The most important factor in successful ministry is self-awareness. And—as we will learn from this eight-part workshop from Frank and Martha Giudici—self-awareness is also the most important factor in successful living.
Self-Awareness and Spiritual Development
The reason that is so is because self-awareness is the foundation for transformation, and transformation is the cornerstone for overcoming our human condition.
Many believe that we overcome our human condition, or “get saved,” by confession. But that is a mistaken notion coming from evangelical religion. Metaphysical religion, in contrast to evangelical religion, has always held that overcoming—getting saved—is about transformation, not confession.
So if you want to be an overcomer, you begin with self-awareness, which leads to transformation.
It was John Calvin who opened Book One of his Institutes of the Christian Religion writing, “The knowledge of God and that of ourselves are connected. Without knowledge of self there is no knowledge of God. Without knowledge of God there is no knowledge of self.”
That is an interesting statement coming from the founder of Evangelical Christianity. Metaphysical Christianity and Evangelical Christianity are two ends of the theological spectrum of historic Christianity. While Evangelicals hold that confession is the key to salvation, Metaphysical Christians teach that we are saved by transformation, not by confession. This is an example of how Metaphysical Christianity offers a refreshing, new perspective that should appeal to Evangelicals who are looking for a better way.
It is understandable that Metaphysical Christians historically got pulled into alchemy and other New Age interests. Alchemy is a study of how things are transformed physically. As Metaphysical Christians we have always been keen to know about transformation. And we have always believed that healing and wholeness extends beyond our soul into the physical realm—the realm of our physical bodies, our relationships and our affairs. We are a positive, optimistic people who reject the depravity of humanity and the ultimate destruction of the world. Like Jesus, we embrace oneness, prosperity and health.
Self-Awareness and Unity Education
You may not know this, but self-awareness is an essential component of study in Unity. The new SEE curriculum has been reshuffled to include a self-awareness class and some similar courses. Rev. Anna Shouse, Ph.D., who teaches Self-Awareness I and II for the Urban School, writes
“This course introduces the concept of psycho-spiritual wholeness as a life-long endeavor essential to healthy, effective ministers and ministries. The concept is engaged intellectually, spiritually, and experientially. The focus is on developing understanding of the way that psychological and spiritual health are inextricably interwoven. Each student is unique their way of engaging in their personal growth journey. Each has had different experiences and most likely has participated with a variety of psycho-spiritual growth approaches. This course invites each student to go forward in understanding and depth from where they currently are in order to gain new robust perspectives that will benefit them as a minister. The course culminates in the invitation to personal commitment to the lifelong process of psycho-spiritual maturity and to utilizing resources that support this growth.”
Self Awareness and YOU
Here is an eight-part workshop in Successful Living Through Self-Awareness by Frank and Martha Giudici. What is unique about their workshop is that Frank and Martha don’t just give information about self-awareness, they take us through practical steps to achieving self-awareness. As they write in the preface, “We feel that everyone wants to live a happy, successful life—including you! But the question that seems to be uppermost in everyone’s mind is ‘How can this be done?’ Well, that’s the subject of this workshop.”
The content of these audio tapes is so profound that I broke them up into 62 segments and had them transcribed. So you can take this workshop by reading the text while you listen to Frank and Martha. And you can to it, bit by bit, over 62 short, 3-5 minute segments.
This will be special treat (or treatment) for those of you who have taken Martha’s prosperity workshop, Why Not Be Rich? or Frank's workshop, Love Yourself Into Wholeness. Frank and Martha have included much of the material from those workshops into this one and have woven them together with years of wisdom they brought to Unity as counselors and teachers.
Another reason why this workshop is special is because Frank and Martha extend self-awareness beyond Emotional Intelligence. They do this by having us look at our lives physically and mentally as well as emotionally. Being heart-centered is important, but Unity has embraced a wisdom of the body and a wisdom of the mind in ways that our culture and contemporary spirituality has often overlooked.
Finally, this workshop is a UNITY workshop. Frank and Martha have placed self-awareness in the context of prosperity, healing and wholeness, relationships and eternal life. Those are UNITY concepts. To the extent that Unity is a faith journey for us, we will find this approach to self-awareness supported by the best of Unity’s spiritual teachings. I hope this approach works for you. It worked for me.
Rev. Nita Strauss
Thank you, Rev. Nita Strauss, for creating digital copies of the original cassettes and for sharing them. Many people will be blessed by your giving.
