The Empty Box

Recently my beloved gave me a sweet Tiffany’s bone china box for my birthday.  It was a big birthday, one that can come with mixed emotions.  As I face my mortality and uncertainty of the world I live in, my perspective is easily swayed by the cultural collective ideas I find myself so easily drawn in to about aging and obsolescence. 

So back to the box.   was feeling particularly vulnerable when I opened this gift.  I tried to be gracious but honestly all I could see was the empty box.  I couldn’t see the love and care that went into looking for it, selecting it and then delivering it to me.   

I felt sad and I let myself feel the discomfort and pain of disappointment.  I usually ignore my pain.  I have a knack for putting my feelings aside and pushing through even though I know that feeling our feelings is healthy.

Funny thing happened when I let myself feel the pain, it let a little light in and illuminated my heart and mind.

As I reflect on this little gift of David’s, it occurs to me that something in me wanted my partner to fill the box for me.  If the box represents my life, the truth is that it’s not David’s job to fill me.  And even though I know this, on some level, there is still a part of me that carries around this romanticized Cinderella notion that I must wait for someone else to give me the good I seek.  Oh, I could really go to town on this Cinderella metaphor right now, the poor lost soul who’s been abandoned and then has to pretend to be someone else so that she can be loved….  

Back to the box… I am reminded that it’s my job to decide what I want to fill my empty box with.  No one can do that for me.  And as I fill my box with what I find valuable and important I have more to bring to my partnership and to life.

And now I feel authentic gratitude for this sweet little gift from my beloved.

Politics of Compassion

 This morning I came across a reading by Mark Nepo in his book More Together Than Alone.  Mark recounts the story of an early civilization that all spoke the same language and so loved their tribe that they decided to build a tower so that no matter how far someone wandered they could simply turn around and find home.  

The tower took much longer to build than they imagined, generations in fact, and many lost touch with the original purpose for all the resources and effort that went into building the tower.  The tower was so tall that it now took a full year for each brick carrier to carry a brick to the top of the structure.

One day a brick carrier fell and died; the masses mourned the loss of brick over the worker. 

Of course this is the story of the tower of Babel.  The story goes on to talk about how the workers pressed on with the task, having no reverence for each other anymore, just the task at hand, building the tower.  

I've seen several renditions of this story from Genesis 11:1-9 but basically God becomes displeased and according to Wikipedia "confounds their speech so that they can no longer understand each other".

As I reflect on this story I'm not focused on the idea that God would confound our speech.  It seems more likely to me that humanity lost their center of compassion and was focused more on the effect than the cause, more on the task than the purpose for the task; therefore losing their ability to understand each other. 

What struck me about the story was the resonance to today's politics (aka public agreements).  Our democracy was created generations ago and it seems we've lost touch with the idea that democracy was a means to an end; that end being public well-being through agreed upon ideas.  

Today I'm wondering what the politics of compassion look like and how to draw upon my own values when considering how I want to participate in our body electorate.  It's that time in the US when we decide what we are voting for.  I recognize that the structures we've created have great value for some... I'm clear that the brick is less important to me than the worker lost. 

Mother as Refuge

You follow the footprints of the Beloved across manifold spiritual landscapes.  You catch the same ancient, spicy aroma of love in Judaism that you have tasted in Islam. Your attraction to the lush sensuality of Hinduism does not in any way preclude the way you rest in the intellectual purity of Buddhism. Contemplating the Tao Te Ching strengthens what the Hopi elders have taught you: that the Earth is alive, that she is your Mother, that she is the love of your life.

From Wild Mercy, Living the Fierce and Tender Wisdom of the Women Mystics by Mirabai Starr 

A Prayer for Mothers Day

I open myself to the Source of all creation.  It is both mother and father and all that is seen and unseen.  It created me out of Its perfection and it only knows my wholeness. As I open my spiritual eyes I recall that place within that knows this like I know my own name and I take refuge.  I am safe, I am loved, I am home.

As I raise my awareness to this essential reality in my life, my mind and my heart open as my vision clears and I look upon the world as the mother.  I chose to love myself, I chose to love what I label “other”.  Like the preverbal mother, I see all creation as the child.  Sometimes it behaves in ways I approve and promote and sometimes in ways I can’t fathom, but it is still the child, the creation of the One and I chose love, no exceptions.  And it is the power of this love that heals and reveals a greater good, a clearer understanding and a pathway to what is mine to do to be this powerful love in action.

