Ever since our in-depth study of Walter Russell's concepts last Fall, I have been intrigued with his experience of going into an elevated state for something like 40 days and during that time he "knew" the universe. From this "knowing" of the universe during his spiritual experience he was able to apply what he had seen scientifically and several others who took his work and expanded upon it, ended up getting Nobel Prizes. So, we must conclude that his "knowing" of the universe had physical validity behind it.
Consequently for the last year I have added to my affirmation that "I know the universe", hoping to embrace a little of his experience. Actually I say, "I see the Light. I know the universe." And for a moment as I say each line I reach to embrace the experience behind those words.
Walter described what he KNEW about the reality of the universe as waves. Everything is a wave of life. Everything is "expressing" out into form from the Source. Thus if we see how the waves interact with one another we know what causes this kaleidoscope of life to express in the way that it does - how things come & go, change, etc.
These days, I've come to believe that I can almost see all those waves of the myriad forms of life expressing and interacting. This is especially true during my walking meditation. Some waves are solid and hold their form relatively stead for a time (like buildings). Others are complicated expressions of intent exploring with what seems a life of their own (like people). But, bird, animal, tree, grass, water, rock, sunlight, people - each is a unique almost joyous expression of life no matter what they are doing. One can almost see the waves carrying out their intent (some harmoniously, some violently interacting with other waves). We can see this huge symphony of waves expressing life in all manner of ways, winking out, and other waves coming into expression behind them, each on a different time frame. And together we call it ALL ----- Life! Actually it is the expression of Life. Life itself is the Whole out of which each individual thing flows.
Just spending some time being the whole -- the observer that is beyond individual expression, enjoying each one & the dance they create together -- is amazingly uplifting. There is nothing like concentration on ONEness to expand our consciousness. And when that happens, I feel I can almost see all the waves flowing. Maybe "knowing the universe" is not as distant an experience as it first seems.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Vacation in the Whole
I fully intend to wander all over the place in this post. But bare with me. We'll get there.
Let's start with the idea that if you don't think humanity is under seige by the higher forces cranking things up so that eventually we can no longer live by the old patterns and are forced to metamorphasize to a whole new way to experience life, then simply look at the major crises that it seems almost everyone is having to field right now. Maybe I just get to talk with too many people in crisis. But it seems that life is almost getting unreasonable in quite a number of people's lives. If we are not facing a number of amazingly demanding difficulties, everyone of us knows someone who is. The pressure is mounting. Drivers on the road are on edge. It seems humanity is being pressurized to see how much we can take. The only answer is to "break". And when the old breaks, the new and better is formed. What an interesting time we chose to incarnate.
Ok, that little tirade is over. The old addage applies, We are never given more than we can handle. And yes! We came here specifically to be part of one of humanity's most volatile times, to usher in the transition to a higher order of life on earth. Of course, it will take more than our lifetimes to fully usher in a new era. So in a sense we volunteered to live life as best we could specifically through these challenges that I feel are above and beyond the call of duty for those I am here to support. Personally, life often goes easy on me. But, it pains me to see what those around me must go through.
So with all this in mind, What do we do when the heaviness of life becomes truly burdensome (even if it is just realizing the burdens of those around us). Well, it's time for a vacation! Right! But the vacation I'm talking about can't be found in a place here in the earth. It is found by leaving individual expression behind for a few moments and entering the whole. When you abandon yourself and every other individual expression to live for a few moments in the whole of every expression united, there is a sense of ecstasy that rises and lifts us above the demands of individual life. Somehow that momentary escape revitalizes us and recharges us so that we can accept freely the tasks before us and those around us. Basicly it allows us NOT to "choke" on them.
This leaves the question, How do we get beyond individuality and into the whole? How do we actually take this much needed vacation?
I take the first step by "being alone". There is a strange truth that when you are with no one, you have begun to be with everyone. "I am never alone, for God is always with me." And of course, you can be alone in the midst of many people. I used to have to go to a remote mountain valley to truly be alone. And I learned the luxury of true "alone-ness". It is amazingly strengthening. However I've come to understand that only a beginner needs to be physically separated from people to enter this re-vitalizing alone-ness. In the end, it's all about leaving the personal conflicts and interactions of individual self behind in order to immerse yourself in the blend of it all. The moment you are nothing in individual expression is the moment that you are One with everything.
