Perfection Undone

THREE THINGS.... Three perspectives on the summer season for the spiritual life

2022-07-05T19:04:00.001-04:00

This spring a couple of sparrows made a nest at the top of the wreath on my porch french doors. Over the weeks of chilly, wet days I watched as mom and dad built the nest, brooded on eggs and attentively fed and nurtured the two young birds who chirped and fluttered their way into the world. This is a parable of summer spirituality.

1. Accept the Invitation. In the warmth of summer we are typically more active than at any other time of the year. Nature openly and outwardly invites us to share in her beauty and bounty. Even as the flowers of spring fade the fruit of summer comes within reach. Nature is a portal to the awakened life. It invites observation and delight and amazement and not just a little awe. In the summer season we spend far more time out of doors and we travel. We go beyond the routines of our day to day life and seek adventure and novel experience. Our inner lives give way to outer exploration. We reach beyond ourselves to connect to realms of life that are far more spacious than our living quarters. The openness of the clear blue expanse and the depth of the stars in the summer night sky tease our imaginations toward spheres of curiosity and wonderment. We are open to possibility. We invite and expect adventure. We expand beyond our self-defined boundaries. And in both the invitation and its acceptance we are poised to see God in all that can be seen.

2. Enjoy the sweetness of balance. For many of us, women in particular, the ingestion of sweets are akin to mortal sin. We would really love to indulge but we've been culturally shaped into self-denial as if it were an ascetic practice upon which our salvation depends. But in the ancient practice of Ayurveda, sweet is one of balancing qualities for the summer heat. Those of us who are by our nature more fiery in our temperament can be easily aggravated by the swelling heat of the summer and require the antidote that sweetness provides. The fruits of summer, cherries, berries and melons, offer us cooling comfort as do grains, like rice and barley, fresh grown herbs, sweet potatoes, raw sugar cane and maple syrup. A cool glass of cucumber coconut water with a splash of lime in the heat of a summer day has more in common then you might imagine with the Balm of Gilead. There is a balance that must be sought or we burn up. We are generally not trained to seek balance with food, much less to think of this as a spiritual practice. Sometimes we blunder into it, or intuit our way there, if we are lucky. When we are without sweetness in the diet we become equally deplete of the sweeter qualities of our humanity, of kindness and mercy, of thoughtfulness. In the absence of a balanced palate, desires can rage internally; frustration and impatience, we rush prematurely to judgment and impulsive action. The spiritual life encompasses every aspect of our lives; our physical bodies and mental states are the outer expression of our internal state of affairs. To deny balance in any part of our delicate web, during any season, does not serve us well, but it is never so sweet to remedy than in the summer.

3. Give it your all. The one thing that is very obvious in the temperate climate of summer is that the beings of the natural world give of themselves completely. Flowers bloom explosively; bees work tirelessly collecting pollen and hives drip honey. Grass grows at an astounding rate bursting into full heads of seed. Trees are loaded with green leaves drinking in the fullness of the summer sun in preparation for the winter to come. Birds, now finished with the work of parentage, busy themselves with summer activity; flocks move around from place to place, happily splashing around in small pools of late afternoon downpours. Vines quickly extend and wrap themselves with ease and speed around trees and shrubs and posts, rocks and structures. Fruit ripens on branch and vine; the sweetness draws to itself the two-legged, the four legged and the feathered ones. Gardens produce abundantly offering much to share with family and friends. Farmers' markets overflow with lush bounty; buyers mouths water at the sight of strawberries, blueberries, tender lettuce and greens and the first summer squashes and cucumbers sell out. Tadpoles have morphed into frogs and feed hungrily on mosquitos and grasshoppers; opossums gorge on ticks; firefly beetles offer a show for potential mates on still, humid summer evenings, spiders create elaborate webs in branches and across carpets of grass to feed on the summer's abundance of insects; butterflies have their fill of flower nectar and lay their eggs on leaves. The Praying Mantis mates and then eats her mate. Bees build nests and in-lay the larvae of their offspring. This is but a tiny fraction, a single brush stroke of a frenzy of summer activity all around us. Everything in the height of the summer season gives its all for the continuation of life, for the full variety of life that lies far beyond its own; each an intricate part of the whole. Every creatures, plant and animal, goes to great lengths mobilizing and focusing all its strength to finish the work it came to do in this opportune moment. Nature is not distracted or concerned with other things; it is single-minded and task-oriented. It does not stop until the season's inevitable change calls for a slow cessation.

There is a season for resting and sleeping, for going within, and there is a season for slowing and taking stock of where we are, of preparing for what is next, and there is a season for rebirth, regeneration, to begin again. The summer season reminds us that we, like all our relations, are at times called to give our all; to be focused and undeterred and tireless in our work for the sustenance, or perhaps the survival, of that which lies beyond ourselves, even beyond our understanding or knowing. The bee does not know of the healing balm of its honey to its human co-habitant; it only knows to collect the pollen and bring it to the hive. It does not need to know.

In early summer the newborn birds of spring's gestation fly from their nest singing as they go.

Reflections on the other three seasons may be found here:

https://perfectionundone.blogspot.com/2022/03/three-things-three-perspectives-on.html

https://perfectionundone.blogspot.com/2022/01/three-things-three-perspectives-on.html

https://perfectionundone.blogspot.com/2021/11/three-things-three-perspectives-of-fall.html

Selling Out the Gospel

2022-06-03T12:42:00.004-04:00

It was my first sermon, ever. It was the fall of my second year in seminary. The preaching rota had been set months many weeks in advance. And so it was simply the luck of the draw that my first sermon would be the day after 9/11. Whatever sermon I had planned was trashed and I was up all night constructing my words to address a seminary congregation of students, faculty and staff that was jolted out of the ordinary routines of academic life and plunged into horror and grief. The pressure was immense. When it was done I felt I had connected with the congregation at the point of their emotional state by dealing directly with the event while also presenting a sovereign God to whom we could look for solace and justice.

A couple of weeks later I met with my homiletics professor for a review of the sermon. He began with, "You sold out." Followed by, and I paraphrase: You gave them what you think they wanted - meeting them where they were and resorting to sentimentality. Followed with: "I don't care if a bomb goes off outside the chapel while you're preaching - you preach the gospel and don't you ever forget it."

It felt harsh. I was expecting praise. I thought I'd done a good job. In fact, in a moment of hubris, I wondered if I'd ever preach another sermon that was that good. I'd risen to the occasion. I had no shortage of pats on the back and "great sermon!" comments. I felt relief that I'd been of some help to people. The situation was critical, they needed to be reassured - I thought I'd done that. Isn't that what we were supposed to do?

Well, not exactly. The truth is, the Gospel does not seek to make us feel better. Rather, it insists relentlessly, and without regard of our situation, on raising us to new life, to a new mind. And this new mind is often at odds with what we believe about God. Perhaps this is because we do not have a broad enough sense of Love to include the whole of God's vision for humanity. Love your enemy..., is the gospel - but no one in crisis wants to hear that. Let the dead bury their dead..., is the gospel - but no one in crisis wants to hear that. Father forgive them for they know not what they do..., is the gospel - but no one in crisis wants to hear that. Sell all you have then you can follow me..., is the gospel - but no one in crisis wants to hear that. Not one stone will be left standing..., is the gospel - but no one in crisis wants to hear that. And I did not preach any of those things. I departed the Word (the call to transformation) and presented a God that aimed to have us all feel better, reassured, and did not require the discipline of mind (and tempered action) that the Gospel cultivates.

Recently, there was a terrible mass shooting in Texas. An 18 y.o. gunman killed 19 children and two adults at an elementary school. The nation was jolted out of the ordinary routines of everyday life and plunged into horror and grief. Many were staggering from disbelief and finding it hard to find a foothold on what seems, increasingly, to be life on the Titanic. We desperately move the chairs around on the deck and try to grasp for understanding when all the things that tether us to sanity, to sanctity, seem to be falling away, and there is a culpable sense of sinking. The people cry out: Help us O Lord! I feel a tinge of deja vu.

"No problem can be solved at the level it was created." (A. Einstein)

Though spoken by Einstein, and not one of the four evangelist, it is, nonetheless, a statement of truth that is not what we want to hear. But the truth is a great help to those experiencing life in a way that feels like being of a sinking ship, on which, suddenly, the boat lilts violently and there is panic and a rush to the life rafts. There is no amount of negotiation or protestation that will change the fact that something that was once solid and stable is now breaking apart; the very fabric of our common life. In the first five months of 2022 there have been 214 mass shootings (that is, at least four people were killed or wounded per incident); and 17,300 total gun deaths, not including other forms of murder. No problem can be solved at the level it was created. We will need a new mind, a higher consciousness to lift us to a level that is not on the plane we now operate if we hope to reconstruct life in the way of Peace. We will need to awaken; to acquire Christ-consciousness. We are in need of the Gospel; to be transformed in to Christ likeness. In other words, we are called to change ourselves and then move out into the world. Otherwise, we may well, and unknowingly, be perpetuating the problems that plague us. No problem can be solved at the level it was created. A higher mind is necessary to solve the problems that face us. And we do not always want to hear this.