While my thoughts and emotions may wander in the din of a world crying out for love, I come home again and again to this eternal truth that we are One in the heart of the Mother of creation and that she is calling us home to Her love to remember the power and presence that we are made of.

I take refuge in the Mother, I take refuge in prayer, I take refuge in Love.  I am one with the love of my life.

I am blessed beyond measure and with a grateful heart I let this be.

and so it is, amen, ashe, blessed be

Watching My Mind Move From Fear to Love

I recently read an article about Global Warming that claimed the planet would experience total devastation by the year 2100.

I watched my mind move from Fear to Love.

Fear did a quick calculation and said, "Oh, I'll be ok; I won't be around by then."

Then Love spoke and said "But what about those you leave behind?"

Fear keeps us small under the guise of protecting us, but it has no real power.  It is only Love that has true power to create change in our lives.

From A Course in Love:

Love is the name you give to much you fear,  You think that it is possible to choose it as a means to buy your safety and security.  You thus have defined love was a reaction to fear.  This is why you can understand love as fear's opposite. This is true enough. But because you have not properly recognized fear as nothing, you have not properly recognized love as everything.

My invitation to you this week is to watch your mind and listen to how it responds to things.  The voice of Fear will be loud and seem to provide logical solutions.  The voice of Love will be more subtle and will remind you of who you truly want to be in this world.

Happy Harvesting!

Knowing Oneness in Our Diversity

Guest blog post from my colleague Rev, Johanna Janssen

Oneness

by Lillian Dewaters

Nature, I am one 
 with Thee--
 Oh, what joy 
 this brings to me;
 'Tis thy substance, pure, divine,
 This individual life of mine.
 No need of sickness,
 lack or fear,
 Thyself is all
 there can be here;
 Thou in me and I in Thee,
 Life of wondrous
 unity.

 Nature, I am one with Thee— Blessed Truth which freeth me;
 All past mystery melts away,
 And now dawns the perfect day
 When plain Truth
 we can discern
 And all longing hearts can learn.
 No other fact,
 then, can there be,—
Thou art All and ALL
 is Thee.


As Black History month draws to a close and Women’s History month beings, I remember with Lillian that there is truly only One…  One Spirit, One Divine Higher Power, One God.  It is all that everyone and everything is, everywhere, always - infinitely so.  It expresses well beyond what I perceive with my senses, and yet at the same time, all of it (like a hologram) is present in even the smallest string particles AND in the 99.9% of space between them…  Indeed It is all.  It expresses in and through and as me, and all of creation and beyond.  Infinite in Its Diversity AND One.  As this is Truth for me, this Truth holds for each of us reading this SMT; for all of us, everywhere.  As I speak these words for myself, I speak them for all because we are one.

So today, as I go about my life I practice the Presence, I practice witnessing my self in relation to all.  When I feel pulled to judgment, I remember that I am that which thou art, and thou art that which I am, and see the ‘other’ as me, recognizing in judging another, I judge myself.  This goes for any action, circumstance, and event too; regardless whether I like it or not!  In realizing this, I am able to gently transmutate the judgment into unconditional acceptance of the oneness that I am, that all is.  While still possibly disagreeing, I am able to allow the expression as God.  And if I still feel called to action in response to a situation, a person, a statement, an event - I now act from the experienced oneness. Maybe I’ll ask for clarification, maybe I simply remain in the tragic gap - fully present to the thoughts, feelings, emotions of disharmony I am experiencing, and still fully present to the person or situation.  Whatever my action may be (including inaction), I know it is from our Oneness rather than from our separateness - and that makes all the difference!

Then I rest and let God do the rest…  Knowing the ‘how’ is not up to me, in this moment I open myself to Divine Guidance, and fully willing to be changed at depth and to take action when called, I surrender into the Oneness.  With thanksgiving I simply let it all go.  I let it be so.  Thou art all and all is thee.   

And so it is.

Becoming an Interdependent Human-Doing

How do we cultivate a sense of Oneness while navigating our differences?  We look for our common values.  We begin to understand our interdependence in the world.

