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Monday, May 28, 2018

Superhuman

I just read a great analogy. With his tools, an astronomer can see far and wide things that the eye alone cannot see. That makes the astronomer superhuman as far as the eyes are concerned.

That led me to think about Superhuman Spirituality, to the great teachers, mystics, composers, artists, poets, etc. To a non-musician, Mozart surely appears to be superhuman. To a non-artist, Michelangelo certainly appears to be superhuman. To a non-spiritual person, Buddha, Lao Tse, Jesus, Eckhart, Hildegard and others appear to be superhuman.

As a person particularly focused on spirituality, these thoughts send my thoughts to new areas. In order to explore the universes, the astronomer has the telescope, what does the spiritual seeker have to explore the even vaster realm of Spirit?

It seems to me interest, curiosity, an adventurous attitude would be important for being any kind of superhuman. Also, one would need persistence, guidance/apprenticeship, practice, false starts and re-starts, a dose of humor and a sense of pathos. Humility rather than hubris would be helpful on the spiritual path. Also, one needs to discern which kind of spiritual path calls - there are many paths, but one destination. Eventually the goal is Unity, awake in The Ground of All Being, Oneness.

As I have said many times, some of the spiritual practice involves healing one's self, contemplation, meditation, prayer, study of the Great Ones gone before that call to us. At a certain point, the Holy Spirit gives direct counsel. It is important to be careful here. If the ego is still one's operating system, one's own subconscious or the psychic collective unconscious can seem to be giving counsel -which leads one far astray. It takes a certain amount of spiritual maturity to discern which is which. Eventually the false guide falls away. Just as walking the Bardos in the Tibetan Book of the Dead, we must walk some sort of Bardos here while striving to advance to Oneness. Don't be distracted by the distractions, As Paul said - keep your eye on the prize.

My direction and quest have been to awaken spiritually as much as I possibly can while here on earth. I have no idea how far it is possible for me to go, yet I know I must walk The Way for as long as I am here.

My prayer is: Reveal Yourself to me. Here I am Lord. Your Spirit is my Guide, my Friend, my very life. Your Will be done.

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Ground of Being

The answers to my recent questions are hinted at in these words of Huxley that I have been considering.
The Logos [Cosmic Christ] passes out of eternity into time for no other purpose than to assist the beings, whose body form he takes, to pass out of time into eternity... by his teaching he points out, and by his being a channel of grace and divine power he actually is, the means by which human beings may transcend the limitations of history.
In some ways this planet is a school to learn spiritual truths and how to embody them. Or it may also be a holding place for souls to mature in order to be ready for spiritual awareness. It seems to me the immature souls are the ones flailing around creating disturbances, violence, and all manner of shadows.

We have a model and a partner to lift us out of the morass of history, shadows, the lie/appearance of separation and such. The means has come, yet the teaching has been subverted over and over again by immature, and therefore mean-spirited, souls. From inquisition to witch hunts, the opposite of transcending the ugliness of history is acted out.

The key to what we've been discussing would therefore seem be to mature spiritually and work on ourselves to become what we are called to be, to move from separation to walk The Ground of Being known and taught by a sprinkling of humans across the eons.

As a being in a body, we endeavor to take care of our bodies. We push them in exercise, sweating and straining to make them stronger.

As eternal beings, we might do well to apply as much effort and attention to strengthen ourselves spiritually. We need to firm up our spiritual "muscle" too. Study the great spiritual ones, meditate, contemplate, journal, pray, heal our shadows (any part not Christ - like), become generous with love, bring peace with us wherever we go, radiate kindness, etc.

I guess this interiority is done individually, one by one we come to our eternal destiny. Maybe peace on earth is not possible, but peace in you, peace in me is possible as we mature spiritually.

Lead me oh Divine One. Lead me to mature spiritually. Lead me to transcend history. Lead me to be all I can be. Maranantha, come Lord.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Reprise

Walking a strange valley --- still.

Lord, heal, lift, bless whoever is behind this valley. Open the windows, bring Your fresh breath in. Restore balance. Open the way for the next episodes of following You wherever You lead. Whatever is seemingly stuck, bless and release. Whatever is out of harmony, bring into Your Light.

I rejoice! Thank You, God.

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Being

Disease is not cured by simply speaking the name of the medicine. The essence of the miracle of the seed (which bears no resemblance to the plant and fruit it can become) cannot be found by tearing the seed apart. Holding a lump of clay does not instruct us on all the things the clay can become.

Saying a word representing God does not lead us to be in actual relationship with God. Neither does reading what others say about God lead us home. The Way can be hinted at, pointed to, modeled for us - but we ourselves must walk The Way and come to be in that precious relationship. The words, the hints, the breadcrumbs are not It.

We must walk The Way ourselves. It cannot be delegated.

Where can one go to be led to The Way? Is this taught anywhere effectively? I think not. The Jesus test I often use is his idea that by the fruits we shall know. Is there a pocket somewhere on earth that is purely loving kindness, compassion, adorned with spiritually awake people who have been healed of darkness and live exuding Light? How could this be created actually? Because I can see it, I think it possible.

So I return to yesterday's question - how can humanity be healed? I continue to ponder.

Lord, I do know Your Presence, Your Spirit to be always present. Open us to awareness of You. Instruct us on our own healing. Instruct us In the healing of humanity. Lead us in new ways. Make clear to us what to do. Help us to be part of peace on earth. Help us remember who we are. 

