All Revved Up

#004: Taking the Leap: Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye on Transformational Faith and Leading with Vision

• Dr. Thor Challgren

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In this inspiring conversation, Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye, founder of the Joyful Gathering Spiritual Center, joins Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren to share her remarkable journey of discovering New Thought teachings, founding her spiritual center, and stepping into her power. From her profound experiences at Unity Village to her bold decision to leave a long-term marriage and trust the universe, Rev. Margaret’s story is a testament to living in alignment with spiritual principles.

Thor and Rev. Margaret explore topics such as:

  • Her early encounter with Ernest Holmes' teachings and how they transformed her life.
  • The intuitive steps that led to founding the Joyful Gathering Spiritual Center in New Jersey.
  • How New Thought principles supported her during life-changing decisions.
  • Balancing teaching for seasoned practitioners and newcomers in her Sunday services.
  • Her passion for incorporating quantum physics into her teachings as the "next evolution" of New Thought.
  • Her approach to navigating challenging moments, including addressing political and societal tensions in her ministry.
  • How the pandemic led to the creation of Spiritual Wednesdays and new opportunities for community connection.

Lightning Round Fun:
Rev. Margaret reveals her favorite part of her spiritual practice, shares her dream dinner guest, and explains how her childhood love for performing still shows up in her ministry.

Key Takeaway:
“Step into your power and trust the universe to support you. The most important guidance system we have is the fire in our hearts.”

Connect with Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Learn More About the Show:
All Revved Up is an inspirational podcast for spiritual leaders seeking to deepen their impact and expand their influence. Subscribe for weekly conversations with thought leaders, ministers, and change-makers who are shaping the future of spiritual communities.

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Namaste.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Have you ever wondered what it takes to fully step into your power, trust your intuition and say yes to the calling of your heart? In this week's episode of All Revved Up, I had the honor of sitting down with Reverend Dr Margaret Pelleggi, founder of the Joyful Gathering Spiritual Center and now in her 20th year as a minister. Her story is one of resilience, faith and profound transformation. Here's a glimpse of what you'll hear. Reverend Margaret shared a life-changing moment when she made the bold decision to leave a long-term relationship guided only by faith and her trust in the universe.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

I left at 3 am in the morning one night without saying a word. I had a little bag I packed, walked out that door and knew I was never going back and it was very challenging. But I said you know what I have to live these teachings. I know that the universe always supports me. You say that you teach it, margaret, are you going to live it?

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

I asked her about the unexpected journey that led to her founding a spiritual center. Her response highlights the power of listening to divine guidance even when the path ahead isn't clear, of listening to divine guidance even when the path ahead isn't clear.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

I got rid of the block big block that was keeping me playing small, and I step out again and the flow started once again with things coming to me. And I still expect things to come to me. It's a wonderful way to live life because I don't know what they're going to be. There's no big expectation, it's just. If it feels right, then I'm going to do it.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Margaret's wisdom extends beyond her personal story. She offers a profound reminder about the importance of living our teachings every single day.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

We read all this. It's so beautiful and wonderful. Are we living it? We have to live what we are studying, what we want to be. We have to live it and use it in our lives, not just, as they say, on Sunday, but every day of our lives.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Reverend Dr Margaret is a remarkable example of what it means to live a life of faith, purpose and courage. Here now is my interview with Reverend Dr Margaret Palalgye. Welcome. This is my interview with Reverend Dr Margaret Pellegi. Margaret, how are you?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

I am wonderful today. Thank you, Thor.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Well, I just have to say before we started recording here, I was mentioning to Reverend Margaret that we met. Well, we met two places. First was in a class that Dr James Mellon taught, where you and I were both in the class for a year and I loved being in class with you. It was always like such a great experience to talk about these sort of advanced consciousness ideas that we shared, so that was cool. But then this past fall, when we were both at Unity Village for the Anton Conference, I got to meet you in person, so that was a real treat.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Yes, yes, likewise, it was wonderful, it was great, isn't the conference phenomenal.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

It really was. I had a wonderful experience. In fact, I booked going back again next year already. I will say one of the things I'd never been to, unity Village. I'll just share this for people that may or may not have ever been there. It was really just a profound experience to be in a setting that goes back what like a hundred years. I don't think there's anything in New Thought like it is there.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Absolutely not. I mean it has I have to say this it has its own zip code. That's how big it is. The first time I went there I was thinking like dirt roads a small little, and I felt like I was in Europe. It's so incredible and sacred.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

It does feel that way. That's a great way to think of it. When you're there, it does feel very much like I'm back in Florence, italy, or something. The architecture of it and just the campus and the gardens and the energy of it is amazing.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Yeah, it's amazing.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

