What does this Symbol mean?
This is the first question everyone asks! The fact is, it isn’t really a “V” at all. The short answer is that we use it as a teaching tool to represent the Creative Process of Life by universally and individually. It symbolizes the threefold nature of God: Spirit, Soul and Body.
We use the symbol as a reminder that we are always creating our experiences, and that the Universal Power is individualized in each of us, forever available to use for our highest good.
The circle represents Life itself. The top portion of the symbol shows the beginning of the Creative Process, where ideas originate and choices are made, as in planting seeds. The middle portion represents the subjective aspect of life, much like the “soil”, to use the analogy of gardening. The bottom portion is the condition, effect or result of the process. The “V” drawn through the center symbolizes the descent of Spirit through the Law, producing a result. It’s all God, it’s just different aspects of how it all works together to create the Life that we know.
The symbol (which is explained in greater detail in the back of the Science of Mind textbook) has been customized as a logo for the Center for Spiritual Living, Reno. The heart, with its multitude of colors and global effect, reflects our purpose of “creating a world that works for everyone.”
What is Center for Spiritual Living, Reno?
Center for Spiritual Living Reno is a community that provides spiritual tools to transform our personal lives and help make the world a better place. At Center for Spiritual Living Reno, we teach powerful principles for personal and global transformation, honoring all paths to God. We help people experience a personal relationship with the creator; promote a community of acceptance, understanding and respect; we provide classes, programs, prayer and meditation; we are a community of like-minded people interested in living a spiritual life.
Who is the founder of Centers for Spiritual Living?
Dr. Ernest Holmes founded the spiritual movement that started Centers for Spiritual Living. Born in 1887 on a small Maine farm, Dr. Holmes spent his teenage years out-of-doors, asking himself “What is God? Who am I? Why am I here?” This questioning led to his 1926 book, The Science of Mind, which outlined the foundational viewpoints of modern New Thought.
Is Science of Mind a real science?
In Science of Mind, we believe that the fields of religion and science are complementary, and that science will prove what the mystics have said for thousands of years about the nature of God, human beings, and the Universe. These beliefs are being proven even now by many quantum physicists who have found that the universe is made up of energy that cannot be destroyed and is infinitely intelligent. Science of Mind is also scientific in that is uses laws of nature to prove spiritual principles. Any person can experiment with the principles and measure the results.
Do people who practice Science of Mind go to doctors?
Yes. In Science of Mind, we believe that healing comes in many forms. God is expressed through doctors and medicine just as it is expressed through all of the physical universe. In short, we believe in both prayer and modern medicine. Our ministers and practitioners often work in conjunction with doctors and other physical and mental health practitioners to facilitate healing.
Does Science of Mind believe in Jesus Christ?
In Science of Mind, we believe that Jesus of Nazareth was a loving, powerful man who walked the earth two thousand years ago. Jesus was a Master Teacher and a great example of how to live the individual expression of God. In Science of Mind, the phrase “Christ Consciousness” is used to refer to a universal principle of God expressing through humanity. Jesus was the great example, given to us all, of fully living our divine potential, our “Christ Consciousness.” According to our founder Dr. Ernest Holmes, “Science of Mind does not deny the divinity of Jesus; but it does affirm the divinity of all people. It does not deny that Jesus was the son of God; but affirms that all beings are children of God. It does not deny that the Kingdom of God was revealed through Jesus; but affirms that the Kingdom of God is also revealed through you and me.”
Is Center for Spiritual Living Reno “New Age”?
Science of Mind is a New Thought philosophy that incorporates spiritual tools of affirmative prayer, healing, meditation and creative visualization to transform individual lives and make the world more peaceful, harmonious, and prosperous. The New Thought tradition dates to the 1880s and has its roots in the Transcendentalist Movement of the 1830s. New Thought has a long and respected history, and includes luminaries such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, Phineas Quimby, and Emma Curtis Hopkins. Centers for Spiritual Living does not consider its teachings to be New Age, but rather incorporates the ancient wisdom of all the spiritual traditions through the ages. People of all spiritual paths — Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Islam, New Age and others — are all welcome in our communities.
What is the role of prayer?
Center for Spiritual Living, Reno honors all forms of prayer. In addition, we teach a unique and scientific form of prayer called Affirmative Prayer. This powerful, affirmative method of prayer was developed by Dr. Ernest Holmes — it involves a five-step process that harnesses the creative process of consciousness. This type of powerful, scientific prayer allows new levels of health, wealth, love, and wholeness to become a reality in our lives.
Does Science of Mind believe in miracles?
Yes. The Science of Mind teaches that everything is possible in God. Everything that occurs in our lives is simply the manifestation of our consciousness. Events that seem to be miraculous are actually the metaphysical laws acting at a level beyond our awareness. As our consciousness evolves, what previously seemed miraculous becomes a natural, normal and understandable way of life.
Does Science of Mind believe in heaven and hell?
Because Science of Mind views all life as God, there can be no hell. The terms “heaven” and “hell” are symbolic of what each individual creates in his or her own life. We find heaven when we live from our hearts, know our oneness with God, and are true to ourselves. This deep inner peace, which has been written about through the ages, is heaven. Hell, on the other hand, is the inner pain we feel when our lives and experiences seem to be against us. In reality, nothing is against us when we understand the basic unity of all life. We always have the power to change our thinking, and this alone lifts us from any hell-like experiences into heaven on earth.
Does Science of Mind believe in evil or the devil?
The Science of Mind philosophy states that there is only one power and that is God. Because there is only one power, the devil cannot exist. There is only the manifestation of falsely held beliefs, which produce the appearance of some sinister invisible force acting in our lives. To blame unpleasant conditions and circumstances on the devil, or anyone else, is a way of avoiding responsibility for our own life decisions.
Does Science of Mind believe in sin?
The original meaning of sin was simply to “miss the mark” of spiritual perfection. In Science of Mind, we believe that there is no “sin” in the traditional sense of that word. We can choose behavior that produces an undesirable effect in our lives, thus creating hardship or suffering. In other words, we are punished by our sins, not for them.
What does Science of Mind believe about death?
Science of Mind teaches that life is eternal. As Teilhard de Chardin, we do not believe that we are human beings having a spiritual experience, but rather that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. We accept that our physical bodies operate within a natural cycle of birth and death. However, even though we have a body, we are more than our body. We are the Life that animates our body, and that Life is infinite and immortal. As we become increasingly identified with our divine and eternal nature, our underlying fear of death dissolves and our experience of life becomes more joyous.
Does Science of Mind believe in reincarnation?
In Science of Mind, we neither endorse nor reject any particular theory or concept of reincarnation. Because life is eternal, there are an unlimited number of possibilities for its evolvement after physical death.