Tuesday, February 26, 2008
You are nothing ...
The title of this entry isn’t meant to be sarcastic or deprecating. It’s meant to give you a new perspective on “who” you are in the third dimension.
I think we can all agree that we are comprised of atoms. For thousands of years, atoms were thought to be solid balls. It wasn’t until fairly recently that physicists discovered they were comprised of more elementary, subatomic particles … electrons, protons and neutrons.
Atoms are, indeed, small … measuring about a billionth of an inch across. But the subatomic particles that comprise atoms are much, much smaller. In your minds eye, envision an atom’s nucleus being the size of a grain of rice. The atom itself would then be as big as a football stadium. The electrons would be other grains of rice orbiting the atom. Matter, you see, a very small part of the Universe. In fact, matter is 99.9999999 percent empty space. The atom is simply a small metaphor for the larger Universe where great expanses separate stars and their planets … where solar systems are separated by other solar systems by vast distances … and galaxies are separated from other galaxies by immense divides.
If that’s true, you may ask, why does the physical world seem so … well … so physical?! A very simple explanation is this … electrons circulate so quickly around an atom’s nucleus that they create an impassable fence through which other particles cannot penetrate. It’s like an airplane propeller at rest. You can throw a stone between the blades and it passes right through. But if you threw that same stone at a spinning propeller, it wouldn’t stand a chance of making it through.
That raises all sorts of issues for the critical thinker. How much smaller can subatomic particles get? Are electons, protons and neutrons comprised of even smaller particles? At a certain point, does a particle get so small that it becomes pure consciousness? Can we even draw that line?
At some point, faith and speculation take precedence over science because we simply don’t have the capacity to measure consciousness … to define precisely where that blurred line between pure consciousness and matter can be drawn.
But here’s my conclusion. Somewhere down the ladder all matter is comprised of pure consciousness … which leads us to God. Therefore, we are all parts of God. God is All That Is. We cannot separate ourselves … or anything else in the Universe from All That Is. All matter is of God and is, in a sense, God. And all “space” that exists between that matter is of God and is, in a sense, God.
So … you are “nothing” in the sense that most of you is “just” space! But you are also everything … because everything traces its origin back to God.
I think we can all agree that we are comprised of atoms. For thousands of years, atoms were thought to be solid balls. It wasn’t until fairly recently that physicists discovered they were comprised of more elementary, subatomic particles … electrons, protons and neutrons.
Atoms are, indeed, small … measuring about a billionth of an inch across. But the subatomic particles that comprise atoms are much, much smaller. In your minds eye, envision an atom’s nucleus being the size of a grain of rice. The atom itself would then be as big as a football stadium. The electrons would be other grains of rice orbiting the atom. Matter, you see, a very small part of the Universe. In fact, matter is 99.9999999 percent empty space. The atom is simply a small metaphor for the larger Universe where great expanses separate stars and their planets … where solar systems are separated by other solar systems by vast distances … and galaxies are separated from other galaxies by immense divides.
If that’s true, you may ask, why does the physical world seem so … well … so physical?! A very simple explanation is this … electrons circulate so quickly around an atom’s nucleus that they create an impassable fence through which other particles cannot penetrate. It’s like an airplane propeller at rest. You can throw a stone between the blades and it passes right through. But if you threw that same stone at a spinning propeller, it wouldn’t stand a chance of making it through.
That raises all sorts of issues for the critical thinker. How much smaller can subatomic particles get? Are electons, protons and neutrons comprised of even smaller particles? At a certain point, does a particle get so small that it becomes pure consciousness? Can we even draw that line?
At some point, faith and speculation take precedence over science because we simply don’t have the capacity to measure consciousness … to define precisely where that blurred line between pure consciousness and matter can be drawn.
But here’s my conclusion. Somewhere down the ladder all matter is comprised of pure consciousness … which leads us to God. Therefore, we are all parts of God. God is All That Is. We cannot separate ourselves … or anything else in the Universe from All That Is. All matter is of God and is, in a sense, God. And all “space” that exists between that matter is of God and is, in a sense, God.