I will say, just since we're on that topic, I'm sure you've done this, but did you do the silent unity? I did that on the final Friday of the conference this year, friday of the conference this year, and if people don't know Silent Unity, they've had continuous prayer for what? Over 100 years.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Over 100. I think it's 126 years and there's a flame in there that has never gone out. Even when they changed buildings they were very careful with the flame going and it is such a sacred honor to be in that room with that energy of prayer for over 100 years. Just amazing.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Just amazing. It was when you step in there and you realize the history of the continuity of energy of that prayer that's continuously been in there. And then to sit down and I remember thinking we only had a half an hour. We went from 7 to 7.30, and it just went like that. I was like wait, it's over already.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Yeah, yeah, it's an amazing experience and we were one of the first groups that they allowed in there. I don't know how long ago, maybe six years ago, and it was just beyond words. I have no description. Just being in that beautiful energy of prayer for people all over the world, I mean it's incredible.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Yeah, it is Well, I look forward to I'm sure you'll be there next year.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Oh, I will.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Yeah, so I'll look forward to seeing you there, if not sooner. I want to start. Your biography says that you found New Thought Religious Science in 1992 and that your life changed profoundly afterward. Tell me what was your life like before that and what would you say has changed after?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Yeah, actually, in 1990, I started praying. I come from a Catholic background. That didn't work for me and I left the church when I was 15. And so, about when I was 40, I started praying to the Holy Spirit because I didn't know about affirmative prayer and I wanted a place. I didn't know what it was. I had never been in a New Thought Center, I had, you know, never been in a Buddhist or anything else. So I would just pray for two years straight.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

And then I found this study group two years later, in 1992. And it was okay, it was a Sunday morning and it was Reverend Carol Lawson had a study group and it met once. This was the Sunday service part and it met once a month. Uh, once a week, did not, you know, once a month didn't do it for me. I thought this is nice, but but I signed up for, uh, a class. No, I just signed up as a guest. And a couple of months later I received this flyer in the mail for foundations of science, of mind class, and I follow my intuition for everything. I don't even my rational mind takes a back seat and I'm like I have to take this, I have to take this. So I signed up for that. That first class I heard Ernest Holmes and the reading and everything I ever wanted since I was a teenager was there. It blew my mind. I knew I had found what I had been looking for, that I didn't have words for, so it profoundly and forever changed my life.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Curious. You said you heard Ernest Holmes. I know there are recordings of him.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

No, I read him, I didn't hear him.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Okay, yeah, I'm curious because sometimes people have said they've heard his recordings afterwards.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Oh, I've heard them too but, afterwards. No, I heard Reverend Carroll talking about it and the assignments. And I'm like wow, and I remember it, like in about the second or third class, because I didn't know. They said you're going to learn prayer. And I'm like what, I'm going to learn prayer. And I swear to God I was almost jumping up and down I was going to learn affirmative prayer. So I mean, from then on, that was it. I couldn't get enough. I could not get enough.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Did you have any? Trepidation is not the right word but, coming from a Catholic background, was there any resistance or were you just all in like? This is my tribe. I found my calling in this.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

All in the other. God never worked for me as a child anyway. I was in Catholic school in three different countries. Never worked for me anyway. So I had to leave the Catholic church, Didn't have a good experience and I never brought my children up in any organized religion. So you know, when you hit your 40s now you're middle-aged, you're 40 years old and there's a God hole, there's something missing. And so I just kept praying. And there's a God hole, there's something missing. And so I just kept praying and there it was. It filled that God hole and I'm still studying. It's overflowing, Overflowing.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Did you? I saw that you your journey. Then you became a practitioner in the late 90s and then you became a minister in the early 2000s. Did you? Did it feel like a calling to you? Or some people just say, you know what? I just love studying. I just kept doing the next thing. What was your journey like from when you took that first foundations class to becoming a minister?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

You know what I compare it to because it's so ingrained in me. For like 28 years I was fanatic about studying martial arts. I have a third degree black belt and I just took class after class four times a week for 28 years until I was teaching it and it became the next step. I never did it to become a black belt. I never did this to become a practitioner or a minister. I did it because that intuitive self said this is it? Keep going, keep going.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Did you see a change in that time in your own life and what was possible for you and the things that happened as a real, because a lot of times people will say that I know my wife has said she started practitioner training recently because she said I saw the difference it made for you and I wanted that same experience. Did you notice over the time from becoming a practitioner to a minister that your life was changing in these profound ways?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Absolutely, it really was changing and one of the big changes but I'm slow to move out of a situation sometimes was when I opened I'm jumping ahead but I'll go back because this pertains to that. When I opened Joyful Gathering Spiritual Center, I saw really how out of integrity I was in my 40-year marriage. I finally found the power to leave and I did that.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

