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Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Loss of Sacred

It takes just a cursory glance at our world to notice that "sacred" is not a hot topic of conversation, of news, of movies, of television, of books, of music, of the internet, of politicians or of regular conversation in the lives of people. What happened to us? How did we get to this secular and violent way of looking at life and interacting with life?

Some say it began in the "enlightenment" period. Others put it at the feet of Aristotle and Augustine and an entire array of "thinkers," and their ridiculous rejection of science, of separating the sacred from the scientific.

Another path could have been taken where science would be an exciting exploration into how The Higher Power works, confirming The Magnificence at every turn with very surprising twists and turns and breathtaking understanding of ever more wondrous things. What a God!!!

But, up until now anyway, that's not the path humanity took, except for a rather tiny minority. I wrestle daily with - what is the responsibility of all who have touched the sacred?  Is there a way to awaken a sufficient number of others and stop the madness?

The old saying comes to mind - if you don't change the direction you're going, you're likely to end up where you're heading.

Let's join together in prayer and seek the answer that could send the knowing of the Sacred out like wildfire to ignite the hearts and minds of people all over this planet. Maybe we can go back to that split in the road where humanity took the secular path, and redirect ourselves upon the sacred path, knowing God's Presence in all there is.

Let us pray, each in our own way....

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Is There A Way?

Great Truths do not take hold of the hearts of the masses. And now, as all the world is in error, how shall I, though I know the True Path, how shall I guide? If I know that I cannot succeed and yet try to force success, this would be but another source of error. Better then to desist and strive no more. But if I do not strive, who will?
                                                                                            -- Chuang Tzu

[Chuang Tzu (399 - 295 B.C.) has always been an influential Chinese philosopher. His writing is at once transcendental while at the same time being deeply immersed within everyday life. He is at peace while at the same time moving through the world. There is a deep vein of mysticism within him which is illuminated by his very rational nature. His style of writing with its parables and conversations both accessible while at the same time pointing to deeper issues.] I hope you Google him and read more of his words with your heart.

This morning, his quote above touched something in me. First of all, the dilemma of trying to get deeper spiritual understanding to large numbers of people has been going on probably forever. Pick a spiritual light, and you will hear a similar understanding of the difficulty to get widespread understanding.

So, do I decide this is impossible and give up? Somehow that doesn't seem right. If I force it, as Chuang Tzu said, I just bring another type of error into the error-filled world. If I don't try, how can anyone know what has been shown to me?

It has long been my observation that there is a deep spiritual hunger in the people of earth. Many things have been tried in many times and places. A tiny few in each culture and time reach Unitive Understanding, a direct knowing that eliminates spiritual hunger. Most of the Lights have been killed or silenced, as they drastically rock the status quo.

Here in the 21st century, it seems to me spiritual awakening, understanding, Unitive relationship with God/Divine One/Higher Power, would be the only thing that could save the future of earth and all of its inhabitants, including the troves of history, art, music, writings, etc. There is now the possibility of nuclear, biological or chemical annihilation to, if not all, then the vast majority of us and all that has been created here.

Yet I see the human lemmings jumping off the cliff in the worship of violence, promiscuity, murder, consumerism, drugs, prejudice, hatred, superstitions, fundamentalist closed extremes in all religions, and all things NOT part of a genuine spiritual path.

So, I agonize with Chuang Tzu about this situation, that same he faced, the same all awakened beings faced, except today if we do not turn to a genuine spiritual path, we choose the acceleration of all things Not Spiritual and the inevitable conclusion of destruction.

To all who read this, I ask you to spend time contemplating a solution.

My Beloved One, this morning You have shown me the horrendous direction of our charted course based on the coordinates of the opposite of spiritual behaviors and ideas, the ones that seem to be in charge of this world. Quicken in us the ideas we need to change this course so that others may be led to You, away from the destructive paths. Instill in us the clarity and courage to go forth with Your Light and turn this planet's course back to You. Truly there has never been a time such as this. I hear Your urgent Message. Here I am Lord.


Thursday, March 23, 2017

The Problem of Power

Aldous Huxley wrote:
Since the appetite for power is purely mental and therefore insatiable and impervious to disease or old age, no community that values liberty can afford to give its rulers long tenures of office.
Some say that all who seek power are in some way "bad." This is thought to be so because to seek spiritual enlightenment entails such things as non-attachment, simplicity, compassion, release of ego, surrender to something Greater, etc.

