 "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." -- Henry David Thoreau When you look through the window of your soul, what do you see? When you glance into a mirror, who is it that looks back at you? When you entertain self-definitions, are any of them magical revelations? It seems to me that these questions are as important as just about any others that we could ask. For example: if someone answered question number two with a quick, "You're wasting my time!" (Or anything along those lines...) I would hazard a guess that that person probably doesn't give a second thought to the number of children who died of hunger, malnutrition, or violence today. You see, every aspect of who we are is deeply rooted -- embedded -- in our habitual thoughts which in turn manifest their "reality" all the way down and through our DNA. So if our thoughts are negative, self-centered, or focused on "ugly", every aspect of our lives will be manipulated into "creating the reality" of those thoughts. Self-hatred requires an "other" to hate; people lacking in self-esteem, a sense of self-worth, in empathy, and in compassion need to feel superior to others in someway (which gives rise to every "ism" in the book). People lost in a sense of unworthiness (remembering every time they have been made to feel ugly and repulsive to those who are supposed to love them), oftentimes follow patterns of abuse and victimization as if to prove the validity of every judgment ever sent their way. Finally, this "anti-dynamic" plays out in every aspect of our culture, religions, economics, and politics... greed, violence, sexism, exploitation, injustice, and racism are all rooted in the sub-conscious conviction of not only being "unworthy", but of the impossibility of ever being "good enough". Here, though, is the real page-turner: it simply does not have to continue that way! Today, tomorrow, or any day of your choosing you can take up the mantra of the Song of Songs -- that lusty-mystic rag: go ahead, right now, say it, "I Am Beautiful!" And then continue on with: "I am worth the very best! I am worth Love!" And begin to live in such a way as to give evidence of this, your new, essential truth. But don't stop there! Abraham Heschel wrote, "You must build your life as a work of art": so become a builder! Let your daily practice become a "conspiracy" of beauty, kindness, empathy, and compassion: become the person you wish everyone else would be! Excel in wonder. Liberate your pleasure and your ability to delight others and to be delightful! A new you is automatic with a change of mind! Adoration of Mystery: The Essence of Civilization! Building upon the necessity of "changing one's mind", there is a series of three simple test questions to confirm one's direction in the great -- or spiritual -- scheme of things, and they are: 1) Is your basic inclination currently towards service and inter-personal, global, and spiritual Oneness? 2) Is your basic inclination currently that of a movement against Oneness? And 3) Is your basic inclination currently that of a movement away from Oneness? There is something very useful in these three questions for they together serve to part the veil of our various conflicts: psychological, spiritual, and social to reveal the secrets we withhold even from ourselves. Within the category of "towards" are all those practices that enhance a sense of communion, safety, welcoming hospitality, reverence, kindness, justice, solidarity, and beauty: all strategies for harmony, health, and home: for everyone and everything. Within this category are all of the "little" daily works such as being likeable, being harmless so as to not threaten or frighten another, being merciful and forgiving, being responsible and diligent, and being mindful of everyone's struggle with life. Each of these works are essential strategies for nurturing deep connections with others and they each make others want to connect with you in a "field" of mutual-aid and protection. Within the category of "against" are all those habits, attitudes, and behaviors that foster the desire to dominate others -- or to be dominated by others. (There can be safety, security, companionship, beauty, justice, etc. in the dominator model as in the Oneness model -- the catch is that they can be taken away by someone with a greater power, as they can be withheld as motivation or punishment, or they can be offered as reward for serving the dominator). The "against" person is aware of his strengths -- and does not dare to be without them (mutually vulnerable) or to place them in service to others in a mutual liberation. "Against" is oriented to domination and seeks strategies that create a sense of security through strength and power. "Consideration" and "dependence" are deemed signs of weakness and are only employed as strategies when they serve the longer-term goal of eventual domination. "Against" is tough and forceful: skill and success are the primary social values. All of the behaviors of the "towards" people are perceived as threats to established social order. (The characteristics / skills of the dominator model are not, in and of themselves, necessarily "a bad thing": the question of power is always: does it serve to liberate or to control or dominate?). The third category, "away", is centered on a deep sense of fear and a hesitancy or inability to trust: to care too much about anyone or anything is to put at risk the fragile equilibrium of "self". "Away" is opposed to both "towards" and "against": both Oneness and domination threaten the desired (needed) isolation or independence. The "towards" orientation needs deep connections with others in a mutuality; the "against" orientation needs the freedom and perception of safety or stability in domination (or in being dominated); and the "away" orientation seeks to avoid both meaningful ties and meaning in ties. The "away" orientation requires that their security in no way hinge upon the attitudes, behaviors, or policies of others, and vice-versa. A spirit of independence and self-reliance are the primary cultivated attitudes, spirituality, and politics of the "away" person. If it is true, though, that "adoration of Mystery is the essence of civilization", then discernment of, and then a re-focusing of, our individual and our collective orientation towards the practical effect of adoration: Oneness, is essential if we are to sincerely change and grow. This discernment goes right along with "the real page-turner" of the Song of Songs: "I am beautiful"... expanding into "We are beautiful"... and then, by elevating our basic orientation into the life-service of Oneness, "We can change and create Paradise upon this precious blue Planet".
