Order Power: A Universal Force
By Rev. Shirley Knight
For the month of September, Folx with Faith is focusing on the spiritual attribute of order as part of our year-long series exploring various spiritual powers. Unity, as a part of the broader New Thought movement, often emphasizes the Twelve Powers of Humanity—innate spiritual attributes accessible to everyone on their spiritual journey.
Twelve Human Powers
The teaching of the Twelve Powers originated with Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore, a pioneer in New Thought and metaphysical Christianity. Fillmore identified twelve innate spiritual powers or attributes that are central to human experience and reflect our divine potential. These powers—such as faith, love, strength, and imagination—are seen as expressions of our spiritual nature and become more readily available to all of us as we progress in consciousness.
These twelve spiritual faculties align with universal truths found across nearly all religious and spiritual traditions. Through intentional spiritual practices such as prayer, meditation, affirmations, and mindful living we can enhance the presence of these spiritual attributes in our lives. By doing so, we tap into our inherent divinity and become active participants in creating a life that reflects our highest potential.
So, What is Our Order Power?
With order we create structures that keep things in effective relationships. Without order, life would be chaotic. Order helps us create harmony, balance, and right relationships both internally and externally.
Order Power Universally
Everything that is created, designed, and maintained exists in some type of order. Similarly each person has an internal order for activities such as food preferences, sleep habits, and openness to change. Life progresses in patterns that help us make sense of the world. The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu includes this passage,
“In the pursuit of knowledge, every day something is added. In the pursuit of the Tao, every day something is dropped” (chapter 48).
The spiritual journey involves adding and releasing order as appropriate for learning.
Order Power in Action
Internally we can use the power of order to align our words and actions with our values such as love, integrity, and compassion. Guided by conscience, we can organize our time, priorities, and surroundings in ways that reflect what truly matters. We cultivate inner peace and purpose by implementing order that results in clarity, balance, and meaningful action. We maintain harmony through thoughtful routines, mindful decision-making, and respect for personal boundaries.
In our relationships with others we see that order is not rigid control but a flexible, living structure that supports freedom and dignity for all. We use order to nurture inclusion, cooperation, and equity. We adopt and follow patterns that respect others, allow input, encourage participation, and share decision-making as appropriate. By honoring diverse voices, we are open to expanded awareness.
While order provides stability and a strong foundation, it also provides a framework so we can progress, grow, and learn. With wisdom we can sustain core principles while incorporating new possibilities. We can preserve what is life-giving and nurturing while making space for change.
To be more effective in action, we look to identify and evaluate the ordering systems that are in place. We look to make honest assessments about the order being followed. When we experience disorder, we look for the underlying principles and patterns that are at work and bring forth order as called by conscience.
When our path involves consciously and deliberately disrupting an established pattern, we ask for strength, courage, and divine guidance. We realize that adaptations are necessary as life changes, and we proceed with compassion for ourselves and others. By calling on the power of order, we enhance our relationships with our health and well-being, our personal space, and our interactions with our communities.
Examples of Misappropriating our Order Power
Order is a gift. It gives rhythm to our days, harmony to our communities, and clarity to our thoughts. Yet, like all powers, order can be misused—both within our own beings and in the world around us. When order is driven by the personal self and becomes rigid and domineering, it ceases to serve life and begins to restrict it.
Internally, we may misuse order when we cling too tightly to fixed routines, beliefs, or identities, mistaking them for security. We might over-schedule our time until there is no room for spontaneity or surprise. We might impose strict judgments on our emotions and push away normal and natural feelings such as grief, anger, or uncertainty. We might overemphasize our notions of what is acceptable or expected. Imposing unreasonable restrictions can stifle growth and keep us from responding authentically to life as it unfolds. In our desire to control we can lose our flexibility, our openness, and our capacity for grace.
Externally, the misuse of order often shows itself in systems that value uniformity over diversity, or in leadership that demands obedience without space for new ideas. Communities can fall into the trap of protecting tradition so fiercely that opportunities are dismissed before they are fully considered. Rules can become tools for exclusion rather than guides for shared flourishing. Even well-intentioned efforts to bring order can slide into the misuse of power such as deciding for others how they should live, love, or express themselves.
Misused order violates the dignity of other beings. Sometimes structure is imposed on others out of fear or pride. When systems are so rigid that they cannot adapt to changing realities, they risk collapse. Disorder brings the opportunity to create new ways of being.
In the process of self-love, forgiving ourselves is also a crucial step. Many people carry guilt and shame for things they did years ago. Mistakes made from a place of pain, fear, or limited awareness. This lingering guilt can keep us stuck in unhealthy patterns and disconnected from our wholeness.
Embodying Order as Divine Love
Sometimes we feel stuck and don’t even know what we need to change. In those moments, willingness is still enough.
- “I am willing to change.”
- “I am willing to be shown a new way.”
- “I am willing to grow.”
In the light of Universal Love we know that each person is here to learn and to teach. Each person has their own dignity and order. The healthy use of order creates space for freedom, diversity, and creativity while building on fundamental principles that help people live and thrive together.
In both our inner lives and our communal lives, we are called to examine the balance: Are we honoring the natural flow of change? Are we making room for differences? Are we willing to release structures no longer serve us?
Order is not a cage; it is a trellis. It supports growth in beautiful patterns. When we misuse order, we try to bend life using our personal will. When we listen to conscience and honor order wisely, we help life flourish in its own amazing way.
About Folx with Faith
At Folx with Faith, we believe every person is an expression of divine love, worthy of affirmation, healing, and spiritual growth. We create inclusive spaces where queer and questioning individuals can explore spiritual truths, engage in personal transformation, and connect in community. Our teachings are grounded in compassion, universal principles, and the power of authentic self-expression.
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References & Additional Resources for Understanding as a Superpower
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Rev. Shirley Knight graduated from Unity Worldwide Spiritual Institute in 2018 with a master’s degree in divinity and was subsequently licensed as a Unity minister. While in school, Shirley was a founding member of the Unity Ministers Student Association (UMSA) and served on the board. She is currently on the board of Conflict to Connection in Unity, a group that promotes empathy and insight for growth. Prior to ministerial school, Shirley had a 27-year-career in information management where she progressed from training specialist to quality assurance lead to program manager. As a volunteer Shirley founded a community arts organization called the Athena Art Project. For 16 years that organization produced an annual music and art festival and other community events such as concerts, art shows and literary readings. For this effort Shirley was honored with a Certificate of Special Recognition from the City of Houston in 2004 and an Extra Mile Award from Uncommon Legacy in 2005. Prior to founding the Athena Art Project, Shirley produced a show on community access television in which she interviewed accomplished women such as musicians, authors, artists and directors of national organizations. The program won two Access Awards for Programming Excellence. Shirley is a part-time associate minister at Unity of Houston where she primarily focuses on special projects.