I just walked out the front door and left, never, went back, so I would say it completely put me in integrity with so much of my life. Now that had to go, because it really wasn't in integrity and I have never been happier, never in my life as I am right now. But it took, I would say, from the very beginning until 2010,. It took that long for me to really come into my own power, because we're so ingrained with these old beliefs that keep us stuck in relationships and positions and beliefs that no longer serve us. So, yes, absolutely. Without it I can't imagine. I just cannot even imagine.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

I can't imagine. I just cannot even imagine If you don't. I'd love to just explore that just a little bit further, because a lot of times people will have significant revelations or changes in their life. Was that something that was challenging to come to? That realization of like this relationship is not serving me anymore. I need. There's something more for me. Tell me more about what it was like, and how did you use your faith, so to speak, to get you through that moment.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

That was a very interesting time. I knew for quite a while that this was a very toxic relationship and I was convinced that I could never make it on my own, never in any way, shape or form. So then I opened a spiritual center, which that's another story, and there was no control on his part over me. So now I'm stepping in faith. I left at 3 am in the morning one night without saying a word. I had a little bag I packed, walked out that door and knew I was never going back, and it was very challenging. But I said you know what I have to live these teachings.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

I know that the universe always supports me. You say that you teach it, margaret, are you going to live it? It was the most amazing. Things fell into place that I could never have planned for. I was fully as scary as could be. I didn't have money. Really, all I had was my faith and my community, and things kept coming to me, coming to me, coming to me, and so the universe completely supports us when we step out into the absolute unknown. It was one of the most profound and incredible experiences of my life, and the best.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

I would imagine, too, that that becomes a sort of signature thing that you can speak about, because it's got to be that people resonate with that Like forever Margaret was able to go through this. What could I do in some area of my life where I just I'm living from a place of fear? So I imagine that has has served you well. Having gone through that. It's something that you talk a lot about, I'm sure.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Well, I used to bring it up as a lesson. Only I'll tell you something I left 3 am Monday because I did Sunday service, I did a workshop, okay, and then I went to bed and I couldn't sleep and that voice was I've never heard a voice in my head Okay, and this said, pack that little bag and go, and it wouldn't let me sleep. I did that and I just walked out that front door and never missed a class. The next day I was teaching. I was teaching radical forgiveness. The universe really has the best sense of humor. And so, thank God, it was the last night and we were watching a movie on forgiveness. I never missed a Sunday service and people didn't even know until later on. You know, because I'm like I come from you can't tell it from this accent, but I do come from England, so I have this English fortitude and it got me through everything. That and that, the belief that the universe really supports me. It's a great teaching tool.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

It's funny you mentioned English. I think of the thing we all associate with England of keep calm and carry on. That's almost like a positive affirmation in itself, isn't it?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

It absolutely is. The toughest people I have ever. The strongest people I've ever met in my life were because I grew up in England. For eight years were the British. You don't talk about that. You just no one ever talked about the war, which you know. I just was born right out of the war and because I was 49, so you all know my age now yes, 75, I'm going to be in December 1st and it's you just keep going. The show goes on. Life goes on, you know, and you move through it and you deal with the feelings. You know, I do because of this teaching, but no one ever talked their emotions.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Yeah Well, you mentioned having started your center, joyful Gathering Spiritual Center, in 2010. I'm curious what were the origins of that? Were you at that time, were you a minister in another center, and what was the calling for you that said, hey, I need to start my own spiritual center?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

This is a really interesting story. So I was 17 years at the Center for Conscious Living and a woman there came up to me and she lived in this little church in another town and she said I had a dream about you. You were talking in the church I live in and you had a group of people watching you. You want to do that? And I'm like okay. And I'm like okay. So I never planned in my whole life to start a spiritual center. This was not on the conscious radar of me, it was somewhere in my subconscious, I guess. But I did it Friday nights once a month, but it was like a Sunday service because that's what I knew. So I did the talk. I had a great musician friend of mine. He did the music and we did that for quite a few months. I met with the minister three times.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

It was very difficult, oh boy, to leave because I needed her blessing to be in integrity. So I left and then I was at this facility, a beautiful building that was called Starting Point, a lot of psychiatrists and psychologists and recovery, big recovery place, and I was there like for maybe two months doing sessions with people counseling, like for maybe two months doing sessions with people counseling, and it wasn't resonating. So I met with Vince DePasquale to leave. I was going to leave and he took me out for lunch. He didn't know that and he said you know I was place, so I have to put a board together and I have to invite people to be on that board. And so that was how it all unfolded, step by step by step. Applied for the 501c3, did everything as I was reading. I had no mentor as I was reading. This is what you do and that's it. 2010,. We're incorporated as a nonprofit and then a 501c3.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