Wait- what does this have to do with Spirituality in Action and Finding your Voice?  

My friends it has everything to do with it.  

Spiritual activism requires that we develop the consciousness or the understanding as the Dalai Lama speaks to it, to see our brothers & sisters as ourself.  When we cultivate an understanding and compassion for one another then we can take action while being grounded in the power of Love.

When we take action from fear, the results are temporary.  When we take action from love, the results are more sustainable.

Fear works to mitigate something external, and Love works to bring forward something eternal that comes from our true nature as spiritual beings having our human experience.

Fear separates and love unites.  Fear destroys, love creates.

We must face our fears or risk being driven by them.

"A human being is part of the whole, called by us ‘universe,’ a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."                                                                  Albert Einstein

This optical illusion of separation causes us to act from fear which is a child of a belief in separateness.  My invitation is to choose to act from love - its children are compassion and kindness and its family is Oneness.

We are so interdependent and yet we live from this idea that independence is the goal.  

We come into this world completely dependent on other human beings for our survival, in fact, humans are one of the few mammals that require a long period of parenting to survive.  Despite this fact that we need others to thrive, our culture has created a greater value of independence than interdependence.  Independence is prized and interdependence is generally seen as a weakness.  

Interdependence is our super power… we need each, and we thrive when we realize this and work together toward our common good. 

Suffering is real, change is necessary but discernment is vital.  Perspective is necessary.  It helps us to break through our delusion of separateness and see our Oneness.

There are real issues facing the world today…  Our society continues to value separation.  It’s up to us to change the tide.  We do that first in consciousness and then in action.

“Many times a day I realize how much my outer and inner life is built upon the labors of my fellow men [and women], both living and dead.”   

                                                                                                              Albert Einstein

The Dalai Lama speaks to this as well when he shares the exercise of each time you sit down to a meal, take a moment to appreciate all the people involved in bringing this food to your table.  Even the dishes you eat off of are part of this web of livingness that aided in you having what seems like a simple and independent action of making and having a meal.

This week my invitation is to raise your awareness to all the many hands that go into all that you eat and wear and drive and live in.  Cultivate a genuine appreciation for all the "human-doings" that went into supporting this life you are living.

Happy Harvesting!

Seeking Our Common Good

The longing in our heart is the language of the One Love that lives within. It speaks to us in another tongue trying to remind us about that which we seek, we already are, we just haven't realized yet.

There is a common good, common to all, and we discover it when we allow ourselves to recognize our connection to one another. 

In his book, Beyond Religion, Ethics for a Whole World, His Holiness the Dalai Lama talks about secular ethics which he defines as the values that serve the greater good or ethics that are both inclusive and beyond religious beliefs.  

“Secularism is to imply mutual tolerance and respect for all faiths as well as for those of no faith tradition.”  HH Dalai Lama

His Holiness goes on to suggest that there that there are basically two world views.  

"To put the matter at is simplest, there are some who believe, at one end of the spectrum, that we are by nature fundamentally violent, aggressive, and competitive; while others, at the other end take the view that we are predominately disposed toward gentleness and love."

Of course there is a lot of wiggle room between these two perspectives.  I'd like to think that humanity is at its core good and that perhaps at one end of this continuum are individuals whose needs are great and not met.  Perhaps the aggressiveness we experience in others is a response to the world around them that is not meeting their needs.  And at the other end of the spectrum are individuals whose needs are met and find it easier to draw on their internal nature of 'gentleness and love'.  That both world views are just two sides of the same coin, so to speak.  One draws from external circumstances and the other, from internal experience.

It’s pretty easy to be spiritual when our basic needs of safety, satisfaction and connection are met.  Not so easy when we are in an experience that threatens those needs.

So our practice is to come down from the mountain top and learn how to walk out this philosophy in the world.  It's the art of being in the world AND of it. 

Seeking our common good requires that I acknowledge and embrace my humanity so that I can see my sister/brothers humanity; and once we remember that we belong to each other, together we can rise up and connect through our common values.

So here is something to contemplate for this week:

• What part of your own humanity are you resisting or struggling with?  
• Is it possible that this resistance is holding you back?  
• Who would you be if you loved what you are struggling with, what is your challenge trying to tell you?

Happy Harvesting!