So … you are “nothing” in the sense that most of you is “just” space! But you are also everything … because everything traces its origin back to God.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Where your heart is, there will your treasure be also.
Perhaps the greatest challenge a person faces is to decide where their focus of attention will be while they are on earth. Will they be conscious enough to sense what their soul covenant is? Will they know what they came to do and who they came to serve? Or will they be entrapped in “maya” which is the illusion of the third dimension that diverts attention from what is the higher reality.
There are many demands put on people during their stay here. It is a constant learning process. From the time of our birth we are indoctrinated into and consumed with the process of living … going to school, getting an education, choosing a vocation, finding a place in that vocation, earning a living, finding a mate, making decisions about housing and healthcare and finances, raising a family, deciding what, if any, spiritual or religious beliefs you will hold. These activities consume much … sometimes all … of a person’s time.
I believe it is often even more difficult for people who live in oppressive, poverty ridden conditions. They must scramble constantly just to stay alive … to find enough for themselves and their children to eat … to access adequate healthcare. There is often very little time for them to devote to the spiritual search. It is my opinion that is why the early Christians lived in tightly grouped, self-aware communities where widows were taken care of and resources were shared … in order for everyone who lived in that community to be relatively free from concerns about survival. They could then devote more time to making a conscious choice about their path on earth. (Note: My comment about sharing of resources should not be interpreted as support for the concept of socialism or communism, which I view as flawed and oppressive systems).
Jesus said “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:21) If we allow ourselves to be caught up in the chase, so to speak, our hearts will be focused on the chase. We will spend our time building wealth perhaps beyond our needs, expanding our social strength, working to “get ahead”. Of course, we must work to support ourselves. And there is nothing wrong with spending time with family and having a social life. But the challenge is in the balance.
The book of Ecclesiastes speaks to that very issue. It warns against building excessive wealth. You simply die and it gets passed on to someone else who will, in turn die. The writer urges readers to get in touch with how short this life really is.
Christ’s admonition to build up treasure in heaven was no idle, pie-in-the-sky comment. As much as it sometimes seems that our lives here are long … especially when we are going through trials and tribulations … time actually passes quickly, slipping through our fingers before we know it.
As I sat in my office today that realization dawned on me in a new way. I looked back over my life and thought long and hard about where my priorities needed to be for the rest of my days. That’s a tough exercise. But one worth the effort.
There are many demands put on people during their stay here. It is a constant learning process. From the time of our birth we are indoctrinated into and consumed with the process of living … going to school, getting an education, choosing a vocation, finding a place in that vocation, earning a living, finding a mate, making decisions about housing and healthcare and finances, raising a family, deciding what, if any, spiritual or religious beliefs you will hold. These activities consume much … sometimes all … of a person’s time.
I believe it is often even more difficult for people who live in oppressive, poverty ridden conditions. They must scramble constantly just to stay alive … to find enough for themselves and their children to eat … to access adequate healthcare. There is often very little time for them to devote to the spiritual search. It is my opinion that is why the early Christians lived in tightly grouped, self-aware communities where widows were taken care of and resources were shared … in order for everyone who lived in that community to be relatively free from concerns about survival. They could then devote more time to making a conscious choice about their path on earth. (Note: My comment about sharing of resources should not be interpreted as support for the concept of socialism or communism, which I view as flawed and oppressive systems).
Jesus said “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:21) If we allow ourselves to be caught up in the chase, so to speak, our hearts will be focused on the chase. We will spend our time building wealth perhaps beyond our needs, expanding our social strength, working to “get ahead”. Of course, we must work to support ourselves. And there is nothing wrong with spending time with family and having a social life. But the challenge is in the balance.
The book of Ecclesiastes speaks to that very issue. It warns against building excessive wealth. You simply die and it gets passed on to someone else who will, in turn die. The writer urges readers to get in touch with how short this life really is.