There are a million different ways to do this. I'm sure you already participate in this kind of vacationing in some way that is comfortable to you. Tonight for me, it took the form of walking around that lake in downtown Altamonte Springs. It's always filled with runners. I think it's a mile if you make the complete circle. Tonight was no exception. I walked alone. There were people passing me at a faster rate and others going the opposite way around the circle. There was music and hubbub everywhere. Shopping, hotels, apartments, & businesses dotted the lake front. The Walkway went across water and wildlife exerted a presence. Traffic buzzed by on adjacent roads. Yet there was an utter beauty to being in all its midst, part of everyone and everything, while walking alone. For those moments, life was that wonderful kaleidoscope that just keeps turning and making new designs without pausing on any one of them. The esctasy lifted my heart and I didn't even need to share this with someone, because I was already sharing everyone.
It's a timeless experience. There's no analysis - just experience. Each picture enters for a moment and it is gone. And it is complete in that fleetingness because I am not the individual expression I am the symphony of the whole. I used to rely on physical isolation to allow me to lose myself and be one with life. I'd use nature because people were too distracting. It's nice now to experience people as part of nature and still be able to be one with the whole.
In any case, this short beautiful reprieve has refreshed me. I guess it's time to pour myself into individual expression again and all the challenges it presents. After all that is why we came here. So, for me it's time to start putting together the eulogy for the 23 year old that grew up in our congregation and just unexpectantly passed. And remind myseld that no matter how crazy it gets, we are spiritual beings (all of us - those facing devastation and those of us who support them) and we can handle anything this physical world throws at us. Somehow it is part of carrying humanity to a whole new understanding of reality. And if it seems too much again, each of us can escape into the whole for those few moments of spiritual vacation that give us the strength to carry on - moments that can pour the "oil of joy" even on the experience of mourning.
Let's start with the idea that if you don't think humanity is under seige by the higher forces cranking things up so that eventually we can no longer live by the old patterns and are forced to metamorphasize to a whole new way to experience life, then simply look at the major crises that it seems almost everyone is having to field right now. Maybe I just get to talk with too many people in crisis. But it seems that life is almost getting unreasonable in quite a number of people's lives. If we are not facing a number of amazingly demanding difficulties, everyone of us knows someone who is. The pressure is mounting. Drivers on the road are on edge. It seems humanity is being pressurized to see how much we can take. The only answer is to "break". And when the old breaks, the new and better is formed. What an interesting time we chose to incarnate.
Ok, that little tirade is over. The old addage applies, We are never given more than we can handle. And yes! We came here specifically to be part of one of humanity's most volatile times, to usher in the transition to a higher order of life on earth. Of course, it will take more than our lifetimes to fully usher in a new era. So in a sense we volunteered to live life as best we could specifically through these challenges that I feel are above and beyond the call of duty for those I am here to support. Personally, life often goes easy on me. But, it pains me to see what those around me must go through.
So with all this in mind, What do we do when the heaviness of life becomes truly burdensome (even if it is just realizing the burdens of those around us). Well, it's time for a vacation! Right! But the vacation I'm talking about can't be found in a place here in the earth. It is found by leaving individual expression behind for a few moments and entering the whole. When you abandon yourself and every other individual expression to live for a few moments in the whole of every expression united, there is a sense of ecstasy that rises and lifts us above the demands of individual life. Somehow that momentary escape revitalizes us and recharges us so that we can accept freely the tasks before us and those around us. Basicly it allows us NOT to "choke" on them.
This leaves the question, How do we get beyond individuality and into the whole? How do we actually take this much needed vacation?
I take the first step by "being alone". There is a strange truth that when you are with no one, you have begun to be with everyone. "I am never alone, for God is always with me." And of course, you can be alone in the midst of many people. I used to have to go to a remote mountain valley to truly be alone. And I learned the luxury of true "alone-ness". It is amazingly strengthening. However I've come to understand that only a beginner needs to be physically separated from people to enter this re-vitalizing alone-ness. In the end, it's all about leaving the personal conflicts and interactions of individual self behind in order to immerse yourself in the blend of it all. The moment you are nothing in individual expression is the moment that you are One with everything.
