Praise

 Shouldn’t we, when we are digging, ploughing and eating sing this hymn to God? "God is great, he has given us implements with which we will cultivate the earth: God is great, he has given us hands, the power of swallowing, a stomach, imperceptible growth and the power of breathing while we sleep."...If I was an eagle, I would act the part of an eagle: if I were a swan, I would act like a swan. But I’m a rational creature, and I should praise God: this is my work; I do it, I will not desert this post, as long as I’m allowed to keep it; and I encourage you to sign the same song.                   ---Epictetus

I'm rereading Epictetus, and the above quote spoke to me this morning. His concept of  praising God for everything is powerful. Sing a song of praise for everything. Please contemplate the above quote and try to implement it by spending the day praising God God for all things. 

Idea for Today

I'm rereading Epictetus, and this struck me this morning,: "I’m not trying to hinder myself."

For many, if not all of us, we would do well to repeat this to ourselves until we believe it. As far as I can see, most people in fact do hinder themselves in many ways. 

People pull back from being their full magnificence. They say hindering things to themselves in the privacy of their heads. They say demeaning things to others in an attempt to make themselves appear better rather than striving to be their best selves and encouraging others to also be their best selves. 

It us important to become generous hearted. As Paul understood, All have fallen short of the glory of the Lord. Let's strive to be lifters of ourselves cane others.  Let us cease hindering. 

Jesus told us, Love one another as I have loved you.

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.”