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Saturday, July 30, 2016

The Path, The Way

Before Christianity was Christianity, it was called The Way. I think this is interesting. First of all Taoism is also called The Way (I love Lao Tse and what he shared about The Way). Secondly it implies that there is something to do, some activity, some hints at how to walk this earth as a spiritual being. Christianity before it was Christianity was also called The Jesus Movement. There it is again, move/walk as Jesus did.

It seems to me that in this "modern" time, there are a tiny few who know this Way, Walk It and Teach It. There are people teaching various theologies, always asking for money, some fairly sincere, some charlatans of the first rate. Most of these try to control rather than set free. They seed fear of others who are walking this earth in other variations of theology -- that group over there are not real Christians, but we are.

If we are diligent, we can seek out the True Followers of The Way that are here now, and we can study the writings of the deep seekers who have written as best they can what they Know from their intimate and wondrous relationship with the Divine. It just doesn't fit tidily into words, but the words can at least give hints. They leave us a trail of spiritual bread crumbs that we can follow, if we are willing to dig and delve, discover and discard that which turns out not to be true. One of my little books, Our Spiritual Ancestors Speak to Us Today, covers 8 who have been deeply significant in my journey of discovering The Way. There is an excerpt on my website, http://www.spiritualthoughts.net/

To me, spirituality is a verb. It is an activity that engages us with Spirit in every aspect of our lives. As we awaken, we discover that it is who we are. As Teilhard said, "we are spiritual beings having a human experience." We become as Thomas a Kempis suggested, "The Imitation of the Christ," walking The Way with the glow of the Christ Light.

Even though it may be difficult to find some awakened people walking in The Way, it is possible. Even though it requires reading the thoughts of great spiritual lights, therefore study, contemplation, journaling, etc., it can be done and therein found is a great treasure, a great pearl.

Let us set out on The Way together, walking, living, being as reflections of the Light of Christ, as a beacon of hope to those wandering and seemingly lost. Hold spiritual hands with me as we walk The Way of Love, Compassion, Forgiveness, Joy, Light and Oneness with God. Turn on your light and let's get moving.

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Original Blessing

This morning I was pondering how the Original Blessing point of view got superseded by the original sin point of view. The turning point appears to be Augustine. Before him, there were not any references in Judaism or early Followers of the Way (later to be called Christians) of original sin. In fact, the Jewish scriptures begin with the grand story of creation, putting words into God's mouth that it was good each step of the unfolding cosmos.--and God said it was good...

Dependent on the ground out of which springs ones values, points of view, theology, philosophy of life -- we can see a huge different between these two soils -- blessing or sin.

The original sin point of view created all sorts of convoluted theologies. It seems to me that this point of view also calls into question the perfection attributed to the Deity. Was there a mistake made in the creation process, making God fallible? Was there ignorance of the cog missing in human creation, making God not Omniscient? Did this flaw sneak in, making God not all-seeing? Did God really create terribly flawed beings on purpose, for what purpose?

Or was Creation from the very beginning an Original Blessing? In almost all creation stories of a wide variety of people in many times and places, the Deity was named Good, Pure and Holy. Out of this Goodness, Purity and Holiness only like could come forth. There is no darkness in total Light.

We see a huge, vast amount of darkness perpetrated by humankind throughout history, and in this very day. On the other hand we see much more goodness, kindness and love, particularly in the "ordinary" billions upon billions of people who have inhabited this earth. Their stories are rarely known except for the occasional saint, shamen or great spiritual being. The stories tend to be told of the standout evil doers because they are in such an immense minority.

The situation, it seems to me, is that the mythic tree fruit that was eaten was from the tree of knowledge, and therein lies the clue. Humans have freewill and the ability to know the difference between darkness and Light. We can choose. We can experiment. We are not little puppets orchestrated from on High. Most people chose being a good person, a loyal friend, a loving parent, a good neighbor, etc. No one writes about those lives. Stories around campfires are rarely about them. We know more Hitler than Bonhoeffer, for example.

As for me, I know that my early life here was more rocky and I walked more shakily than I do now. It appears that I have learned the lessons of the difference between choosing with Wisdom or with folly. Hopefully, my remaining steps on earth will be Guided by Wisdom and led by Divine Love and Light. Hopefully my life will be/is a testament to Original Blessing by being a blessing.

My Beloved Father, thank You for the great and glorious blessings you have endowed upon this earth and its inhabitants. Open the eyes of those mired in the darkness, leading them to see clearly and be healed so that each may unleash the great blessings tucked inside. We celebrate You and the Goodness You have made. Thank you, dear God.

