Infused Clay

This morning I lounged in bed a little while. I became acutely aware of my body, so soft and flexible, yet made of clay, fully of earth. So seemingly unlike clay, infused with spirit and therefore so much more. The miracle of it struck me in a new way.

It seems to me that my soul is housed at present in this amazing body composed completely of earth with something spiritual activating it. I've been with people when their soul, their essence leaves. The body instantly changes. We are not our bodies, but we do need them while navigating earth life.

I think we need to celebrate our earthen vessels and take as good care of them as possible. Our souls have a lot to learn and do here.

In What Dimension Do You Live?

This morning an extraordinary thought has been rolling around in my mind. In this time in history, more and more people are living a two dimensional life. Like the old story of the flatlanders, we move up and down and sideways, but few move from depth to transcendence.

More and more people spend increasingly longer hours involved in the flatland of electronic devices. I have met a few who recognized this and speak of escaping. The various devices are hypnotic and therefore addictive. Then the real world is not the focus, but is an irritation. Imaginary worlds of two dimensions grab a hold of a person. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, phones, tablets, computers, and television become what's important.

When was the last time you walked barefoot in the grass, laid down and made up cloud stories, truly observed a tree and pondered its life, looked deeply into someone's eyes and fully listened to them with your heart, went days without touching an electronic device? Do you spend more than an hour a day on electronic devices?

How we spend our time shows us what we worship, what is important to us. Is getting the newest device more important to you than the time honored ways to be a human such as spiritual and charitable pursuits, reading wisdom writings, engaging in meaningful conversation, developing yourself to be fully and gloriously all you can be, being in and communing with nature, etc?

So, let's look ourselves squarely in the eye and assess where we are in life and where we now choose to be. Expand, Create, Be Free.

Paradox of It All

There is a spiritual hunger active in our souls. Historically we know this hunger can be filled in quiet, in contemplation, in communing with nature, all of which lead us to The Presence and to knowing rather than knowing about.

The problem is that our "modern" life is noisy, busy and often in cities where most of nature is paved with concrete and asphalt.

So, we might ask ourselves, how can we satisfy our spiritual hunger? How can we carve out spaces in our lives for quiet, for contemplation, for nature? How can we shift from knowing about God to actually know God?

It seems to me, it has to be intentional. We have to recognize our own particular barriers and plan a way through them. For each of us, it might be a different route. If you've been reading my musings, you probably are aware of my route. You might begin there or might wish to go a more unique way.

I do urge you to begin, if you have yet to start, and to continue. I know for certain that The More is calling.

Attachment, A Form of Addiction

Detachment has long been a spiritual practice in many religious expressions. When we are attached to something strongly, it rules us. Whether it is a point of view, a bad habit, or physical things, strong attachment reduces or even smothers our freedom. It stands in the way of spiritual awakening.

It has been suggested that it is a form of addiction. We have to have agreement on whatever our attachments are or we get upset, even violent. Think religious wars, family split over politics, attacks on those considered "other," and almost any conflict you can think of.

A long ago friend, Ken Keyes, wrote an insightful book on this topic. I am eternally grateful to him and his ideas. Basically, he suggested we shift our addictive thinking to preferences.

In this shift, my peace of mind is no longer controlled by other people shaping up to my expectations, to my point of view, to be in total agreement with me. I learn to think generously.

So, I may prefer you like what I like or make the same choices I make, but I do not require you to be another version of me. I do not give you my peace of mind by trying to control you. I give up my addiction to having others be a certain way. I can then observe others nonjudgmentally. I can empathetically come to understand you.

And if what you do is truly abhorrent to me, I can just walk away. I can still care about you. There are billions of people in this planet. I don't have to be in immediate relationship with them all.

It is exhausting to try to control others. It is essential we control, focus, balance our own life. We are each a work in progress. We are responsible for shaping up our own selves.

Let's start this new decade with a generous heart.

Body of Truth

A line in a Karen Armstrong book that I am reading caught my interest this morning.

In both Pali and Sanskrit - as in English - the word "body" (kaya) can refer to a group or collection of elements, so the "dharma-body" of the Buddha is composed of those qualities and teachings which represent the Truth that he embodied.

It led me think about the Cosmic Christ, about the qualities and teachings of Jesus who became Christed. Communion says we enter the body of Christ. Some have taken that literally, but it seems much more powerful and helpful to say I enter into the body of the qualities and teachings of the Christ. I take them into myself. I invite them in.  I endeavor to live them. I am aligning myself with compassion, wisdom, and love and all that is in The Body of Qualities and Teachings of Jesus, the Galilean who became Christ, the anointed.

Such an entering offers transformation. We know as He knew that it is the Divine Within doing the work.

Motion Picture?

This morning in my contemplation, I saw my life as a sort of motion picture, one that cannot be rewound, but with smells and sensations. One that only God and I can fully know.

I saw the times I seemed off track, but those times ended up being my teacher. I saw joy and sorrow, hope and despair, beauty and ugliness, flashes of insight and moments of feeling lost, spiritual awakening and knowing contrasted with times of doubt. It was all there and more.

I saw that one of our "jobs" while on earth is to move into alignment with the principles of it all. Life works better when in harmony with and dancing with the Divine and Divine patterns. This requires moving out of superstition, and out of all evil actions such as violence, greed, etc. and out of certainty/closed mindeness, into a teachable and unattached mindset.

We cannot know it all, it's infinite. We must begin nevertheless. Today we participate in shaping tomorrow.

A Blessed Christmas To You

The potential today is for sincere seekers to birth the Cosmic Christ, to attune to the subtle Presence of the Divine seeded in each and every being. Of course this is a daily possibility, but today with so many focused on the birth of Jesus and his meaning, the energies are heightened.

Without our attention and choices, potential remains potential. We perhaps need to ask ourselves some questions such as:

• What would my life look like if my ego issues were healed?
• Am I truly ready and willing to choose peace, nonviolence, empathy, compassion, and wisdom every moment of every day?
• Am I ready to listen and see and hear at a higher level?
• Am I ready to spend daily time in the silence, in reading writings of inspired individuals, in contemplation, in nature?
• Do I welcome the Mind that was in Christ Jesus to be in me?

If so, let's pray.

This day I turn to my inner core, to the seed of the Divine forever within. I pour upon that precious seed the waters of my faith in the name of all that I am now and all that I am yet to be. I wish for the seed to sprout and grow and bear fruit. I align myself with all that is holy and turn away from all that is unholy and false. I am here Lord, committing myself with all integrity to this rebirth.