There are a million different ways to do this. I'm sure you already participate in this kind of vacationing in some way that is comfortable to you. Tonight for me, it took the form of walking around that lake in downtown Altamonte Springs. It's always filled with runners. I think it's a mile if you make the complete circle. Tonight was no exception. I walked alone. There were people passing me at a faster rate and others going the opposite way around the circle. There was music and hubbub everywhere. Shopping, hotels, apartments, & businesses dotted the lake front. The Walkway went across water and wildlife exerted a presence. Traffic buzzed by on adjacent roads. Yet there was an utter beauty to being in all its midst, part of everyone and everything, while walking alone. For those moments, life was that wonderful kaleidoscope that just keeps turning and making new designs without pausing on any one of them. The esctasy lifted my heart and I didn't even need to share this with someone, because I was already sharing everyone.
It's a timeless experience. There's no analysis - just experience. Each picture enters for a moment and it is gone. And it is complete in that fleetingness because I am not the individual expression I am the symphony of the whole. I used to rely on physical isolation to allow me to lose myself and be one with life. I'd use nature because people were too distracting. It's nice now to experience people as part of nature and still be able to be one with the whole.
In any case, this short beautiful reprieve has refreshed me. I guess it's time to pour myself into individual expression again and all the challenges it presents. After all that is why we came here. So, for me it's time to start putting together the eulogy for the 23 year old that grew up in our congregation and just unexpectantly passed. And remind myseld that no matter how crazy it gets, we are spiritual beings (all of us - those facing devastation and those of us who support them) and we can handle anything this physical world throws at us. Somehow it is part of carrying humanity to a whole new understanding of reality. And if it seems too much again, each of us can escape into the whole for those few moments of spiritual vacation that give us the strength to carry on - moments that can pour the "oil of joy" even on the experience of mourning.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Waiting on the Invisible
Patience has never been my favorite spiritual quality. But today I am beginning to understand the power behind it. Once again, human patience is very different from spiritual patience. The former is a necessary evil. The latter is an expression of spiritual strength.
We are told in Unity, "Never pray for patience!". The theory is that when you pray for patience you are asking for experiences that will teach it to you. You'll end up waiting forever in the area in which you are already frustrated so you can truly learn the quality. So embrace patience yourself as you need to. Don't pray for Divine Intersession to teach you self-control, because the Divine will make sure you master the lesson. Your present state of comfort is inconsequential when a spiritual lesson comes down the pipeline.
However, patience is a quality that comes together for us down the road as we become more and more comfortable in our faith in the invisible Divine forces in our life. Sometimes, just as bread dough must first rise a while before it can be baked, our outer experience must continue to cure a while before our prayers and the invisible forces they have evoked are ready to coalesce into an outer demonstration.
There are those who will tell you that if you must wait, you have failed spiritually. They will explain that your lack of faith kept you waiting. I beg to differ with them. I will suggest that those individuals have made the outer world the ultimate test of all faith in the Invisible. Thus, the outer expression is what is most real to them. And though they may be quite good at demonstrations, they are stuck in one of the way stations on the path and cannot go further until outer demonstration is only a by-product, not the main event. To reach the higher levels you must find your reality in the higher realms, and not be dependent on the physical world around you for your faith.
As I have said many times, "We have had a number of dramatic, miraculous healings in our congregation over the years. And each of these individuals who experienced miraculous healing, knew that God had healed them, long before their body demonstrated the whole truth of their realization." The real-ness was in the inner experience and they were confused as to why their bodies did not show what they knew was real. But they were not dismayed by the slow expression because they KNEW they were healed. The inner healing was the true reality. Thus, they patiently awaited an outer expression that they knew was inevitable because "they were healed" (whether their body showed it yet or not). This is the type of spiritual maturity that the advanced student expresses and we call it patience.
However, "waiting on the invisible" to show final results can be quite a challenge. We must know what we have seen spiritually, while the earth acts like nothing of the kind has ever happened. We must chase away the doubt that our human personality throws up on a regular basis. And we must ignore the fact that sometimes the outer world gets worse before it gets better. This all requires a "steadfastness" to our vision of the invisible - a talent that is hard won. It surfaces through a long series of successes and even more importantly, failures. Nothing teaches you patience more than doubting your vision, heading the other direction, only to discover that had you held on, your faith would have prevailed. Of course, learning when to hang on and when to realize that Spirit is urging you toward another direction is it's own series of lessons.