Christ’s admonition to build up treasure in heaven was no idle, pie-in-the-sky comment. As much as it sometimes seems that our lives here are long … especially when we are going through trials and tribulations … time actually passes quickly, slipping through our fingers before we know it.
As I sat in my office today that realization dawned on me in a new way. I looked back over my life and thought long and hard about where my priorities needed to be for the rest of my days. That’s a tough exercise. But one worth the effort.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Things to Come
Last night I went outside in the bitter cold and watched the process of the full lunar eclipse. The fact that I could see it at all was a small miracle as winter usually brings consistent cloud cover to our area. But the sky was a rare clear, blank slate for this wondrous event. And I marveled as the shadow was first cast in a small crescent shape across the face of the moon and then slowly expanded until it enveloped the whole of the surface, changing colors along the way from a luminescent grey to a clear amber orange.
And this morning as I drove to work I saw the most beautiful sunrise I’ve ever seen. Across the horizon of the frosty white river flats rose a huge, brilliant reddish orange sun shooting a wide beam of orange yellow light straight up into a dark blue dawn sky that was peppered with light clouds streaked in purples, greys, reds, yellows and oranges. It was absolutely amazing. For a brief moment it actually made me forget we live on a fallen planet.
When we're surrounded by the specter of children dying of starvation, of the wanton rape of the planet's resources, of child soldiers engaged in senseless wars, of technology outpacing spirituality, of rising rates of poverty and crime and substance abuse, of cultures and sub-cultures that denigrate women and people of other ethnic backgrounds it is difficult indeed to keep perspective.
It is easy to get caught up in the mud of this schoolroom we call earth. Sometimes its nice to be reminded that "here" is not all there is. Although I don't advocate living for a future life in heaven ... I believe we should try to create God's kingdom on earth ... it helps to get a glimpse of the awesome beauty and wonder that waits for us where "there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Revelation 21:4)
When I saw that eclipse and sunrise I was reminded of a verse in Troilus and Cressida ... "And in such indexes, although small pricks to their subsequent volumes, there is seen the baby figure of the giant mass of things to come."
Thank heaven for those small miracles.
And this morning as I drove to work I saw the most beautiful sunrise I’ve ever seen. Across the horizon of the frosty white river flats rose a huge, brilliant reddish orange sun shooting a wide beam of orange yellow light straight up into a dark blue dawn sky that was peppered with light clouds streaked in purples, greys, reds, yellows and oranges. It was absolutely amazing. For a brief moment it actually made me forget we live on a fallen planet.
When we're surrounded by the specter of children dying of starvation, of the wanton rape of the planet's resources, of child soldiers engaged in senseless wars, of technology outpacing spirituality, of rising rates of poverty and crime and substance abuse, of cultures and sub-cultures that denigrate women and people of other ethnic backgrounds it is difficult indeed to keep perspective.
It is easy to get caught up in the mud of this schoolroom we call earth. Sometimes its nice to be reminded that "here" is not all there is. Although I don't advocate living for a future life in heaven ... I believe we should try to create God's kingdom on earth ... it helps to get a glimpse of the awesome beauty and wonder that waits for us where "there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Revelation 21:4)
When I saw that eclipse and sunrise I was reminded of a verse in Troilus and Cressida ... "And in such indexes, although small pricks to their subsequent volumes, there is seen the baby figure of the giant mass of things to come."
Thank heaven for those small miracles.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The Big Question
On the way home from the airport the other day I was listening to an NPR reporter interviewing a former evangelical Christian who had reached a point in his life where he was now an agnostic. A distinguished professor of religion at a high profile university, he had recently written a book that, I believe, was called “God’s a Problem.”
The issue that caused his shift in belief was all the suffering that is in the world. His position is that suffering is the one great issue that Christianity fails to address and cannot answer in terms of the nature of God. Because he could not adequately answer why a loving creator could allow such exquisite misery to exist and propagate in the world, he could no longer believe in God or life after death.
I can certainly empathize with this brother because I have wrestled with this very same angel … and still do to this day. The “mystery of iniquity”, as the Christian apostle Paul put it, is certainly a daunting barrier to achieving any kind of peace of mind about God.