What Einstein offers in this saying is Wisdom akin to "Let the dead bury their dead." This is not a statement of rejection. It is simply an assessment of a people who do not wish to awaken. It is an observation; and I believe one made in Love. It does not aim to make us feel better; but is a statement of truth, unvarnished. As the saying goes: Clarity is kindness. It does not conjure up the image of Jesus the shepherd who tenderly holds the baby lamb. It is fierce Love, warrior Love; which is the true nature of Love. Love that comes not from sentimentality (sweet cherubs on the coffee mug) but from a place of power (and not force, which is its opposite). How does one move to another level, the level at which solutions may be found and implemented? How do the living, the awakened, bury their dead?

In the East, it is long been said that meditation is the only thing that prevents insanity. The continual focus we in the West have on thinking, on thought forms, which are only abstract, partial representations of reality, prevent us from experiencing actual reality. (A. Watts and others) We think and think and think and think - and cannot move beyond our thinking. We are dead, dead, dead and we don't even know it. We cannot move beyond the abstract forms that we falsely believe accurately represent life. Our thoughts are but shadows of what was; and we box with shadows. To move beyond the shadows to seeing and experiencing reality as it actually is, is to awaken. When we move from thinking to acquiring awareness we become alive; alive in Christ and one with God. (See John 17, Jesus' Farewell Prayer). We do not wait to die to enter the Kingdom of God. If that were so, there would be no need of the Gospel. The call to awaken is for us in the here and now.

But in lieu of meditation we move straight to reaction and are caught in the web of dualism. One side is right and the other is wrong, deadlock ensues and the conditions of violence and in-fighting are all consuming. To that end:

But what about gun regulation? The gospel does not address gun regulation but Jesus does address violence. When Peter cut off the ear of the soldier who arrested Jesus he rebuked Peter and restored the man's ear. He did not banish the sword, but rather brought to life the ancient teaching:

“God shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4)

We cannot know the mind of God who decides for many peoples until we become one with the mind of God - when we learn to see the shadows of the mind for what they are, break from the insanity of constant thinking and living in either the past or the future (neither of which actually exists outside the present moment), and find rest in another level of consciousness. This is where true power (and consolation) is; where wisdom resides and discernment occurs: "Once I was blind but now I see."

Whenever we attempt to create solutions apart from Christ-consciousness we sell out. We either move to force, perhaps even counter-violence, or to denial, mental escape - we check out, or engage in sentimentality. If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. (1 Corin. 13:1)

The fierce Love of the Gospel does not sell out. It always engages with truth, absent of force. Love is a warrior that does not shy from the brutality of life, but looks directly down the barrel of the gun and calls us to new life, a new mind. It does not attempt to make us feel better but urges us to attend to higher consciousness, to share in the mind of God. And being of one mind, then and only then, shall we beat our swords into ploughshares, and our spears into pruning hooks. Anything less, is a resounding gong, a clanging symbol, a sell out.

Thank you for reading my blog and walking with me in the path of spiritual grace; for your willingness to spend this time with me, as together we learn how to see and be Christ in the world. Rowena +

THREE THINGS... Transformation. Truth-telling. Liberation.

2022-05-22T21:17:00.002-04:00

The bishop was visiting for a special confirmation service mid-week. We'd had a lovely dinner in the parish hall and now the service was underway. It was a small parish and about a third of the pews were filled. I was sitting in my usual seat in the chancel and listening to the bishop preach informally from the aisle. It was not a long sermon and I don't remember every word, but what I do remember shaped my ministry in ways I could not have imagined. It was, admittedly, a small shift in perspective, but one that grew over time. The bishop spoke about transformation. He said that the whole point of the Gospels and of church life was transformation; we are supposed to change. I had understood the teachings of the church as the training of disciples, of obedience to and worship of God, of mission and evangelism, of outreach and good works, and of living a model Christian life, but somehow the word transformation had never been on that list. That one word, transformation, would haunt me for years to come as I tried to understand what he meant. On one level it was obvious and simple, but on another level, it was entirely mysterious.

That sermon and its introduction to the concept of transformation was about 10 years ago I reckon. It has taken a long time for it to flourish in my understanding. It has also taken a lot of teachers from a variety of perspectives and cultures. Each, in their own way, lead me back, again and again, to the revered one of my own tradition, rabbouni Jesus. It seems that the wise teachers outside of Christianity can see in Jesus what Christians, like me, miss: Transformation is the whole point. This speaks to more than making an effort to be a better human being, to be more like Jesus.

"Sometimes people want to imitate Christ, but when a monkey plays a saxophone, that doesn't make him a musician." (A. DeMello, Awareness, 96.)

Sometimes, probably a lot of the time, the church teaches us how to venerate Christ (worship Jesus) and how to imitate Christ (discipleship), but that alone does not serve us, not really. It's perfunctory.

"You can't imitate Christ by imitating his external behavior. [What would Jesus do? insertion mine] You've got to be Christ. Then you'll know what to do in a particular situation... No one has to tell you. But to do that, you must be what Christ was. An external imitation will get you nowhere." (ibid.)

The truth is, through the gospel accounts we have received Jesus' teachings on transformation. We have received what is necessary to be Christ. But to receive the teachings with understanding (wisdom) requires the heart of someone who has not only a willingness, but a longing, to be transformed, to grow up, to awaken. For that one, nothing else matters. Nothing.

This is where transformation begins, with awakening.

Awakening, the one and only path to transformation, is uncomfortable; it requires effort, daily, momentary attention to detail, relentless attention to the inner life; it requires truth-telling - the truth that we are no different and certainly no better than anyone else.

DeMello continues: "People tell you, 'I think you’re very charming,' so I feel wonderful. I get a positive stroke (that’s why they call it I’m O.K., you’re O.K.). I’m going to write a book someday and the title will be I’m an Ass, You’re an Ass. That’s the most liberating, wonderful thing in the world, when you openly admit you’re an ass. It’s wonderful. When people tell me, “You’re wrong.” I say, “What can you expect of an ass?” (A. DeMello, Awareness, 39-40.)

Liberation. The reward of awakening is freedom. Liberation from a unseen, unknown slavery. We don't know that we are slaves because we are so conditioned and programmed to suffer. But we don't know that. We are taught that everyone who lives must suffer. But this is not true.

"Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional." (Attributed to the Dalai Lama, Haruki Murakami, and M. Kathleen Casey)

As we grow in the spiritual life we learn, and come to actually believe, that our suffering is an opportunity for our growth. With God nothing is wasted. It is the most direct path to awakening for some. But many of us do not see that there is anything beyond the painful circumstances of their lives and we muddle through.

"If you knew how to use that suffering, oh, how you would grow." (A. DeMello, Awareness, 107.)

To awaken is to gain a freedom that cannot be taken away because it's not conditional on external circumstances. It is only conditional on internal wakefulness. We think that if we change things in our environment we'll be happy, we'll be free. But in reality, it is directly through our discontent, our hatred, our anger, our dissatisfaction, our criticism, that we are bound to all the things about which we are discontent and hate, and with which we are angry and dissatisfied; and more so to the things we push away. All we denounce we drag around with us with invisible chains. There is a path to liberation, but this is not it.

The path may take any number of forms. I suggest a reading of the Gospels with the eyes of longing to awaken, to know God. Read the Gospels but do not neglect the writings of the mystics. They will guide you and not by way of the straight path or through the narrow gate of understanding but rather along the shores of a great ocean. There you will see that at the place where the sky and sea meet on the horizon there is both an end to what can be seen and at the same time clarity that the expanse of both sky and sea extend to places beyond comprehension. Standing on the shore with Wisdom as your guide you realize that you are seeing yourself as you truly are; awakened, liberated, transformed.

Mother Jesus: Moving toward full integration

2022-05-11T14:47:00.153-04:00

I asked the congregation: When you look at this picture what do you see? Do you see structure and order? or do you see nurture and wisdom? Without hesitation I heard a rousing "nurture and wisdom" response.

I followed with: I would like to introduce you to Mother Jesus.

Like a koan, a paradoxical anecdote or riddle, this image of Jesus as Mother can lead us into the full integration of a whole spirituality that is well beyond the dualism of the present time. That is where we are going, after all; where all of us are going. We are moving toward full integration; to a broader, deeper, and far more comprehensive understanding of ourselves as spiritual beings than ever before in our common history.

When I speak of integration I am talking about achieving greater balance between two opposing and equally necessary energies. There are two kinds of energy that are present throughout the universe: feminine and masculine energy, aka Yin and Yang in the East. It is essential to understand that this has little to do with gender. All humans have within them both energies. Men often have more dominate male energy, but not always. Women are generally believed to have more feminine energy. However, I suspect that this used to be far more true 50 years ago. But today I experience many women as predominately masculine in energy with the corresponding attributes (again, I am not speaking to physical attributes or characteristics but rather the attributes of feminine and masculine energy which I will describe in detail below. In fact, the social equality of women with men (while a great improvement for women worldwide and a great enrichment to society in general) has also, in my opinion, created a kind of feminine oppression internally as well as socially. (I am not against women's liberation!!! but I am observing a possible byproduct of it.) There have been some very good books written on the topic of masculinity and femininity. One such is Matthew Fox's, The Green Man, which addresses the divine masculine, and how the loss of this sacred knowledge has adversely affected men, young men particularly, in modern culture.

Many attributes can be assigned to both types of energy but for the sake of brevity I will simplify it with the attributes of Structure and Order as expressions of male energy and Wisdom and Nurture as expression of female energy. The construction of buildings are male in their nature as are modes of transportation - cars, planes, trains - the fastest way from A to Z. The world is organized and runs ordered by logic, mathematics, engineering. Law and the maintaining of order in highly male. Think Pharisees. But without the feminine wisdom (Sophia), the Law (Torah) becomes legalistic. Let us be clear: masculine energy is good and necessary. Without it, things fall apart. But it requires its counterpart for the stability of the whole.

