Knowing vs Following

In the 1st century, there were various groups with divergent assessments of what it meant to follow The Way. The teachings of Jesus had quite a wide range of interpretations. There were 2 primary groups, however. These were Gnostics and Orthodox. As we know, the Orthodox "won." The Gnostics hung on for about 300 years, but did not totally vanish, for their ideas began to surface in the mystics of the Middle Ages, the Reformation and more recently in the teachings arising again such as Lectio Divina, journaling and Centering Prayer.

Although there were various groups of Gnostics (from the Greek for knowing), they had some common ideas. They believed that the kingdom was within, and silence was a door to it. They believed that each person needed to have direct relationship with the Divine, and not be subject to outside authorities. They believed that rituals and rites did not create actual change within a person. They believed that all who enter the Presence, find the same Oneness. They shunned the quest for worldly wealth and status in favor of living a Divinely led life.

In part, they lost because such a teaching defies organization. The Orthodox, on the other hand, had creeds and rituals and things to follow that were understood easily. They organized, gained power and then merged with the political rulers. The Orthodox then called all others heretics, burning their books (even the early ones from before the 4 Gospels), punished their heretics and seized all power. They did their best to stamp them out forever. But they did not succeed entirely. As I mentioned, for example, the mystics were quite Gnostic without probably knowing it.  Fragments, scrolls, books, etc. keep turning up in what are called, "finds." The most famous finds I think are the Nag Hammadi find in 1945 in Egypt and the Dead Scrolls a few years later at Qumran in the caves. They begin to give us a peek into the early history that had been suppressed and supposedly destroyed.

I guess I could say that my heart leans toward knowing and against being subject to outside opinions and controls. Orthodoxy kept a version of Christianity alive for 2,000 years, but it tried to destroy the wonderful and unique inner knowing. We could debate whether or not Christianity would have survived at all without the strict theology of Orthodoxy, but it seems clear to me by the extremes to which it went, it also damaged the journey into the kingdom within. By distorting and taking away the mystery, many today are leaving the fold or are struggling to believe myth as reality. The science of today discredits much of theology, if it is held to be actual reality. But, as we see in the emergence of Perennial Philosophy across time and space, truth can be hidden within stories, stories that in themselves are not true but hint at and point to Truth.

Do we dare to walk The Way of Knowing? I can do no other.

Waking Up

I'm reading a book on Buddhism that led me to some thoughts on Christianity that I want to share with you.

Originally, what we now call Christianity, was called The Way. Sometimes we think of the Tao for it too is The Way. I was toying with some ideas though about The Christ Way.

What does it mean to follow, to walk The Way? To me it means to walk a path that encourages in each of us the awakening to Reality. The goal of Buddhism is to wake up, remove oneself from the illusion and fully see, act, be, etc all as it is. What if the goal of Christianity is to wake up in the manner that Jesus awoke? He showed and taught a way that leads to awakening.

It is reported that he asked us to follow, to come to know what he knew, to do even greater things. In walking The Way, what do we see as signs of awakening? What was he showing us?

In his reported statement that what you do to the least, you do to me, he is showing us that all is connected in Oneness. When I see that doing X causes pain in one person, I can also know that pain reverberates to everyone, including myself. When I see that doing Y creates harmony, I can know that too reverberates to everyone. Every time I choose to awaken, it touches everyone with a sprinkle of awakening.

If we look at the things reported that Jesus said and did, we can see what walking such a path involves. It is a servant path, as in washing the feet of his disciples; he was servant, not making himself above others. It is in listening and seeing beyond the rules made by man, as in it is all right to heal or to provide food and pick the corn, even on the Sabbath. Rules apply to those who are not awake and do not see the Whole. It is about generosity and sharing- as in feeding the crowds. It is about Love as he taught and modeled Love - unconditional, pure, non-manipulative, non-discriminating, given to all even those named "enemy." It is about forgiveness, given and to give.

All of these things, and more, show us The Way to awaken and see with Christ conscious eyes, hear with Christ conscious ears, and live as we are called to live.

For so long we have slumbered in the illusion created and maintained by the unawakened. The blind and asleep ones have led us astray into ideas and activities that only keep us asleep to the One and to who we actually are.

When I look at the life of Jesus from the point of view that his life was an example of awakening, I can follow in a new way and begin to actually step upon the path of The Way.