It really doesn’t matter what “religious” persuasion you are affiliated with … Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism … the core issue of why God allows suffering is never really dealt with in a satisfying way. Frankly, as I see it, the best we have are guesses … pieces of a large puzzle that we attempt to put together. But, because the pieces are so complex in shape and size, we don’t really know if we have it right or not.
I once had a former Unitarian minister for a supervisor in one of my jobs. His view was this … “I don’t believe in an afterlife. But it really doesn’t matter. If there is none, I won’t care because I won’t be conscious to know it. And if there is, all the better.”
In a similar way, the religion professor quoted a philosopher who once said that “you weren’t upset before you were born and you won’t be upset after you die.” He then went on to discuss the book of Ecclesiastes which talks a great deal about the transient nature of life and suggests simply that you eat, drink and be merry while you’re here because you only have this one shot!
Of course, being a fairly skilled debater who once made it to the highest levels of the state finals in school and a person of the Christian persuasion, I was arguing with him in my head – point-by-point – as he talked. Until I finally realized that, in a sense, I was really arguing with myself. I haven’t personally resolved why God allows such darkness in the world either!
Oh yes, I have counter points. For example, many, many people claim to have been visited by and often saved by angelic beings. I myself once had an encounter of this nature as did a close friend of mine. And I can think of no plausible explanation of who these beings are and why they exist if you say there is no God.
Another example is the near-death-experience (NDE). People who have NDE’s often claim that their encounter with an incredibly loving “being of Light” endows them with precognitive abilities, expanded intellectual capacities and a completely different view of life that returns with them to their bodies and stays with them throughout the remainder of their lives. They very frequently report being separate from their body during their dying experience and shock medical staff by reporting in detail what was done to revive them. If there is no afterlife … and no God … how can these phenomenon be explained?
I have often stood on the edge of the “there is no God” cliff with my toes hanging over, wondering if I should jump. I never have. But I certainly have compassion for those who do.
The closest I can come is this … there is a God but I’m pretty clueless about His/Her nature, strategies and plans. S/he’s simply too large and complex. If God is All That Is, then S/he encompasses all darkness and misery for some purpose unknown to me (the Chinese symbol for yin and yang comes closest to this concept in a metaphorical sense). And, if S/he is that large, s/he won’t have a problem with me going “toe to toe” with Him/Her from time to time and expressing my frustrations and doubts about how S/he’s running things down here.
In the end perhaps it all comes down to what the apostle Paul said … “Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
The issue that caused his shift in belief was all the suffering that is in the world. His position is that suffering is the one great issue that Christianity fails to address and cannot answer in terms of the nature of God. Because he could not adequately answer why a loving creator could allow such exquisite misery to exist and propagate in the world, he could no longer believe in God or life after death.
I can certainly empathize with this brother because I have wrestled with this very same angel … and still do to this day. The “mystery of iniquity”, as the Christian apostle Paul put it, is certainly a daunting barrier to achieving any kind of peace of mind about God.
It really doesn’t matter what “religious” persuasion you are affiliated with … Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism … the core issue of why God allows suffering is never really dealt with in a satisfying way. Frankly, as I see it, the best we have are guesses … pieces of a large puzzle that we attempt to put together. But, because the pieces are so complex in shape and size, we don’t really know if we have it right or not.
I once had a former Unitarian minister for a supervisor in one of my jobs. His view was this … “I don’t believe in an afterlife. But it really doesn’t matter. If there is none, I won’t care because I won’t be conscious to know it. And if there is, all the better.”
In a similar way, the religion professor quoted a philosopher who once said that “you weren’t upset before you were born and you won’t be upset after you die.” He then went on to discuss the book of Ecclesiastes which talks a great deal about the transient nature of life and suggests simply that you eat, drink and be merry while you’re here because you only have this one shot!
