Life Continues

My dear soul friend, Evelina in Russia, often says, "Life Continues." I guess that has gotten her through so many dreadful times in Russia. We see many lives not continuing here, in real-time on our television sets and various "smart" devices. The horrors are part of our lives. It is hard to understand.

Meditating the other day, a quote from Shakespeare floated into mind:

• All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.

Suddenly I saw a vision of a grand sweep of the journey of souls. I saw lines of souls signing up for various lessons and experiences in their next lives, usually with a sort of helper guiding the choices. I saw how, in some ways, it is play-acting, and in other ways life's roles are curriculum needed by the soul in order to develop, expand, and be more of who they are. I saw once again how life actually does continue after this little role is played and the stage is exited.

I also saw how it is our calling, our assignment, to play our roles as honestly and as fully as humanly possible. We are not to sluff off and give up. We are to do our best, our actual best.

I saw how grand the exit is, to the Light, to the moment of accountability. There is the time of self-evaluation, of how well one did this time. There are some lovingly asked questions.

And the soul continues.

My Personal War

This is the first war in my lifetime that war is taking place in towns and streets where I've been. I taught many times in Russia, Crimea and Ukraine. I  know dear and wonderful people there. I feel powerless to do something. I made sunflowers to give away, I made a heart wall hanging in Ukrainian flag colors to hang in our sanctuary. I pray, of course, and I weep. What more can I do?

 I hear all sorts of assorted points of view:

    Zelensky was a comedian. I say Reagan was an actor. I say people sometimes rise to the occasion and surprise you.

    There is corruption in Ukraine. Show me a place without corruption, including here.

    Wars have always gone on. I say, maybe they don't have to go on, if we rise to the occasion.

    Zelensky is a thug. I say he is staying put and courageously leading his people by example.

    Zelensky is a Nazi. I say he is a Jew, how ignorant can one be to call him a Nazi?

    Putin wants to reunite the old Soviet Union. I say we all want a lot of things. Wanting does not mean we can or should get everything we want. I say he has no right to take someone else's country. They don't want to be reunited. They remember how it was under Soviet domination.

    Putin says he is not targeting civilians. I say, I can see otherwise with my own eyes.

    Etc, etc, etc...

So, we helplessly watch apartment buildings crumble, hospitals collapse, piles of corpses, millions of frantic refugees. Our hearts break. We weep.

Yes, we can give money to some worthy group trying to alleviate the agony. 

The bigger question is - Is there a way to stop this madness? Maybe not. The propaganda (talk about fake news) spewing in Russia includes - we have to do this as the West wants to wipe Russia off the face of the earth! The Ukrainians want us to liberate them! Only a few of our soldiers have died. And so forth.

Here, we have a leader who is beholden to Ukraine, Russia and China because he and his family have made a huge amount of money from them. And he is not alone in this. Never mind we promised Ukraine we would protect them if they gave up their nukes - integrity anyone? The bully of the East is threatening nuclear war if we do this or that. No one knows if he is bluffing, and so they are timid. The play yard bully is hard to deal with, especially when he wields nukes. We notice his tanks are not very good. We don't know if he actually has nukes that would work. They could be rusty as much of the country is rusty. But we don't know. Where is the intelligence informing our leaders? Is it whispering things unfit for citizens' ears?

There does not at this moment seem to be a possible winner in this mess. Everyone loses. All I can do is pray.

Oh Divine Presence, hear the cries of Your people. We see the atrocious war, and we don't understand. We see two "Christian" countries acting the opposite of Christ. We are dismayed. I don't think this has a human solution.  Blanket the world with Your Peace. Fill hearts and minds with Your Holy Spirit. May Your Highest Good come forth and bring Peace. We ask this in the name of Christ, and we seal it with the ancient seal of faith, Amen, Amen and Amen 

Perilous Times

It is difficult to understand how quickly major changes happen and shift the entire world. The unthinkable has happened, and even more unthinkable things are threatened.

Most of the world is united, at least in prayer and spirit, with Ukraine as Russia violently attacks her and now threatens the entire earth with nukes.

What to do?

For me, as an ordinary person, the main thing I can do is pray. Pray with me please.

Divine Presence, I know You are everywhere there is to be, there is no spot where You are not. We as Your offspring are part of You, even when we seem to forget and behave in opposite ways. Help us remember who we are. On this tragic time and day, help us focus upon You and hear Your Guidance. We ask for Your Peace to blanket the angry and violent, helping them to turn away from evil behavior, helping them to remember You, helping them remember we are all siblings, helping them remember it is wrong to put people in pain and anguish. Strike the invaders with Your overwhelming Peace so that they walk away from their weapons and join arms with their spiritual brothers and sisters. Peace is possible. We call upon all forces in heaven to help us all remember and act as You would have us act. We turn this prayer over to You, asking in the name of Christ and sealing it with the ancient seal of faith, Amen, Amen and Amen 

Why Is So Much Out of Whack?

