Our Spiritual Beliefs

"Heavenly Blue" morning glory from our garden.
The Full Circle Family Church  and Community draw from many faith traditions and do not consider ourselves “religious” in the traditional sense. Our “worship” is through simple, daily acts of service and living in harmony with nature’s cycles.

We have a daily practice of meeting in the early morning to read together from spiritual texts, meditate and stretch. This helps us attune to guidance from a higher source than our individual egos and come into a 'group-mind' that we endeavor to carry with us as we move into the day. Members are expected to actively participate in this morning attunement.

Teachings we follow:
  • A Course in Miracles (ACIM) - though at times we struggle with the patriarchal language of the text, the core teachings are so profound and true in our experience that this book is central to our beliefs about healing, forgiveness, sharing, the oneness of God's Kingdom, the illusion of ego, and living a life of miracles. We find that ACIM is most confrontational to one's sense of ego-identification and encourage people to become familiar with the Course before coming here to see if they are interested in living a life in alignment with its teachings.
  • Acts 4:32-35 - New Testament (see below) - This notion of "sharing all things common" was central to both the early Christian and Muslim communities. It was the great equalizer where those living in faith took care of each other like family. Those who had much shared with those who had little so everyone had enough. All full members of our church share all things and live together in community.
  • Sermon on the Mount - New Testament - This distillation of Jesus' wisdom also guides our lives. Roger L. Shinn's interpretation is one that we feel resonant with LINK.
  • The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle - Tolle is adept at articulating the essence of the highest spiritual thought we know of in terms that make it very accessible and applicable to daily life.
  • Tao Te Ching and I Ching - These Taoist teachings offer much guidance in aligning ourselves with Natural Law and living within the flow of the Universe; not trying to control it or live outside its laws. Great antidote to the dominant culture's drives to control, strategize, compete and dominate.
  • Thich Nhat Hanh is the author that has most helped us access the wisdom of Buddhist teachings in a meaningful way.
There are other texts that we have found useful and important on our spiritual path but this gives you a sense of the scope of teachings we follow. We endeavor, through our morning studies, to clarify spiritual thought in such a way that we can actively put it into practice throughout the day in service to each other and the World.

We draw meaningful guidance from many of the words attributed to Jesus in the New Testament, whom we consider to be more of a spiritual teacher than a religious deity to be worshiped. The following text from Acts 4:32-35 articulates a way of living together without private ownership that we feel, if practiced widely, would alleviate much of the world’s suffering, put us back into right-relationship with the natural world and reestablish a sense of balance with all life on Earth.

Acts 4:32-35

 32And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
 33And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
 34Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
 35And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

Our Spiritual Beliefs- Full Circle Family

1.      There is one God, the Eternal, the only Being; God is One with the Universe; nothing else exists but God therefore God is in each of us.
2.      All people are members of one human family, regardless of race or cultural beliefs and each person is entitled to share equitably in the gifts of the Creation.
3.      We seek guidance through observing the ways of Nature/Creation.  Its wisdom and knowledge is accessed through the writings of the world’s faith traditions and through direct revelation to those who seek sincerely.
4.      We look beyond the differences expressed through the World’s religions to the common threads that unite us all as the children of a loving God.
5.      We believe in the Law of Love, which is revealed through practicing forgiveness and through deeds of kindness and service.
6.      We live to express gratitude for the One Creation.
7.      Our place of worship is wherever we are, performing acts of service without thought of personal gain.

In Summary:
  • Because we are one with God, we are also one with each other.  Whatever harms any of us, harms us all. Whatever lowers one of us, lowers us all.  Therefore we endeavor:
  • To eliminate hierarchy in relationships between people.
  • To practice non-violence in our personal and interpersonal lives.
  • To respect and preserve the natural environment for the use of our own and other species, now and in the future.
  • To rise above classism, racism, ageism, sexism, and other forms of oppression both in ourselves and in other people.
  • To hold all things common, sharing all that we are, and have, and can produce, with and for each other.
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