Of course, being a fairly skilled debater who once made it to the highest levels of the state finals in school and a person of the Christian persuasion, I was arguing with him in my head – point-by-point – as he talked. Until I finally realized that, in a sense, I was really arguing with myself. I haven’t personally resolved why God allows such darkness in the world either!
Oh yes, I have counter points. For example, many, many people claim to have been visited by and often saved by angelic beings. I myself once had an encounter of this nature as did a close friend of mine. And I can think of no plausible explanation of who these beings are and why they exist if you say there is no God.
Another example is the near-death-experience (NDE). People who have NDE’s often claim that their encounter with an incredibly loving “being of Light” endows them with precognitive abilities, expanded intellectual capacities and a completely different view of life that returns with them to their bodies and stays with them throughout the remainder of their lives. They very frequently report being separate from their body during their dying experience and shock medical staff by reporting in detail what was done to revive them. If there is no afterlife … and no God … how can these phenomenon be explained?
I have often stood on the edge of the “there is no God” cliff with my toes hanging over, wondering if I should jump. I never have. But I certainly have compassion for those who do.
The closest I can come is this … there is a God but I’m pretty clueless about His/Her nature, strategies and plans. S/he’s simply too large and complex. If God is All That Is, then S/he encompasses all darkness and misery for some purpose unknown to me (the Chinese symbol for yin and yang comes closest to this concept in a metaphorical sense). And, if S/he is that large, s/he won’t have a problem with me going “toe to toe” with Him/Her from time to time and expressing my frustrations and doubts about how S/he’s running things down here.
In the end perhaps it all comes down to what the apostle Paul said … “Now, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Thoughts
All material manifestations are initiated at subtler levels. There is nothing in existence throughout all the varying levels of the universe that did not come into being first as a thought. Scientists now theorize that all matter in the cosmos exploded into being at the time of the big bang from a particle that is no larger than the period at the end of this sentence. That act of creation commenced with the thought of God and, at the most basic level, that creation continues to exist as a thought of God.
If we look around and within ourselves we can see this principle manifesting in many ways. No action that we have ever taken either on a conscious or subconscious level has not been preceded first by a thought. No project or plan that we have developed or goal that we have met has not been preceded first by a thought.
Thoughts affect both voluntary and involuntary physiological functions. We can increase our heart rate, lower our blood pressure, increase production of endorphins and influence a host of other corporeal operations by changing thought patterns. Entire medical specialties are built on this principle including psychoneuroimmunology, biofeedback, hypnosis and psychiatry.
One of the first steps in using thoughts to our advantage is to recognize that idle thoughts do not exist. All thoughts create form at some level. When we integrate this understanding into our belief structure, we begin to guard our thoughts more closely. Until this happens, we allow ourselves to be vulnerable to many different kinds of psychic, spiritual and material influences. We also tend to generate haphazard, unwanted or undesirable manifestations on physical, emotional and mental planes.
In this respect we create our own reality in both objective and subjective realms. We can think ourselves sick or create other palpable manifestations of thought. And we can miscreate reality by attaching meanings to circumstances that, in themselves, are meaningless.
It is the nature of God to extend throughout the universe and to continue the creative process. God expands these processes through the power of thought. Because we are, in many senses, extensions of God, we are imbued with the same abilities. In this sense, very few people recognize or appreciate the power and nature of the mind. It is the primal creative force of the universe, is extremely powerful, never sleeps and is continually creating.
Recognize and respect the power of your mind. Encourage others to guard their thoughts and channel the creative power of the mind appropriately. Remind your proteges to ask themselves several times a day, "What am I creating at this moment?" Stewardship of resources applies to the subtle realms as well as the material plane.
If we look around and within ourselves we can see this principle manifesting in many ways. No action that we have ever taken either on a conscious or subconscious level has not been preceded first by a thought. No project or plan that we have developed or goal that we have met has not been preceded first by a thought.
Thoughts affect both voluntary and involuntary physiological functions. We can increase our heart rate, lower our blood pressure, increase production of endorphins and influence a host of other corporeal operations by changing thought patterns. Entire medical specialties are built on this principle including psychoneuroimmunology, biofeedback, hypnosis and psychiatry.