Feminine energy is slow and expanding. It does not seek the fastest and most efficient route but rather takes the long way and stops to speak to everyone with measured words, listening and responding without hurry. It intuits the whole of the human condition, embracing it with joy and laughter, appreciates mystery and suspects certainty; it smells the roses along the way to wherever it is going. The journey is all that matters; the destination is a footnote. In the Judeo-Christian tradition Wisdom is associated with Sophia, the divine feminine. The entire Wisdom tradition of Judaism and Christianity and the mystics of every ancient faith tradition are characterized as feminine in nature.

Mary and Martha are good examples of these opposing and equally necessary energies. It was Jesus who said that Mary had the better part - not as a judgment against the efficiency and goodness of Martha but rather because the world was in such short supply of the feminine energy she embodied. Consider also the woman with the alabaster jar. Masculine energy sees this as inefficient and wasteful (Judas in this story). Mother Jesus makes room for the feminine expression of the extravagant outpouring of nurture and healing, unrestrained.

Most, perhaps all, of our institutions are structured and are organized in a way that is historically patristic/male dominated (going beyond the fact that men have traditionally build and led them - but more so that male energy (and to my earlier point, regardless of the gender of the people in power) remains dominate. This is great for a society that honors order and structure, until that is all that there is; the Spirit of the Law has been trampled by the foot of efficiency and expediency and the humanity of the people is of little account. Consider Jesus' teachings. Did he promote more order and structure or more wisdom and nurture? Was he forcing an outcome? Was he rushed to get to the end of the journey? Did he take the shortest route with greatest efficiency? Was he concerned about time? Did he speak in story and metaphor or in clear and logical language that left nothing to the imagination? Did he appeal to the Wisdom Tradition or the legalistic teachings of the Pharisees? Did he care about the fulfillment of the Spirit of the Law or the correctness of carrying out Levitical Law? Was not the restoration of relationships through love, we with one another, we with God, the primary teaching upon which all else rested? Jesus was fully, biologically male, and offered to his generation and ours a model of perfect balance.

Within the church there is an acknowledgment of the need to right the scales and to balance these energies in our common life but the remedies sometimes miss the mark. That is to say, that just because women are being increasingly ordained to the priesthood and voted into the House of Bishops, does not mean that the church will necessarily became more integrated. As I have said previously, we generally, an erroneously, assume that women have more feminine energy and males more masculine energy - but that is not necessity the case. There are powerful forces at play within the structure of the church (as well as socially/culturally) that maintain the patristic character and the residential masculine energy of the institution. In my experience as a female priest, most congregants want their priest to perform duties and lead worship in the same way as their traditional male counterparts have done historically (which is decidedly masculine in character). To vary from this overarching model is not well tolerated because the entire system is in itself dominated by masculine energy and its attributes with expectations of structure and order above all else. Structure and order are good and necessary but they, in themselves, are only one half of a balanced equation.

Further, I submit that is hard for us to imagine what that would look like in practice. The Book of Common Prayer and its liturgies are masculine in nature - structure and order - but contain within them the spirit of wisdom and nurture. But the potential for realizing balance in their application does not come naturally because we are individually so out of balance. An energetically balanced liturgy requires the allowance of curiosity and experimentation; for flow to replace process. Such a worship experience might include such elements as art, poetry, spontaneous prayer, liturgical dance, dramatic enactments, storytelling, the presence of water and incense, a variety of musical expressions, anointing for healing, periods of silence and meditation, and other infusions of feminine energy. This shift in liturgical expression would not just look different on paper but would be experienced quite differently than what is presently in use. Matthew Fox's "Cosmic Masses" are integrated worship experiences in their fullest expression; I had the honor of experiencing one held at the National Cathedral some years ago. Expressions of both masculine and feminine energies and their attributes are necessary for liturgies that are fully integrated and are worth the effort, even in small measures, introduced a little at a time.

There is a great wave of spiritual awakening occurring here on planet earth presently. One of the obvious signs of this is the breaking down of systems: political institutions, educational institutions, monetary institutions, health institutions (big Pharma), agricultural institutions (big Agra), religious institutions, etc. I am not declaring any great prophecy here, I am simply pointing to what is actually occurring. This is not to say, with undue hysteria, that everything is falling apart and we are heading into chaos. I am saying that we have systems that are not well balanced energetically and they cannot stand long-term because the consequences of their actions on the human family can be, and, in fact, are devastating. Let me give an example of how this plays out in real life (and I'm sure you can come up with several of your own):

In indigenous, earth-based cultures, there is a strong and long tradition of "grandmothers." These are the wisdom keepers. (In this culture these are gender specifically women.) Whenever a change in the way of doing things is being considered, it is presented to the grandmothers for the final word. The main question before them is: How will this affect the 7th generation? After sitting with this question for some time, if the decision is that it would not benefit the 7th generation the idea is put away. In our modern, "advanced" society, there are no grandmothers to be consulted because there are no official wisdom keepers (expressions of the divine feminine) who have a say in the things that affect humanity down the road. "Progress" moves forward with speed and efficiency; short-term profit, and the creation of structures to execute the decisions of the men and women who are in positions of authority, with little to no thought of the generations to come. No one on the planet is protected from the consequences of this imbalance of masculine and feminine energy and its attributes and its often highly regrettable affects on human life and the future of our species.

"Just because you can do something does not mean you should." - Jeff Goldblum, Jurassic Park

Having noted this rather sobering example, let us also acknowledge that the fevered pitch of the masses who stand in complete opposition to one another in each of the institutional sectors and on every issue of our time, stands in equal measure to the integration/awakening that is occurring. Let us look at an example of that:

There is a very large and increasing number of youth who are grappling with the question of what it means to be female and male, and the attributes of the feminine and masculine. There is a lot of exploration and experimentation going on. Let us observe without judgment; let us listen and understand, asking: "Tell me what you see about yourself and how you are relating to the world" (wisdom and nurturing, attributes of feminine energy (not biological women) used constructively). Let us spare our youth from any further impositions of structure and order - "something is wrong with you because you're breaking the rules/social norms/my expectations of who you are supposed to be" (attributes of masculine energy (not biological men) not used constructively). I do not believe this cultural phenomenon to be a fad, but rather an important part of a cosmic event - the shift to full integration (of the energies - apart from gender considerations - which may be a part of that, but is not the topic of this article). The young ones are reflecting back to us the process of full integration that is occurring globally. We should be paying close attention and engaging thoughtfully in discussions with these young explorers - especially those of us who claim a religious or spiritual practice. What I have observed in these courageous youth is that the pull to question is far greater than the need to assimilate. (That, in itself, is movement toward full integration.)

They are asking, in their own way: Assimilate to what?

Let me be clear: I am not interested in or suggesting Mother Jesus as a transgendered icon for the LBGTQI+ community - to make that inference is to miss the point entirely. Full integration, in as far as the limits of this article, is not about gender; nor promoting a cause. I'm not an activist calling out for social justice and I'm not particularly interested in convincing anyone about anything. I'm happy for you to totally disagree with me and delighted that you engaged long enough to do so! This is not an easy concept for the West. But the energies and the attributes of the masculine and the feminine are beyond agreement and disagreement, they simply are; it is understanding that is lacking.

Out beyond right doing and wrong doing there is a field. I'll meet you there. - Rumi

To gain understanding, I ask that we, as the spiritual beings that we are, observe, without judgment, these energies and their attributes so that we might then be able to intentionally work toward and recognize full integration. Integration is not a lofty ideal; Mother Jesus is a substantive model that all of us can strive to emulate. Full integration is the outward and visible sign of the inward and invisible awakening to self (God's indwelling).

In the present moment, the forceful measures and pressures of forced assimilation are met with equal forces of awakening to self.

Many of us are asking: Assimilate to what?

This question creates space for an understanding of the Christ as Mother Jesus who holds together the two powerful and necessary forces of masculinity and femininity; structure and order and wisdom and nurture in perfect balance creating a foundation upon which we can rebuild our world, institution by institution, one relationship at a time, for the good of the 7th generation.

After-note: For further discussion on this topic see: Julian of Norwich [d. 1416]: Celebrating Mother Jesus, https://qspirit.net/julian-norwich-mother-jesus/, which came to my attention after I had published this blog entry.

THREE THINGS.... Three ways to really enjoy life

2022-05-05T17:52:00.004-04:00

It is often the case that the teacher learns more than the student in most situations. I find this is true of blogging and certainly of preaching. I learn more about a given subject, and myself, I might add, nevermore so then when I undertake to speak or write. I asked Matthew Fox, the hugely famous theologian of our times, and author of over thirty books, how he came up with all the material for his books. I saw him as someone unimaginably intelligent with vast amounts of facts and information in his head. He informed me that that wasn't the case. He said, "I do not write because I know, I write because I do not know." In effect, he said that if knowing the material in advance was required he would never have written a word. But he had topics he wanted to know more about and so he began to explore them on paper and was curious about where that would lead and what he would learn. I think this is a good way to look at life in general, as one who does not know, but has the desire to know and the agency to undertake the work of discovery. And so it is in the spirit of not knowing, but endeavoring to find out, that I humbly suggest three ways to really enjoy life - as student with agency and not as learned teacher.