I love how, in both of the instances, it was someone that came to you and said I have this dream where I saw you, and then someone else said you should do this and you should open it here. It's so funny.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

It's almost like that's the universe talking to you saying hey, no doubt in my mind. And that's how, because I'm not really good with goals. I can plan trips and plan certain things. But I remember before I met my former husband, which was a long time right, Things would come to me, All these opportunities would come to me. But this shows you the difference. I was ready at that point to say yes to starting. I turned down every single incredible opportunity that people just came up to me for. So I got rid of the block. This is so important for everyone. I got rid of the block, big block that was keeping me playing small, and I step out again and the flow started once again with things coming to me. And I still expect things to come to me. It's a wonderful way to live life, because I don't know what they're going to be. There's no big expectation, it's just if it feels right, then I'm going to do it.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

You mentioned that you got the blessing of the minister, the center you were leaving. How was that sort of transition Did you end up having? Were there people that followed you or was it a kind of a whole new group of people? Tell me about what that first year was like.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Yeah, what I did was I did not want to. I had the mailing list, of course, of all them. I did not want to do that. So there were some people that were coming Friday nights not a lot, but there were some people that came with me. But this is the thing I was in this recovery place and lots of therapists and psychiatrists there and Vince who did lectures during the week. He would send all these people to us and they became some of my most amazing they're still with me, a lot of them most amazing students and now ministers. It all came through the starting point. I did not know, I didn't even think about. Oh, I knew that I did not want to do anything to jeopardize the other spiritual community. That would be wrong. So, again, the universe supported me and I miss having him recommend all those people because we left there after 10 years.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Yeah, we mentioned at the top of the show. I met you at Anton. Is that your main affiliation in terms of your center? I know you're a science of mind, religious science center but you're not like a CSL center.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

No, we are independent, not one to follow rules, which is why the Catholic Church really did not resonate with me, or I didn't resonate with them, that's for sure. And so, yeah, affiliated New Thought Network is what we are a part of. In fact, when I started this ministry class which I let Spirit put together because there was no way I was putting that together, and it did. It was an incredible, incredible journey I told them go research CSL. They were my practitioners, they were 12. Go research that, go research Agape, and go research Anton. And it was unanimous we stay with Anton, which we were with before. So we stayed with Anton, never belonged to CSL. They did not want to belong to CSL, they did not want to belong to Agape. I let it be, you decide. And so here we are with Anton, and I love, love that organization.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Yeah, with your community as it is now. What would you say is the sort of what religious background do most of your members bring? Are they sort of scattered, different, like Catholicism? What do you find people is? What was their spiritual home or teaching before they are with your center?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

I would say 95% were Catholic or some kind of Christian, but mostly Roman Catholic and I should say you're in New Jersey.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Yes, is it fair to say that you're outskirts of Philadelphia area, part of New Jersey?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

We're about 20 minutes outside of Philadelphia. We're in Collingswood, New Jersey.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Okay, so that probably is an area. I would assume that there's a lot of Catholics in that area, correct?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Yes, there are Okay. Quite a bit, that makes sense, yeah, yeah.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

What other besides religious science, science of minors, homes? What other teaching, what other work do you bring to the ministry, to your talks? I know some people were like I don't bring a lot of Bible into what I talk about. What do you find resonates with you and with your community?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Yeah, it's what I'm studying. At the time I studied with Colin Tippin in 2002. So that's radical forgiveness and so that was the first class that I taught at my other center and that was like phenomenal it still is. People need that forgiveness work. Mary Morrissey, with Prosperity Plus one, two, three, did all of them many times, that was a really big.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

And the Abraham work you know, Jerry and Esther Hicks, my criteria is as long as it is in alignment with Ernest Holmes and those spiritual truths, then that's I can teach that, I can say that. If it's, if it conflicts in any way, it just I don't even attract it into my life. I just attract the things that are in alignment with. What I found was from other experiences that when a spiritual center mixes too many other influences into their center, the people who are coming in for the first time, they get confused. So I wanted to make sure from the very beginning that people knew this is religious science. I'm not afraid to say the name, as I kind of was brought up in this like you might want to call it something else. No, I called it religious science. I call us religious science, slash New Thought.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