One of the first steps in using thoughts to our advantage is to recognize that idle thoughts do not exist. All thoughts create form at some level. When we integrate this understanding into our belief structure, we begin to guard our thoughts more closely. Until this happens, we allow ourselves to be vulnerable to many different kinds of psychic, spiritual and material influences. We also tend to generate haphazard, unwanted or undesirable manifestations on physical, emotional and mental planes.
In this respect we create our own reality in both objective and subjective realms. We can think ourselves sick or create other palpable manifestations of thought. And we can miscreate reality by attaching meanings to circumstances that, in themselves, are meaningless.
It is the nature of God to extend throughout the universe and to continue the creative process. God expands these processes through the power of thought. Because we are, in many senses, extensions of God, we are imbued with the same abilities. In this sense, very few people recognize or appreciate the power and nature of the mind. It is the primal creative force of the universe, is extremely powerful, never sleeps and is continually creating.
Recognize and respect the power of your mind. Encourage others to guard their thoughts and channel the creative power of the mind appropriately. Remind your proteges to ask themselves several times a day, "What am I creating at this moment?" Stewardship of resources applies to the subtle realms as well as the material plane.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Charity
NOTE: I've developed a new blog called "My Little Podium". There is a link to it on this page. Take a look.
This entry was written in December as we approached the Christmas season. The holidays provide us with an opportunity to sense more keenly the need for healing and generosity of spirit toward the family of man and other lifeforms that inhabit this small spaceship that we call Earth.
The call to charity permeates the season. We see food drives for the hungry, toy drives for children, pleas for money to shelter the homeless, clothing drives for those who are needy. The familiar sound of Salvation Army bells ring through the night on street corners and in storefronts. The energy of the holidays can bring out the best in people. We open our checkbooks a little wider and give more of our material possessions.
But there is another aspect of charity. One that involves giving at a level that is not linked to time or space and that has nothing to do with being more generous with material wealth.
Charity in its truest nature involves seeing and treating another as if that person had already achieved much more than s/he has actually attained in time. This has many consequences.
Lightworkers can see people as they actually are. An act of this magnitude requires spiritual sight and the ability to envision the persons archetype and soul. In doing so, Lightworkers glimpse potential.
By interacting with a person as they could be instead of what they are in time, we assist in 1) helping the person connect with their own archetype, 2) helping them to see (perhaps for the first time) their own potential and 3) drawing down the power, healing and possibilities of that higher energy.
The principle of resonance is at work in these situations. Lightworkers, by interacting with a person as potential can actually generate energies which resonate with that potential, helping to open channels and draw down those energies.
Providing physical assistance is important and necessary. We are asked to care for our brothers and sisters as we care for ourselves. But they are only tools for expression and a means of accomplishing a higher purpose. That purpose is to escape the "what is" and help inspirit people with "what may be."
As Lightworkers consider what gifts they may give during the holiday season, they recognize that this may be the greatest gift of all.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
The Field is White
I remember when I first saw the movie, “The Poseidon Adventure” about a cruise line ship that was overturned by a tidal wave, requiring a group of survivors to develop a plan for survival. In that film, Gene Hackman played a minister called Reverend Frank Scott who was a leader of that group. The Reverend Scott was a person who believed that people should help themselves and not rely on God to do everything for them. He believed that people were responsible for themselves, should identify what they wanted to accomplish and should throw themselves into those goals with everything they had. It could probably be said of him that he thought we should save ourselves and not rely on God to save us.
I thought of Reverend Scott this morning as I read some statistics on the state of our planet. And I wondered how Jesus would have responded to the current scenario if he were here.
During his earthly life and for many years after his death, Christ’s followers emphasized working toward establishing the Kingdom of God on the earth by actively engaging in redeeming activities within their communities – sharing resources, taking care of the widows, visiting the sick – works and not just faith. With time, however, that emphasis shifted away from the redemption of communities to looking forward to the afterlife and relying on “faith” to “save” people into Heaven. At some level, the Christian community gave up on the present in hopes for the future.