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 While there is no shortcut on the path to contemplative union with the Holy One, there are practices which are generally helpful: and they all boil down to various means for forgetting one's self -- or the illusion of separation. Mystics have long stated that if we could only forget ourselves for just an instant, we would be given everything. In other words, because we become so focused on our failings, our practices, our plans, and our dreams that we fail to actually go mining for the jewels in our hearts... The path of remembrance is one that offers a practical way to advance: pick a "holy" word, a word that especially rings true and good in your heart: such as Love, Mother, Abba, Amen, Allah, Yeshua: a word that you can confidently embrace with your entire being. Carry that word: let's say "Name", with you through the moments of your day: be like a lover having just fallen in love: every moment is a moment of remembrance of the beloved! Fill your lungs with the breath of your beloved: link the Name with your inhalation, and then as you exhale. Breathe your beloved: cast all your passion upon the Name until the Name itself begins to breathe in you: give the gift of your love for your beloved as a blessing to those you work with, live with, or otherwise encounter through the course of your day. This is Key: do good for others -- out of the blue -- everyday. Let kindness become your new identity. Forget all that "conservative" or "liberal" stuff: you are mining jewels in your heart so you've got no time to dawdle with small-minded religion or politics: you are going big, you are going radical! Love will become your new name and that secret identity of yours is going to manifest itself in service, bliss, and wonder... The essential nature of the path of remembrance is that of adoration. Having set out to mine the jewels of your heart changes everything: this precious blue Planet is worthy of reverence -- and an economics and politics that serves it... the life systems that are so rich and abundant upon this planet are in danger: hundreds of species are going extinct everyday -- you will become active for global peace, solidarity, and justice (including the creatures)... Adoration will be seen to be a complete way of life, and one that unfolds in a harvest of radiance... To breathe your breath-prayer throughout the course of your day is a way of shining a light upon the mundane: and eliminate forever the separation between the sacred and the secular. This essential "no difference" is all the difference! To breathe the Name in all of one's activities is to surrender to the One Reality behind the many appearances of differences: this is worship in spirit and in truth. Every breath is pregnant with Paradise... when you've found the jewels waiting for you in your heart...  Faith is compassion in action...
Faith is kindness and hospitality to the stranger... Faith is a love that seeks to love without limits... Faith is feeding the hungry... Faith is a reverence for every child that ensures their health, safety, and full development... Faith is the practice of absolute equality between men and women... Faith is justice and equality for everyone enshrined into civil law... Faith is international economic and social justice... Faith is constructing the social conditions that make for the possibility of peace everywhere, leaving no person or people behind... Faith is ensuring that every resource is used for the common good... Faith is the right ordering of economics so no one profits from either violence or another's pain... Faith is reverence for the soil and all life upon this precious blue Planet... Faith is the sure knowledge that wherever there is suffering, it is there that the Holy One can be found... and faith leads the believer there, before going to temple, church, or mosque... Faith is the deep understanding that we live in relationship with Mother Earth, and that she recognizes neither nation nor border... Faith is a verb: a practice, a sincere intention to manifest the Beauty, Forgiveness, Mercy, Compassion, and Love of the Holy One in one's daily life: in economics, politics, culture, and religion... Faith is a Way of complete identification with the Beloved... so as to become an agent of global transformation into Love without limits... Faith is an everyday life of adoration and surrender, with every breath: peace, kindness, and One Love...  In the hermitage of the heart, everyone must cultivate a garden of love... a secret entrance for the Holy One... the ancients would teach the invocation of the Holy Name with the in-and-out flow of the breath... in the still space between your breaths is the garden of the heart...
Adoration of the Divine Within is effected by the silent repetition of the Name... this welcome garden in the heart awaits your cultivating presence... a presence that can be anywhere and anytime: in the streets, in your place of work, in wild nature or your bedroom, in a place of dedicated worship: while walking or when sitting... Simply begin... with as much humble adoration as you can muster at any given time... adore and love... and, later, let magic and mystery flow through your fingers to bless and caress everyone and everything in the world around you... with your soul awakening into peace and harmony, you will begin to live as a gift for everyone in your life: your transformation will become an affirmation of amazing grace... As the garden of your heart begins to bloom, the Holy Name will rise spontaneously to your mind and to your lips: you will begin to become a living kiss... and you will discover that you have yourself become a mirror of Kindness and your actions will increasingly make visible the universal quest for Justice and Peace... Around the repetition of the Holy Name you may build your entire spiritual life: the Name gathers every spiritual practice into itself... it has the key to integration and unity... By watering the garden of your heart with the Holy Name, your thoughts, words, and actions will all be drawn into the Sacred Center of Reality -- as the wandering eye naturally follows the colors and flow of a mandala to its radiant center... Simply begin... |
AuthorRobert Daniel Smith was privileged to serve the homeless and marginalized for 30 years in California. He is living now almost within shouting distance of the Twin Cities. He is a poet, artist, writer, and long-time Companion of the Way still dreaming... Archives
May 2022
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