Edward Viljoen

What's The One Thing You Carry Everywhere?

2026-04-04T10:40:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed how a certain "something" stays constant, no matter how much your life changes?

You move to a new city, start a new career, or reach a new milestone, yet your core sense of "self" remains. It is the great human anchor: we are always evolving, yet we are always ourselves.

This Sunday, we are exploring a perspective that turns this constancy into your greatest source of power.

The Power of the Observer

Most of us define our lives by things that shift: bank accounts, job titles, or physical health. We feel the tension when these things change because we’ve anchored our identity to them.

There is a part of you that is unbreakable.

At our Easter celebration, we are diving into three "Easter Mindsets" designed to shift your internal gravity. You will learn to identify with "The One Who Watches," the enduring part of you that remains steady even when the world around you is in motion.

The Practical Benefits of an Easter Mindset

This is a practical, spiritual "re-tooling" for your daily life. It is an exploration of ideas that offer immediate relief and clarity. By the time the service ends, you will have:

A Deep Sense of Belonging: A metaphysical framework that connects you to the "Sacred Whole," providing a grounded sense of place in the universe.
True Emotional Resilience: A way to hold life’s transitions, including loss and grief, within a larger, more hopeful story of continuity.
The Freedom of Presence: The ability to fully inhabit your life as it is right now, experiencing your existence as a gift rather than a task to be completed.

Whether you are a lifelong seeker or visiting a spiritual community for the first time, this message is designed to meet you where you are.

Welcome

We invite you to "try on" these mindsets and experience the shift for yourself. See how they open up new possibilities for your week ahead.

Join us this Sunday, April 5th.

In-Person Services: 9:00 AM & 11:00 AM
Location: 2075 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95401
Online Experience: Watch live on our YouTube Channel at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM.

Come discover the version of yourself that is already whole, already home, and ready to begin.

Welcome to the Center for Spiritual Living, Santa Rosa Youth and Family Ministry.

We are a safe, joyous, inclusive, loving, and happy space. Our mission is to guide and support our youth on this incredible journey of divine discovery and personal creativity.

By using simple principles and practices from our Science of Mind teaching, we facilitate an understanding of the creative process and children’s role in this process. Our program empowers children to define their life purpose, hopes, dreams, and realize more freedom. We help them remember that they are whole, perfect and complete, just as they are.

Youth Programming happens every Sunday between 11 am and 12 noon.
In each of our four rooms we strive to incorporate spiritual practices in an age-appropriate manner. We may do candle lighting, prayer, meditation, yoga, and reading of stories aligned with the Center’s monthly theme.

Nursery – Birth to age 5

Elementary Grades – ages 6 and up

Middle School Grades – through age 12

Teens – Ages 13 to 18

Our Blog
Click [HERE] to visit our blog for timely updates and inspiration.

Our Volunteers
We have a dedicated team of trained volunteers to work in our youth programs, with each member bringing a great deal of experience with youth. If you would like to join our team, please contact Jennifer Caldwell, Youth and Family Coordinator (see below).

Teen Program
Our Teen program is live! Your teens are welcome to join our Teen Group every Sunday at 11 am during the second service. We use the time to connect and support each other as we work together on our spiritual paths. We may eat together, watch movies, read a thing or two, do some artwork, play games, and plan community service.

We are inclusive. This means that we accept you for who you are and who you are not. We have no secret agenda for you. We will work together to make the world a better place where everyone belongs.

Teen Camp
Twice a year, Centers for Spiritual Living teens and teen group advisors congregate for a week-long overnight teen camp, one in the summer and one in the winter. Teens who are interested in camp should come check out our Teen Connect group. Click [HERE] for more information.

Youth Education
Aside from our weekly offerings on Sunday as well as our Teen program, youth ages 13 to 18 are welcome to register for our educational programs at the Center at a discounted rate. Click here to see what is currently available: https://cslsr.org/education-calendar/

Parent Support Group
We are actively working to create a meaningful way parents can come together in community and support one another. More to come soon!