This article is written with the understanding that all of life is spiritual. And everything that happens in our lives, from small talk to major traumas invite us to grow into Christ consciousness. I believe that life is supposed to be enjoyed. But that isn't what we are taught. In fact, we are taught that life is a struggle. Spiritual teachings turn this on its head. Jesus said, Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart; and you will find rest. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” —Matthew 11:25-30 In its purest and highest form, the spiritual path is that of realizing the peace that is all around but unseen and largely unknown. The plank in our eye is our belief in struggle. We are blind to peace, to joy, to love. Remove the plank and life is beautiful - no matter what is happening.

1. Learn to surrender to what is. I might have also said accept what is. But that isn't quite the same thing. There is a submission to acceptance. It suggests that if I could change what is I would, but because I can't or choose not to, acceptance is required. This line from a Star Trek episode comes to mind: "Resistance if futile." Surrender contains a subtlety, a shade of difference from acceptance, at least in the way I am suggesting it. When we accept situations we may be very much opposed to the reality of what we are up against, and our acceptance does not alter that opposition. We just put it to the side. But when we surrender, we drop the resistance. When we surrender, our discomfort or dislike of a situation becomes a moot point, it moves to neutral. That's the whole point of surrender - to take the juice out of it.

The late Jesuit teacher, Anthony DeMello, tells the story of a man on public transit who has a bomb on his lap. The steward comes by a says, "Hey, you don't want that bomb on your lap, put it under your seat." That's the difference between acceptance and surrender. Acceptance moves the bomb from one place to another. Surrender defuses it.

We go through life daily accepting things that we do not like while complaining about them in the same breath. We rarely surrender to these things. We think that if we surrendering we're giving up - we hold fast to the idea that we must "fight the good fight." Surrender isn't weakness - nor is it strength. Surrender is letting go without judgment.

Sometimes when I'm working I get tired. When I accept that I'm tired I am reacting to the feeling of being tired and try to forge on - maybe I have a deadline I have to get the work done. I'm annoyed at being tired. I'm frustrated that this feeling of being tired is getting in my way, it's keeping me from doing something. I fight it, I try to stay awake and get more annoyed. Other times, I feel that I am tired and surrender to that feeling. I let my head drop down while I'm sitting there and fall asleep for several minutes. I'm relaxed, there's no resistance, I'm not annoyed or anxious about it. Shortly I wake up naturally. Now I'm refreshed and keep working. No drama. There's a lot of drama in acceptance. There's no drama in surrender.

Living from a place of surrender is so much better. But we think we have to fight all the time. We don't. We can just go with the flow, without drama, without thinking too much about it. When I was in a difficult situation in the parish some years ago with person who was always looking for a fight, my teacher asked me, "Do you have to fight?" I assumed I had to fight back, to defend my position. But once I thought about it, the answer was clearly, No. I did not accept the situation, I surrendered into it. And the situation evaporated. It was like magic. I did not resign myself to an unwanted situation, I surrendered to its existence without judgment. It was easy.

We don't actually have to struggle against anything. But no one ever told us that. We are programmed to fight against everything that comes our way. Fight. Fight. Fight. And living is hard and painful that way. Try surrendering to everything that comes your way. Observe how hard it is not to want to fight instead. Explore that urge in you. Where does it come from? What do you hope to gain? What do you fear losing?

When you fight anything it's like adding gas to a fire. When you surrender, its like feeling a cool breeze on your face on a warm day.

2. Practice talking less and observing more. This is actually a practice of surrendering vs. fighting/accepting. Most of the time, when we speak, ego is doing the talking. Begin observing conversations. You will observe a lot of subtle fighting going on; that is, a lot of ego establishing of a kind of pecking order. Not always of course, but often. It goes on so predominately that we don't even notice it. It's like fish swimming in the sea in search of water. Observe what you say very closely. How do you feel as you talk? Defensive? Nervous? Need to be right? Need to be understood?

I used to get very frustrated when I felt I wasn't being heard. I really felt I needed someone to listen to me. Then I began to practice talking less and instead paying attention to that frustration as it arises - the old pattern of my mind justifying why I should be upset because I'm not being heard, or understood (or agreed with!). I began to devise ways of demanding to be heard - of pointing out how rude it is not to listen to other people properly. Silly. I heard my teacher say: Do you need to fight? It's way more interesting to observe what is going on inside of me while others talk and to listen very carefully to what I say in response. Why did I say that? When I consider the motives of my own speaking I find I have less to say. I'm content to listen, to understand and to see the dynamic at play - without judgment. (Can I still hear the other person? Yes, more than before because now I'm aware of what I am doing that before kept me from hearing fully.) Criticism is fighting - it's the counter argument, the justification, it's judgment, it creates a position that must be defended. If judgment shows up, and it usually does, observe it - without judgment! The ego wants to assert itself, that's what it does. On to suggestion #3.

3. Learn to be the master of your mind and not its servant. There can be no surrender without learning to train your mind, and surrender is the way to train it. All truth is found in paradox. (Unknown.)

There have been times in my life when I have been very depressed, feeling hopeless, and convinced that my mind was my enemy. I felt like I had no power over it. It kept telling me how terrible my situation was, etc. I wondered what it would take to escape the incessant negative thinking. I think a lot of people live like this. And I think too that sometimes, sadly, tragically, people commit suicide because they can't take the inner fight going on anymore and they just want peace. Thankfully, most people do not resort to self-violence to find peace, but many of us find other ways to cope. Many self-medicate and in all kinds of ways: We are addicted to an endless variety of distractions. Alcohol and drugs are obvious, and serious, but I think that cell phones, social media, and gaming are probably even more widespread. I wrote down this quote the other day, which is either from James Finley or Thomas Merton, perhaps Finley quoting Merton:

"Their lives are devoured by activities and strangled by attachments. Interior solitude is impossible and feared. They do everything to escape it."

We want to escape because nobody has taught us to train our minds. It's probably one of the great failings of mainstream religion. And, as author Michael Singer points out, it's so easy. He says, and I paraphrase: Tell your mind to count to 10. Did it do it? It's that easy. It takes practice, but everyone can do this. Singer goes on to say that when we understand life we will know God. We can only understand life when we train our minds, when we become the master of the mind and stop being its slave. In "An Untethered Life" Singer says that if you had a roommate who talked to you like your mind does then you'd kick it out, you wouldn't put up with such abuse. That's how we should see our minds, as a bad roommate that needs to be kicked out or reformed. Reform the mind and enjoy your life. Many, many books have been written on this topic and the mystics throughout the ages have been begging us to listen.

Conflict

When the flute is playing

For then I see every movement emanates

From God's

Holy

Dance.

(Hafiz, 14th cent.)

All human conflict comes from the ego's need to be right, to have more, to establish self and meaning, to escape all that it fears, especially death - that is, non-being. We believe that the mind who is speaking, who informs and advises us, who criticizes us, and who judges everything and everyone without exception, is who we are. We believe we can overpower it with reason, or good intentions, or sheer will. We fight it. And we do not rise victorious.

Try surrender. That is the first lesson in how to train the mind. Surrender to it with out judgment and be willing to talk less and observe more. There is no conflict when the flute is playing.

Seeking after cure

2022-04-16T22:39:00.005-04:00

I heard the wise Jesuit teacher Anthony De Mello say once on the topic of spiritual awakening, that what all people want is to feel better. They want to get relief. They want their lives to be better. They want their jobs back. They want their health back. They want their spouse back. They want their money back. They want their loved ones back from the grave. But what very few people are interested in is a cure for their suffering, to wake up. The cure is perceived as loss, though Jesus is clear: For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. (Matt. 16:25) This resonated with me immediately and I understood exactly what he meant.

For some years I worked bi-vocationally as a holistic health and wellness coach. What I had realized was that in most cases, what people wanted was relief, but not necessarily the resolution at the root cause. They wanted their symptoms to go away. They wanted their blood pressure to return to normal. They wanted to get off their many prescription medications. They wanted their gout to go away. They wanted to lose all the weight they had gained, etc., etc. They wanted relief from their symptoms, but they weren't really interested going beyond a temporary fix. Many did enough to get temporary relief, but few had any interest in going further. But I was a holistic practitioner, I urged getting to the root cause - I urged doing the hard work of correcting the possible imbalances in diet and lifestyle that may have caused their gout, or their weight gain, or whatever is was they got them on on those meds to begin with (in coordination with their MD). But taking that route was a lot more work and there was a high cost; it meant committing to diet and lifestyle changes for the rest of their lives. In the end, most people settled for symptom relief, and of all the clients I worked with over the years, very few were willing to make changes long-term. It was too much time and effort in the kitchen and they had no energy and it took too much planning. The organic or local farm grown food was too expensive or too much effort to procure. The exercise and stress management recommendations took too much time, etc., etc.

Religious life, for most people, does not require a lot of time or commitment. Church membership, the typical path of religious life, requires church attendance and a few quid in the plate now and again. At the next level, some who are very committed to religious life take up church leadership or worship or teaching roles, a bit of volunteer work now and again, and add a few more quid in the plate with some regularity. There are many who are quite devout and their work is important for keeping the church open, operating, and financially sound, as well as to provide beneficial, charitable acts to assist the local people of the parish's community. I do not mean to minimize religious life in any way. But I do mean to make a clear distinction as to what it is and what it is not. Religious life is not the same thing as the spiritual life. Though the two may, and often do, co-exist.