The important thing is that patiently "waiting on the invisible" because you KNOW the invisible is already in motion and nothing can stop it, is one of the qualities that makes you a truly powerful spiritual being. Set your prayers in motion. Feel the higher spiritual forces responding. KNOW what has been created in the Invisible Realm that is much more real than what we face out here. And patiently, with an optimistic almost child-like expectation, wait to see the piece of physical art that the Invisible Reality will create as its expression - and what exact form it will take. The waiting weighs on our human self, but is effortless for the spirit within us. Step by step we are placing more and more identity emphasis on this latter portion of our being.
We are told in Unity, "Never pray for patience!". The theory is that when you pray for patience you are asking for experiences that will teach it to you. You'll end up waiting forever in the area in which you are already frustrated so you can truly learn the quality. So embrace patience yourself as you need to. Don't pray for Divine Intersession to teach you self-control, because the Divine will make sure you master the lesson. Your present state of comfort is inconsequential when a spiritual lesson comes down the pipeline.
However, patience is a quality that comes together for us down the road as we become more and more comfortable in our faith in the invisible Divine forces in our life. Sometimes, just as bread dough must first rise a while before it can be baked, our outer experience must continue to cure a while before our prayers and the invisible forces they have evoked are ready to coalesce into an outer demonstration.
There are those who will tell you that if you must wait, you have failed spiritually. They will explain that your lack of faith kept you waiting. I beg to differ with them. I will suggest that those individuals have made the outer world the ultimate test of all faith in the Invisible. Thus, the outer expression is what is most real to them. And though they may be quite good at demonstrations, they are stuck in one of the way stations on the path and cannot go further until outer demonstration is only a by-product, not the main event. To reach the higher levels you must find your reality in the higher realms, and not be dependent on the physical world around you for your faith.
As I have said many times, "We have had a number of dramatic, miraculous healings in our congregation over the years. And each of these individuals who experienced miraculous healing, knew that God had healed them, long before their body demonstrated the whole truth of their realization." The real-ness was in the inner experience and they were confused as to why their bodies did not show what they knew was real. But they were not dismayed by the slow expression because they KNEW they were healed. The inner healing was the true reality. Thus, they patiently awaited an outer expression that they knew was inevitable because "they were healed" (whether their body showed it yet or not). This is the type of spiritual maturity that the advanced student expresses and we call it patience.
However, "waiting on the invisible" to show final results can be quite a challenge. We must know what we have seen spiritually, while the earth acts like nothing of the kind has ever happened. We must chase away the doubt that our human personality throws up on a regular basis. And we must ignore the fact that sometimes the outer world gets worse before it gets better. This all requires a "steadfastness" to our vision of the invisible - a talent that is hard won. It surfaces through a long series of successes and even more importantly, failures. Nothing teaches you patience more than doubting your vision, heading the other direction, only to discover that had you held on, your faith would have prevailed. Of course, learning when to hang on and when to realize that Spirit is urging you toward another direction is it's own series of lessons.
The important thing is that patiently "waiting on the invisible" because you KNOW the invisible is already in motion and nothing can stop it, is one of the qualities that makes you a truly powerful spiritual being. Set your prayers in motion. Feel the higher spiritual forces responding. KNOW what has been created in the Invisible Realm that is much more real than what we face out here. And patiently, with an optimistic almost child-like expectation, wait to see the piece of physical art that the Invisible Reality will create as its expression - and what exact form it will take. The waiting weighs on our human self, but is effortless for the spirit within us. Step by step we are placing more and more identity emphasis on this latter portion of our being.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Being Peace
When we are younger in consciousness, life is all about "doing": What can we accomplish? What demonstrations we can make? How much territory can we cover? As we mature in consciousness, a portion of our desire begins to coalesce around "being". We develop a deep yearning for peace. And some of our favorite moments become the ones in which we are doing nothing. We are just lost in the beauty of the moment, in tune with everything around us - or I believe it was Ralph Waldo Trine who wrote it, "In tune with the Infinite".
Doing is always important in this realm of expression. But it becomes less a goal in itself. Rather, our doing begins to flow out of those times of "being" in tune. Doing becomes secondary. Being "who I am" in the midst of the world and experiencing the beauty of it all becomes primary. We don't have to do certain things and then we can be happy. We need to BE. And let the innate happiness of BEing guide the DOing that follows.
