Alan Cohen - Looking In for Number One

Also by Alan Cohen

Books

Are You As Happy As Your Dog?

Dare to Be Yourself

A Deep Breath of Life

The Dragon Doesnt Live Here Anymore*

Handle With Prayer*

Happily Even After

Have You Hugged a Monster Today?

I Had It All the Time*

Joy Is My Compass

Lifestyles of the Rich in Spirit

My Fathers Voice

The Peace That You Seek

Rising in Love

Setting the Seen

Wisdom of the Heart

*Also available as audiobook

CD and Cassette Tapes

Deep Relaxation

Eden Morning

I Believe in You

Journey to the Center of the Heart (also CD)

Living From the Heart

Peace

First Edition 2002

Copyright 2002 by Alan Cohen. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from Unity House except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews or in the newsletters and lesson plans of licensed Unity teachers and ministers. For information, address Unity House, 1901 NW Blue Parkway, Unity Village, MO 64065-0001.

Unity House is a publishing imprint of Unity School of Christianity. To receive a catalog of all Unity publications (books, cassettes, compact discs, and magazines) or to place an order, call the Customer Service Department: 816-969-2069 or 1-800-669-0282.

The Publisher wishes to acknowledge the editorial work of Raymond Teague and Michael Maday; the copy services of Marlene Barry, Linda Garrett, Mary Lou Kaltenbach, and Kay Thomure; the production help of Rozanne Devine and Jane Turner; and the marketing efforts of Janey Powell and Sharon Sartin.

Most quotations and factual material appear as they were originally published in Alan Cohens syndicated columns.

Cover design by Cherie Peltier-Pimento Creative
Illustration by Margaret Chodus-Irvine
Interior design by Coleridge Design

Library of Congress Control Number: 2001099212

ISBN 0-87159-280-0)

Canada BN 13252 9033 RT

Unity House feels a sacred trust to be a healing presence in the world. By printing with biodegradable soybean ink on recycled paper, we believe we are doing our part to be wise stewards of our Earths resources.

To Charles
and
Myrtle Fillmore

For living in Spirit
and proving It is real

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to the editors and staff at Unity House, especially Michael Maday and Raymond Teague, for their invitation to share this material through Unity. My appreciation extends to all Unity churches, ministers, staff, and congregants, as well as the Association of Unity Churches, for their friendship, support, and teachings over many years. Truly ours is a connection of many blessings.

Special thanks to gifted singer/songwriter and good friend David Roth for inspiring the title of this book with his song of the same name and for giving permission to print the lyrics to Looking In for Number One. David weaves marvelous stories and teaches rich wisdom through music, humor, and heart. To find out more about Davids entertaining and uplifting CDs and concerts, contact him at or . Also you may write or call him at P.O. Box 495, Orleans, MA 02653 or 508-255-9866.

In the office of Alan Cohen Publications, Michael Ebeling and Mary Traynor have been stellar shipmates, always showing up with grand vision, huge spirits, and the willingness and skills to serve. Thank you, friends, for lighting my life and this work.

I also thank my friends Dee Winn, Kimo OBrien, Mary Beth Harnett, Steve Sisgold, and Bruce and Rachell Eckelman for their important comments and suggestions on the manuscript in process.

And thank you, dear reader, for opening your mind and heart.

O ne winter morning many years ago, I was awakened by a voice. It boomed: Know who you are. You are not just a body. You are not just your emotions. You are not your experiences. You are a spiritual being, here to experience joy. God lives not outside you, but inside you, expressing through you, as you.

I sat up with a start. I was fully awake, and the voice was still speaking. This was not a voice within a dream or some random thought ruminating inside my head. It was a real person speaking to me from somewhere in my bedroom. I looked around, startled, yet saw no one. The voice went on:

Your life operates according to divine order. Do not be fooled by appearances. Find the good wherever you look, and you can live the life your heart desires.

I leaned toward the side of my bed and looked at the clock radio on my night stand. The voice was coming from the radio. But speaking Truth? Who says intelligent things on the radio at 6:30 A.M.? I looked at the dial and realized what had happened. When I had gone to sleep the night before, I had been listening to a station I had just discovered. Then I had set the alarm to automatic wake-up with the radio. I was hearing the stations morning programming.

And what programming it was! The voice, I learned, was that of Reverend Eric Butterworth, minister of a Unity church in New York City. I went on to listen to that voice every morning for many years to follow, and my life changed immensely as a result. I learned that the power I sought was within me; that God was not an old man with a long beard living on some distant cloud, but a presence of love in my own heart; that I was not subject to circumstances, and I could have a positive hand in my own destiny. As a result, I became involved with Unity churches as a student, and when my books were published I began to present seminars at them. My association with Unity and its principles has proved deeply rewarding and endearing.

Many times since that morning, divinely orchestrated synchronicity has shown up in my life, just when I needed it, delivering the message I most need to hear. In the Native American tradition, one of the wisdom characters is the coyote. Coyote energy is playful; it appears when you least expect it, keeps you on your toes, and always teaches you something profound. God is not just wise, but has a sense of humor too!

Years later, after several of my books had been published, I received a call from S. Virato, publisher of New Frontier, a popular New Thought inspirational magazine. Virato told me that one of his columnists was leaving and asked if I would like to take his place. Of course I would. So began a new path for me, one that has endured to this day and has expanded significantly. Now I write a monthly column, From the Heart, which is printed in many magazines throughout America and abroad. The material in this book is largely derived from my monthly articles. However, I have substantially edited and revised much of the original material, and three of the articles Honey, Do, How Long It Took, and Where the Answer Lives have not been published previously.

Looking In for Number One is a journey into your innate wisdom, strength, and wholeness. These real-life stories contain vital lessons that serve as stepping-stones for awakening. The message shines through many different characters: God is everywhere and love always works. Some of these tales will make you laugh, some will make you cry, and all will make you think. Over many years of sharing my intimate insights, I have come to learn that what touches me, touches you. As I discover the divine power that lives in me, you recognize the same in you. And so we grow together.