The spiritual life requires a very different kind of effort and commitment. It is not visible because it is not outward facing, but is rather an inward and individual journey. It's risky. It leads to change. It invariably leads to transformation. It requires time in the kitchen, as it were. It requires disciple. Once must procure the ingredients and learn how to cook with them; to make friends with the local farmer. That is, one must get to know a few spiritual teachers, read the contemplatives and the mystics, and follow their recipes, day in and day out. Sometimes it gets hot in the kitchen. The physical offerings of the church can provide temporary relief for our pain at a certain level, but the cure for human suffering is not found in the pew or in any meeting or on any balance sheet; it is found in the heart. There is a path there, a path to freedom, a path to the Kingdom, but it requires sitting at the knee of the Teacher. It requires living the lessons; it requires awareness and a desire to awaken. It requires learning God not just learning about God. It requires moving beyond the familiar territory of strongly held beliefs and swimming in the unknown waters of mystery (some call this faith), where nothing is known and there is no certainty. It requires lifestyle changes, effort. It requires a willingness to let go of old ways and learn new things, paradoxical idioms and strange ideas that somehow ring true. The spiritual life seeks after the cure, to know for oneself the inexpressible communion with Love, and cannot, will not, settle for the relief of symptoms alone.

THREE THINGS.... Three Reflections on Awakening

2022-04-08T21:13:00.001-04:00

"Awakening" has become a very popular catch-word in recent years. Everybody seems to be talking about it. "Wake up!" is a more and more common mantra. But what is Awakening? and how can we know the difference between being awake and being "asleep", or being "in the dream." Here are but three of my humble reflections on a topic that fill many tomes written by many wise people and is spoken of in all world's great religions (some far more prominently than others).

1. Awakening does not mean coming around. In some ways its easier to speak of awakening in terms of what it is not. If two people are arguing and one party says: "Wake up! Can't you see what's going on? Can't you see the truth? (and the truth happens to be the way that person see things) you can be assured that this kind of awakening has little to nothing to do with enlightenment. If fact, it is the polar opposite of the experience of a spiritual awakening. Awakening persons care less and less about proving oneself right about anything, or needing to take a side, because that is exactly the kind of dualist thinking that is falling away (as opposed to being artificially pushed away). Though it is important to recognize that the temptation is always there; the tendency to cling to ideals and righteous opinions does not go away because the outside world has not stopped functioning dualistically, but gradually it becomes easier to observe and to make different choices, as one's inner landscape takes on a new shape.

2. Awakening provides choice. This is the single most important thing that one can say about awakening. Most of us spend the hours of our days being tossed about by the emotions of our brain chemistry and neurological pathways. The past replays as patterns of thought and behaviors and is generally, and almost completely unconscious. The primary practice for realizing the fullness of this reality is to cultivate the role of "I" as witness who observes, without judgment, "me." "I" (the one who is my true self) can then watch "me" (the false self, the egocentric story of everything everybody has ever told me about who I am) going about the business of living. "I" might observe and reflect to "I-self": There is "me," talking to a friend; there is "me" feeling defense and anxious. All the while, "I" is aware that "I" is not affected by this drama taking place on the stage of life, and therefore, the defensiveness and anxiety are not "I" but belong only to the character named, "me." Having the objectivity of the witness or observer allows for the question: Where have I felt defensive and anxiety before? This feels familiar. Then we begin to see thought and behavior patterns as they show up, previously hidden. "I" can then say, Oh, it's you, my old friend defensiveness and anxiety." Knowing the different between "me" and "I" is the first step in awakening. We awaken to our true self, and without judgment, begin to realize that "me" need not be a slave to the false self story, but can now begin to make choices; to let go of old patterns of behavior that no longer serve us well, and to allow the true self to emerge, the loving self, that only sees the Christ in all things and responds accordingly (to include loving toughly with necessary boundaries as needed as expressions of true kindness, as opposed to the false self who is "nice" and doesn't want to rock the boat because it is controlled by fear). Additionally, the observation of anxiety in "me," releases the anxiety in the body because "me" is no longer caught up in it. Once observed, it dissipates. Without the observer, all we have is the egoic self who operates from a place of reaction, cause and effect, ignorant that emotions are defenses of the false self, suffering needlessly as we are caught up in the dramas of every day life. This is one way of expressing what it means to acquire awareness. Having a choice to not react, but rather to respond in love from the authentic self is to free oneself of the ego's continual need to prove itself, to protect itself, and to maintain the facade of the false self. This is what it means to have life (to be born again, to die to self) and have it abundantly.

3. We do not awaken ourselves, we are awoken. It is not possible for us to force the experience of awakening upon ourselves. And most people do not experience awakening suddenly but rather as a process that unfolds over time and cannot be completed on this side of the pearly gates. Nor can the process of awakening be stopped or reversed. Once it begins, it continues. We cannot un-know what we now know. Once we know that "I" is not "me," we cannot not know that again. One cannot awaken by means of the intellect - it is not related to the brain - it is a heart-centered phenomenon. We cannot think our way into the kingdom, though that doesn't stop us from trying! I find much comfort in all the books and videos I read and watch relating to this subject. Somewhere along the line I moved from curious confusion to the feeling of being among old friends with whom I share something profound, though impossible to capture in words. One could know the Bible by heart and have never missed a Sunday worship service and yet have none of the self-awareness that is indicative of the process of awakening. While we cannot awaken ourselves, we can place ourselves in an open and inviting posture. The timeless spiritual practices of learning to be "the observer," the practice of meditation or Centering Prayer, repeated exposure to the work of the mystics, and the study of the teachers of awakening who proliferate the religious landscape and span the ages (including Jesus!), are four of the postures of invitation. We do not march willfully into the kingdom; we ask to be invited and the door opens.

THREE THINGS.... Three perspectives on the spring season for the spiritual life

2022-03-18T19:04:00.027-04:00

The seasons have long served as metaphors for the seasons of our lives: “In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” (Albert Camus) This blog entry is the third on the influence of the seasons on the spiritual life. Here are the first two, reflections on the fall and winter seasons.

https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blog/post/edit/3610063027887203578/3997009121459356548

https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blog/post/edit/3610063027887203578/4721971028410733208

Who doesn't love spring? It's great to come out of the shorter blustery, snowy days of winter and arrive at the longer, warmer, sunshine-filled, daffodil-laden days of spring. Spiritually speaking, "It’s time to lighten things up and shed the many aspects of our ‘Winter coat’, to allow new growth and abundance."* Here are three reflections on the spring season for the spiritual life.

1. A resurrection frame of reference. For Christians, spring is synonymous with resurrection. Easter is the annual celebratory focal point of a long, saving history of divine intervention. Its date is always set on the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or after the spring equinox. Easter and the season of spring are permanently bound together. The Resurrection Event embedded in a season of rebirth, reminds us that God continually, perennially, calls us into right relationship with the divine; to live fully into our authentic spiritual nature. In the spring we long to be immersed in the magnificence of the created world after a long winter of being indoors; it is medicine for the soul. The natural world in the springtime reminds us of the eternal character of the relationship between creator and all that has been created; life continues, is born anew, as anticipated, and yet with a fresh enthusiasm, unique to this moment in time.

2. Re-membering rebirth. We forget. We forget that rebirth is always happening. We need the season of spring to re-connect us to that reality. All things are connected - we, and all our relations, are members of the whole of creation. Spring re-connects us, re-members us, to that interconnectivity. The relationship is not static. In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer. We die in winter only to be reborn in the spring; we will die again in Christ and rise up again in Christ. We forget and we need re-membering.

3. The significance of beauty. Zach Bush has given me a way to communicate Love in a way I had never been to do before. He speaks frankly about the difficulty of trying to force the feeling of love on difficult situations or people. We can manage it for few minutes, maybe, but we cannot sustain it. We have ideas about love, but it's very confusing, and even more conditional and unsustainable. But we can always find beauty, it's all around us if we have eyes to see it. And when we experience beauty, we experience Love. What does Love feel like? It feels like the experience of beauty. Even in the worst situation, beauty is present. Here are three examples.

During a recent ice story I found myself internally conflicted by the shear danger of the situation set against the sight of the spectacular beauty of the ice on the trees. The trees were falling all around me; the sound of their loud creaking and falling close by was unsettling. The electrical lines came down with ease resulting in the loss of power and water. And yet, I found I could not be angry or upset, or even worried, because the sheer beauty of the ice under the moonlight was all consuming. Surreal and indescribably beautiful, I could hardly take my eyes away from the sight of it. In the morning it took on new heights of perfection and the orchestral sounds of the ice melting off the trees in the sunshine was breath-taking. I will remember that for ever. I strain to recall that it was in the single digits with no heat or water.

When my father was near death, he suddenly sat up in bed and looked right at me as I was sitting at the foot of his bed, and said with perfect clarity and with urgent enthusiasm: "You are so beautiful!" It was as if he'd seen a stunning sunset or beautiful painting - something we could not see. Everyone in the room was stunned. Then he lay back down and never said another word. He died the next day. This event had been completely out of character for him. Our family had for years suffered the unpleasant personality changes that affected him adversely and quite negatively as a side effect of brain cancer. I had chalked up the remark to some final effect of the cancer, but now I believe I have understanding. Love broke through, experienced as beauty. The final "I see the beauty of you", was his final and most complete expression of the experience of authentic Love.