So I'm very proud of Ernest Holmes' work going back to the what things might you not want to bring in or associate with, have there been things where sometimes people are like oh, I'd like to do a workshop on this or that, and you're like that's not really, it's too far outside of our core teaching. Has that ever happened?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Not really. At our spiritual center we have a lot of workshops, usually one a month or two sometimes, and we'll do sound healing chakras, which is like people love that. I want to give the community what I think they're going to feel, because I have like a pulse on the community and what they like. And no, but see, what I learned before was you can dilute a teaching with so many other theories that, like I said, people get confused. This is to uplift people, to expand them, this consciousness, and that's why I'm so attracted to quantum physics. Yeah, it's so perfect.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Yeah, it's kind of the next evolution. It is have the ability to talk with those people using spiritual language. But now with quantum metaphysics, now you have an ability to talk with people who maybe they're approaching it more from a scientific or that kind of language resonates with them.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

So now you can say okay, it's like this I'm just starting to integrate these terms because, wow, there's so much behind it. But it's the same thing with quantum physics. Like two years before I met Dr James Mellon, I kept saying to everybody I've got to study, I don't know why. I never know why I have to study quantum physics and I have to find a teacher. I've never had another spiritual teacher, uh, besides my first teacher, dr Carol Lawson until I heard James Mellon, and so it took a while to find him, and then it took another year, as you know, to nail him down.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

But I was going to study with him because he is the only teacher that I said I need to study with him. I need to study with him because he is the only teacher that I said I need to study with him. I need to study with him. I didn't even know what he was going to. I didn't know he taught quantum physics at the time. That's not what he talked about when he was the keynote speaker at Anson. But I knew I had to speak with him. Then I found out it was quantum physics. Now I really have. So the universe always guides me and I always listen. I feel it in my body. I don't question it with my mind. I have never, ever in my life stalked another human being, so he has the honor of being the only one.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

I remember that when a couple of months before his class, about a year ago, started, I remember him coming back from Anton saying I met this woman, reverend Margaret, and she is so on fire about wanting to take that class, and so you were kind of a legend before the class even started, oh God, a legend in someone's mind, huh a legend in someone's mind.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Huh, I don't know why, but I was thinking, as you were talking about feeling it and being in your heart but not in your head, the phrase no brainer came into mind, you know, because sometimes we think of that phrase of no brainer, mean like of course you would do that, you don't even have to think about it. But isn't that also in a way, like if you're guided by that inner knowing, by your heart, then in some ways you don't have to think about it? It just is the most obvious next thing that you should pursue.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Absolutely. I have done that just about my whole life. I just sometimes to my disadvantage when I was younger. But I've always followed this inner knowing and then I discovered this is my God voice, my intuition, this is what feels right and that's how I make all my decisions, even moving into this, my home. After I got divorced it was like I don't do black, you know, on paper, black and white. I just found a house I loved and I said I'm moving in, I don't care what it says with the numbers or anything else, I'm moving in, and I did, and it's wonderful.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

I love that.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Yeah.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Tell me about your process. When you're putting together your Sunday service and maybe you're thinking about what you want to talk about you balance the teaching of people that are longtime members, who know what you're talking about, versus maybe newer people who are like what Mental equivalent, what is that? How do you balance the new people and also the people who have been with you in a teaching for a while?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

That's a great question and I'm very aware of that. When I was in martial arts and I only studied with Korean men, I was taught when you're teaching a class, focus on the white belt, not the red belt, not the green belt. You focus on the white belt. So it's like that's ingrained in me. So I'll have. My talks are all written out on paper. That's the way I do them, and if I have a concept that I know is going to be on the level that someone's been studying this for 10 years, we'll get, they'll get it. Then I'll break it down, I'll simplify it. I always break down those concepts to very elementary, go as simple as I can, because I want everyone to understand what I'm talking about and it usually works. It usually works.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

And do you find that people that are newer there do they generally get what you're talking about, or will they come up afterwards and go, hey, can you elaborate more on that?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Yeah, they get it. They usually say, oh my God, you were talking to me, it was for me and I'm like it was for you, it's for me too, it's for both of us. Yes.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

That's a great point. I think a lot of times people will when they're thinking about the talk is if it's something that you go this is what I needed to hear for myself then you can pretty much be assured that other people will resonate with it too.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Yes, that's been my experience.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Yes, Tell me, I know you also. In addition to your Sunday services, you also have a service on Wednesday. How does your Wednesday or your midweek services? How do they differ from what you do on a Sunday?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Okay, so I don't do them because I'm a big believer in delegation, but I attend them. We had one. It's called Spiritual Wednesdays and we started that during the pandemic because all of a sudden everyone's on Zoom, right. So you know, the first Sunday we have met, sunday first, wednesday we have meditation. It's an hour long. It's not a sunday service whatsoever. The second we do what is it? The science of mind, living the science of mind. So we'll do a couple of pages and break it down. People, it's a question and answer. And then the. The third what do we do? Oh, that was last night.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