What is Moral?

We are told it is bad/immoral to lie, to bear false witness. In general, I think this is accurate. But then special circumstances pop up to make us question the absolute nature of this rule, maybe any rule. Say the Gestapo is banging on your door and want to know if you are hiding Jews. It seems to me it is moral to lie to them and protect the lives of innocent people. What do you think?

Then this argument can get polluted by the confusion of the unawakened mind. Yesterday a jury found a career criminal, an illegal alien who had been deported 5 times, killer of a young woman in her prime, shooting her with a stolen gun in midday, --- innocent. There was no dispute that he shot her nor that she died because of it. So now we see in this "sanctuary city"(certainly not a sanctuary for citizens), the value that says that it is immoral to control our border and so we must protect those who come without following the rules. It seems to me that jury made an immoral decision and set a violent man free to continue his violence. He learned he can get away with anything just because he was able to sneak into this country.

Clear thinking seems to be rare. It saddens me.

Perhaps there are no absolutes, but then the thinking about when the exceptions are more moral than the rules needs to be pristinely clear. Let us consider these things and do our best to see clearly.

Opinion vs Fact, Myth vs Reality

Today on television, books, schools, and churches we hear people speaking their opinions as if they were facts - not recognizing the twist of interpretation, they speak as if everyone would see it "that" way. Yet, there are many ways of looking at everything, and the more ways we look, the fuller the picture we get. But, as finite beings, we cannot ever reach the place of 100% knowing of anything, for there is yet another way to look at whatever it is. We can approach fact in science or mathematics, but we cannot all agree on what "it" means.

We can, for example, look at a lump of coal. What does it mean? What is it? Is it something waiting to become a diamond? Is it something to put in Christmas stockings of misbehaving children? Is it a way to warm a home or power a factory? Is it evil pollution? Does it tell the story of its history as it was formed eons ago? Is it something to be used or not? Where did it come from and why was it formed? Are we glad we found it or do we rue the day someone began to burn it? etc etc etc.

What are the facts? And then, I must ask - why are myths mistaken for facts?

My favorite definition of myth came to me from Joseph Campbell - Myth is something that never happened but is always going on. 

The situation with facts and opinions and myths and Reality is that our cultures are facing paradigm shifts because there has been a collision beginning with Galileo, Newton and Darwin. The old myths that had been mistaken as reality or Reality are now disproven as fact, as literal. The earth is not the center of everything. The earth does not stand still. The Infinite does not suspend the laws of nature. We are closer to the other mammals than we want to think. The Universes are so vast that they are unknowable, and on and on.

So we face a dilemma. Do we throw out religion, or do we look more deeply at the myths for their meanings? I have come to believe that the richness of myth is far more mysterious and marvelous than if these myths were actually Reality. We are alive in the exciting time of huge paradigm shift and can be part of the opening of the depths of the myths that have guided humankind for so many centuries back into the clouded time before history was recorded.

I have a suggestion. Pick your favorite religious myth that was once thought to be fact. Contemplate what meaning it has that can speak across time and culture to guide us into a closer walk with the Infinite One. Journal on it. Mull it around. Mine it. Go beyond what you have ever thought before. Let the infiniteness of God reveal Itself to you. Be a pioneer and fall in love with the new land to which you are led.

Miracles Happen

Last week my prayers focused on my son, on his birthday. I prayed for God's hand to comfort and uplift him and free him from anguish. I prayed for good things for him. He was outside of my reach, but not outside of God's.

Saturday morning at 7:30ish my cell phone rang. "Hi Mom, I'm in the area. Can you go to lunch?" It had been 7 years and 4 months since we had seen him. Suddenly, it was over!!!!!

I tearfully hugged him. Oh my how good he looked to my heart starved for my son. My daughter and a granddaughter came from a nearby town as they hadn't seen him for even longer (except he stopped by their home Friday night). Of course, my husband was there. It was the very best THANKSGIVING ever. In a Thai restaurant our family healed, shared, laughed, cried and became whole again.

He had been praying too and God told him to go see Mom. He flew out from the East Coast Friday, spent Saturday with us and flew back early Sunday morning. He came for 1 day!!!

God is great!! There are not enough words to express the magnitude of my thanksgiving.

