love, Thy Peace, and Thy Beauty – all of which is right here, right now, inside of me and inside of everyone. Thank you, Lord, for bringing me back to Thee. Thank you, Lord, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

06/08/24

Dear Light Group,

One of Jim Goure’s most appealing attributes was his optimism. He had an unflagging optimism that the Light could make any situation better. He had an unflagging optimism that prayer could change the world for the better – our personal worlds as well as the world at large.

That optimism extended to each of us individually. Whatever blockages we were facing in life – job, mate, relatives, physical health, or mental health – there was an optimism that the Light would lift those blockages. And it did! It felt as though there was magic in the air. Things that had been holding us back just dissipated. The blockages simply dissolved. We felt freer and more buoyant, and we ourselves became more optimistic.

In a fundamental way, nothing has changed. Although Jim is no longer with us physically, that Light that he tuned into is still here. The prayer techniques Jim gave us for accessing that Light are still here. The powerful desire on the part of the Divine for all of us to be free so we can return fully into the Light is still here.

As Jim put it, “Prayer is an energy. It’s a force. The first thing people say when they come here [to the Light Center] is, ‘There is a force. It feels good to be here.’ It’s creative energy. It’s power. Well, why limit it to this place? The Creator is not limited to here. The Creator is not limited to anywhere. So you, with your creative energy, wherever you put your foot, can make this same creative energy present. Wherever you put your foot, the Creator is present. You say, ‘I have too many problems. I want to clean up my own act before going out there and wherever I put my foot, saying, ‘This is holy.’ ‘ The heck with your problems. Learn to be creative and your problems will dissolve because the Creator pervades your being….Light will solve the problem for you. It will make it nothing but Light.”

Shall we give this a go this Saturday? Shall we tune into the optimism that Jim manifested and put the Creator into action? If so, pick a situation that you care about deeply. With that situation in mind, you might want to try a prayer such as, “The Creator removes all blockages. In the Creator, there is only the Light. The Light of the Creator fills this situation that I care about deeply. The Light clears the way. The Creator is in action, changing this situation to Light. The Light fills this situation. Everyone and everything connected with this situation is in a bubble of Light. There is only Light in this situation. There is only Light within me. I am Light, and only Light can be here. All is Light. All is Divine. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

06/01/2024

Dear Light Group,

There are so many things tugging and pulling at us that it’s a wonder we have any focus on God at all. For some of us, there is at least one family member with a strong personality who is trying to drive us to a viewpoint or set of behaviors that we don’t feel is quite right. Then, if we have a job, oh, my goodness: if it isn’t the boss making unreasonable demands, then it’s a co-worker yanking our attention in a direction that feels a bit off. If we listen to the news, we can get stirred to anger at the latest outrage from one group or another.

But all of this is the world outside ourselves. It’s a world packed with delusion.

What about the world within ourselves? If our inner world mirrors that of the outer world, we’ll be too upset, distracted, and restless to focus on God.

Our role in a world of delusion is to manifest attributes of the Divine. These attributes include Love, Peace, Joy, Beauty, and Truth – among a myriad of Divine attributes.

To get there, to get to that place where we attune ourselves to these Divine attributes, we need to get away from it all. This may mean occasionally getting far from the madding crowd. Even Jesus would go off into the mountains or the desert or some other solitary place to pray. But if we can’t always remove ourselves physically, then we need to remove ourselves mentally and emotionally and give ourselves inner space to be with the Divine.

Let us this Saturday give ourselves the opportunity to remove ourselves from a world of delusion and focus on the inner world of the Divine. If you would like a prayer to accompany you on this journey inward, you might try this: “Keep me focused on Thee, Lord. Remove the detritus of the delusional world. Remove any hangups or distracting habits that I may have. Clear the way, Lord, that I may be focused on Thee and Thee only. Reveal Thyself to me, Lord. Reveal Thy Love, Peace, Joy, Beauty, and Truth to me. Fill my being with Thy Love, Peace, Joy, Beauty, and Truth. Be that Love, Peace, Joy, Beauty, and Truth in me. Remove the veils of delusion that separate me from Thee, Lord, so that I may be one with Thee. Infuse me so thoroughly with Thy Love, Peace, Joy, Beauty, and Truth that others may pick up on Thy magnificence and themselves head for the Light. Oneness with Thee is the only way. Thank you, Lord, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

05/25/2024

Dear Light Group,

Possibly our biggest challenge is knowing Big Self while contending with little self. We have heard in Psalm 82, “I have said, Ye are gods, and all of you are children of the most High.” We know that Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, said, “Ye are gods.” In Revelation, John the Beloved wrote, “Grace be unto you and peace…from Jesus Christ, who…hath made us kings and priests unto God….”

We have heard Jim Goure say, “You were made in the image and likeness of the Divine.….Being made in the image and likeness of the Divine means that you are Divine. You are It. All that is is within You. All that is is You. There is nothing else that exists in the whole universe except You. You are the Divine. Accepting this is all that is required….Looking into your face, I see the Divine. It is magnificent to look into your eyes and see the Divine. In seeing the uniqueness of you, I feel total awe for the Divine. This particular planet is so beautiful. It has you on it. When I see people, I want to cry…it is God that I see.”

Such powerful affirmations of our Divinity!

Yet our sneaky egos seek ways to co-opt our spirituality, to distract us from our Divinity, to instill in us feelings of superiority or fear or restlessness.

What to do?

We can continually remind ourselves that in all circumstances we are reflections of the Divine and that it is ego that steals from us all possibility of that realization. We can remind ourselves that there must be complete renunciation of the ego.

But if we approach that renunciation with fierceness and a warrior mentality – “I’m really going to kill the ego this time” – forget it. We’re just digging a deeper hole for ourselves. The ego will simply join the fray and tell us, “Yeah, you should really kill me. Come on, let’s fight.” In doing so, the ego will lead us into a dark shadow world where we fight ourselves endlessly, with the ego saying, “Oh, you didn’t quite kill me the last time. You need to fight harder. Here’s another deep, dark challenge I’m going to throw your way. Come on, give it your all. See if you can kill me this time.” This kind of battle goes on and on and on, with no end in sight.