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Inner or Outer Directed

Recently I was in a conversation with a friend who thought the best way to live is to be outer directed. I reacted with "NO, inner directed." I understood she meant to be a caring person who did good and kind things to and for others.

My concern is that outer directed behavior usually ends up coming from and glorifying the ego.

For me, my goal is to attune as fully as possible to the Spark of God within, the Holy Presence, the Divine Seed, listen and flow out from there. I wish to be as Inner Directed as humanly possible.


Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Valleys

This morning, musing in bed before getting up, thoughts of valleys rolled through my mind. First of all, our planet is not flat, so we have valleys and hills and mountains, rough spots and smooth spots, jungles and deserts, all manner of terrain. How interesting this makes our trek on earth. How dull and odd it would be if we walked life here only on a flat plain.

Then my mind rolled over to our own individual journeys here while on earth. Our lives have ups and downs, twists and turns. It is rarely boring here!

It occurred to me that at each spot on this path, God has been there with me. I have succeeded in moving up, down, around and through many tricky emotional, physical, spiritual and mental terrains. I have arrived pretty much intact here at this moment in time. In fact, I have arrived at this moment more fully awake partially because of each of the dips and twists and what they taught me and how my faith has deepened and my relationship with God has become more prominent, vital and present.

I turn to this moment in time. I realize that each of us experiences this moment uniquely. There are millions of experiences of what this moment means to us --- from the tribal dweller in the deepest jungle who knows nothing of our way of life to the most sophisticated being in the modern high rise. But also, our very neighbor also experiences today uniquely and likely not nearly the same today as yours or mine.

I walk a valley that has twisted and turned over two and half years, as it wanders over false accusations, freezing of what is "mine," loss, incredible surprises, unkept promises, and the determination to not give "them" who I am, to not become bitter, but rather to shine as who I am without circumstances controlling me. There are days of despair and tears, but then the awareness of the Holy Presence turns me from pity to hope.

This day I feel the breaking loose of the bonds that have tied us (my husband and me) to this valley. I have glimpses of the lush terrain we are about to enter. I pray that we will stay awake to Guidance and walk freedom with dignity and beauty.

I know that I am to be me, without being tethered to whatever is the current situation in my life or on the planet. I feel the threshold of something "new" about to burst upon us. I am ready. This valley has led me more or less safely to this now moment. I know I have been being prepared for something. It is peeking at me just around the next corner.

Reveal Yourself to me Lord, reveal where You lead me next. I do know that wherever I go, there You are. I am thankful.

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Rabbi Heschel and Faith

Faith is not a stagnant pool. It is rather a fountain that rises with the influx of personal experience. Personal faith flows out of an experience and a pledge... it is useless to offer conclusions of faith to those who do not posses the prerequisites of faith.
As I walk my life, I can see that each twist and turn not only contributes to my own philosophy of life but also builds spiritual strength and puts muscle on my faith. I know of what I speak, for I have been there, passed through, learned, applied and continued on.

My faith is a living thing that increases with each experience. I like the mental picture of the fountain rising and surging. There is nothing stagnant about a fountain, and to a person walking the spiritual quest, there is nothing stagnant about the growth of faith.

There are those who seem to walk their path with blinders, so that the great lessons of faith are missed or negated and a stagnant sort of dreary wandering replaces the thrill of spiritual quest. And there are some whose blinders are painted a fiery red, so that a raging fury walks the path and shouts down the true spiritual quest that calls and beckons us all.

To truly walk the path requires an openness, a non-attachment, a curiosity, an expectant joy, a willingness. It may look like courage from the outside, however, inside there is calm because faith is there.

My steps right now are reflected in my current affirmation/mantra, Lord, teach me more about You. Help me know You more fully.

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Threads of Life

I keep having a vision today of a person strolling down a sidewalk, coming to a corner and deciding which way to turn or to not turn and walk on. It seems like an extremely minor moment in this person's life. So many of our moments seem extremely minor - shall I get this or that lunch, shall I go to this or that restaurant, shall I go here or there on vacation, shall I stop at Walmart on the way home or go to Target????

Yet each decision means that the people that are seen or met, the scenery, the thoughts, the time used. etc will all be different in each choice.

My future husband, 29 years ago, was curious about the beautiful old church in which I was pastor, and so came to visit. As I joke, I have said that I couldn't get rid of him after that. But he could have chosen some other church, or no church at all. It was a seemingly tiny decision when he made it, yet it changed our lives.

Each of us have millions and millions of possible futures, each dependent on the choices we make, tiny to huge. Often we have no idea that, for example, our fortune is in the elevator, so that whether to take the stairs or the elevator can be a life changing event. We have no idea that by choosing a particular movie, our mind will quicken and come up with a major new idea that can help others. If we would have gone in another movie, we might not have had that inspiration.

