Judy's Interfaith Seminary and Spiritual Journey

Summer Break

2010-08-13T12:48:00.002-06:00

August already! Next month Seminary will start again. I've enjoyed the brief break from the intense year of studies. Spiritual practices continue without a break. It's a life style.

I have received and began reading next year's books. Ram Dass', "How Can I Help?" is an easy read. I've finished a couple of chapters and just need to write the papers on them. I like Dass' writing style. It is direct, concise, to the point. Our second book of required reading is, "Barefoot on Holy Ground" by Gloria Karpinski. The first chapter unexpectedly took me to deep weeping as I felt validated, and understood as the author described her spiritual journey toward Interfaith consciousness, which mirrored my own. I look forward to reading more.

I am still very influenced by our Initiates Retreat in June. I find I often have dreams that include the group of fellow soul-seminarians. I feel a deep connection with this group and our rich experience.

I hope your summer is one of relaxation, discovery, fun, and continued spiritual growth and connection.

I hold the Truth in my knowing and heart that you are a beloved child of the Holy One. With every breath you take, you are God in form. As God moves through us as us, we have the opportunity every moment of our lives to live in God consciousness. No matter what we call our Source, IT is all God. Abundance of Good is ours right here, right now. In complete gratitude I release my word out into the Law of the One Mind that always says YES, according to what we believe. Expect and Accept your Good! Believe IT and Receive IT! And so IT is! Amen!

Initiate's Retreat - Class of 2011

2010-06-17T15:33:00.005-06:00

Back from NY and The New Seminary final class of the year, Initiate's Retreat, and multiple events, I am filled with amazement, varying emotions, and gratitude. The picture to the left is of part of the grounds and view we seminarians experienced during our 3 day retreat at Passionist's Spiritual Center in Riverdale (Bronx), NY, overlooking the Hudson River. I often spent silent time here when we were not in class or ceremony. This experience was much more than I ever imagined it would be. Meeting my deans in person, along with my fellow seminarians brought up an inner recognition of old soul connections. The spiritual energy, wisdom, and compassion created a safe place for me to grow, release, trust, and be vulnerable during my sharing and growth. I connected further into my "inner" minister as this journey continues. On the final day of my visit I attended the 2010 seminarians Ordination Ceremony at Riverside Church, NYC. It's absolutely beautiful inside. I was proud to be one of my class (2011) to present sacred texts from our studies this year. I presented the sacred pipe to the four directions. To view all the photos from this 10 day journey, please visit my Facebook album. Namaste

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-08T19:29:00.005-06:00

Happy Mother's Day! To all mothers, grandmothers, step-mothers, to all those who nurture, and love. This is a day to recognize all of you who have mentored us, supported us, befriended us. Mothering is not just about giving birth, but about birthing a deep love and caring relationship toward another. This may come from an aunt, a sister, a minister, a dear friend; a wonderful woman who has come into our life to walk this journey with us. Sometimes their sacrifice is so huge, we miss the magnitude of your giving. The deepest soul-love I experience is for my son and my grandchildren. I am blessed to have these connections in my life. I thank my mother for bringing forward life's lessons that have propelled my growth forward. Let's also remember Mother Earth, Gaia, as we maintain a consciousness of gratitude. Thank you all for your "motherly" love! Namaste, Judy

POEM

2010-04-25T18:29:00.002-06:00

Hello Readers, My Spiritual Journey paper homework is finished and ready to send off to my Dean. First step in this month's process. I was led to write a poem as the final sharing on this paper. I thought I would share it with you.

GRATITUDE TO MY BELOVED

As I sit in contemplation of this journey called my life, I know I have explored this Way before.

My early years were filled with sorrow. I had lost you Beloved and was unaware.

As I look back now, I know You never left me, it was I that was not there.

I am grateful for leaving the dark times of disconnect and walking toward Divine Light.

The journey to You, my Beloved, has been immense, propelling me forward beyond this humanness.

In my ignorance I mistook your name as a representation of repression, not wholeness.

Through my lessons and embracing Your Truth, how could I further deny You?

Each step of the way, You fill my heart. Your love has healed me, inside and out.

Your teachings, the Universe, I am a part. I believe my path ordained by You, brought me to where I AM.

All the traditions lead me to my Beloved, and opened complex doors within my heart.