Thoughts on the Day and History

57 years ago today I was walking around and around and around my obgyn's office building. He said a lot of walking would make labor start. The baby was getting large and was overdue. For 2 days I walked, this day and the day before. Then on the 15th, he said to go to the hospital and he'd induce the baby, but labor started in the nick of time. Many hours later, on the 16th, I was holding my 9 pound 8 oz. baby boy. I was in love. He looked at me with big eyes. His hair was long and dark. He was wonderful. And what a gorgeous, bright, curious and intense little being he was and became. So many beautiful memories over many years began that day, and then something collapsed and 7 years ago he went his own way, sort of divorcing us. I still get tearful.

Nevertheless, I would do it all over again. He will always be a part of me walking around on this planet, as of course is my dear daughter born a few years later.

I want to tie this to what I think is an abomination -- massive abortion, particularly to babies of color -- which I think of as genocide -- especially when Margaret Sanger's history is studied (founder of Planned Parenthood which should be Planned Murder). She wanted to get rid of people of color. And 57 million or so babies killed later, she has greatly reduced that population. And many who would have been mothers missed the amazing story of falling in love and journeying through life with another little being.

I also want to tie it to ancient Rome and seeds of its fall. It was common then to practice infanticide - babies, particularly girls but also boys who had defects, were thrown alive on the trash heap to be devoured by animals. They thought it was all right to do so.

Furthermore, ancient Roman entertainments were often murders in the arenas. Life was not valued. We could go on with examples, but I think you see the point.

Here we are in "modern" times and babies are being treated with no respect as they are killed in barbaric ways in the womb or partially out of the womb and then their parts sold to researchers. The most popular entertainments for many are violent films, television shows and "games."

I see echoes of the fall of ancient Rome afoot here. I would like Western Civilization to not fall. I would like us not to fall into medieval kinds of lives.

I pray for guidance for what to do.

Lord, I see patterns that lead down dark pathways. Guide us to turn to Your Light. Lead us to value this incredible thing we call life. Open our hearts and minds to love of life and therefore one another -- from the unborn baby to our neighbors on this planet. Lift the cloud of confusion. Open us to You.

Torah and Paul

I'm reading another fascinating book on Paul, quite different in many ways from the one by Crossen and Borg. This one is by N.T. Wright. I want to share a bit of this morning's reading put into my words and understanding.

The Torah (Law given to Moses) was given by God to help keep people from collapsing into chaos until humanity matured. It was given to the Israelites, but not for them exclusively. It was to be shared with all people when the time was right.

Paul's thesis was partially that --- opening to the new life of living in Christ was the new Torah. The old ways were incorporated in the new way and were greatly expanded. The influx of Spirit brought this new life. People were made anew under a new internal covenant that fulfilled the one with Abraham. The Temple was now primarily within and circumcision was of the heart. The way to live was alive within each awakened-in-Christ person.

It seems to me that most of humanity still has not matured. We as a species are somewhere between 3rd graders scuffling on the playground and rebellious teen-agers who grow into adults that are slumbering in relation to God and Reality. History repeats itself ad nauseum. People are in the same predicaments as our ancestors.

Many Christians (and members of other religions too) are engaged in nonsensical theology made up by the ignorant. People who do not study history are indeed condemned to repeat it. People who do not want to know, who just want to be told, walk blindly to and fro.

Occassionally someone "gets it" and their Light shines brightly for all to see, and perhaps be persuaded by such a Light to follow in that direction rather than the world's darkness and nuttiness.

I am thinking that in this context, what I must do to the best of my ability is to work on myself. I can focus on those behaviors, ideas, people, etc. that are known to lead to awakening. I can do something with myself that I am unable to do with the mass of humanity. If we each worked in this way, there would be Lights in every city and countryside for others to find and follow the example and way. In this manner, there is hope.

Lord, knowing we live our entire lives in Your Presence, we turn more fully today to You, asking for help to take down the veils that keep us from knowing You in direct and personal ways. Fill us with Your Spirit. Awaken us to be all we can be and know all that is knowable about You - knowing that by virtue of being here on this planet, there are some parameters that may have to wait for another time and place to fall. But, as totally as possible while on earth, lead us to You, to Understanding, to Wisdom, to Love, to Oneness. There is a soft rising of joy coming up from the depths, as these words roll through me in new ways. I come ...