Many years ago, when I was doing social work, I often had to go into neighborhoods that were worn with decades of poverty. The families I visited were "in the system" because of child abuse or neglect. The conditions were the worst I'd ever seen and shocking to my privileged, socio-ethnic perspective. My heart would bleed and I'd be filled with such sorrow and heart-break for the children, the innocents, who suffered under those living conditions. In one of the neighborhoods there was a huge flowering bush, that in the sub-tropical climate of Florida, was in bloom throughout the protracted spring season, well into summer, year after year. It seemed to me to be like a single spot of color in an otherwise black and white photograph. Once I stopped my car and starred at it, at its audacious show of color and loveliness, and said out loud, I'm so glad you're here. It presented itself, day after day, with such staggering and strange beauty and in such sharp contrast to the human conditions in that place, I knew it could not have been there by accident. I believe now that the divine had placed it there intentionally, as a re-membering.

Spring is filled with beauty - it is all around us. We are literally bathed in beauty. We are bathed in Love.

*https://www.ekhartyoga.com/articles/practice/ayurvedic-springtime-routines

THREE THINGS.... Three ways to invest in your Lenten observance

2022-03-02T17:48:00.011-05:00

I rather enjoy Lent. I like the idea of setting aside a specific amount of time to dedicate oneself to something of importance with intentionality. New Year's resolutions are too big of a challenge - too final... "Beginning on New Year's Day I will or will no longer... forever! ... or not... as generally happens. These resolutions are not usually spiritually driven - instead they are typically diet or health related independent of religious convictions. But Lent is a specific religious observance and the goals are very different. Just the same, many a religious person has given up something for Lent that is diet or health related - like chocolate - in an effort of experience a sense of sacrifice designed to grow in a deeper relationship with Christ. It is not for me to judge, let me be clear. But the purpose of this blog is not to ask you to give up chocolate. Instead, I suggest three ways to invest yourself in your Lenten observance.

1. Be intentional. There once was Buddhist monk who had studied at a temple for ten years. On the night before his departure his teacher asked him to stop by his room for a parting conversation. When the monk arrived it was raining and he closed his umbrella and put it by the door before entering. The monk and the teacher spoke for some time and enjoyed their conversation. As the monk was preparing to leave the teacher asked him, What side of the door did you put your umbrella, the left or the right? The monk did not know. The teacher noted the monk's lack of awareness and as a result of this lapse he continued his studies at the temple for another ten years. Most of us move through life as if sleepwalking, not fully awake or alert much less fully alive and available to the present moment or to the person in the room with us. "Where did I put my glasses?.... Oh, they're on my head!" We do this so well and so autonomically, we actually think we ARE fully present and awake. We can't imagine anything beyond that which we know now - how could there be more? But there is more, or less, depending on how you see it. Fr. Richard Rohr says that with increased awareness we don't ascend to a higher place as we might imagine, rather we descend, or fall, into a new understanding of living in Christ. To be intentional about living in the present moment is the first step to awakening to the Kingdom of God. This Lent pick something to give up and/or something to add to your life and plan for its inclusion or exclusion. It should be something that is not particularly easy for which you can make a quick adjustment. It should be something that requires effort and full engagement.

As an example: I am taking a Lenten class offered by Amy Howton (former director of Becoming Beloved Community for DSO) around her newly released book, A 40 Day Journey to Remembering Soul and Spirit (co-authored by my leadership coach, Quanita Robertson). These women are entrepreneurs and activists, which are not areas of expertise for me, and in many ways challenge my perceptions of spirituality and personal expectations, or lack thereof. This work will require that I explore ideas and exercises in unfamiliar territory. Daily journal work as well as other exercises are required as is a zoom meeting every Saturday with the wider group.

Not everyone needs to take a class. But I do suggest that you set your intentions on something that requires your attention and is out of your routine. Maybe your intention is to sit on a park bench for one hour a day and focus on everything you see, training your mind to remain in the moment and not think about anything. This would be a difficult practice for most of us, but it would also be transformative. (Eckert Tolle's transformation was just this: He sat on a park bench all day, every day, for two years.) Explore The Work, by Byron Katie. Do the one page worksheet, exactly as she instructs (free on her website) every day. After 40 days, you will transformed - you will never blame or shame yourself or anyone else ever again, that's a promise (unless you stop doing the work).

2. Focus on shifts. Whatever form your Lenten observance takes this year, focus on it each day. Every morning consider the work of your intentional observance that day. Before you go to sleep consider how you lived into your observance over the preceding hours. What has changed for you? Where did your mind go? What is rising up in you? This will likely be very subtle, but don't discount the micro-shift(s). It would be very rare to experience something profound; generally with new practices we experience nearly imperceptible shifts in ways of thinking about things or a subtle realization that a letting go of particular things or people. Focus on the shifts, the letting go's, and explore them - thereby growing them by giving them attention. Just training ourselves to focus and to do that with consistency is a big shift for most people. What side of the door did I put the umbrella?

3. Invite change. You might be saying: But change is the LAST thing I want! There is too much change in life and I'm sick of change and I don't want any more of it! Rant. Go ahead. You're allowed. When you're done, consider that not all change is terrible, or involves loss and grief, or pandemics or war.

In a Kingdom-minded way, expect that whatever change you experience as a result of your intentional Lenten observation will be positive and add to your happiness in immeasurable ways. In a Kingdom-minded way, accept that God wants you to be happy and is providing you with everything you need to realize happiness. In a Kingdom-minded way ponder the possibility that it is our thinking, our perceptions and biases that prevent us from experiencing joy and optimism even in the midst of difficult conditions here on planet earth. God's invitation to return and Jesus's teachings push us in the direction of continual growth and evolution; they anticipate shifts from inaction to action; from fear to courage; from despair to joy; from sickness to health, from enslavement to freedom. This is the kind of change I'm encouraging you to invite into your life.

THREE THINGS.... Our Lizard, Monkey, and Thinking brains

2022-02-25T12:53:00.011-05:00

At their root, all long-standing religious traditions are concerned, first and foremost, with the "awakening" of its adherents. What does this mean for Christians? I refer to Franciscan Richard Rohr:

In our regular contemplative “sit” (time of silent prayer) we are actually practicing being awake. Religious teachers, including Jesus, the Buddha, as well as many Hindu sages, are always telling us to wake up—to be alert, alive, awake, attentive, or aware. You might call it the AAAAA recovery program! But how can you do that? What does being awake actually mean?

Being conscious or aware means:

I drop to a level deeper than the passing show.
I become the calm seer of my dramas.
I watch myself compassionately from a little distance, almost as if “myself” is someone else.
I dis-identify with my own emotional noise and no longer let it pull me here and there, up and down.
I stop thinking about this or that and collapse into pure or “objectless awareness” of nothing in particular. I don’t get there; I fall

At first, it does not feel like “me.” It is unfamiliar territory because up to now I thought that my thinking was “me,” yet now my thinking has ceased. I believe this is the meaning of Jesus’ teaching on “losing oneself to find oneself” (see Luke 9:24).

This new and broader sense of “me” gradually, over time, begins to feel like my deepest and truest self; it seems solid and unchanging. At this point, God, consciousness, I, silent emptiness, and fullness all start to feel like the same wonderful thing! This is what spiritual teachers mean by growth in holiness.*

Another way of understanding "awakening" is the gradually increasing realization of "thy Kingdom come." We say this familiar phrase in the Lord's Prayer time and time again, glossing over the odd use of the present-tense "come." It means that the Kingdom is now, here in this moment. How can we know this? We know it, when we are aroused from our sleep-state; when then we have eyes to see and ears to hear, as Jesus quips. The process begins with awareness, of which Rohr refers. If there was an Awareness 101 class it would begin with an understanding of the three "brains" of the human experience: Lizard, Monkey and Thinking. We are not awake in the Lizard and Monkey states, which are the places from which we operate, most of the time. Cultivating a practice of constant awareness moves us from reacting continuously to responding. Within our responses lie our freedom and our awakening. (There happens to be such a class! See below.)

Heidi Hanna explains the three brains:

When we find ourselves slipping into survival mode, it can feel pretty chaotic. Consider what happens when you’ve gone too long without eating, haven’t had a good night sleep in a while, or haven’t seen the sun in days – you might not feel quite like yourself. This is when I like to remind myself that my “monkey brain” has taken over. The first reason it’s helpful for me personally, is I happen to be a huge monkey fan, so I instantly get big smile on my face. Monkeys always seem to be in a pretty good mood, and are usually playing around, acting silly. So the initial reaction to thinking about something called our “monkey brain” just makes me laugh (and we’ll talk about how important laughter is to staying healthy in an upcoming chapter). But there is another reason to consider how the monkey brain responds differently than other parts of our brain, and when it can be detrimental to us.

Our brain can be separated into three sections – our lizard brain, our monkey brain, and our human brain. The “lizard brain” is found at the base of the brain, and contains the cerebellum and brain stem. Lizards only have these elements of the brain, which controls our most basic instincts. The next part of the brain, the “monkey brain” includes the majority of our tissue, and controls more complex tasks as well as emotions. Most mammals lead with their “monkey brain”, which is fueled by our most basic responses to fear and desire.

The most advanced part of the brain is the “human brain”, which consists of the outer layer, surrounding the “monkey brain”. This area allows for logical, emotionless thought, as well as delayed gratification. It is by using our “human brain” that we are able to think through our responses, rather than just reacting. But, when we are faced with threats to our system, we don’t have time to stop and analyze what’s going on. During these times we are glad to have our “lizard” and “monkey” brains to get us to safety, through our fight or flight response.