We did power of eight, that's I was going to ask you tell me about that. What is that?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

yeah, that's. And then that's lynn mctaggart's book, the power of eight and I have one of our ministers leads that and Michael Rogers, reverend Michael Rogers, and it's intention setting, and so we have the two people you know he sets the tone and we'll have two different people, because that's as much time as we have set an intention They'd like prayer for, and then the rest of us, not even prayer, just take it into consciousness. And then the rest of us, not even prayer, just take it into consciousness, and then the rest of us on the call will see what comes through and pictures, ideas, you know, all kinds of things come through, and then they share them with that person. And yeah, it's not anything like a Sunday service.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

And then the fourth Sunday we have a spiritual movie which we have now moved into, greg Braden, and you know, really metaphysical, not metaphysical, quantum physics spiritual movies. I said no more of those other movies, let's play this. This is where we are taking religious science communities to the next level slowly. But those spiritual scientists, the quantum physicists, I think it's something that our community needs to hear and they seem to be responding to that community needs to hear, and they seem to be responding to that, and so you'll watch that on Zoom and then have a discussion about it afterwards.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Yes, yes.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

I love that.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

It's great. It is great.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Talking of bringing a little bit of real talk into our discussion. We're now a couple of weeks after the election. People are still sort of finding their equilibrium of. You know, there are some people, obviously we know that this is the result they wanted, some people clearly not. How do you as a minister, how do you address that? How much can you bring in the real world and yet still stay on principle? What are you finding in these first couple of weeks is your voice on these kind of subjects?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Yeah, as a lot of ministers have expressed, that first Sunday after the election for us was pretty challenging and you can't ignore the elephant in the room, right. So I'll talk about. I did talk about the upset. I'm not upset, but I don't even know what I said. But I don't name parties because I don't believe that churches, spiritual centers, should influence their members one way or the other. But there were a lot of people that were really hurting and there's no way I was going to ignore that pain. So I had my talk anyway, which happened to be on prayer that week.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

I watched it. It was excellent. Oh, did you? I did.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Oh, then you can tell. I don't watch them afterwards, so I don't even know what I said, but I do know that in the beginning I felt very strongly about, um, opening it up and not ignoring the uh pain that a lot of people in the room were going through. There might've been a couple that were not, that were elated, and I said that, wherever you stand, you know that's fine, but I had to address that because, yeah, a lot of pain, a lot of grief, that was. There's a big grief going on in this country. There really is.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

And what do you find how as a minister? How do you see your role in helping people process that grief?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

And I've been really cognizant of how I really want to show up and how I really want to be and address this, and it's what I've always believed that we are the light, but not just words. We are the light, we are the lightbearers, and during this time, we need to be even stronger. And what does that mean? That means that we need to be kinder, we need to have more respect for others. We need to really step up our game here. This is a huge shift in consciousness that I don't know. We've been talking about this for like 20 years. There's going to be a big shift in consciousness. Well, guess what? It's here. So now you can spend your life in that sadness and darkness or joy, whatever you are feeling, or you can really become aware even more of that love within you and the goodness within you and stick to what you think is ethical in your life.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

I've spoken with a number of ministers in the last couple of weeks and I suspect this could go back even beyond just the election, where they initially were like. I have my own emotions about it, but I also know in my role as a spiritual leader, I have to figure out what am I saying to people? And it has to be authentic, like if I'm sad, if I'm upset. It has to be that. How do you, when you have challenging things going on in your life and maybe this is an example where do you get your spiritual nourishment such that you can minister to other people?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

And I really do get it from within myself. It's like the week after I left my former husband I showed up. Nobody even knew. It's like carry on. And I have a prayer partner, so I mean I'm'm getting prayer also because that's what we teach during the week. But really, this is what I'm supposed to do, this is what God wants me to do, because the thing within me that is God is saying yes, just step up there. And it's like the opening to that talk. I just let it flow. I had a whole thing written out and I was like, oh, forget it, we're not saying that. And so I just whatever was I was feeling is what I I spoke of. And so for me, I I get it with them, because I know there's a purpose for each of us here, and especially when we are in the sacred role of spiritual leaders.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

I think also in times like and I've thought this for the last couple of years what an opportunity there is in our teaching, because there's so many people out there that are hurting, and whatever side of a political question there are, there are people that are hurting and they don't know who they are, they don't know how much power they have. If they were able to realize that, what could they do with their life? And so sometimes instead they turn to blame or they turn to division or it's somebody else's fault. So just from an opportunity standpoint, I look at that and go gosh, if we could find ways to broaden that message so that people go oh, you know what, I do have more power to do these things than I realize.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