Not ready to dive in just yet?
We provide four easy, safe, and fun ways for children and parents to be part of our Sunday services:

(1) Children are always welcome to attend service in the Sanctuary with their parent(s) or guardian(s). There are coloring sheets available in the Social Hall.

(2) For the youngest, 4 years and under, we have a Nursery where you and your little ones can spend time together or children can stay with nursery attendants.

(3) We have a large TV monitor in the Social Hall where accompanied children can play and enjoy their time together while adults watch or listen to the service.

(4) We have a small room where families can sit and view the service and not be worried about any of the natural noises children make.

I love to connect with families and youth. Email me below if you have questions or are interested in volunteering with our Youth and Family program.

Jennifer Caldwell
Youth and Family Coordinator

jennifer.caldwell@cslsr.org

Community Singing: Kirtan Mass of Spiritual Mind Treatment (Affirmative Prayer)

2026-03-26T16:49:00.000-07:00

Sunday, March 29, 2026

9 and 11 am in person, or on YouTube

Kirtan is a form of call-and-response chanting that originated in the devotional traditions of India. A lead musician sings a phrase, and the gathered community sings it back. The practice is simple enough that no musical experience is needed. Over time, the repetition quiets the mind and opens the heart, creating a shared field of presence. People often describe it as meditation through sound. Today, each movement of the Kirtan is connected to the five steps of Spiritual Mind Treatment, our form of affirmative prayer. Below are extracts from the prayer you will hear on stage before we sing each movement.

A Spiritual Mind Treatment is a spiritual practice that uses words to deepen our awareness of spiritual wholeness. It's not a petition or request. It is a process of recognition, where we describe and embody the spiritual reality that is already present.

First Movement - Recognition - Rev. Russ Legear

Life is at the center of everything. Every moment, Life expresses itself in infinite ways. Every thought, every idea is a singular act of creation that comes from this ultimate act of creation. This Life is the Living Spirit. Nothing is beyond the creative reach of this Living Spirit. Its nature is to create. Because it is infinite, that means all creation comes from infinite wholeness, infinite love, infinite peace. These qualities infuse every corner of its being. They are always available, and they can never be exhausted. Limitless wholeness, love, and peace inspire this grand symphony called Life. Each quality its own instrument, a unique side of the Infinite that when combined, speaks with the tender voice of the Beloved. This sacred music brings rhythm and vitality to all of existence. That vitality is everywhere. It is here, now.

Second Movement - Unification - Rev. Siota Belle

The One Life — the Sacred Power and Presence — expressing itself in countless forms. This is the Life that lives as me and lives as each of us always. It is the breath that moves gently through our bodies, the awareness shining quietly in our minds, and the love awakening endlessly within our hearts. And this is where we make our home — as living expressions of the Divine. Today we celebrate our union as One. For the One Life sings through every voice that rises in chant and listens through every heart that opens in devotion. As the music carries us, we remember what has always been true: We are this Life. We arise from this Love. We are the precious human expressions of Sacred Presence —moving, singing, and celebrating through us right now.

Third Movement - Realization - Lawrence Edwards, RScP

In this awareness of being a Divine expression of this One Life, I realize that I live from wholeness, knowing there is nothing missing in me. I flow in the rhythm of God, emanating a peace that passes all understanding and a love that showers blessings upon all of Life’s creations. I walk in the knowledge that there is no separation between me and Divine Life, realizing in every situation, circumstance or condition, that Presence is in the midst. Therefore I repose, relax and abide in that Presence. Realizing this Presence as my life, I continuously deepen my communion with the Most High. I live, give and express from the abundant nature of who I am. I behold the abundance that I live in. The abundance of Love, the abundance of Joy, the abundance of health, the abundance of Peace that touches every domain of my life, overflowing to any and all persons. I extend forgiveness, kindness and grace to myself and to others as we walk this human journey on this one Divine path. I see the beauty in others, recognizing who they truly are, for we are all intimations of Supreme Beauty.