Instead, we’re much better off simply letting the whole thing go. Let the struggle go. Even let go of the objective of removing the ego. Just let it all go. And treat ourselves with compassion and humor. “OK, I’m here. I’ve done whatever I’ve done to land here. I’m still a reflection of the Divine. The Love of the Divine is still with me. I know that if I stay focused on that Love of the Divine, I shall be lifted out of this situation. I shall be released from this ego that I created; I shall be released into the Light of the Divine. I shall be released into the Love of the Divine. In the meantime, I shall treat myself with compassion, gentleness, and humor.”

If this makes sense to you, you might want to try a prayer such as, “All of life is but a shadow play in God’s drama. I am a player in this drama. Let my acting be filled with Divine Goodness. Let my acting be filled with the warmth of the Divine. Let my acting be that of a light touch, filled with humor as I observe this drama, filled with compassion for all the actors in this drama. Keep reminding me, Lord, that I am a reflection of Thee and Thy Light, Thy Love, Thy Compassion. Release all of my egoistic emotions to this Light, Love, and Compassion. Release all of my desires, all of my fears, all of my obsession with self, to this Light, Love, and Compassion. Always remind me, Lord, that I am not the little self.. Always remind me, Lord, that I am Thy reflection. Always remind me, lord, that as Thy reflection, my essence is that of Light, Love, and Compassion. Always manifest this Light, Love, and Compassion through me, Lord, that I may be Thy reflection on Earth and that all may be blessed and uplifted by Thy Light, Love, and Compassion. Thank you, Lord, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

05/18/2024

Dear Light Group,

For all its faults and for all its blunders and missteps, I am hard pressed to find another nation that has acted with as much generosity, magnanimity, and concern for the welfare of all peoples as the United States of America.

We are blessed to live in this country and to be a part of its tumultuous striving to be a better nation.

Great nations aren’t afraid of admitting their mistakes. Some of America’s have been real whoppers. But great nations shouldn’t be shy about standing tall and proud of their accomplishments, and America’s have been stunning.

The American Constitution was created “to form a more perfect union.” We’re a long ways from having “a perfect union,” but that shouldn’t stop us from recognizing our progress and admiring our accomplishments.

America is under enormous assault, from without as well as from within. Authoritarian nations seek to pull the U.S. down. Angry polemicists from within thrive on putting down the country.

America dearly needs the Light right now – to address its shortcomings and to defend itself against the assaults from within and from without.

Shall we get about doing just that this Saturday? If you feel moved to do so, you might try a prayer such as, “Thank you, God, for America. Thank you, God, for blessing America. Thank you, God, for the freedom in this nation to worship you as each of us feels led to do so. Thank you, God, for the natural beauty in America. Thank you, God, for the abundance you have granted our nation. Thank you, God, for those men and women who have gone before us and who worked so hard to ensure that we would enjoy the liberties we have today. Thank you, God, for the generosity of heart that so many Americans have exhibited. Thank you, God, for the goodwill in the hearts of Americans. Thank you, God, for the American men and women who have strived to make this a better world. Keep us on the straight path, Lord, of doing Thy will for the good of all. Protect us, Lord, from those who would destroy us. Surround us with Thy protective Light. Give us the strength, Lord, to see Thy Light and Thy Love in all peoples of all nations. Give us the strength, Lord, to continue being generous of heart, strong of mind, and, as you give us the Light to perceive Thy Truth, firm in our convictions. Give us the strength to carry on, Lord, that all peoples of all nations may be blessed and that all peoples of all nations may know Thy glory and Thy goodness. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

05/11/2024

Dear Light Group,

During our New Year’s Prayer Celebration last December, one of our prayers, before midnight struck and the new year had begun, was to go within and tune into the energies of the new year and pray for there to be Divine goodness and wellbeing in 2024.

When it came time to share what had come to us during that prayer, a member of our Light Group, Bill, said that what he had felt in prayer for the year ahead was “Chaos.” (Correct me if I’m wrong, Bill, and have not accurately remembered what you said.) As the year 2024 has progressed – and we’re more than a third of the way through the year – I’ve thought many times about what Bill received in prayer. Wars, protests, trials, cancelled graduations, lots of people in states of high emotion – yes, this already has been a fairly chaotic year.

What are we to make of all this?

Sometimes I’m at a loss as to what should be the focus for our Saturday prayer, and I try different things to shake myself out of a fog of uncertainty. This time, I held a book on spirituality in front of myself and said a prayer to the effect of, “Lord, let me open this book to a page that will serve as inspiration for our Light Group.” I opened to a passage from Matthew (24:1-2), where the disciples are showing Jesus the buildings of the magnificent temple in Jerusalem, presumably wanting him to be impressed with those grand structures. But Jesus said, “…there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.” Further in that chapter of Matthew, Jesus says, “Take heed that no man deceive you….ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom….All these are the beginning of sorrows….many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

The basic message of Jesus – and the one relevant to our “chaotic” times – was, “Don’t get caught up in the short-lived accomplishments and struggles of humankind. Instead, focus your attention within on the everlasting Kingdom of God.”

That Kingdom of God is one of otherworldly Peace, Beauty, Joy, Light, and Love. In the midst of the chaos that Bill prophesied is That, the Peace, Beauty, Joy, Light, and Love of the Divine. If we can turn our attention to That – to Peace, Beauty, Joy, Light, and Love – then we shall enter the Kingdom of God.

Does that mean being a Pollyanna, willfully ignoring what is going on in the world? No, it does not. It means that we hold to the Peace, Beauty, Joy, Light, and Love for the sake of everyone and everything on Earth. By staying anchored in the Good, we hold the Light for the wellbeing of all and the wellbeing of the planet.

So let us this Saturday enter the Kingdom of God and return our focus to Divine Peace, Beauty, Joy, Light, and Love. If you would like a prayer to accompany that focus, you might try this: “I am filled and surrounded by the Kingdom of God. I am filled and surrounded by Peace, Beauty, Joy, Light, and Love. The same love of God that was in the heart of Jesus is also within my heart. That love of God comes from knowing the Peace, Beauty, Joy, Light, and Love of the Divine. Going deeper and deeper and deeper into my heart, I find the Light of God. This Light of God is my essence. I am here, now, on Earth, to be an anchor of this Light and to be a beacon of this Light. That is my nature. That is who I am. Lord, let this Light ever radiate from my heart. Let this Light from my heart radiate and expand and surround Earth, that all may be lifted up to Thee and Thy Peace, Beauty, Joy, Light, and Love. Let there always be peace in my heart, that I may always, for the good of all, stay true to Thee and Thy Peace, Beauty, Joy, Light, and Love. And so it is. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

05/04/2024

Dear Light Group,

The apostle Peter was special – and yet, so human, so like the rest of us. He was exceptionally spiritual, and yet he had his moments of weakness and fear.

