Fantasy Life

 I had a good cry this morning. Gilbert is front and center this weekend. Thursday it was a year since he had his stroke. Today a tear ago we were told he had stage four peritoneal and appendix cancer. Tomorrow is our anniversary. 

In my tears I had an insight. I entered into his fantasy world, believing him and his stories. It was a fantasy, a delusion  carefully and elaborately constructed. I fell into  his trap, as it seemed a healing balm of calm and peace. But it was not. 

Then I saw most people, most of the time live in a fantasy world, upset by third hand stories controlled by other people, totally engaged fun an array of fleeting outer things --- and missing the miraculous all around and in everything. We put on blinders and binders and miss what's really going on. 

This place, this dimension is a shimmering outpouring of the magnificent Creator. From the physics of the atom and its tiny parts and strange abilities, to the little brown hard speck that becomes a flower, to the two half cells that become a human --- to anything we turn to, there is the miraculous. To the great art and music flowing out of the minds of the artist souls, to the heart of compassion reaching out to others, there is the miraculous. From the giant redwoods to mountaintops to ocean waves, there us the miraculous. To the immense variety of life that is, has been, and is yet to come, there is the miraculous. 

It is a sacred creation, waiting to be read, appreciated, and to lead us home out of the fantasy to the fantastic 

Where is God?

 

He knows God rightly who knows Him everywhere. ---Meister Eckhart

 He makes this point in many ways and many sermons.

He includes all creation in this, even though inanimate objects don't have the ability to realize that God is there, God is nevertheless present. As Creator, God is with all of creation. 

For us humans, Meister Eckhart  urges us to know God is present with us and in us, "The kingdom is within" regardless of circumstances. If we require a peaceful meadow or a church to commune with God, we are not there yet. In the midst of turmoil, noise, darkness, sorrow, God is there too. Our practise is best when we can open ourselves to the Divine Presence at all times, in every situation, and remember there is no spot where God is not.

God of all, God of my soul, help me keep the eye of my life on You. Wash all fear and darkness away. Lead me to be fully spiritually awake in You. Help me hold my life and all life as sacred bearers of Your Light and Love. 

A Great Eckhart Analogy

Meister Eckhart told an analogy that speaks volumes to me. Basically, he said that if you take a basin of water or a mirror out in the sun, the sun will fill them with light. They will not only be filled with sunlight, but also reflect it.  But, they will not be the sun, and the sun is still the sun and not diminished.

So too with the soul and God. God's Light shines there, but God is not diminished and is still everywhere. All is in God and God is in all.

It seems to me that our problem is that our reflecting out God's light can be dimmed or distorted by our choices. Just as my bathroom !mirror meed's to be cleaned so  can see myself clearly, my soul needs to be cleaned of negativity, meanness, lack of integrity and so forth so that the pure Light of God can be reflected out.

It is our responsibility to get the log out of our eye and soul, to borrow an idea from Jesus. It's a life long process. Don't let that be daunting. Each day we strive ever toward the goal of being more and more Christ like.

 

 

Are We Lopsided?

 Many great spiritual thinkers have spoken or written of the essential call to be good stewards. Many people in general these days are alarmed about a wide range of things, and come up with solutions that maybe are not actually solutions.  They have not been thought through.

For some reason, thinking and reasoning are not popular right now. People are into emotional causes. They get worked up about something and then get carried sway.  Letting emotions take the lead rarely works out, for agitation short circuits the cerebral cortex, our ability to reason calmly and logically.

Let's consider some examples historically and currently.

Periodically someone decides the world is coming to its end, and they know when. New Year's Eve 999 people slept in churches. They were assured the world would end at midnight. There have been a fairly large number of predictions of doom and gloom, none of course came true. Some groups are still trying it. Reason would suggest, don't fall for this story. Even Jesus, who was a believer in end times, as were most Jews of his time, said that no one knows the day or hour. 

Let's look at a current example. There is a cry to change how we get energy to power our toys, factories, cars, etc. One idea put forward is to use wind by building huge windmills.  I think no one thought this through. Every year 50,000 or more birds are killed by windmills. I think we need birds. I think we need d to find a way that does no harm. 

I urge us to put on our thinking caps and use them so that we don't destroy life or our planet with tilted, lopsided thinking.

Power Costs a Spiritual Price

 

The obsession with power has completely transformed the life of man and dangerously stunted his concern for beauty and grandeur. We have achieved plenty, but lost quality; we have easy access to pleasure, we forget the meaning of joy. But what is more serious is the fact that man’s worship of power has resurrected the demon of power.…When man looks only at that which is useful, he eventually becomes useless to himself. 