And that's what the Sunday messages are really about stepping into your power, bringing it down to a level that we can use. Because that's my, one of my biggest things in life is like, okay, we read all this, it's all beautiful and wonderful. Are we living it? We have to live what we are studying, what we want to be. We have to live it and use it in our lives, not just, as, say, on Sunday, but every day of our lives. That's why we have the Sunday, I mean the Wednesday hour, the spiritual hour, so people can touch in if they were feeling out of sorts. And then we have all the practitioners and ministers that are open for all, of course, phone calls for prayer, you know, just to pray.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

When you're writing a talk, you're thinking about what you want that Sunday message to be. How much of your life is in your message? Do you pull from your own experience and share that with people?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Well, I'll write the message, the talk is written, I'll have all my books and everything and that's down. And then as I'm speaking it and as I'm living through the week with it, then my own life gets right in there and that's not written down in the talks. That's something that I just I know is coming through. In fact, it's so funny because people don't know this and I tell them, I tell our congregation. I'm up there, I got like I have my talk and I have like 10 different ideas in my head and at the same time as I'm speaking, I'm like saying, yeah, this is good, that's good. Don't get rid of that one. Don't say that one, I'll say it anyway. This will make them laugh. I love to make people laugh on Sunday, but yeah, it's amazing.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

So, yeah, a lot of my life are in the talks. So it's sort of a combination then of you have a written preparation of things you want to say, but then you're also open in the moment to the way that it's going to unfold.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Absolutely yeah.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Tell me about your like, from a physical standpoint, where you guys meet. If I understand right, you meet in a community center. Is it in Collingwood, collingswood?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Collingswood, yeah, new Jersey.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Okay.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Yeah, this is the crazy part, okay. So we were in this building and I never liked the room we were in. That was its starting point. Wonderful organization, like the room we were in. That was its starting point. Wonderful organization, incredible, just the greatest people. And that's where we got most of our members from.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

And during the pandemic, we couldn't really meet there and I wasn't liking that. So we had outside services when we could, with masks. We did that for about eight weeks and in the middle of all this, in 2020, september, the space we had been looking at became available because I wanted a nice big space with lots of windows and no ugly paintings and things on the walls, and so it became available. So the board and I went over, we looked at it, loved it, signed the contract, and so that was four years ago. Yeah, that's four years ago. So that's how we found this is. So. It's the collingswood um community center and it's upstairs in the ballroom, so we have the huge room and every there must be about 20 windows in this room. So you know there's pros and cons to making that move. We had to give up a lot of stuff, but I feel so good when we go on Sunday mornings that we're in a beautiful space and people feel comfortable.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

So that's where you meet on Sundays, but it's not your business address, per se Is that correct.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

That's correct. Business address actually is in my home because we don't have an office.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Right, and then what do you do for classes? Do you teach those virtually, or what's that like?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

No, I didn't like the virtual teaching. I'm not Dr James with like 50 PowerPoints. He does the best Zoom classes. I don't like them on Zoom. So for many years we met in my home and now we'll do both. We'll rent a room in the community center because a lot of people live near them there and it's convenient, or we'll do them in my home if it's not Like the summer. It was so large that we had to move it to the community center.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Like I saw you're doing a class in January. The power of decision based on.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Is that?

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

the yeah.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

So is that something that you're? Yeah, I'm changing that. Oh, are you Okay? What are you Okay?

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

What are you going to do now?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

I'm not. I'm not really sure yet. I in fact. That's on my list. I have lists all over the place. I've come up with a really great um class. You know I might do Prosperity Plus again. Um you know, I haven't quite decided yet.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

All right, um, yeah, I just just finishing off the conversation about the location. I'm always curious because we don't have our own building. I mean, we have a leased space, but I know there are some centers where they do have something. They own some that don't. Has that ever been? I'm assuming it works out well for you and it's affordable in a sense of like okay, this makes good financial sense. Is that? I guess it's not really something where you'd ever look at buying something right?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

No, we really. I mean, if it happened, I would go with it, you know, because it would come to me, but it's not something that I have as a goal in my mind to own, to be a landlord. I would like more flexibility with the space we're in now. However, that's the great thing about owning your own. You can do, you can throw parties, you can do all kinds of stuff anytime you want, because you own the building. And we just and I tell you, when we moved in the pandemic, right when everything was like people weren't coming out, nothing going on, we, we rented a space that was four times more costly than the one we were leaving. But if you believe in this teaching, then you just do it. Know that was the right thing to do.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

How do you market your center or get sort of get the word out for new people? What do you find has been effective for you guys in terms of growing your membership?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