Monday, May 21, 2018

Possible...Impossible

My dream of peace on earth has taken many forms over the years. This morning, while musing, some new to me thoughts floated into my mind.

The institutions created by humankind are primarily to control people. They can be controls to tamp down negatives, keeping a semblance of order, or they can be controls to use extremes of negatives such as the Nazis. Both are external control systems, and both forms are only partially successful in relation to their goals.

Neither can bring peace on earth. So what might do so?

Ponder this with me - we have not tried to heal the underlying causes that make people susceptible to outer controls and the dark side, the shadows.

Great spiritual teachers have suggested there lies within us a divine spot, a seed of God. If this is true, and I do believe it is, I wonder why so few have sought it and fewer have found it??? And, furthermore, is finding this divine within the key to freedom from being subject to outer control?

I saw that life experiences tend to lead us to forget, distort, and squash our True selves. I thought of the great old song, "It's me, it's me oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer."

I was drawn to the idea that for peace on earth, we have to find a way to heal humanity so that we are inner directed from that Divine Seed. The anger, the fear, the greed, the meanness need to disappear. But then, how/what heals humanity and sets us free from the ugly shadows?

As far as we know, so far on earth peace has not prevailed, not ever. Is it even possible here? Is strife part of our lessons here? If it's not possible, then why does it keep coming to me that peace might be possible? Why does it keep tormenting me?

So I ask you to contemplate with me - what could heal humanity? Is it possible? What can I do about it?

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Bringing Together or....

This amazing time of global communication has the potential of bringing us together, sharing compassionately, lifting those who are in need of lifting and bringing peace.

However, potential to mean much needs to be actualized. It sounds so simple, so why isn't it happening?

Meister Eckhart, Leo Tolstoy, Nona Brooks  and others have seen that "all" that needs to happen is for people to live as Jesus taught. Of course any study of either history or current events shows us that a tiny, tiny percent of people have been able to do that, and even then not all of their lives. All have fallen short, a very few have tried, most are unconscious to the spiritual path, and some are just plain mean.

So the question seems to me - is it possible to get a majority to walk The Way of Christ, and if so how? How?

It begins with you and with me. Work on our own shadows. Focus on living in awareness of the Presence of God. Live the two Great Commandments. Radiate God's Love. Share the Light. Be the best we can be.

Let the contagion of Love and Light spread across earth. Let this be the time and US the people.


Sunday, May 13, 2018

It's a Dance

This morning, halfway between sleep and wakefulness, I had a vision.

I saw the movement, the activity, the actual dance of earth entering the carrot, the melon, all plant life, and earth as plant life entering animal and human life. I saw the dashed lines as the atoms move constantly, flow into this and that and circulate out, in, around. I saw whirling lines. I saw the way it actually is. The atom that was dirt whirled into the carrot, moved into the rabbit and kept going.

I saw God's creative action. I saw the oneness of that which we call physical and that which we label spiritual. I saw how there can be no separation between the things we have tended to name separate. It is in Reality ALL spiritual. God's activity is what it all is. Truly there is nothing but God.

God, I rejoice in the gift of vision you gave me this day. Lead me to be conscious of Your Activity, Your Presence in all that exists, knowing it only exists because it is Yours. Lead me to more fully understand Jesus' call to judge righteous judgement and not by appearances. You have shown me how nothing is as it seems to be via my usual senses. What an amazing thing is Your creation. Thank You for making me part of it and showing it to me. I breathlessly celebrate You and Your magnificence.

Friday, May 11, 2018

Nona Brooks

Nona Brooks is one of the wondrous people who have taught and led my life even though I have not met them. I started 're-reading her little book "Mysteries" yesterday.

This morning a couple of thoughts caught my mind that I wish to share with you today. One is the concept that we get stuck in mental and spiritual ruts. Sometimes it takes an earthquake like experience to get us out of it. Our "seeing" focuses on less than the Omnipresence of God.

Also, we diminish God by thinking God is limited by the activity of evil. This is a common confusion, it seems to me. In some quarters, evil and devil are "taught" as actual opponents of God.

Let's focus today on God's Presence in everything we see. In the whirling atoms of the seemingly solid table, in the tiny flower bursting out of the crack in the asphalt, in the wagging tail of a beloved dog, in the miracle of birth, in our very life - in all, we come to see the activity of The Omnipresent One.

Wherever we are, we live and move and have our lives in the Presence of God.

Open my eyes, open my ears, open my mind, open my heart to You, to Your Presence. Lead me to know You are always with me, with all creation - always.

Saturday, May 5, 2018

My Life Lives In Me

Today we were at a church district meeting. People were discussing, at one point, conferences of the past, memories, fond and not so fond.

There arose in me the sweetness of spiritual gatherings I was blessed to experience over the years, and I saw how each wonderful moment is a grain representing itself in my core.

They join together to strengthen my walk, but they also maintain their own distinctive meaning. From camps of my youth, churches, Asilomar, workshops around the world - the faces are present, echoes of music dance in my soul, prayers, tears, laughter, ah ha moments - live in me. I've not lost them; they are not long gone. They each are a precious part of me.

And I humbly hope in whatever way I have touched others, I live as a little grain in them as they do in me. The millions of moments of our lives walk with us.

Thank You, God, for the gift of each moment, each person, each joy and each difficult lesson. Through it all, it is You present, my Guide, my Love.