Consider the time he walked on water at the Sea of Galilee. Peter had seen Jesus walking on the water, so he said to Jesus, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.” Jesus said, “Come,” and Peter started walking on the water towards Jesus.

But when the winds became boisterous, and Peter, who evidently could not swim, became afraid and started to sink, he cried, “Lord, save me.” Jesus reached out and caught Peter’s hand and said to Peter, “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”

Do we see any parallels with our own lives? Do we have those moments in prayer when we feel as though anything is possible, and then something happens that disrupts and shatters that feeling, and suddenly we’re filled with doubt and fear?

When Jesus rebuked Peter, saying, “O ye of little faith,” he was not referring to a faith that is a mere intellectual belief. That kind of mental faith easily goes poof! at the first challenge.

Rather, Jesus was speaking of a faith that is an absolute conviction. Jim Goure had a way of expressing that kind of faith, saying that one becomes “unshakeable, unflappable.”

We develop that absolute conviction and rock solid faith through steady prayer and meditation and through repeated experiences of the omnipotent nature of God.

If you would like a prayer to strengthen your faith in the omnipotent nature of God, you might try this: “O, God, I know that Thou art always with me. I know that Your loving presence is always with me. Help me to let go of my material consciousness, that I may instead be absorbed in Thy Cosmic Consciousness. Dig deep into my material consciousness, Lord, and release my fears. Dig deep into my material consciousness, Lord, and release any attachments I may have. Replace with Light any of my fears, doubts, obsessions, worries, anger, or other emotions that keep me chained to material consciousness. Unlock these shackles, Lord, that I may be free to centered in Thee and Thy Ocean of Love and Light. Help me to stay focused on this Ocean of Love and Light. Let this Ocean of Love and Light fill my entire being. Keep me centered in Thee and Thy Ocean of Love and Light, Lord, that at all times and in all places and in all experiences and events, I may know there is nothing but Thy Love and Light, filling and surrounding me and everyone and everything. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

04/27/2024

Dear Light Group,

Pretend you are a great angel that wants to help Earth (if it makes it easier for you to visualize being a great angel, I’ve attached below an Arthur Douet painting of three great angels infusing a sphere of Light above Earth).

As a great angel, what do you need in order to have an impact? You need people who are open, people who are open to the Light, people who have faith in the Divine. Otherwise, how will the Light get through? Those whose lives are consumed with conflict or who are absorbed with materialistic concerns or who have turned their backs on God by being staunch atheists – those people are not likely to be receptive to the Light. You need people of faith.

That’s us.

We are people of faith, and as such we can be channels of Light for the good of Earth.

If you would like a prayer for being a channel of Light, you might consider this: “Thank you, angelic friends, for your brilliant, pure Light. Let that Light shine on Earth. We need your help, angelic friends. We have a planet with warfare, hatreds, and intense negative emotions. Help us bring peace to this planet, angelic friends, that all may be free to know the Love, Peace, and Light of the Divine. Lift us to a higher consciousness, that we, too, may stand apart and see that all is in Divine order. Lift us to a higher consciousness, that we, too, may merge with the Light that surrounds Earth. Lift us to a higher consciousness, that we, too, may feel the warmth of Love in our hearts. Lift us to a higher consciousness, that we, too, may bring Earth into the warmth our hearts, blessing and surrounding Earth with Divine Love. Thank you, angelic friends, for your friendship and for holding to the Light in all of us. We give thanks for your presence amongst us and for having touched our hearts with your beauty and your Light. We give thanks for our oneness with you and for this greater mission of bringing Light, Love, Peace, and Beauty to Earth. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

04/20/2024

Dear Light Group,

United Research was founded on prayer for peace. In the late 1960’s, Jim Goure perceived that the world was headed towards World War III. There wasn’t much he could do in his job at the Atomic Energy Commission to prevent that. But he knew that prayer worked, and he felt compelled to take early retirement and dedicate his life (and that of his family) to prayer for peace.

We find ourselves again with parts of the world marred by war. We find ourselves again with a need for people of Light to join together in prayer for peace.

The place to begin is by reminding ourselves of what is real and what is not. The fighting on Earth is a shadow play, a drama concocted by humans. As painful as it it to witness, it is not reality. Behind the veil of illusion is the Joy of Spirit, the Love of Spirit, the Peace of Spirit.

With this reminder to stay focused on the Peace of the Divine – not the noise created by humans – we rise to a higher calling. Rather than being caught up in judging various players in the violent dramas on display in various parts of the world, we remember that all of us came from God, that we were created in God’s own image and likeness, that we are all sons and daughters of God, that we shall ultimately merge into God again. Every soul – even when the outward consciousness is engaged in wicked behavior – is a holy receptacle filled with Divine Love.

From this perspective, we calm down, back off of our judgments, and begin to focus on the Love that is, on the presence of Divine Love in everyone and everything.

If you would like to move your consciousness in this direction, you might try a prayer such as, “Forgive me, Lord, for my own judging. If I have any hidden anger or resentments, let them be released. Untangle the knots within my own heart, Lord, that Your Love may shine forth from my heart. May the overwhelming Love that flowed forth from Jesus’s heart also flow forth from my heart. Help me to stay centered in this overwhelming Love, that as I go to and fro on Earth, that Love may always be with me, that everyone and everything I meet may be blessed by this Love. Let everyone on Earth be touched by Thy Love, Lord, that all may know that they are loved, and in feeling loved, they may be at peace with themselves and their neighbors. Continually remind all of us, Lord, that we are of Thee and Thy Love and that there is nothing else. In this consciousness, we know Thy Truth, and Thy Light. In this consciousness is Thy Peace. And so it is. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

04/13/2024

Dear Light Group,

Many years after his crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus appeared before the apostle John in what must have been the wildest experience of John’s life. The Romans had imprisoned John on the island of Patmos, which now is in the north of Greece’s Dodecanese group of islands. Jesus appeared before John with white hair, eyes that were “as a flame of fire,” and a voice that was “as the sound of many waters.” Out of Jesus’ mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword. Jesus’ face shone as brightly as the sun.