As I wandered from site to site visit, You were and always are, the same my Love.

I hunger to be more fully aware at all times, and filled with the One’s continual presence.

I send my Beloved my heartfelt gratitude and love in full connection and recognition, as I know

You are within me, as me.

A deeper love, I have never felt. I am full. I am grateful. I am loved. I AM.

Namaste Love, Judy Miller Dienst

Catching Up

2010-04-20T16:43:00.005-06:00

Beautiful Buddha

As we near the end of this seminary year, the volume has been turned up. This month, along with the usual homework, we must write a 12 page essay on our Spiritual Journey. Also, coming up at our seminary retreat in June, are the "orals" based on seventy "year-end dialogue" questions. The focus is based on our year's studies of Major Religious Traditions/Comparative Religion; Dimensions of Psychology & Counseling; Spiritual Healing, and Issues of Interfaith Ministry.

I'm looking forward to the class retreat which takes place in at a religious site in Riverdale, New York. Having the opportunity to meet all my fellow seminarians and Deans is exciting. Also, the initiations and ceremonies, along with all the fun and socializing, will be wonderful. In total, I'll be there for 10 days. I've been invited by a fellow-seminarian and new friend, Cynthia who lives in Conneticut, to stay with her and her family. What a blessing. I've not been to New England before and I am excited and grateful for this upcoming adventure.

Along with the retreat, I'll be attending the last class for the first-year students, just prior to the retreat, held in Manhattan. After the 3 day retreat we have a 4 day break when I hope to visit friends in Massachussetts. Then some of us will be returning to the retreat site to attend the ordination program for the second year students, of which my Mentor, Gisele, is a part. I'm really looking forward to attending this wonderful celebration, but also getting a glimpse of what to expect in June of 2011 when I receive my ordination in Interfaith ministry. I'll report on the retreat when I get back to Colorado in mid-June.

About a week and a half ago I finally got my new/used car. She's a beauty and is called "Stella". When I laughed at the name my car chose to be called, a friend reminded me that Stella means "star" and of course comes from "stellar". That she is! Stella loves to go fast, is a beautiful metallic green, with a sun/moon roof, and lumbar support, et al!! Source came through AGAIN!

I've been busy with volunteer committments in the community; working with clients, and preparing for upcoming classes. I'll be returning to Ohio this fall to teach both the Medical Intuitive class and the DNA Series Training. Hoping to see many familiar faces, as well as meeting a lot of new students.

I thought blogging would be easier than it is. I'm impressed that anyone would be able to keep up with daily blogging, which in the beginning I thought I would be doing. WRONG! It looks like monthly catch up is now my goal. So, until next month, friends, have a blessed, peaceful, abundant, happy, joy-filled life!! Namaste, Judy

Spring Snow Storm in Colorado

2010-03-30T20:07:00.004-06:00

Well, here it is the end of March already. Where does time go?? Just 6 days ago we had a beautiful Spring snow storm and I was led to go out that evening to take pictures. This is one of them. The little white dots in the picture are snowflakes. How cool is that! We received 12 inches that night and within 2 days it was pretty well melted. Today was 70 degrees. The weather people say we'll be having another snow storm in a couple of days. I love Colorado. As we say here, if you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes. This has been a busy, busy month. Another amazing experience in the seminary as the main focus was on Christianity, with study in New Thought, African Spirituality, and Protestanism. April's focus is on "Other Religions". We seminarians get to choose a religion to research and write a paper on. I've chosen "Quaker" aka "Religious Society of Friends". It is fascinating to learn about other traditions!

For those of you who celebrate Judaism, I wish you a wonderful Holy Week and a happy, healthy, abundantly rich Passover and a delicious Seder!!

This month has also brought me the opportunity to experience automobile challenges. I've been 2 weeks without transportation as 2 different repair shops cannot locate nor diagnose the problem. It's time to sell the old girl. When "situations" arise, I just release it over to the Universe. Source knows what to do and when to do it. I have chosen to live in trust. It makes my life much happier. So, I know another auto experience is coming my way. And I know it will be wonderful!