Many years ago when I had the Fort Pierce Church, I came to understand that leading that church was not my primary purpose in coming to that area. In those days, Unity was pretty much the only Light Center in that area. There were a couple other small informal groups of different varieties, but the enlightenment movement was minuscule. We were pretty much it's representatives. That has changed phenomenally now, and I look back and am proud to have been a part of that change. However at the time, I had to ask myself WHY I had been led to come to such an area that seemed so undeveloped in spiritual awakening.
I came to understand that my primary purpose was to BE in this area where I had been planted. I developed a statement of my purpose that put the church third on the list. My primary purpose was to BE who I was while living there in Fort Pierce. It didn't require DOing anything. It required me to BE a Light in the midst of a seeming lack of it (at least in expression). I somehow knew that simply by Being who I was in this location it would have an effect upon the surrounding community. My secondary purpose was to serve the Spirit of God wherever I was and with whatever I was doing. And my third tier purpose in being in Fort Pierce was to lead Unity of Fort Pierce. I dedicated the vast majority of my efforts to serving that church, but I came to know that my "Being" in the midst of that community and serving Spirit in whatever role I momentarily played was my most important purpose in being located there.
I would like to suggest that the same is true for you wherever you are planted - whether in a job, a community, a relationship, or any activity. But of course we can get lost in the "doing" of any activity. So the times to re-connect with our Inner Peace and that sense of simply Being who I am, become more & more important in our lives. They are the anchor that grounds us to our spiritual purpose when the doing of our lives becomes so demanding. And interestingly enough, when we re-connect to our BEingness, we somehow become more successful at our DOings.
When we begin, we go to the BEing side of life in order to upgrade our world of doing. But down the road a little ways, the BEing side becomes more important. It calls to us demanding our attention. If we miss it, life becomes anchor-less. With spiritual maturity, Outer Doing becomes the servant, not the master. That shift is what creates a powerful life. Someone once said, "I cannot hear what you are saying, because "who you are" is shouting so loudly." As we awaken, that is actually a good thing!
Doing is always important in this realm of expression. But it becomes less a goal in itself. Rather, our doing begins to flow out of those times of "being" in tune. Doing becomes secondary. Being "who I am" in the midst of the world and experiencing the beauty of it all becomes primary. We don't have to do certain things and then we can be happy. We need to BE. And let the innate happiness of BEing guide the DOing that follows.
Many years ago when I had the Fort Pierce Church, I came to understand that leading that church was not my primary purpose in coming to that area. In those days, Unity was pretty much the only Light Center in that area. There were a couple other small informal groups of different varieties, but the enlightenment movement was minuscule. We were pretty much it's representatives. That has changed phenomenally now, and I look back and am proud to have been a part of that change. However at the time, I had to ask myself WHY I had been led to come to such an area that seemed so undeveloped in spiritual awakening.
I came to understand that my primary purpose was to BE in this area where I had been planted. I developed a statement of my purpose that put the church third on the list. My primary purpose was to BE who I was while living there in Fort Pierce. It didn't require DOing anything. It required me to BE a Light in the midst of a seeming lack of it (at least in expression). I somehow knew that simply by Being who I was in this location it would have an effect upon the surrounding community. My secondary purpose was to serve the Spirit of God wherever I was and with whatever I was doing. And my third tier purpose in being in Fort Pierce was to lead Unity of Fort Pierce. I dedicated the vast majority of my efforts to serving that church, but I came to know that my "Being" in the midst of that community and serving Spirit in whatever role I momentarily played was my most important purpose in being located there.
I would like to suggest that the same is true for you wherever you are planted - whether in a job, a community, a relationship, or any activity. But of course we can get lost in the "doing" of any activity. So the times to re-connect with our Inner Peace and that sense of simply Being who I am, become more & more important in our lives. They are the anchor that grounds us to our spiritual purpose when the doing of our lives becomes so demanding. And interestingly enough, when we re-connect to our BEingness, we somehow become more successful at our DOings.
When we begin, we go to the BEing side of life in order to upgrade our world of doing. But down the road a little ways, the BEing side becomes more important. It calls to us demanding our attention. If we miss it, life becomes anchor-less. With spiritual maturity, Outer Doing becomes the servant, not the master. That shift is what creates a powerful life. Someone once said, "I cannot hear what you are saying, because "who you are" is shouting so loudly." As we awaken, that is actually a good thing!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)