So right now, since the pandemic has completely changed, I never really marketed but social media being on social media, which I do, all that on Instagram on, mostly on Facebook you know where we can make events and get the word out there and our newsletter, which we you know, of course, we send that out and remind us for all of our different events. People, when I ask them how have you heard about this center, they usually say through the computer, because I put hashtags. I don't even know where they go, I don't know anything, I just do it because that's what people say is effective. So I have a whole bunch of hashtags after all my videos, after whatever I send out. There's hashtags everywhere and then you can share them to different groups, which I do.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Do you find people mostly come to you from the sort of neighborhood or community you're in? Or how far away from Collingswood do people come for like a Sunday service?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Well, I have one person, but she's been a member for a long time, like 14 years, since the beginning. She comes about an hour away and she comes nearly every Sunday, but most people are local.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Okay.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Yeah, that makes sense, yeah.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Yeah, I've had that conversation with my daughter. She lives in New York City and I asked her how far would you go on a Sunday for a service? Like there's a center First Religious Science Center, I think is up west side, and she said it's like an hour away from her and she's like, no, I wouldn't. I mean she's 25. So she's going to more likely go to brunch on Sunday versus going to church, but I'm always curious, like how far people will go for a Sunday service.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Usually half hour, I would say would be the calf the closer the better, yeah, yeah.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Well, let me now move to the lightning round. This is a series of questions I'm just going to ask, meant to be sort of fun, and yes or no, or whatever comes to you, and if there's something we want to follow up on, we'll do that, so all right. So have you ever manifested a parking spot or a first-class upgrade using science of mind?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Yes.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Okay, what is the most important part of your morning spiritual practice?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

My meditation and my reading.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Is there a TV show, a movie or a book that you think sort of perfectly demonstrates science of mind, principles?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Most of it would be Ernest Holmes.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Okay, In our teaching in religious science we will often hear the terms God, consciousness, the universe, the thing itself, quantum field. What's a term that you find yourself using the most and sort of have the most comfort with?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Okay, so I'm comfortable with all of them, but I was using universe for a very long time and now it's like the field of potentiality in the field and I'm bringing that, so, yeah, and I think people probably hear it and they go, okay, whatever they hear it as God or yes.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

And it's funny, I'm now thinking I've sort of come full circle in the I am God part that I do. I'm very comfortable with that now. In the beginning it was like okay, I got to think about this, but now I think it much more of I am God in a quantum sense, that all of these quantum potentials in my life are in essence God. It's consciousness, it's that loving energy. So to me they're synonymous. But okay, so let's say you could invite one person for dinner Ernest Holmes, ralph Waldo, emerson Gandhi or Oprah. Who's coming over to dinner?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Ernest Holmes.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

He's always like the number one answer.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Oh yeah.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

I'm like it's an intriguing question Aside from being a minister or speaker, what's one career or job that you could imagine that you would love having?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

None, the only other profession I was ever interested in as a young child and I manifested it but wasn't ready was an actress. So, like I tell people when I'm up there at the podium, you put a mic in front of me. I was performing at three. You put a mic in front of me. I'm gonna, I'm gonna do something with that mic, I'm gonna perform in some way. So I'm still in front of a microphone.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

You're still doing it. Yeah Well, my last question is sort of more contemplative, and this is where I want to wrap up our discussion today is if you think about advice you might give to two people. One is maybe someone who's starting out in ministry, and then the second is to your younger self, maybe when you first became a minister and, if I understand right, 2004,. So is this your 20th year?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

It is as a minister, yeah.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Congratulations, thank you. What, if anything, would you say to you know 20 years ago, version of Margaret when you were starting off, and what advice do you have for ministers today and what's going on in today's world?

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

So I to my, when I was starting out. Okay, I would just say to myself keep doing what you're doing and that's the way I live my life. Now I wouldn't give it any other advice. No advice Just keep on doing what you love to do, what you're called to do. And I would give that same advice to ministers. Starting out is if you feel that passion, that fire in your heart, then follow it. It's the most important guidance system that we have, I believe. For me it works.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

I love that. Well, reverend Dr Margaret Joyful Gathering Spiritual Center. Thank you so much for being on the show today. I loved our conversation, loved talking with you, and I get the privilege of getting to see you again every week, every week.

Rev. Dr. Margaret Palagye:

Thank you so much.

Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren:

Thank you, bye. Thank you so much for joining me on this episode of All Revved Up. I hope you found inspiration and wisdom in my conversation with Reverend Dr Margaret Pelagy. If this conversation resonated with you, I'd love for you to share it with someone who might benefit from hearing it. And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. Thanks for listening and see you next time.

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Rev. Dr. Thor Challgren

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