Whether it was the fire in the eyes, the face shining as brightly as the sun, or the sharp, two-edged sword coming out of Jesus’ mouth, the scene scared the living daylights out of John. He fainted.

Jesus laid his right hand on John and told him, “Fear not…I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore.”

Then Jesus dictated messages to John that he wanted delivered to churches or communities of believers. There were seven of these churches, and they have been interpreted as being symbolic of our seven chakras or seven energy centers.

Whether Jesus’ messages were meant to be delivered to actual communities of believers or were meant as symbolic renderings of our energy centers, there is a fairly consistent theme to them that might be summarized as, “I see that you’re trying, but I also see that you’ve slipped. You need to step it up.”

At the end of his messages to the seven churches, Jesus says this: “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore and repent.” Those words could have been spoken by any number of master gurus or master teachers. Jim Goure was known as a man of deep love, but if he thought you were out of line, the Janus head of Mr. Goure the Gemini could swivel unexpectedly fast and zing you with a rebuke. Yogananda’s guru, Sri Yukteswar, was known as being stern and severe. Yogananda said this about his guru: “Discipline had not been unknown to me: at home, Father was strict….But Sri Yukteswar’s training cannot be described as other than drastic. A perfectionist, my guru was hypercritical of his disciples, whether in matters of moment or in the subtle nuances of his behavior.”

For those who could withstand his rebuke and reform their ways, Jesus made this promise: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne….To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God….And behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”

We do not have a master teacher with us now. Jesus has been dead for over two thousand years, and Jim Goure has been dead for over thirty-seven years. But is it worthwhile to imagine what they might say if they were alive?

If Jesus were to appear before any one of us with the luminous intensity that the apostle John experienced, what message would he deliver? Would it be, “Fear not,” which is what Jesus said to John. Or would he say, “I have somewhat against thee,” which is how he rebuked the churches. Or would he offer the Tree of Life and the paradise of God?

If you would like a prayer to aid in that reflection, you might try this: “The Spirit of the Christ speaks Truth within my being. The Spirit of the Christ cleanses and purifies me. The Spirit of the Christ cleanses and purifies my energy centers. The Spirit of the Christ cleanses and purifies my purification center. The Spirit of the Christ cleanses and purifies my regenerative center. The Spirit of the Christ cleanses and purifies my light center. The Spirit of the Christ cleanses and purifies my Divine Love center. The Spirit of the Christ cleanses and purifies my power center. The Spirit of the Christ cleanses and purifies my extra-sensory perception center. The Spirit of the Christ cleanses and purifies my wisdom center. I surrender my desires, my fears, my subconscious gossip to the Spirit of the Christ. The Spirit of the Christ is omnipresent. It is in me. It is in all of my family members. It is in everyone. It is in everything. The Spirit of the Christ is everywhere. The Spirit of the Christ uplifts everyone and everything. Identifying completely with this Spirit of the Christ, I am free. Identifying with this Spirit of the Christ, I am in the paradise of God. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

04/06/2024

Dear Light Group,

After Jesus was crucified, his disciples were gathered together, and “…the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews.” The disciples’ spiritual master had just been killed at the behest of a raging mob. No wonder they were behind closed doors, afraid the mob would next come after them.

At this point, the resurrected Jesus appeared before the disciples and said, “Peace be unto you.” Then he showed them his hands and his side, where he had been nailed and where the spear had been thrust into his side. The disciples, seeing that it was in fact Jesus, were glad. For the second time, Jesus said to them, “Peace be unto you. As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”

Perhaps the disciples were a bit giddy seeing the resurrected Jesus. So for a second time Jesus said, “Peace be unto you,” as if to say, “Calm down, children.”

Then he said, “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” You wonder if the disciples fully understood what they had just been told. They were being sent out into the world. No longer would they hide behind closed doors. They would do wonderful things: they would have visions; they would spread the gospel; they would heal the sick. Peter even brought an individual back from the dead. But they also were persecuted: John was imprisoned; Stephen was stoned to death. Peter was crucified upside down.

What kept the disciples going, despite the persecution? The answer may lie in what Jesus had said to them, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” That may have been the moment when the disciples received a transmission of Divine energy that stayed with them and forever changed their lives. It may have been such a complete reordering of their bodies, minds, and souls that they were durably strengthened and inspired to go out into the world and “feed my sheep.”

Are there any lessons for us in this story? Could it be that we, too, are hiding? Could it be that we are hiding from the Holy Spirit, afraid to express our divinity because of the mob mentality outside our doors? Could it be that we have yet to truly “Receive ye the Holy Ghost” for fear of being persecuted?

If we turn from these concerns, we hear, “Peace be unto you” But rather than waiting for Jesus to appear in front of us and give us comfort, it may be time for us to find the peace within ourselves. The first step may be for us to simply calm down, to let go of our fears, to let go of our tightly self-protective nature and instead open ourselves to that which is flooding in and around us, the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit, the Cosmic Vibration that sustains all people and all things.

If we can do that, then all fears drop away, and we become That, we become the Holy Spirit, the Cosmic Vibration, radiating harmony, peace, and joy to one and all.

If you would like a prayer to accelerate your absorption in the Spirit, you might try this: “Thank you, God, for Thy Holy Spirit, vibrating within me. Thank you, God, for Thy Holy Spirit, vibrating harmony, peace, and love within me. Thank you, God, for this harmony, peace, and love filling my being. Thank you, God, for baptizing me with Thy Holy Spirit. Thank you, God, for baptizing me in Thy harmony, peace, and love. Thank you, God, for centering me in Thy harmony, peace, and love. Thank you, God, for oneness with Thy Holy Spirit, for oneness with Thy harmony, peace, and love. Thank you, God, for this harmony, peace, and love radiating out, touching everyone and everything, that all may know Thee and Thy glory. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

03/30/2024

Dear Light Group,

Around the last year of his life, Jim Goure had this to say about Jesus:

Jesus declared the Christ in everyone and everything on January 12, 1985. It is so established. He declared it with such authority that every mineral, every atom began to change, right before our eyes.