Jean Pierre Camus said:
God's Holy Will is the centre from which all we do must radiate; all else is mere weariness and excitement.
Huxley concludes that:
We see then, that a "great man [woman] can be good - good enough even to aspire to unitive knowledge of the divine Ground provided that, while exercising power, he [she] fulfills two conditions. First, he [she] must deny himself [herself] all the personal advantages of power and must practise the patience and recollectness without which there cannot be love either of man [woman] or God. And second, he [she] must realize that the accident of possessing temporal power does not give him [her] spiritual authority which belongs only to those seers, living or dead, who have achieved direct insight into the Nature of Things... Spiritual authority can be exercised only by those who are perfectly disinterested and whose motives are therefore above suspicion.
I see the dilemma of our day. The powers in our capital and in seats of power all over our earth urge and surge and demonize all who disagree. For the most part, it seems the average person emulates this behavior. The seeking of spiritual awareness is made fun of and not even considered as something of value. The power hungry are devouring our world and the chances of a free and positive future.

I wonder what it would take to turn from such power and awaken to the spiritual path??? What would it take for the awareness that we are stewards and not owners of all earthly things??? All that lies here "below" stays here, and it is our soul that one day leaves this place, taking with it only its consciousness that has been developed or atrophied while here on earth. Our lives are more cosmic than commonly recognized. 

These words that write on this blog are given to me. I pray that long after I'm gone, some echoes of the understanding God has granted me will continue. I also realize there is the distinct possibility that the power hungry and their insatiable appetites will wipe out most civilization, including these blips on the electronic wave stream.

May God strike the hearts of the powerful with flashes of spiritual insight so that they may be led upon God's Way and not their ego way. May this Light glow brightly in ever more hearts and minds until there truly is peace on earth. May our human family awaken and lift life on earth to a higher path. Thy Kingdom Come.

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Lovelessness

In as much as Jesus told us that the only commandment we need is to love ourselves and one another and God with all of our beings, we as a people are not even close to living love. An outside observer might even conclude that this commandment is one to be ignored.

I am writing the following as "we," knowing not all of us. Yet those who witness the darkness, and do not help movement toward the Light of Love are therefore included in the "we" of it all.

Earth - if we truly loved our Mother Earth, how would we behave towards Her? 
We have an intimate relationship with Her. Our bodies are composed of earth, are carbon compounds. The foods we eat are from the earth. The air we breathe and the water that sustains us are of earth. The magnificent sequoia trees, the breathtaking alps, the beauty of the rainbow, the wonders we see, are courtesy of Her.  Yet we watch as She is marred and deforested and polluted. Love is a verb that we seem to refuse to apply to Mother Earth.

Self - if we truly loved ourselves, how would we behave toward ourselves?
We seem to have a strange love/hate relationship with ourselves. We often act as if we prettied up our bodies in the right ways, we might be at least acceptable. We seem to believe that if we partied enough, we'd be at least a little bit happy. We sell ourselves out for approval, often doing things we know are not the highest. We often seek acceptance from others rather from our own selves. Our selftalk is frequently disgraceful, saying horrid things to ourselves that we would be unlikely to say to someone else. We fan insecurities and turn from the Spark of God within. Love is a verb that we seem to refuse to apply to ourselves.

Others - if we truly loved others, how would we behave towards them?
We act as if whatever cruel and awful thing we do to others is okay if the controlling domination systems say to do whatever it is, or at least condone it. So we distort our divine creativity into ever more vicious systems that will maim and destroy those who we define as "other." We become hysterical when someone else holds a different point of view. We gossip, we covet, we judge others. Love is a verb we seem to refuse to apply to others.

God - if we truly loved God, how would we behave towards God?
The domination systems seem to have stripped away the spirituality that once was the aim of most people. Many today worship at the foot of consumerism or some addiction or the other. The battle between spirituality and science that began to be waged by Augustine, has continued and expanded. It seems that knowing God and living in accordance with spiritual principles is so diminished that it is now the brunt of jokes and snide attacks by those who think they know more than they actually know. It is not hip, not cool nowadays to walk the spiritual path. For the most part, religion has been taken over by domination systems and is a business, so is not appealing to one who genuinely wants to walk The Way. And, the anti-science position has grown so that what is taught in many groups as spiritual is indeed silly superstition. If there is a belief in God, it is not the immanent/transcendent God known by the great spiritual people who have walked this earth. Only a few are actually on a spiritual quest, seeking to know more fully The Higher Power and to live in harmony with this Divine One. At any time in history, there have been a handful of awakened and true seekers who carry The Light, hoping to be contagious. That is, hoping that others will find The Light and walk into it. Love is a verb we seem to refuse to apply to God.

What is the way out of lovelessness? Seek and we shall find. Knock and the door will open. Let us try together to live Love, to walk Love, to be Love.

Friday, March 17, 2017

Surprise

So, I was complaining to God. I am soooo tired of this valley, of frozen assets for bogus fanciful reasons, of hundreds of broken promises from many directions, of my things in storage, of not being in my own home!!! Really??? I'm weary. Release us. Release our money. This whole thing is nuts!