Now we face the following:
About 487 million workers worldwide, (16.4 percent), earn approximately $1 per person, per day. Another 1.3 billion workers (43.5 percent) still live below the $2 per day poverty line.
Infant mortality rates in ten countries exceed 100 deaths per 1,000 births. In three countries, including Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and Angola they exceed 150 deaths per 1,000 births.
40% of America’s rivers and 46% of America’s lakes are too polluted for swimming, fishing or aquatic life.
From the Revolutionary War through Iraqi Freedom, the United States has spent about $5 trillion dollars to defend itself and others from aggression. From 1775 to 1945, the United States lost almost 1.2 million soldiers to conflicts.
In 2006, there were nearly 14.5 million felony arrests in the United States alone.
There’s more … but you get the idea.
What would Jesus say if he were here? I doubt it would be, “Well, the best you can hope for is to get into Heaven. The earth is beyond redemption.” I think it would be something more like, “The field is ripe and ready for harvest. Let's get started.”
Monday, February 4, 2008
Rituals as Bridges
Throughout the ages, rituals have been an important part of the healing process. Although we are divine animals, we move within a material dimension which creates a desire within us to express ourselves through tangible, structured formats. These formats are our rituals.
Rituals in themselves, however, have no inherent power. Rituals, for example, cannot compel higher level spiritual beings to do our bidding. Nor do rituals have the actual power of alchemy. Tghey have power only as we empower them ourselves oras God uses them as a channel to accomplish a given purpose through us.
There is, for exammple, no magic in the smoke generagted during a peace pip[e cermony. But there is magick generated by the ceremonies and commitments made during that ritual. There is no magic in th ematerial components of ash that is used during smuding (cleansing) rituals. But the consciousness and intent that must be present during the ceremony invokes the assistance of internal and external forces that will cleanse and bless the environment.
Rituals symbolize hope. The transformations that occur as a result of rituals are brought about because they make it easier for us to
We should be careful not to criticize rituals of other peoples. Although foreign to us, they represent meaning to those groups. Because their physical universe has manifested differently from ours, it stands to reason that their rituals will also manifest differently. This means nothing to God who transcends all ritual. The heart has an infinite number of ways to express itself. And that heart is all that God is concerned with.
Rituals act as bridges between material and more subtle dimensions. They are tangible, outward expressions of inner feelings and commitments. As such, they function as pathways of change. They help us to focus, to clarify and to channel energies.
Although, at the highest levels of functioning rituals become unnecessary, we should remember that very few people transcend the need for their rituals. Therefore it isn't a bad thing to become a master of ritual knowing that they can serve the purpose of assisting others to higher points in their lives.
Rituals in themselves, however, have no inherent power. Rituals, for example, cannot compel higher level spiritual beings to do our bidding. Nor do rituals have the actual power of alchemy. Tghey have power only as we empower them ourselves oras God uses them as a channel to accomplish a given purpose through us.
There is, for exammple, no magic in the smoke generagted during a peace pip[e cermony. But there is magick generated by the ceremonies and commitments made during that ritual. There is no magic in th ematerial components of ash that is used during smuding (cleansing) rituals. But the consciousness and intent that must be present during the ceremony invokes the assistance of internal and external forces that will cleanse and bless the environment.
Rituals symbolize hope. The transformations that occur as a result of rituals are brought about because they make it easier for us to
- forgive others and ourselves
- think about ourselves in a new light
- focus on, develop and channel our innate abilities
- develop new abilities
- unite with others or God
We should be careful not to criticize rituals of other peoples. Although foreign to us, they represent meaning to those groups. Because their physical universe has manifested differently from ours, it stands to reason that their rituals will also manifest differently. This means nothing to God who transcends all ritual. The heart has an infinite number of ways to express itself. And that heart is all that God is concerned with.
Rituals act as bridges between material and more subtle dimensions. They are tangible, outward expressions of inner feelings and commitments. As such, they function as pathways of change. They help us to focus, to clarify and to channel energies.