Jesus merged himself into everyone and everything on planet Earth. It is not a person, per se. It is the Christ. It is in every rock. Every dust particle. That is the new second coming.

Is Jesus physically incarnated at this time? He is in you. When I look at you, I see Jesus. He has merged himself with everyone and everything on planet Earth. You move and have your being inside of him. Welcome, Messiah, I like you.

If what Jim said is true, then Jesus as Christ is in each one of us. Easter, with its elevated energies, is an opportunity for us to connect more deeply with this Christ that is within us.

If you would like a prayer to help you explore that Christ within you, you might try this: “Welcome, Messiah. Welcome into my consciousness, Messiah. You and I are one. Merged as one, there is only You and Your universal Love. This Love shines within my heart. Within my heart, I feel the Comforter you promised your disciples when you were in the physical. I feel your warmth and caring and protection. Thank you, Messiah. Now within my heart is the still small voice of the Christ, singing praises to God. Within my heart is the Goodness of the Christ. From my heart, this Goodness radiates out for the wellbeing of all people. You and I are one, Messiah. You are in all that is. Merged with You, I am one with all that is. Together, our Love and Goodness permeate Earth and everyone and everything on Earth, and there is only this Love and Goodness, flowing and growing and blessing all that is. And so it is. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

03/23/2024

Dear Light Group,

As we round the bend towards Easter, it might be helpful to revisit the Last Supper. Reading a bit between the lines, that event was packed with high drama.

Imagine this: Your spiritual leader gets up from dinner, takes off all his clothes, and starts to wash your feet. If we were among the disciples, and if you’re like me, you’d be wondering, What the heck is this guy doing? Has he gone nuts?

But if we reflect on that event and see it symbolically, it has huge meaning. Our feet are that on which we stand, and they therefore are symbolic of our understanding (that which we are “standing under”). By washing the disciples feet, Jesus was cleansing their understanding so they would be better prepared for what was to come (the Betrayal, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection and their own Divine missions).

Getting into the spirit of Easter, we, too, can use it as a time to cleanse our own understanding, so that we, too, can be more receptive to the messages of the Lord.

Jesus “knew that his hour had come,” and at one point he “was troubled in spirit.” As thoroughly identified with the Divine as Jesus was, perhaps there was a shuddering of a human soul. Even great spiritual masters can have moments when it is difficult to relinquish the human body.

And yet, did Jesus mourn his imminent passing? No. Instead, he realized that his disciples, hearing him saying that he was going to leave them, were a bit dazed and confused and worried, so he told them, “Let not your heart be troubled….I will not leave you comfortless. I will come unto you.” And he told them, “I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever, even the Spirit of Truth….Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you – not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Then Jesus gave them the commandment that is the essence of his teaching, the essence of his being, the essence of who he has asked us to be: “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another as I have loved you….By this shall all men know you, that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

And there we have the essence of the Last Supper: As we cleanse our understanding, we realize that the Divine (the Comforter) is always with us. In that spirit of the Divine Comforter, we let go of our fears. Having let go of our fears, we feel free to love, to radiate from our hearts the Divine Love that is our essence.

In that spirit, you might want to try a prayer such as, “The Love of the Divine radiates from my heart. I am That. I am that Love. I am that Light. That Light and Love radiates from my heart. This is my essence. I am one with this Love. I am one with this Light. This Light is everywhere. This Light is in everyone. I am one with the Light that is in everyone and is everywhere. This Love is everywhere. This Love is in everyone. I am one with the Love that is in everyone and is everywhere. Thank you, God, for the joy of being. Thank you, God, for the joy of being Thy Light. Thank you, God, for the joy of being Thy Love. Let me reside all the days of my life being this Light and Love. Let me reside all the days of my life radiating this Light and Love from my heart to all of creation. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

03/16/2023

Dear Light Group,

Easter will be upon us in two weeks. We think of this as a time of death and resurrection – of Jesus.

Does this tale apply only to Jesus, or have there been others? And what about the rest of us? Will there be a death and resurrection story for each one of us?

If you have read Yogananda’s Autobiography of a Yogi, you have heard of other resurrections. Yogananda’s guru, Sri Yukteswar, came to Yogananda in flesh and blood well after Sri Yukteswar’s body had been cremated. Sri Yuktesway’s own guru, Lahiri Mahasaya, appeared in resurrected form to three of his disciples shortly after Lahiri Mahasaya had been cremated.

Then there is Jim Goure. Jim said there is no death. He said Jesus proved that. I haven’t heard anyone claim that Jim appeared to them in a physical form after Jim’s death, although several people have said that his spirit has appeared to them.

What are we to make of all this?

One conclusion would be that after death of the physical body, our spirit, our consciousness, lives on. That is true not only of spiritual masters but of all of us.

So let us during this Easter season give thanks for life eternal: “We give thanks, Lord, for those who have shown us eternal life. We give thanks for Jesus, Jim, Yogananda, Sri Yukteswar, and Lahiri Mahasaya. We give thanks, Lord, for our own life eternal. May our life eternal be in Thy Spirit of Love, Light, Truth, Spirit, Joy, and Peace. While in the physical, let us manifest this Love, Light, Truth, Spirit, Joy, and Peace at all times and in all places. Let us be Thy presence of Love, Light, Truth, Spirit, Joy, and Peace on Earth, that all may know their own life eternal in Thee. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

03/09/2024

Dear Light Group,

What a crazy thing life is! The spiritual masters have taught us that we’re living an illusion. We think we’re separate from everyone and everything else, but that is false. We think this physical world is real, but it is not. We think our ego is something precious and important and something to be protected. It is not.

What the spiritual masters have been saying to us is that, just as when we awake from a dream and realize that our dream is not real, so it is when we awake from the dream of life: it is then that we realize our waking perceptions have likewise been unreal.

What is real is our oneness with the Divine. When we realize that, we see that there is no separation. We are not separate from anyone or anything else. It is all one unified Sea of Light. Once we realize that, we become baptized or absorbed in the stream of Spiritual Light. We rise out of darkness and delusion and the sea of souls, and we enter the world of Spirit. When ignorance, darkness, and delusion have been withdrawn, we no longer merely reflect Spiritual Light but actively manifest it. Being thus consecrated, we become free. We become Christed.