And I heard this answer- You are having a temper tantrum. You don't have all you want, but you have all you need!

Thank You God for reminding me. You are with me and have always been with me in good times and in difficult times. I've made it to this day because of You. Some dangerous and terrifying times come to mind, and I know You are the reason that I am here today.

As Julian of Norwich reminds me, all is well.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Van Gogh, Goya and Me

What's the connection? We were all born on March 30th - although not the same year 😀😇

What I was actually thinking about today is how we are co-creators with God, and we are therefore assigned the opportunity to make our own lives works of art. As I think of those toward whom my admiration flows the most, I think of the spiritual greats, the great artists and composers and writers and movers of society pushing/leading to something better. They lived/live amazing lives that inspire us all and make this earth a better place.

Our lives are to be molded into something that makes a difference, a positive difference. We spin ourselves on the wheel of life on earth and reshape ourselves many times as we learn and grow and expand. The baby that came to this world may be contained in this adult, yet this adult is so much more and so different from the little baby.

I think we can, and probably really need to, take ourselves in hand and get to the work of making the rest of our lives a work of art, a work of wholeness, a work of compassion, a work of stretching to be all we can be.

So, we might commence with asking ourselves some questions and then answering them honestly, and then meditate upon the answers. I suggest for the greatest benefit, journal about them.

What part of my life is not beautiful? What part of my life doesn't reflect spirituality, wholeness and compassion? Where does my life hurt?

Is an unbeautiful (ugly) part of my life a good thing for me?

What would my life look like if it were beautiful?

What can I do about it?

What am I willing to do about it?

What are the first steps I commit to taking?

Think of your favorite inspirational artist in life. Imagine how he/she managed to work through the pitfalls of life on earth to achieve beauty. If one person can do it, two can, and twelve can and millions can. It is not an impossible thing, for it has been done by others.

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Non-Elitist

This morning I was reflecting on how God and Jesus' understanding of God are non-elitist.

First of all, the Infinite Intelligence, the Divine Essence of All, the Creator, the One we often call "God," creates and re-creates us all every moment. We are created fallible so that we can co-create ourselves and our lives into a sacred work of art.

Jesus was a creative genius whose words were often spoken in parables that everyone could, and still can, understand. No matter the religion or the race or the time in history - universally we can understand his stories. The good Samaritan, the prodigal son, all of the stories speak in a timeless and universal way. It is said that his parables are the closest thing we have to what he actually said, with the rest remembered variously by those who wrote down the story of Jesus - many years after the fact. But, the parables were indelibly etched in those who heard them and knew their meaning.

All creation is sacred. You and I are sacred. What if we consciously focused on creating our lives to be the sacred work of art they can be, maybe even are supposed to be? God has trusted us enough to place us here at this time to do the Great Work.  Maybe this week re-read/read Jesus' parables and think on them and what they say to us who walk the 21st century. Then become, the best we can, people who walk The Way - who care as much for strangers as the good Samaritan or receive the estranged with open arms and celebration. Let us walk and live the parables. Oh what a world it could be!

Monday, March 6, 2017

Cycles in Spiritual Growth

In preparing for my sermon next Sunday at the  Methodist Church, I am rethinking the cycles that happen as we strive for spiritual awakening and understanding. We often are in different cycles or paths in different parts of our lives at the same time. This time in my life I see clearly the four operating. Today I want to write a few words about the Via Negativa, the Dark Night of the Soul.

This path is the path of the seed in the dark soil, waiting on its becoming. This path is the one of emptying, releasing, of the death of ego and the death of the fear of death. It underlies the other three cycles/paths. I see that with new clarity this morning, especially in my transformative time in the shower (often new ideas come to me there as I celebrate the warm water flowing over me).

If I am not empty, non-attached, I cannot celebrate this one beautiful flower that is unique and present for me to see. I cannot know we are of the same cosmic light. I cannot fully rejoice in this life and live it fully and fearlessly, if I carry the fear of death. I cannot praise God fully and freely, if I come with decisions already made about who and what God is. If I am full of myself, I cannot be full of God.

If I am not empty, free of biases and pre-conceived ideas, I cannot create anything new. I cannot birth newness. I can only copy what has been done with perhaps slight variations, but not with the fresh newness that comes from the depths of the cosmos.

If I am not empty, there is no space for the transformation into the Cosmic Christ and the birth of true Compassion.

Without emptying, the rest of the journey is somewhat counterfeit. Without emptying, I am strangely empty of the rest of the spiritual cycle: the positive, the creative and the transformative.

I let go of the letting go that has been at work in my life. I turn it over to You to complete my emptying so that I may be a more clear light, a more useful guide to others. I pray the terrifying and wondrous prayer, Thy Will Be Done.