We thread our way through life, twisting and turning and sorting and being in new and interesting ways because we choose this not that.We will never know if we chose that not this, if the inspiration would have come another way, if our soulmate would have shown up somewhere else, if the investment expert on the elevator would have been at a cocktail party and we'd have met anyway.

The best I can do, is listen to the Holy Presence and follow the Thread I'm guided to follow, and release all alternate realities that I've not been guided to enter. The art of life is to refine our ability to Listen to Spirit, disregard ego and do the very best we can to be kind, helpful, loving, forgiving and shine the Light wherever we are.

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

James

James' ideas, as portrayed in the New Testament, speak to me. Here are excerpts from Chapter 3.
Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom... the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.
As I wrote in my book, "What On Earth Is Going On? Spiritually Speaking," it seems to me that James gives us some pretty pointed ideas about what our goals are if we want to walk The Way of Christ. He makes it clear that being mean-spirited, controlling or harsh are not on the list. He insists that we are to participate in life by doing good works.

So what's up with the angry contingent of people who call themselves Christian,or the people who don't even try and stop the quest? Full-bodied, full-throated followers exhibit the qualities James mentioned and I wrote above.

We would do well to check ourselves out, and make a shift or 2 where needed.

  • What does my life show to others?
  • Am I gentle because I have listened and seek wisdom?
  • Is the wisdom I seek spiritual?
  • Does the wisdom I seek lead to peace? 
  • Is it gentle?
  • Am I stiff necked, or am I willing to yield?
  • Am I full of mercy?
  • Do I produce good fruits regularly?
  • Am I free of partiality?
  • Am I free of hypocrisy?
An honest self-check, done regularly, can be a big help to move us forward on our journey.

I pray that soon, many, many people will have affirmative answers to James' list.

Saturday, July 2, 2016

Discovering The Kingdom of God

To discover the Kingdom of God exclusively within oneself is easier than to discover it, not only there, but also in the outer world of minds and things and living creatures... it is less arduous than the process of inclusion, by which we come to know the fullness as well as the heights of spiritual life.
                    --- Aldous Huxley, "The Perennial Philosophy"
For many of us on the quest, we have moments, even days, when we touch The Kingdom within. Once touched, openings upon openings happen. For some, the quest then does lead to inclusion - God, The Kingdom, Divine Energy, Pure Essence, the Ground of Being is everywhere - in this forest, under this ocean, in this flower, under this rock, in each and every creature, everywhere.

It saddens me that in this mad world, it appears that few go upon the spiritual quest nowadays. The flashing lights of our technological world call from all directions. We are bombarded by someone or the other's version of what is going on almost everywhere on earth, and nowadays beyond. It seems the majority walk away from religion and then from spirituality, or just submit to some one else's assessment of what is so and just follow the rules to maybe get to heaven one day. They have no inkling that heaven is now, for God is now. Heaven is always, for God is always. The Kingdom of Heaven IS within.

We have a burden not held by past residents of this planet. We have news streaming from almost everywhere. How can God be real? people ask, when this awful thing or that awful thing is happening right now before our very eyes. We lose ourselves in virtual reality of games, television and other entertainments. We seem to care more about our fictional families on television than our actual neighbors.We live hours a day in make believe. We are in a mass hypnotic situation. Along with the Zen Master, I shout to the people of earth, WAKE UP!

A question I ask is, why have so many turned away from the known practices that lead to enlightenment, to instead enter the modern frenzy? Those doing terrible things, supposedly in the name of God, are in no way in touch with God. The story of today is a cautionary tale of what happens when an earthful of people are not quiet, not still, not listening, not living Love, Joy, Peace, Kindness and the various fruits of being awake in Spirit.

Can we somehow turn to God? Can we lay down the idiocy, the madness, the destructiveness of trying to go it alone without our Divine Parent's Guidance? Can we turn again to touching the Kingdom within and then to expand to finally realize the Kingdom is everywhere? Can we remember the seed of God is in everyone? When we turn against and harm others, we attack God, we attack our own brothers and sisters, we go against all Spiritual Principles.

Not only must we resist the false teachers, the hypnotic technology, the crazy ideas, etc, but we must proactively turn to time tested spiritual practices such as: meditation, contemplation, prayer, reading a wide variety of all things spiritual as food for our soul, doing acts of kindness, participating in a positive spiritual group, speaking from a deep and loving place, etc.

I have very strong guidance to share these thoughts with whomever is drawn to this blog. May God bless you and lead you on the greatest adventure available on planet earth, the spiritual quest.