If you would like a prayer to draw you into this state of consciousness, you might try this: “Thank you, God, for removing darkness and delusion. Thank you, God, for helping me to see the Light. Thank you, God, for helping me to see that this Light is my essence. Thank you, God, for helping me to see that this Light is the essence of everyone and everything. Thank you, god, for helping me to know my oneness with this Light. Help me , Lord, to not only reflect this Light but also to actively manifest it. Let my heart be clear and pure so that it can actively manifest Thy Spiritual Light. Keep me always centered in this knowing, that I am manifesting Thy Light at all times and in all places, for the betterment of all and for Thy greater glory. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

03/02/2024

Dear Light Group,

God is Bliss. God is Joy. So we have heard from numerous mystics and spiritual masters.

It feels as though this must be true, and yet, the full experience of that Bliss and Joy remains elusive. How come?

Our restless monkey-mind is one reason. Like a monkey whose head constantly turns from one thing to another and whose body is constantly jumping around, our minds jump from one subject to another – from groceries to finances to the car to the house to our family to the news to who-knows-what.

Then there is the allure of the senses: the desire to feed ourselves with pleasure, whether it be scrumptious food or visual delights or beautiful sounds or lovely scents or a luxurious touch. We just keep hopping from one sensation to another.

As if that weren’t enough to keep us distracted, we create expectations of others and then get upset when those expectations aren’t met.

At the end of all this restlessness, where is there time, energy, and focus for God?

But the rewards for doing so – for stilling the mind, heart, and senses and for quelling the desire to set expectations – are endless Bliss and Joy. By letting go of our physical and emotional bondage, we enter the Realm of the Divine. In that Realm of the Divine, we become all-seeing, all-knowing, all-being. Everything is seen as a luminescent Sea of Light. We sense the entire cosmos glimmering within the infinitude of our being. We see the center of this Sea of Light as a point of perception within our hearts, and from that point of perception in our hearts radiates a Divine splendor blessing every part of the universe.

If you would like a prayer for quieting the mind and senses and for entering the Bliss of God, you might try this: “Peace, be still my mind. Peace, be still my senses. Peace, be still my heart. In the stillness is the still, small voice of God. In the stillness is the Joy of God. in the stillness is the Bliss of God. In the stillness is the Peace of God. From the stillness in the center of my heart, let the Bliss, Joy, Peace, and Light of God radiate out to the entire Cosmos. Let this Bliss, Joy, Peace, and Light bless all of creation. Thank you, God, for blessing me with Thy Bliss, Joy, Peace, and Light. Thank you, God, for merging me into Thy Sea of Light. Thank you, God, for reminding me that I am that Sea of Light. Thank you, God, for this Sea of Light that is the Joy of the creation. Thank you, God, for this Sea of Light, blessing everyone and everything. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

02/24/2024

Dear Light Group,

The first and last books of the Bible make extraordinary statements about who we are. In the first book, Genesis, it is said that, “God created man is His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them…And God saw every thing that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” In the last book of the Bible, Revelation, John the Beloved says, “Grace be unto you and peace from…Jesus Christ, who…hath made us kings and priests unto God.” So we’ve been made in the image and likeness of God, and that image and likeness is good, and then through Jesus Christ we have been made royalty and priests.

Sounds great!

But what does it really mean?

One thing it means is that basic goodness permeates all creation (God saw His creation as “very good”). That nugget can be a bit hard to swallow given what we hear in the news. But if we reflect on how we react to the news – “Oh, that’s bad. Oh, those people are terrible. Oh, that person says things I like; I’ll align with that person.” – we see that we’re being judgmental, and that judging blocks us from perceiving the basic goodness all around us. Once we let go of the judging, what remains? Nothing. The mental racket going on inside our heads stops. We are free then to experience a creation pulsing with basic goodness.

And what about John the Beloved’s statement that we are “kings and priests unto God”? Our reaction might be, “That sounds nice, but, who, me? Royalty? What are you talking about? I’m just little me. I’m not royalty.” But once we have let go of our judging and its associated mental racket, once we tune into universal basic goodness, we are, indeed, like royalty. As we sit upright in prayer and tune into the basic goodness of the creation, we are kings and queens unto God. The more we get into this consciousness of basic goodness, the more our Divine royalty gets reflected in everything about us – in the way we dress, in the way we speak, in the way we drink a cup of coffee, in the way we relate to others.

If you would like a prayer to tune into your Divine royalty, you might try this: “Teach me Divine royalty, Lord. Help me to let go of my judgments. Help me to see that I am not I-me-mine but instead am part of your flow of basic goodness. Free me to recognize Thy basic goodness in everyone and everything. Remind me always, Lord, that I am not I-me-mine but am Thine priest of basic goodness. Remind me always, Lord, to act with kindness, that I may be a true ‘priest unto God.’ As I act with kindness and feel compassion for others, let me feel in my heart Thy warmth, generosity, and openness. Let my heart pulse with the steady beat of Thy warmth and love. Let this steady beat of warmth and love radiate out from me, that all may be touched by Thy Love and Peace. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

02/17/2024

Dear Light Group,

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy.’ But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He taketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust.”

With statements such this, which he made in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus, if he were in the physical today, would never have made it as a social media star. Social media programming is designed to slot us into like-minded groups and then keep us in those groups by fueling our anger at some other group.

But love and forgiveness are at the core of what Jesus taught us, with his words and with how he lived. In doing so, Jesus manifested the essence of God, which is Divine Love. In doing so, Jesus demonstrated a recognition that all people are equally God’s children – whether they are doing things we approve of or not.

Our job is to be partners with God, as Jesus was, in manifesting the redeeming power of Divine Love. As we do so, as we extend our love to friends and enemies alike, we find Divine Love everywhere – in our fellow humans, in nature, in all that is. To recognize the Divine in everyone, to see their Divinity and separate that Divinity from the evil they may be expressing, to see God equally in friend and enemy, is a testimony to one’s spiritual attainment.