Fourth Movement - Gratitude and Thanksgiving - Tamarya Hulme, RScP

(Ushers will circulate the offering baskets during the thanksgiving movement music)

Thank You for this breath, for this moment, for the sacred pulse of existence moving through all things. I am steeped in gratitude for Life itself — for its beauty, its intelligence, its constant renewal. Thank You for the gift of love that binds heart to heart, that softens what is rigid and that heals what is wounded. Thank You for love in all its forms — spoken and silent, gentle and fierce, human and Divine. Thank You for harmony — the quiet balance beneath all appearances, the deeper order that holds the stars in place and steadies my own heart. Even when I cannot see it, harmony is present. And for this unshakable truth, I am deeply grateful. Thank You for generosity — for open hands and open hearts, for kindness freely given, for compassion that flows without measure. Thank You for the goodness that reveals itself again and again in humanity, in nature, in simple acts of care and courage. Thank You that goodness is not fragile or fleeting but foundational and eternal. Thank You that it expresses through me, through others, through every corner of this Life. My heart is full. My spirit overflows. Gratitude rises like song, like sunlight, like waves upon the shore. And so I simply say — thank You.

Fifth Movement - Release - Rev. Tara Steele

Basking in the Allness, the Aliveness, the Infinite Possibility that is, I celebrate the Truth and the power of these words, infused with love, with intention, with trust. All is complete, I let go into Law and into Love, knowing it is already so. And so it is.

Community Announcements

Wednesday Evening Service

7 pm in person at the center. Includes music, message, spiritual practice, and community. This service is not recorded or live-streamed. More information: https://wednesdayeveningsatthecenter.blogspot.com/

Nurturing Our Community

Are you looking to connect with like-minded people and strengthen our community? Join us for a series of exciting get-togethers that foster meaningful connections and support our Center. Participating as a host or guest, you’ll enjoy unforgettable experiences, meet new people, and deepen bonds with others in our community - all while contributing financially to the Center For Spiritual Living. Don’t miss this opportunity to have fun, make connections, and support our shared vision! Visit cslsr.org/noc and the registration table in the Social Hall today.

Upcoming Classes and Workshops

Awareness through Movement with Donna Hoover & Susan Hammond – Saturdays, Apr 4 – 25, 10 - 11 am
Coming Home – The Practice of Self Forgiveness, with Rev. Siota Belle, Tuesdays, Apr 14 – May 5, 6-7:30 pm
Opening to Receive – with Dr. Edward Viljoen, Sunday, April 26 – 1-3 pm

Nonprofit Partner for March 2026

Each year the Center selects twelve nonprofit partners from nominations submitted by individuals in our community. March’s nonprofit partner is Sonoma County Acts of Kindness. socoactsofkindness.org

Spiritual Support

● Grief Support: Rev. Siota Belle – (707) 527-3650

● Telephone Prayer Ministry – (707) 527-3484 (leave name and number)

● Dial-a-Thought (inspiration & prayer) – (707) 527-3545

● Hospital/Home Visits: Heart in Hand – (707) 527-3574

● Submit online prayer requests – cslsr.org/online-prayer-request

● Appointments with Practitioners – cslsr.org/members/practitioners

What do you do when life hands you a blank page?

2026-03-21T16:34:00.000-07:00

\You know that feeling. A door closes. A new chapter begins. Something shifts. Chosen or not. And suddenly you're staring at an open space that could become almost anything.

That feeling is familiar to many. And it has a path through it.

This Sunday, we explore four elements that show up every time life offers us a fresh start: Release, Risk, Follow Through, and Trust. Along the way we'll draw on some surprisingly relevant wisdom from the Bahá'í faith, a tradition whose new year begins on the spring equinox, and whose practice of spiritual preparation before that new year has something to teach all of us about how to meet a new beginning well.

You'll leave with a fresh way of thinking about the blank pages in your own life and a little more confidence about what to write on them.

We'll also hold space after the service for prayer support. If you're standing at one of those blank page moments right now, you don't have to navigate it alone.

Join us in person or watch live on YouTube.

Sunday, March 22, 2026 - 9 and 11 am