Spiritual and inspiring

Michele Marr

She has been described as bubbly and bouncy and relentlessly

upbeat -- not the usual portrait for a woman known as one of the

world’s top spiritual leaders -- unless the woman is Terry

Cole-Whittaker. This Sunday, Cole-Whittaker will be a guest speaker

at the Church of Religious Science in Huntington Beach. In the

morning, she will speak at two services, one at 9 a.m. and the other

at 11 a.m. In the afternoon, she will present a three-hour seminar

titled, “Ten Principles of Manifestation and Prosperity.” It will

explore the principles of what Cole-Whittaker calls a simple but

profound truth -- that every person is the architect of his or her

own life.

“Every person is great, is a genius inside,” she said, “They have

so much to offer. And yet a lot of people live as cowards, or they

don’t know what to do.”

Cole-Whittaker, it seems, knows what to do. Her life and work have

been featured in Newsweek, Time and the Wall Street Journal. She is

the author of several books, among them a New York Times bestseller,

“How To Have More In A Have Not World,” and her recent, “Every Saint

Has A Past, Every Sinner Has A Future.” She holds three honorary

doctorate degrees that recognize the humanitarian work she has done,

and continues to do, throughout the world. She is a veteran speaker

and spiritual teacher.

“I’ve been able to do everything I’ve ever wanted to do, though I

didn’t start that way,” said Cole-Whittaker. “I started as an

insecure, afraid person, without a clue as to how I was going to

survive in life. Yet I had a lot of dreams.”

It is through the principles she teaches that she has accomplished

those dreams. And it has put her on a mission.

“People need to know this,” she said. “These are formulas for

success in every area of life -- relationships, business, health.”

Joy Kolesky, a member of the church who has heard Cole-Whittaker

before, believes the principles work.

“She provides you with specific principles that, when applied,

bring results. People literally leave feeling lighter than when they

came in,” she said.

The Reverend Peggy Price, senior minister at the Church of

Religious Science first saw Cole-Whittaker on television in 1980 or

‘81.

“I wondered, ‘Who is this beautiful woman with such a powerful

message’,” she said. “Terry is one of a kind. She passes along what

she has learned with love, with courage and with humor.”

Cole-Whittaker’s humor is a common draw for those who come to hear

her. Kolesky and Eileen Factor, a church member who has also heard

Cole-Whittaker speak before, both remember her wit and wisdom.

“She made me laugh,” Factor said. “Her wit is entertaining. Her

presentation is riveting. It set me free, free from things that had

imprisoned me, like guilt and regret. Through her, I met a loving

God.”

Which is just what Cole-Whittaker hopes for. She stresses the

importance of a personal, loving relationship with God that leads to

surrender and service to humanity. This is, she said,

the source of true prosperity. And she teaches the importance of

controlling negative mental thoughts, anger and depression.

“Nobody terrorizes us more than we do ourselves -- in the mind,”

she said, “We need to learn how to control our mind, to become

courageous and not to live in fear.”

* MICHELE MARR is a freelance writer and graphic designer from

Huntington Beach. She has been interested in religion and ethics for

as long as she can remember. She can be reached at

[email protected].