God is ever merciful. Divine Mercy and Love place no conditional demands on us. In that same spirit, we should act divinely towards each other, without judgment and without ulterior motives.

When we feel wronged, it is best to let go of any anger or resentment that we may have and instead “Bless them that curse you” – wish good for those who wish evil for us. To do the opposite, to hate an enemy and to retaliate only increases the anger and hatred in the enemy.

The effect of evil is to divide, obscure, and cause disharmony. God’s Love does the opposite: consciously directed, it neutralizes the power of evil. It unites and harmonizes.

In following Jesus’ counsel that we “pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you,” you might want to try a prayer such as, “Lord, help me to see with Thine eyes. Help me to see Thy Light within the souls of all people. Help me to release any anger or resentment I may feel towards others. Help me to see Thy Light and Thy Goodness residing in their souls. Help me to be Thy emissary of Divine Love. No matter what happens, keep me anchored in Thy Love, that I may manifest it at all times and in all situations. Let Thy redeeming Love always radiate from my heart, that others may be attracted to Thee and Thy Love and Thy Goodness. Keep me always centered in Thee, O Lord, that I may always feel Thee as Divine Comforter and from that may have the strength to be the Light of the world. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

02/10/2024

Dear Light Group,

Behind it all, behind all of the phenomenal world, behind everything on Earth, is an ocean of bliss and love. We are surrounded by this ocean of bliss and love. This ocean of bliss and love fills and surrounds us. It is us. It is our essence.

And yet, we know it not.

Why is that?

It’s because we have concentrated our identity on our selves and our little world – rather than having concentrated on the ocean of bliss and love. It’s because we have separated ourselves from the rest of creation – and in so doing have separated our consciousness from the ocean of bliss and love.

How to get back to the ocean of bliss and love? In one sense, it’s as simple as switching our allegiance. We switch our allegiance from self-protection and self-aggrandizement to openness, generosity, space. Rather than seeing the world in terms of what we like and don’t like, what we think is good or bad, what we want or don’t want, we open ourselves to simply being. We let go. Rather than trying to control everything, we work with what is. Rather than trying to protect our own little world, we realize that we have no territory to defend. Having no territory to defend, we feel open, spacious, free. Having switched our allegiance, we are free to merge with the ocean of bliss and love.

If you would like a prayer to accelerate your merging with the ocean of bliss and love, you might try this: “All of my worries and fears are dissolved in Light. That Light is my essence. I am that Light. I am that Bliss. I am that Love. That Bliss, Light, and Love is in every cell of my being. That Bliss, Light, and Love fills every room of my home. That Bliss, Light, and Love fills the city in which I live. That Bliss, Light, and Love fill this nation. That Bliss, Light, and Love fills all nations. That Bliss, Light, and Love fills all peoples of all nations. That Bliss, Light, and Love fills Earth. That Bliss, Light, and Love fills all creation. I am That. I am that Bliss, Light, and Love. I am free. I am one with all that is. Praise be to God for this Bliss, Light, and Love. Praise be to God for the ocean of Bliss, Light, and Love. Praise be to God for the freedom to be one with this Bliss, Light, and Love. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

02/03/2024

Dear Light Group,

To return to the Beatitudes, which we pondered a couple of weeks ago, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

There are religions that put a great deal of emphasis on purity. Hindus maintain that we can’t know God until we purify ourselves. Muslims, before prayer, are expected to perform a purification ritual called Wudu, during which they wash their face, hands, arms, and feet.

Then there are people such as Jim Goure who tell us that we are It, that we are the Divine, that believing we need to go through rituals to get to the Divine can be a trap, something designed to keep us down in our human nature rather than up in our Divine nature.

Who is correct?

The Divine is here now. The Divine is pure. The Divine is not affected by our thoughts, emotions, or behavior. So if the Divine is pure and If we are Divine, then our core nature is pure.

And yet, do we “see God”? If not, then maybe we need to reexamine how to be “pure in heart.”

Being pure in heart doesn’t need to involve stressful rituals. It simply requires that we declutter. Just as we might declutter a closet, so we need to declutter what’s in our hearts.

We have old fashioned tools at our disposal to do so. They are called discipline and morality. These words are hardly spoken these days without a snicker from the self-appointed cognoscenti, but they provide us a means of staying clear of distractions. It’s as simple as that.

If you’d like a prayer to discipline and strengthen your focus on the Divine, you might try this: “Thank you, God, for keeping me focused on Thee. Thank you, God, freeing me of distractions. Thank you, God, for always reminding me that in this universe of change, You are all that really counts. Thank you, God, for purifying my heart, that I may see Thee. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

01/27/2024

Dear Light Group,

To return to the Beatitudes, which we pondered a couple of weeks ago, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Who is correct?

The Divine is here now. The Divine is pure. The Divine is not affected by our thoughts, emotions, or behavior. So if the Divine is pure and If we are Divine, then our core nature is pure.

And yet, do we “see God”? If not, then maybe we need to reexamine how to be “pure in heart.”

Being pure in heart doesn’t need to involve stressful rituals. It simply requires that we declutter. Just as we might declutter a closet, so we need to declutter what’s in our hearts.

Love and Light,
Tully

01/20/2024

Dear Light Group,

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Thus begins the Beatitudes. One reading of what Jesus meant is this: When we’re at rock bottom, we seek God.

Why were the people Jesus spoke to at rock bottom? They were being crushed by two opposing forces. From their own side, from the Jewish side, they were confronted with some of the most rigid, dogmatic, self-serving, hypocritical priests to ever walk the planet. From the Roman side – and the Romans were the ones who ruled the land of Israel – there were officials who saw it as their primary task to control the rebellious Jews and, when necessary, punish them in cruel and savage ways (think the crucifix).

It was a dangerous world filled with soul-crushing rules imposed by cold-hearted priests and ruthless Romans. If you got out of line, it was curtains for you (again, think Jesus on the cross). No wonder people were “poor in spirit.”

Jesus, in the first of the Beatitudes, was expressing compassion for these people (“Blessed are the poor in spirit”) while also giving them hope (“for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”).

Beatitudes that follow give us guidance as to how to reach “the kingdom of heaven.” We are blessed if we are “meek” (humble), if we “hunger and thirst after righteousness,” if we are “pure in heart,” and if we are among the “merciful” and the “peacemakers.”

