The Color Red

by James Masters

Life

In the original design of the Pride Flag, red symbolizes Life. Coincidentally, in the Twelve Powers, red also represents Life. Although we often use the word "life" without much thought, its true essence holds profound meaning. According to Charles Fillmore's book, The Revealing Word, life is defined as:

"The expression of Being which manifests itself as animation, activity, and vigor."

Life can be understood as the divine activity perpetuated through everyone. It is the powerful force that moves and sustains us. Unity of Springfield, as a part of the New Thought tradition, recognizes Life as the essence of God. Some individuals within these traditions have chosen to embrace the term "Life" as a synonym for the concept of God, moving away from traditional religious language.

Life Loves You

My personal teacher used the affirmation, "Life loves you," replacing the old religious adage, "God loves you." This shift acknowledges that Life is better understood as a universal constant, unlike concepts of deity that may perpetuate exclusivity or even an angry and punishing figure. By recognizing Divinity as Life itself, we gain a more universal understanding of the concept of God. Life flows through every human being equally, impartially providing sustenance to all beings.

Unity of Springfield has even developed a deck of affirmation cards called the "Life Deck" to explore the idea of Life as the active expression of Divinity on this planet. This deck contains 50 affirmation cards that delve into the concept of God as Life itself. Our community regularly uses the affirmation: 

"My Life is good, and it just keeps getting better."

Using Affirmations

Here is an affirmation to affirm the goodness of Life. Affirmations are a spiritual practice that can help replace negative internal messages with positive ones. In New Thought, we teach the connection between thought and experience. Thoughts/affirmations such as "My life sucks" have the potential to create a certain type of undesirable experience, while thoughts like "My life is wonderful" have the potential to lead to a different set of experiences.

It's important to remember that when someone begins using an affirmation, it may not initially feel true. This is expected because if it were already true, there would be no need for affirmation.