Thanks for reading! Happy Springtime! Judy

It's Thursday

2010-03-04T16:26:00.002-07:00

Well, I'm on a break between a client session and conducting tonights teleconference called, "Overcoming Economic Fears". Should be a good one. But this was a "working break", as I am listening to CDs from my seminary classes. The cds are from February lectures on Catholicism, Protestantism , A Course in Miracles, Islam, and Taoism. Fantastic! I need to start my reading the chapter on Christianity from The World's Religions, and chapters from Being and Caring, and Ten Challenges for march's homework. The seminary really keeps me busy, along with everything else, but it's truly a wonderful, rich experience for personal growth. Bright blessings!

Apologies

2010-03-01T21:54:00.002-07:00

As I am learning how to maneuver this blog site, I'm realizing that I have a lot to learn. Try as I may, at this point I seem to be having a challenge getting the system to accept the format of paragraphs, etc. So, with that said, please be patient with blog below. Everything in Divine time and order........

A WAKE-UP CALL

2010-03-01T11:45:00.006-07:00

"Healing tears do not sting." Daniel/Horowitz As I continue to share my spiritual journey toward and into the interfaith seminary, I am led to share one of my life-changing experiences. In the early morning hours of mid-October, 2007 I opened my eyes to an awareness of pressure radiating through my chest from my back, up into my jaw and right shoulder. I heard the inner message to take an aspirin and get my phone nearby. I immediately did as I was told, however I went into denial that such a terrible thing could be happening to me. I got back into bed, trying to make myself comfortable. Over a half hour passed and so did the pain, so I told myself, “See, I’m okay.” Within 15 minutes the discomfort started again. I don’t know what I was waiting for. I guess I thought there would be huge, mind-blowing pain that would be undeniably a heart attack, yet I knew that a woman’s symptoms of a heart attack are different from a man’s. But yet, I continued to rest and wait. I waited way too many hours before I finally got out of bed, showered, and dressed for the day. I did not have time for this ridiculous situation. I’ve been told by many that I’m not alone in my behavior of denial when these symptoms show up. With procrastination and dread, I finally called 911. Uniformed persons swarmed my home and my self as they hooked me up to the EKG equipment and carried me off to the hospital. From that time on things were pretty much a blur. After many tests, and an overnight hospital stay, the cardiologist told me that I was in a crisis situation. My arteries were 95% blocked! I was told it was a miracle that I lived through the hours of heart attack symptoms the day before. I have no memory of the trip from the first hospital during the late morning hours to the second hospital specializing in open heart surgeries. I do remember awakening in ICU/pre-op with my family standing around me with terror in their eyes. One by one the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, and the surgical team members where coming into my room to introduce themselves and explain the treatment they would perform on me. I was in deep shock and needless to say, tremendous fear! It was all happening too fast. No time for decisions. No choices were given to me. The health care workers were all matter-of-fact on what was needed, or I would die. The team gathered very quickly, it seemed. I don’t remember being taken to the operating room. Surgery took seven hours. I remember waking up very early the third morning, back in the ICU on a respirator. When I was alert enough I was told I had had a Cardio Arterial Bypass Graft – 5 times. In layman’s terms it meant that I had received five bypasses! The second miracle showed itself to me when I was told I had absolutely no heart muscle damage and very little blood loss! I was released three days later to a rehab. After two days in the rehab facility I was in an ambulance speeding off to the hospital again. Through lack of proper care, it was found that a blood clot had moved from my leg into my right lung. I’ve been told by many medical people that it was a miracle that I lived through the experience of three hours of excruciating pain. Usually there is one pain and the person is gone! My third miracle! Obviously I was meant to stay on this planet, in this body, a little longer. My life has changed dramatically since those terrifying days. At first I experienced a new level of fear. As the weeks and months passed my sternum began knitting, my nerves began awakening and the muscles in my chest and breasts were mending, all of which brought shooting, stabbing pain. For awhile my emotions were unpredictable, as expected when the physical body and heart chakra are violently split open. There were many months of grieving, sadness, despair, worry, stress, and loss of time and memory. Deep fear took over where trust and peace use to be. I reached some clarity when I heard that this event was my Soul’s choice. The experiences and lessons gave me the opportunity to stay in fear and negativity or find my way back to the TRUTH of who I am. I revisited my Soul’s purpose, knowing without doubt my connection to God. It is said that time heals all wounds. It may or may not be so, but as we take time, learn to release the negative thinking, and move into the light and the energy of God’s unconditional love, our life propels into joy, forgiveness, faith, gratitude, and peace. I will always be grateful to my friends and family for spending countless hours with me both physically and by telephone as I was struggling to find my inner-center again. They brought me humor, love, strength, prayer, support through countless visits, gifts of food, and energy healings, when I needed it most. My clients and students supported me through their healings and love. Today, I am so blessed to share that it has been over two years since the challenge and I have fully recovered from those October days when my physical and mental body was completely jeopardized. However, I know without doubt my spirit within always remained intact. I am here to continue on my Souls path and serve others. Experiencing a heart attack, open heart surgery, and a blood clot to the lung, yes, I feared I would die. I then remembered we never die. Our Spirit lives on eternally.