These Beatitudes that give us the route to heaven are basically saying: It’s all within. It’s all within our minds and within the way we be. There is nothing in the Beatitudes that says, “First you must fix this crazy world you live in. Go out and change the priesthood and tell the Romans to change their wicked ways.” Not at all. If anything, Jesus appears to be saying: “First look at the world within yourself. First look at your own thoughts and emotions. Are they ones of humility, mercy, and peace? Or are they ones of judgment of others and self-aggrandizement?”

Two thousand years later, do these Beatitudes have applicability the world we live in? In a world that to many people appears to be increasingly nutty, is Jesus’ message still relevant?

Absolutely yes. It all starts within, within each one of us. It starts with examining ourselves. What are our thoughts and emotions? Are they “pure of heart,” or are they filled with judgments and intense emotions and fervent desires? To what extent are we among the “merciful” and the “peacemakers”?

To return to or perhaps deepen our experience of the “kingdom of heaven,” we might want to try a prayer such as, “Thy kingdom come, O Lord. Thy kingdom come within me. Show me Thy Mercy, Lord. Show me Thy Peace, Lord. Make me an instrument of Thy Mercy. Make me an instrument of Thy Peace. Let Mercy and Peace pervade my thoughts this day and all the days of my life. Let me touch with Mercy and Peace everyone I come in contact with. Let me experience and be grateful for the Mercy and Peace that others extend to me. Let us collectively magnify this Mercy and Peace, that all may feel Thy Love, Mercy, and Peace. Create your reign of unity now, O Lord, that all of us may feel bound by Thy Love, Mercy, and Peace. Create your reign of unity now, O Lord, that all may experience Thy abundance. Create your reign of unity now, O Lord, that all of us may point our attention to Thy love, Mercy, and Peace. Thank you, Lord, for bringing Thy Love, Mercy, and Peace to Earth – through me and through everyone. Thank you, Lord, for making this a planet of Love, Mercy, and Peace. Amen.”

Love and Light,
Tully

01/13/2024

Dear Light Group,

I was at my father’s hospital bedside when he passed away. At the moment of death, when the heart and other monitors, which had been declining, finally reached zero, I felt his soul burst out of his body. It was then that I realized that this man who I thought I knew was something much, much greater than I had assumed. His soul was this enormous, powerful, rose-colored sphere of Light that, once it was freed of its physical body, went rocketing across the universe expressing its love for one and all.

This made me wonder: if my father had such a wonderful spirit and such magnificent love for all creation locked inside him while he was in the physical, is that true of the rest of us? Being wound up in our daily lives, do we have any idea who we really are? Do we have any idea what magnificent beings we are? Do we have any conception of the boundless love and joy that resides within us?

Shall we explore the possibilities? If you’re up for it, you might want to try a prayer such as, “I am free. I am free of all physical, mental, and emotional limitations. The Spirit within me is free. This Spirit is all Joy. This Spirit is all Love. This Spirit is nothing but Joy and Love. This Spirit joyfully expands its Love. This great Spirit that I am expands its love for all creation. I am centered in this Spirit. I center this Spirit. I love you. I love you. I love you. That I Am.”

Love and Light,
Tully

01/06/2024

Dear Light Group,

A new year typically arrives with hopes for a fresh start, better living, and an uplifting life. Most of these hopes are centered on our experiences of the material world – health, wealth, and a pleasant life.

The life of the Spirit promises us much, much more than that. The life of the Spirit takes us to a realm where our material desires are as nothing compared with the bliss, Light, and cosmic consciousness of Spirit.

That newness that we seek at the turn of a year is at its deepest level a desire to be reborn in Spirit. Instead of seeing that rebirth as a one-and-done, Saul on the road to Damascus type of totally life-changing experience, perhaps we could view it as daily baptisms in Spirit, some of them seemingly mundane, some not.

Many of us take a shower early in the morning, and that starts our day with a basic purification of body and spirit – and what is baptism if it isn’t a purification of body and spirit? Immersion in water opens the pores of our skin, flushes out toxins, and calms and balances our energies.

If we then pray or meditate, we are giving ourselves an opportunity to be immersed in – baptized by – the wisdom and peace of Spirit.

On those days when we are able to go deeply into this Spirit, restlessness subsides, our consciousness is calmed, and we experience the radiant Light and Joy and Peace of the Divine. When that happens, we have been led from immersion in the material world – the world of desires, selfhood, and indulgence in the senses – to immersion in the kingdom of Spirit. Then it is not just our body that has been cleansed – baptized – but our consciousness. We now see with the inner eye of Spirit, and we now hear the sound of Spirit vibrating in all creation. Then we know that our true nature is not that of an isolated human body. Our true nature is that of a ray of Spirit. That ray of Spirit knows only an ever-new Joy and an ever-new Love. Feeling the vibration of Spirit in every unit of space – in our physical bodies, in the Earth, in all of the planets, throughout the universes – we become one with the Divine.

Shall we give ourselves the opportunity to start the new year immersed in – baptized by – Spirit? If that interests you, you might want to pray, “Thank you, God, for baptizing me in Thy Light. Thank you, God, for immersing me in Thy Light. Thank you, God, for cleansing me of habits and desires that divert my attention from Thee. Thank you, God, for untangling the knots in my heart. Thank you, God, for redirecting my attention from flowing outward and onto sensory phenomena to flowing inward and onto Divine perception. Thank you, God, for revealing to me the Peace that passeth all understanding. Thank you, God, for baptizing me in Thy Light, Peace, and Joy. Thank you, God, for revealing to me that it is Thy Light, Peace, and Joy that permeates all creation. Thank you, God, for revealing to me that it is Thy Light, Peace, and Joy that is my true essence. Thank you, God, for revealing that this Divine essence is in everyone and everything. Remind me, Lord, every day of the coming year and every day for the rest of my life, that it is this Light, Peace, and Joy that is my Divine nature. Baptize me every day, Lord, in this Thy Light, Peace, and Joy. Bless me with this Light, Peace, and Joy all the days of my life. Bless all creation with this, Thy Light, Peace, and Joy, forever. Thank you, God, for making it so. Amen.”

All the best for a wonderful, Spirit-filled New Year!

Love and Light,
Tully