Nona Brooks, in her wonderful little book, "Mysteries," offered this on that subject: 

The Father did not force the prodigal to return, but he loved him all of the time he was away. There is no ruling power that forces us into realization of our heritage. We may wander far and suffer many tribulations before we decide to return to a right attitude—one that will put us in harmony with good. Divine love is always sharing its warmth, glory and beauty. It impels the individual to do better things, but it does not compel us to live to our highest. We are free agents in so far as our power of choice to realize the good that is always ours is concerned. We cannot as individuals by using our personal wills change the truth of what we are in God. Children of God can not change their nature, because it is divine. We can, however, neglect to cooperate with divine activity and thereby retard our own progress.

I think the demise of transformational religions and spiritual practices have left many adrift in the earth experience. The attempt to replace communion with the Divine with all manner of secular things tends to make life shallow and frightening. No worship at the altar of sports or consumerism can give us peace or help us overcome addictions or calm our restless minds. Many seek amiss.

But then, no wonder. Where are the spiritual teachers that teach spiritual practices that lead to awakening us to who we really are and what it is we are doing here?  For that matter, where are those that have communed with the Divine themselves and so can authentically lead us? Far too many are into the letter of the law and not the Spirit of it all. Many just pretend, taking on the hollow role of acting the part.

You can memorize all the rules and holy writings you want, but are you genuinely in tune with The More? Are you a light to those around you, exuding rays of love; are you forgiving, kind and compassionate? You can jump through all of the hoops your group requires, but be no closer to God. 

Without a true spiritual connection, it is my experience that people feel lost, a bit empty and seek in all the wrong places. It's really no wonder. One who Knows is hard to find. Of course, we can read the words of those that Knew. They are strewn across history. We can gather small groups to delve into the writings together. 

We must be proactive, if we really and truly want to know who we are and to connect our lives with the living Presence of the More, of the Divine, of God. "Seek and you will find, knock and the door will open."  

God's Creation

Yesterday at the meditation workshop, I asked everyone to go outside and find a leaf, a flower, a tree, etc. and spend time just being with it. They then shared insights.

This morning I awoke with a mental picture of a plant, maybe a weed, but with leaves and flower growing up through a tiny crack in the asphalt on a freeway. I thought of the will of life to express, to let.

Then I thought of the power of God's creation and how it is greater than human creation and "wins" at least eventually. Leave a house empty for very long, and insects and animals and weather will start breaking it down. Leave a tiny crack in a road, and soon life will emerge, as if thumbing nature's nose at the mighty road builders.

In this secular world of these times, perhaps it is time to turn from the gods of the secular, which turn out to be temporary, to the Divine, to the Creator, to The More.

Look around and see - and you will see evidence of a Divine Presence. Look deeply into a rose for 10 minutes, and you will know something More. Watch a snail amble across the soil for even 5 minutes, and you will know something More. Sit on the grass and be with a tree for just a few minutes, and you will know something More.

Take the sacred back and let the secular recede.

Insights From the More

In teaching Lectio Divina (Divine Reading) at the beginning of my meditation class, I found myself lifted. The idea came to me that in this process, we are mining for spiritual gold. The process is basically this: find a scripture verse that speaks to you, read it slowly, then re-read it emphasizing one word each time, close your eyes, repeat the verse, listen, then journal. Example from Psalm 46:1:

Be still (let go, release) and know that I am God. 

Be still (let go, release) and know that I am God. Be still (let go, release) and know that I am God. Be still (let go, release) and know that I am God. Be still (let go, release) and know that I am God. Be still (let go, release) and know that I am God. Be still (let go, release) and know that I am God. Be still (let go, release) and know that I am God. Be still (let go, release) and know that I am God. Be still (let go, release) and know that I am God. Be still (let go, release) and know that I am God.

Be still (let go, release) and know that I am God. 

I have contemplated this verse many times, each with a variety of insights. Saturday, this is what came to me as I wrote after the above Divine Reading: 

It is in the stillness that I can know God. It is a state of being of pure who-I-amness. I LET go, I can't MAKE it happen. I HAVE to let. I answer - Yes, God. I let You be all and all in me and in all of my life.

Try Divine Reading for yourself. You may be surprised how closely you live your life with The More. Words not from you alone, but word gifts from Something/Someone More, often called God. 

 

 

On the Eve

It's the eve before my meditation workshop's first meeting. The room is set up. The handouts are on the welcome table next to the sign-in, name tags, the extra pens, and some bottles of water.

My mind turns to all the things I've learned and experienced in my years of relationship with meditation. So many moments, so many epiphanies, so many memories. I ask God, How can I communicate what I know and know that I know to those who don't know? The answer came: Lead them to their own experience. Once they know, no one can take that knowing away.

Yes. I will do that. I know how. I've done it before. It's too long that I've been away from the important, essential leading people to know by experiencing. I'm excited.

Thank you for this opportunity. I know You lead me each and every moment, so all is well and will be well.