BURNING BOWL NEGATIVE PAST GOES UP IN SMOKE IN EXCHANGE FOR POSITIVE CHANGE.Byline: HOLLY J. ANDRES Staff Writer GRANADA HILLS -- Change your thinking, change your life is the simple explanation of the philosophy followed in Religious Science churches. It is also the impetus Impetus is a stimulus or impulse, a moving force that sparks momentum. Impetus may also refer to:
``The Burning Bowl ceremony is a pretty cool thing. The idea is you write on a piece of paper things you don't want to take forward in the new year,'' said Mike McMorrow, a six-year member at Granada Hills Church of Religious Science. ``I like the symbolism Symbolism In art, a loosely organized movement that flourished in the 1880s and '90s and was closely related to the Symbolist movement in literature. In reaction against both Realism and Impressionism, Symbolist painters stressed art's subjective, symbolic, and decorative of burning away a negative and the ceremony sets a sacred tone.'' Negative habits or unhealthy relationships are just two possible responses people scribble scribble - To modify a data structure in a random and unintentionally destructive way. "Bletch! Somebody's disk-compactor program went berserk and scribbled on the i-node table." "It was working fine until one of the allocation routines scribbled on low core. on slips of paper that they will hold to a flame and watch as their particular stumbling block stum·bling block n. An obstacle or impediment. stumbling block Noun any obstacle that prevents something from taking place or progressing Noun 1. goes up in smoke. The goal of the Burning Bowl ritual is positive change. The Rev. Maureen Hoyt, who will lead the service, instructs participants to try to write their concern in an affirmative AFFIRMATIVE. Averring a fact to be true; that which is opposed to negative. (q.v.) 2. It is a general rule of evidence that the affirmative of the issue must be proved. Bull. N. P. 298 ; Peake, Ev. 2. 3. way. For example, at a previous Burning Bowl service, Hoyt learned that someone wrote down her estranged es·trange tr.v. es·tranged, es·trang·ing, es·trang·es 1. To make hostile, unsympathetic, or indifferent; alienate. 2. To remove from an accustomed place or set of associations. brother's name but also added the hope that there would be a reconciliation. ``What ends up getting written is sometimes surprising. People have told me that what they were planning to write wasn't what ended up on paper,'' said Hoyt. ``It's interesting also that sometimes the paper doesn't catch fire right away. Then, it is almost like God asking, Are you really ready to let go?'' While someone could hold a Burning Bowl ritual alone at home, Hoyt believes that there is great power in group consciousness. Participating in a group ceremony also provides a comfort in knowing that they are not alone in struggling with life's problems. ``I find the Burning Bowl ceremony so endearing en·dear·ing adj. Inspiring affection or warm sympathy: the endearing charm of a little child. en·dear . It feels good. When people come in, they may be heavy-hearted,'' said Hoyt. ``I hope people feel lighter, refreshed re·fresh v. re·freshed, re·fresh·ing, re·fresh·es v.tr. 1. To revive with or as if with rest, food, or drink; give new vigor or spirit to. 2. and recommitted to themselves when they leave the service. I hope the weight of the world has been taken off their shoulders.'' That's the sentiment that McMorrow, who grew up in the Roman Catholic faith, as did Hoyt, has experienced following regular Sunday services at GHCRS. McMorrow was searching for a spiritual change in 2000 when he was going through a divorce. He found the church in the Yellow Pages and then gave it a six-week tryout to see whether Religious Science was for him. ``I thought it was joyful joy·ful adj. Feeling, causing, or indicating joy. See Synonyms at glad1. joy  ful·ly adv. and very positive. The folks were nice.
They didn't rush me with a sales pitch,'' McMorrow said
with a laugh. ``The single-most important way that Religious Science has
changed my life is I own my own stuff; (meaning) I don't blame
others. It has helped me get my life sorted out.''
McMorrow likes the fact that Religious Science embraces all faiths and that you don't have to give up your faith traditions to be a member of a Religious Science church. The meaning of life and do they make a difference -- even though that's a cliche, Hoyt admitted -- are the main questions newcomers to the church are asking. ``Their concern is, Am I OK? They're searching for somebody to say: You're OK just the way you are,'' Hoyt said. ``What I say is, you are OK but through Religious Science you will gain a greater awareness.'' Burning Bowl service, 10 a.m. Sunday, Granada Hills Church of Religious Science, 17622 Chatsworth St. Meditation meditation, religious discipline in which the mind is focused on a single point of reference. It may be a means of invoking divine grace, as in the contemplation by Christian mystics of a spiritual theme, question, or problem; or it may be a means of attaining at 9:30 a.m. Call (818) 363-8136. holly.andres(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3708 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Marlene MacAulay, left, John Sparks John Sparks (August 30, 1843-May 22, 1908) was a two-term Governor of Nevada, and was nicknamed Honest John. Like his predecessor, Reinhold Sadler, Sparks was a cattleman and his rise to political power was evidence of the decline of the mining industry and the rise of the and the Rev. Maureen Hoyt bring out the bowl to be used Sunday at the Granada Hills Church of Religious Science for its Burning Bowl ceremony aimed at eliminating the old for a positive life change. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer |
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