Because we have so many things going on at one time, when we multitask we can easily find ourselves using our “monkey brain”, making mindless decisions that may end up causing serious problems with important tasks, or even worse, with important relationships. Next time you find yourself trying to do a million things at once and getting irritable or grumpy with someone you care about, remind yourself that you’re using your “monkey brain”, and work on acting more like a human.

Please consider joining my upcoming class, Awakening! 40 days of Self-care and Self-knowledge, a weekly offering held on Zoom at 7pm every Wednesday night during Lent: March 9, 16, 23, 30 and April 6. During this class you will be exposed to a variety of authors and encouraged in choosing and being supported in Lenten disciplines that encourage your awakening. Learning to move from the Lizard or Monkey brain into conscious awareness will be included in this offering. Email revrmacgregor02@gmail.com for the Zoom link. Drop in when you can or take the whole series. There is no charge for this class.

*Adapted from Richard Rohr, The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See (The Crossroad Publishing Company: 2009), 134-136.

THREE THINGS..... Diversity, Adaptation, and Ojas

2022-02-11T20:48:00.068-05:00

In parish life, there is a myth that persists that money determines the success or failure of a church. I have know several parishes that were either spiritually or physically dead with lots of money stored up in investments or endowments. Money is a tool. It is a resource. It should never be understood in terms of the lifeblood of congregational life. It is true that congregations who run out of money are in peril of closure. But it is equally true that there are hundreds of very poor parishes who thrive: They live within their means, conduct weekly worship, do the work of mission in their communities and care for one another's pastoral concerns. Resources don't determine viability. There are two things that do determine viability: A parish's ability to diversify in all parts of its system, and, adapt to changing internal and external conditions. The energy that is required to both diversify and to adapt is called Ojas. Let's look at these three things more closely.

1. Diversity. When we hear this word, we might first think of cultural diversity. It is a part of diversity, an important part, but only one part. Diverse systems are those in which nearly all members of the body are actively participating in the life of the parish, apart from attending worship. It also means that committees and lay ministries are diverse; that is, the same people are not doing most of the work. It means that there are ecumenical relationships that encourage dialogue and shared projects - adding diversity to the work of mission and to worship - not as a special occasion but as a part of the congregational culture. Another area of diversity is in Christian education: instead of one educational offering but a menu of ways in which people can continue to learn and grow spiritually - and in a variety of ways as are done currently at St. Mark's: a weekly a blog encouraging independent study and a variety of resources; art work relating to the gospel lesson on the cover of each week's bulletin that provokes curiosity and reflection; sermons that include an element of biblical teaching; encouragement to look up the lessons during the week with the next week's lessons listing in the bulletin; a book study shared with another parish; and educational material about the Lesser Feast and Fast of the day in each week's bulletin. Diversity includes not leaving pastoral concerns solely to the priest or a prayer chain of a handful of the faithful, but encouraging the whole parish to pray together for those in need. Outreach projects require diversity - diversity of ideas, and theological, cultural and social experiences, as well as diversity among volunteers - cross generational, cross gender, cross cultural, cross neighborhoods, cross economic and social standings. A diverse outreach program understand that the parish (a word that means "community") includes the entire neighborhood and not just the members of the parish. There is a theological aspect to diversity as well. Richard Rohr explains: https://cac.org/divine-diversity-and-oneness-2022-02-10/

2. Adaptation. Evolution is always in play. Nothing stays the same. The only constant is change. Adapt or die. These are the familiar cliches. Adaptation supposes change, intentional change; an intentional response to an internal or external source(s) of pressure. It is why evolution occurs. Evolution is always occurring in nature; it is the way of things. But for the church, generally speaking, change is very difficult. The church's traditions and culture are experienced as a safe and familiar harbor for those wearied by the rapid changes beyond the walls of the parish. The irony is that all the changes occurring in society and in culture and in business and industry around the church, are themselves, adaptations enabling long-term survival and profitability (in the case of industry) in direct response to shifts in culture and social environments. The biggest adaptation the church has made in the last two years has been the move to hybrid worship. This would not have happened without the outside pressure of a pandemic forcing change. Although, admittedly, some evangelical churches were way ahead of the curve on this one because technology has for some time been key to their ability to connect with the masses. Technology is a large budget item for those churches. Now, however, the playing field is a bit more leveled as everyone is wondering how to utilize the technology that most everyone is practicing in order to be a hybrid church in a sustained way and move from surviving to thriving. Adaptation continues. Creativity flows. Curiosity is peaked as many wonder, what can we do next? What can we do better? But there are other areas of adaptation that need attention. Music. Liturgy. In the discussion on diversity I named the example of moving away from a single educational offering to a menu of smaller offerings requiring various levels of energy and effort - something for everyone. That is also an example of adaptation because it recognizes that the energy and attention span of most people today is very short. Why? First, we are hammered and peppered every minute with small bits of information on the internet or in TV, Radio and Youtube commercials that can be easily assimilated. Advertisers know that they have the first two seconds to grab our attention and get their message across. Nobody does 30 min informercials anymore. Even the 30 second radio spot has moved to 10 seconds. Most of us have moved from emails to text messages as a primary way of communicating. Facebook and Snapchat use photos, memes, and video clips to tell a story, TikTok and Twitter have limits of three minutes and 280 characters, respectfully. We have the attention span of a gnat. We have adapted. Second, our ojas is depleted. Many people simply don't have the energy or bandwidth to participate in things that take a great deal of time or commitment. We suffer not just from a bit of fatigue, but rather a deep sense of exhaustion, depletion.

3. Ojas. Ojas (OH-JUS) is the sanskrit word for "vigor." It is one of the three subtle forces in the body. It influences everything from our immunity, digestion, physical strength, and the health of our skin to our spiritual inclination, sleep, and mood. It is the ultimate energy reserve of the body and mind; the force that enables us to sustain change over time. Think of it as your psychophysical container or shield. The more ojas we have, the more impervious we are to the negativity of others and the day to day stresses of life, as our own spirit has a good, strong container. Ojas gives us an overall sense of satisfaction with life. Western culture is chronically low in Ojas. In the West most have never heard of ojas and those who have often don’t value it highly enough. Being an ultrafine, subtle essence, ojas is affected by almost every aspect of our lives and can become diminished and dried up when we are overly effortful, stressed, or contracted. On the other hand, when tended to mindfully, our ojas becomes a reserve of robust vitality and the key to resilience, creativity, and vitality.* Ojas is intricately linked to rejuvenation. In our stressed-out, overly busy modern world, we often don’t give ourselves ample time for rest, nourishment, and self-care. The practice of rejuvenation, the building up of ojas, is all about bringing our body, mind, and spirit back into a state of harmonious balance. Think about the qualities of a person who is healthy. They are strong yet supple, easy to smile, generous with their time and energy, resilient and most of all, they glow. Ojas describes this glow. It is our vitality, which is often described as radiance similar to the light of the moon. Abundant ojas is the vital essence that promotes health, immunity, happiness and spiritual strength.** Communities of individuals with depleted ojas simply don't have the energetic reserves or creativity to do the intentional work of diversification and adaptation. The good news is that it doesn't take heroic measures to build ojas. It does take some discipline and a willingness to make life-style changes.

When I'm asked if I think a parish can survive, I don't necessarily look first at the bottom line, I look for ojas: depleted or robust? There is a lot of depletion now in most every parish after two years of pandemic stress. This Lenten season I will be offering a class on building up ojas. There will be things to give up and things to add to move toward rejuvenation. We will lean on each other for encouragement and support and celebrate the little changes in energy and vitality that begin to flow back into our bodies and minds over time. While the benefits to the individual are life-changing, the benefits to the church could be prove immeasurable.

*Adapted from: https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/blog-the-banyan-insight/details/all-about-ojas-meaning-sustainable-energy/

**https://seattleyoganews.com/5-simple-acts-self-love-nourish-ojas/

THREE THINGS.... Three perspectives on the winter season for the spiritual life

2022-01-28T17:31:00.002-05:00

Winter is not most people's favorite season. When asked, most people would tell you that they prefer Spring or Fall over Winter, or even Summer. Winter and Summer are months of extremes. Winter is generally associated with endings; dying, end of life, withdrawal, cold, darkness, lifelessness, end of a cycle, etc. But it is also a season of gifts, of things necessary, of wisdom.

1. The necessity of darkness. Many years ago I had a spiritual teacher who introduced me to the idea of darkness as the most significant spiritual tool to awakening. He believed it to be a great teacher; far more powerful than light actually. In the West we have been trained to be afraid of the dark and to associate it with things that are dangerous, spooky, evil, harmful, unknown and threatening. It is not a big stretch then to associate wintertime, in which we experience the shortest days of the year, with darkness and all the false associations with it. Here's a mini spiritual retreat for you to do at home around the theme of darkness - winter is the perfect time to do this:

https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/practices/features/view/28374/mini-retreat-spiritual-work-with-darkness

2. Winter sits at the doorstep of spring. Always. The seasons are not linear. There is no endpoint. There is no end of a cycle. The seasons, cycles, and all of life, are cyclical. In winter, the plants of summer die, and then, with eagerness, break forth in a new expression of life from deep in the mother's soil in spring. Winter offers us a right understanding of endings that lead to beginnings. Winter offers us a new way to understand death. The Book of Common Prayer says about the loss of one we have loved but see no longer: "Life has changed, not ended." Death is never an ending for the person who dies - it is a transition - a returning to things eternal. For the living however, we experience what we perceive as the ending, or at the very least, the pausing of a relationship. But there is no final, permanent winter. As winter sits at the doorstep of spring, so too, does death sit on the doorstep of rebirth.