Although, at the highest levels of functioning rituals become unnecessary, we should remember that very few people transcend the need for their rituals. Therefore it isn't a bad thing to become a master of ritual knowing that they can serve the purpose of assisting others to higher points in their lives.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Think like a Leatherback
If we want to see the world improve, more of us ought to think like Leatherback turtles.
Leatherbacks can swim more than 12,000 miles annually from the nesting beaches of Indonesia to the Oregon coast and back out into the Pacific. These journeys are some of the longest migration paths of a swimming vertebrate species.
Of course, other animals migrate even longer distances. Sooty Shearwaters are seabirds that hold the record, traveling about 40,000 miles per year between nesting grounds in New Zealand to feeding grounds in the Pacific Northwest. Humpback whales also migrate long distances, swimming more than 5,100 miles between Central America and their feeding grounds near Antarctica.
Why should we think like Leathernecks (and some of their other animal friends)? Because their migrations underscore the ecological connections that link oceans and countries and highlight how conditions in one area of the world (feeding grounds in North America) can influence conditions in other areas of the world (nesting grounds in Indonesia). A decline in jellyfish populations off the Oregon coast due to pollution or other manmade causes can affect the rates at which Leathernecks are able to lay eggs.
Leatherbacks swim to the Oregon coast to gorge themselves on jellyfish during the warmer months of May to November. They then go back out into the Pacific and eventually return to Indonesia. Some of them, however, elect to feed in other, closer waters such as the South China Sea and the western Pacific. Spreading out over different parts of the globe makes their population less vulnerable to a downturn in food supplies or other factors. The result is a more resilient population.
What’s the lesson we can learn from them? The earth is one giant ecosystem. Like everything in the Universe, it is a system within a system within a system. When one part of the system is broken, it affects other parts. We cannot foul the nest called Indonesia and think that people who make Germany their nest will be unaffected. We all live in one big nest. It is fine for people in Indonesia to think of themselves as Indonesians. It is better if they think of themselves as Earthlings. The former is more limiting and less descriptive of the larger truth. The latter is much more inclusive.
Eventually we will learn the lesson. Hopefully our learning will come the easy way.
Leatherbacks can swim more than 12,000 miles annually from the nesting beaches of Indonesia to the Oregon coast and back out into the Pacific. These journeys are some of the longest migration paths of a swimming vertebrate species.
Of course, other animals migrate even longer distances. Sooty Shearwaters are seabirds that hold the record, traveling about 40,000 miles per year between nesting grounds in New Zealand to feeding grounds in the Pacific Northwest. Humpback whales also migrate long distances, swimming more than 5,100 miles between Central America and their feeding grounds near Antarctica.
Why should we think like Leathernecks (and some of their other animal friends)? Because their migrations underscore the ecological connections that link oceans and countries and highlight how conditions in one area of the world (feeding grounds in North America) can influence conditions in other areas of the world (nesting grounds in Indonesia). A decline in jellyfish populations off the Oregon coast due to pollution or other manmade causes can affect the rates at which Leathernecks are able to lay eggs.
Leatherbacks swim to the Oregon coast to gorge themselves on jellyfish during the warmer months of May to November. They then go back out into the Pacific and eventually return to Indonesia. Some of them, however, elect to feed in other, closer waters such as the South China Sea and the western Pacific. Spreading out over different parts of the globe makes their population less vulnerable to a downturn in food supplies or other factors. The result is a more resilient population.
What’s the lesson we can learn from them? The earth is one giant ecosystem. Like everything in the Universe, it is a system within a system within a system. When one part of the system is broken, it affects other parts. We cannot foul the nest called Indonesia and think that people who make Germany their nest will be unaffected. We all live in one big nest. It is fine for people in Indonesia to think of themselves as Indonesians. It is better if they think of themselves as Earthlings. The former is more limiting and less descriptive of the larger truth. The latter is much more inclusive.
Eventually we will learn the lesson. Hopefully our learning will come the easy way.
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