 "The Tao of Consciousness", coupled with the "Celtic" photo, might seem a strange combination. However, resting in the p-a-u-s-e, one can begin to see the connections... The word "Tao" (Dao) means "path" or "way". Some, intuit that it has a still deeper resonance, and that is with the truly ancient path of the Sacred, or Divine, Feminine. And as far as symbols go, how can one not be in awe of the "standing stones" of the ancient Celtic lands? What mysterious understanding of the Earth and Cosmos do they represent? The essential point of unity between the ancient Tao and the Standing Stones is that of a rising consciousness...
One could say that a rising consciousness is the evolutionary point of the Universe. The material and the immaterial and the transcendent and the immanent operate as organized systems of vibration... the higher the vibration is evidence of a rising consciousness... But, to be sure, a "rising consciousness" is not more of "I think, therefore I am". Rather, a rising consciousness is the wisdom discovery of an "eternal" (outside the constraints of time / space) existing in a pregnancy state within us: "The Kingdom of Heaven is within you." The ancient Taoists spoke of a "dark enigma" (womb) as the Path into our "original condition": an undiscovered mutual indwelling. Whew! At this point, it would probably be wise to really pause, reach out for your Bible, look into the Hebrew Scriptures for the Song of Songs. These few pages are the "crown jewel" of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic faith... It is all about Love and loving... That's it! Or, as it is put in the Gospel of Thomas, "If you are searching, you must not stop until you find. When you find, however, you will become troubled. Your confusion will give way to wonder. In wonder you will reign over all things. Your sovereignty will be your rest." Before the beginning, the Tao opened to Itself, inexplicably aware of itself: Simply Magical! "The story of existence is a self-portrait" (David Hinton, Existence) This elemental, yet Cosmic, Awareness is in a constant state of rising, of movement, of vibration upward and forward... Pregnant, this Cosmic Awareness is in perpetual transformation upward and forward... This Cosmic Awareness wants to know itself, is yearning for a response, is needing a corresponding hunger! Herein lies the great dignity and responsibility of every human being: through our rising consciousness we serve the self-discovery of the Divine! We might, in our best moments, profess something like "God is Love". But we all know that we have only occasional "best moments". So who are we kidding? Unless we live our day-to-day moments dying of thirst in a pregnancy of the Divine, what are we doing in proclaiming "God is Love"? Hunger is the Name of God. Hunger is the mutual indwelling that is consciousness. Like scientists, we are meant to be explorers of the Unknown. Like mystics, we have come to learn that there is really only one question: Who Am I? And we go on the wild ride of our few moments of a separate life: as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: Who Am I? Okay. You can say that God is Love. But, if you have an inkling of worshipping in spirit and in truth, then you have to add that the Tao, the Gospel, the Way, into Awareness of one's mutual indwelling with "God", it is by loving, in practice and in deed ("Show me the policy!" -- Vice President Joe Biden in a debate with Congressman Paul Ryan). "The whole and the part live together in mutual, loving reciprocity, each belonging to the other and dependent on the other to show forth the fullness of love. That's Jesus's vision of no separation between human and Divine." (Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault, The Wisdom of Jesus)
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 There is no person in whom I am unwilling to see Christ.
If Thomas Merton didn't write this, then he most certainly could have. And hopefully, if you have never said this, you most certainly could! And further, that you would genuinely mean every single word! So, according to the United Nations, Pope Francis, and others, it is true that one in every seven people on this Planet is a refugee, migrant, and / or homeless... Is it actually possible for that figure to sink in? Meanwhile, there are folks who can wear a t-shirt blazoned with God, Guns, and Gravy... And an occupant of the White House who rails against everyone who does not share his astoundingly neo-fascist opinions and agenda... (I am one of "them"!) I wonder, if that same White House occupant has ever thought that perhaps he could, one day, say there is no person in whom I am unwilling to see Christ? Only just barely do I give, as the saying goes, a rat's ass about about a belief in Christ: for if one is not about identification with Christ and the praxis of transformation into Christ, than such "belief" is, at best, a sort of sleeping pill to dull one's experience and commitment to life... One in every seven people on this Planet is a refugee, migrant, and / or homeless! How is that there is no person in whom I am unwilling to see Christ working for you? |
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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