              --Rabbi Heschel

He has insightfully described part of our current dilemma. Humans are tending to run roughshod over each other and our planet. There is greediness of wanting, wanting, wanting, of acquiring, acquiring, acquiring.  There is no time for awe and wonder. There is no place for quiet contemplation. 

We hear politicians hurling ugly names, exaggerations, even outright lies to try to gain more power. We hear clergy disparaging and attacking other understandings, even shunning or attacking those who have a differing viewpoint. We see crazed gunmen shooting to kill because they are maybe a bit unstable, but also because of the atmosphere of hyperbole.  We see countries or terrorist groups trying to annihilate other groups.

Sure there are many good people doing good works. But too many are asleep, which allows the ruffians to run wild.

Are we becoming a useless species? Maybe even a blight? Do we have the courage and wisdom to pull back from the edge?

Heschel gives us many clues as to the way out and up, such as, “within our wonder we become alive to our living in the great fellowship of all beings, we cease to regard things as opportunities to exploit.”

What of Friendship?

 The friend can do for his friend what he cannot do for himself. He can give him counsel in time of difficulty; he can teach him ‘to see himself as others see him’; he can stand by him, when all the world are against him; he can gladden and enlighten him by his presence; he ‘can divide his sorrows,’ he can ‘double his joys;’ he can anticipate his wants. 

                   --- from "The Complete Works of Plato"

 How  many of us have the treasure of such a friendship? I wonder about the so-called modern age. Does its very nature throw up obstacles to deep and abiding relationships? Are we in a frenzied world of information/disinformation overload? Are we occupied with advertising, influencers, alerts on our phones, mountains of emails, the latest podcasts? Are we hyper focused on success? Do we even wedge in moments for prayer, contemplation, spirituality? Where is our focus?

Instead of caring and tending to actual relationships, are our days too filled, too busy?

But then, it occurs to me our first friendship needs to be with ourselves. All those things suggested in the quote from the book on Plato can also apply to our relationship with ourselves. As Jesus and Leviticus said, "Love your neighbor as yourself." I would go so far to say that if you do not love yourself, it is not possible to fully b love your neighbor. That tricky little word "as"tells us a huge truth. I love others as I love myself. I'm hard on myself for this or that reason.  My neighbor does that very thing that upsets me about myself, and I go ballistic.

Jesus gave us a trail of clues to remedy the "as" problem. One was telling us to get the log out of our own eye before trying to get the speck out of our neighbor's eye. Another was not to judge by appearances, but use righteousness judgement. Another was to love one another as he loved you. Look, and you will find a lot more.

Lord, teach me to be a good and true friend for myself, so that I can also be a good and true friend to others. 

Life's Turning Points

 There are those times in our lives that are pivotal. Usually they require a decision - closely related to the word incision, When we make a decision, we cut off other possible choices, A simple example might be - we make a left turn onto Elm St. at 10:22 a.m. That means we can no longer make a decision to make a right turn at 10:22, we cut off that choice. and all that would have gone with it.  Perhaps, if we had turned right something disastrous might have happened, or we might have gotten stuck in a construction zone, or any number of other things. But we turned left along with all that went with that turn.

Yesterday I was honored to participate in a couple's pivot. On Tuesday evenings I lead a Bible Study at the emergency homeless shelter. Two weeks ago I met a middle aged couple who had been together 8  years, but had never married.  They were homeless, but about to move into the transitional shared housing program of the shelter. They wanted to get married. I told them where to get a license, I arranged for them to go to the program's thrift shop to get a nice outfit each, I found a zircon ring in my jewelry because they couldn't afford a ring, I printed out a beautiful commemorate certificate I had made up, I edited my wedding ceremony, etc. One of the ladies who was also in the shelter bought a little cake and  cupcakes for after the ceremony, plus a silk flower bouquet for the bride. My friend found the wedding march on her phone and one of the residents  brought out a little speaker. My friend agreed to be a witness, and the staff person agreed to be the other witness. It was a team effort.

The bride looked radiant as she walked out of the office, down the sidewalk to where the groom and I stood. It all went well, including an enthusiastic kiss at the end, This was a big turning point in their lives. They committed to one another in front of God and witnesses. They made a decision.

I encourage you to think about your decisions. It can be an interesting exercise in taking responsibility for your life.

God bless you one and all,