Namaste, Judy

Let's Begin

2010-03-01T00:02:00.003-07:00

GREETINGS..... This is my first time blogging and I admit it's rather exciting to have this venue in which to share.

I've been on my spiritual growth path a long time and have had my private practice in metaphysics for 20 years. The Mystery School, Inc. is my business name and http://www.themysteryschool.org/ is my web site. This ten year old web site describes what I do, what I teach, and many of my philosophies, but doesn't address my current studies and experience as an interfaith seminary student, class of 2011. I figured this life-changing journey needed it's own venue.

I became a student of The New Seminary (http://www.thenewseminary.org) in their Interfaith Ministerial Ordination Program in September, 2009. In these last five months the roller coaster ride has been terrifying, exhilarating, tiring, brilliant, and worth every minute.

Each month we study another spiritual/religious tradition of the world, research, write essays; along with personal growth readings and exercises. Truthfully, when first entering the seminary I thought, "how hard can this be?"....I've been on a long spiritual path, studied and participated in several traditions and been a spiritual counselor for 20 years. I was in for quite a surprise and rather naive. My dean reminded me that when a person enters a ministerial program it takes them to a much higher level of learning about themselves. She's absolutely right. I've had to take a serious look at myself in countless ways. During my spiritual journey I have learned to trust God/Goddess even further than before. Trust has been one of my most difficult lessons. I believe this is true for all humans.....most people would agree.

Originally I had no idea why Source directed me to the seminary. My wise friend, Joyce, said she could see me as a hospital Chaplin. I could see that too and this next step on my journey felt right. That was enough for me to go forward.

I intend to share my experiences to-date, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful right here for all to possibly see. Because I am really a private person, this is a little scary...but I'm telling myself that I am doing this without expectations that anyone else will see it. This may sound quite illogical since I am blogging. But, I look at the Internet as something we know and trust that exists, but we cannot really see it; just like the Universe...we can know and trust it exists, but it's way out there someplace where we may say we really cannot see it.

But that's my point....I believe in both. Mainly, the whole Universal concept and the bigger One Mind. So, my studies of traditions and amazing site visits to temples, synagogues, rituals, and festivals, to name a few, are blowing my mind.

Where do I start? In September, 2009, I realized very quickly that I would be entrenched in study (beginning with Hinduism) and personal issues. At this time my youngest brother, Ken, only had a month to live. He had been diagnosed in May of 2008 with brain cancer. His first surgery was in the beginning of June of that year. We were hopeful, but not long thereafter decisions were made to use laser, chemo, and radiation therapies. The torturous treatments and approximately ten surgeries and procedures of various types over the next year, took his life force piece by piece until on the eighth of October, 2009 he took his last breathe.

I thank God/the Source, for clearing the crooked paths, getting me to Ken in California, shortly before he transitioned. Various people close to him, whatever the greater picture, tried to keep me away from my brother for the majority of his illness. I was basically told that they didn't want to hear anything metaphysical, holistic, or God-oriented; and that they would make sure they kept me from my brother no matter what they had to do. And they kept their promise. The experience was a tremendous gift. You see it gave me great opportunity to move into forgiveness in the midst of pain.

Those seventeen months were challenging for me. I was sitting at my brother's side, holding his hand when he took his last breath. At that moment I had further clarity given to me in the knowing that somehow hospice ministry would be an additional way I would serve God.

Namaste, Judy Miller Dienst Labels: New Beginnings draft 8:27:00 PM by Judy's Interfaith Seminary and Spiritual Experiences Delete 1 – 1 of 1