3. The gift of hibernation. Creation has been arranged in such a way as to meet all our needs. One of the gifts of winter is hibernation. When I lived in upstate PA everyone hibernated during the most brutal months of the year - January through March. Sunny days were rare and travel was often hazardous. We stayed home and burned the wood we'd cut and stacked all year. We went to bed early and we slept in - following the cycle of the shorter days. We ate hearty, heavier meals - stews and rich soups, lots of roasted root vegetables instead of cooling salads - to warm the body. We spent more time indoors with family and close friends. Winter is a good time to spend time with God. Wrap up in a blanket and sit in dark and ask the Spirit, blowing in with the winter winds, to instruct you, to comfort you, to prepare you for the coming of spring.

Some months ago I wrote a blog on the fall season and invite you to review it. I am writing reflections on all the seasons of the year as they appear over this year.

https://perfectionundone.blogspot.com/2021/11/three-things-three-perspectives-of-fall.html

Thank you for reading my blog and walking with me in the path of spiritual grace; for your willingness to spend this time with me as together we learn how to see and be Christ in the world. Rowena +

THREE THINGS.... Three ways to use the Book of Common Prayer at home

2022-01-19T15:47:00.002-05:00

First, a brief history of the Book of Common Prayer (BCP, hereafter).

Author and theologian J. I. Packer says of the Book of Common Prayer’s influence on the British people, “Long before the age of fish and chips, the Book of Common Prayer was the Great British invention, nurturing all sorts and conditions of Englishmen and holding the church together with remarkable effectiveness.”

Before the Book of Common Prayer, the prayers and worship of the Church of England were in Latin. The Book of Common Prayer changed all of that by giving English-speaking people everywhere prayers in their own language for the first time in history! Its influence on English-speaking people cannot be overestimated.

The words of the Prayer Book have become a familiar part of the English language and after the Bible, it is the most frequently cited book in the “Oxford Dictionary of Quotations.” Like the King James Bible and the works of Shakespeare, many words and phrases from the Book of Common Prayer have entered popular culture.

Not only is it widely used throughout the English speaking world, but it appears in many variants in churches in over 50 different countries and in over 150 different languages. Lutherans, Methodists and Presbyterians alike have borrowed from the Book of Common Prayer, and the marriage and burial rites have found their way into those of other denominations and into the English language.

The strange and complex history behind the Anglican Church and the Book of Common Prayer centers around one man: Thomas Cranmer. Cranmer was the most influential religious leader of the English Reformation and instrumental in producing the second most widely read English religious book next to the King James Bible.

Cranmer was one of the most complex and paradoxical leaders in all of church history. His influence spanned the reigns of three monarchs –Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary I. He was a brilliant theologian and church man who was strong leader when he needed to rise to the occasion, but at times he was also weak and frail. In the end, his lasting contribution to the church cannot be overestimated.

Cranmer’s greatest achievement was realized in 1549, where he helped organize the Book of Common Prayer. Crammer and a committee of twelve of “the most learned and discreet bishops, and other learned men” compiled the prayer book from various sources, including ancient prayers of the early church, Catholic and Orthodox liturgies, as well as private devotions of the Middle Ages. They translated many of these sources into the English language. In June 1553, Edward VI gave his agreement to Cranmer’s ‘42 Articles’. These became the backbone of the ‘39 Articles’ that were introduced in Elizabeth’s reign in 1563.

Adapted from https://anglicancompass.com/common-prayer-the-origin-story/

Episcopalians are as comfortable with the BCP in the pews of the church on Sunday as a well-worn pair of gardening gloves. But most people don't know what's in it beyond the worship services used on Sunday. It is at the core or Episcopal identity and was designed for daily use. It is a book of prayers; prayers common to all our lives.. a book of common prayer - literally speaking. So how might we use this set of common prayers in the privacy of our homes more often?

1. Get it out of the pew and into your home. Buy a hard copy of the BCP and put it somewhere that makes it easy to access - not on a book shelf. Put it on your counter top, the kitchen table or on the sofa or on your favorite chair. Put it where you spend time online or reading or in prayer or doing your daily sudoko or crossword puzzle. Open it. Explore it. Play a game where you simply open it randomly and see what page it lands on. Explore that section and pray a prayer you find on that page, even if it's from a rite you're not in at the moment - like a wedding - just be curious. The book contains the daily office (two different sets - a short and longer version of the four prayer observances each day), the eucharistic and seasonal services, an historical section, pastoral services - such as weddings and funerals, the ordination services, the Psalter, quite a lot of prayers for many uses and occasions, and lots of other interesting things. Spend just a couple minutes a day with the BCP and you'll be amazed at what an incredible resource is at your fingertips.

2. Pray the Daily Office or Devotions. Explore the Devotions for Individuals and Families that begins on page 136 and the Daily Office (Rite II - modern language) which begins on p. 75. Both versions have prayers for the morning, noon, early evening and late evening (Close of Day/Compline) but vary in length and complexity. The Daily Office requires a bible for the readings which follow the Daily Office Lectionary (p. 934 for the schedule of the two year cycle: 2 psalm readings/day, plus OT, Epistle and Gospel readings). If you observe both the daily and Sunday lectionary schedules you will cover a lot of the Bible! You can also purchase books that have these readings set out day to day, (The Daily Lectionary, Yr. 1 and Yr. 2).

3. Find a prayer that needs to be prayed. Go to page 814, Prayers and Thanksgivings, and start hunting for that a prayer that jumps out at you. That's the one that needs to be prayed at that moment. Maybe you see the prayer "For those who live alone," and you think of a good friend, or your aged parent, or a young adult, who lives alone. And you pray:

Almighty God, whose Son had nowhere to lay his head: Grant that those who live alone (especially, N.) may not be lonely in their solitude, but that, following in his steps, they may find fulfillment in loving you and their neighbors; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

And in that quiet act of remembering someone and bringing them to light, some little thing has changed for the better; a little ripple of kindness and care has been sent into the place where the veil is thin and finds its mark. And you also receive a blessing; the subtle, nearly imperceivable warmth we feel when we pray for others. It is the reciprocity of sincerity.

THREE THINGS.... Three people to follow this year

2022-01-12T19:58:00.000-05:00

Below I offer the names and bios of three people I think are worth following/reading this year with links to websites that offer a video introductions to them and their teachings. It would take several years to read the books they have produced collectively. Their wisdom is profound; relevant to this specific moment while illuminating timeless and eternal truths. Their life experiences and backgrounds are varied and diverse. They are spiritual masters, each in their own right; good teachers for those who seek a deeper walk with and into the divine. I have barely begun to study with these teachers, though I have been dabbling in their work for years; I invite you to learn with me. There has never been a time in our common humanity when we needed to ground ourselves more securely in the wisdom teachings of the divine lest we be devoured by cultural madness. Rowena+

1. Joan Chittister: https://www.joanchittister.org

Joan Chittister is one of the most influential religious and social leaders of our time. For 50 years she has passionately advocated on behalf of peace, human rights, women’s issues, and church renewal. A much sought-after speaker, counselor and clear voice that bridges across all religions, she is also a best-selling author of more than 60 books, hundreds of articles, and an online column for the National Catholic Reporter. She has received numerous writing awards and honors for her work, and is a noted international lecturer as well as a former fellow at St. Edmund’s College, Cambridge University, England.

2. Brian McLaren: https://cac.org/about/our-teachers/brian-d-mclaren/

Former evangelical pastor Brian D. McLaren is a champion for a more loving, inclusive and contemplative Christianity. A faculty member at the Center for Action and Contemplation, he teaches ways to reconnect with the message Jesus lived and died for—unconditional love. He is the author of Faith After Doubt, The Great Spiritual Migration, and host of CAC’s podcast Learning How to See.

3. James Finley: https://cac.org/about/our-teachers/james-finley/

Student of Thomas Merton and clinical psychologist, Dr. James Finley teaches how connecting to our Divine indwelling can transcend fear and shame and awaken to our True Self. A faculty member at the Center for Action and Contemplation, he is the author of Merton’s Palace of Nowhere and The Contemplative Heart, and the host of CAC’s podcast Turning to the Mystics.

THREE THINGS....Three Ways to Make the best of New Year's Resolutions for the Spiritual Life

2022-01-06T21:40:00.003-05:00

I have mixed feelings about New Year's Resolutions. I haven't seen proclamations of huge sweeping changes in one's life especially effective long-term. But on the other hand, I do think that identifying things in our lives that we want to amend or improve is a really good thing. It all comes down to process. As a certified health coach with an active, former practice, I saw again and again the best of intentions fall by the wayside as old habits crept back. All of us know how that goes. At the heart of the spiritual life are spiritual practices. Is there a practice you'd like to explore this year? Here I suggest three ways to help you work a new spiritual practice into your life.

1. Be clear about what you want. How would you like to enrich your spiritual journey? What would you like to play with, to experiment with? Perhaps you've resolved that you'd like to learn to meditate or do Centering Prayer, or study the Bible on a regular basis, or begin doing some spiritual writing. Keep it simple. Consider all your options and then pick one thing and one thing only.

Scale it back to its most simple, most basic form - not the idealized, perfected practice you might see for yourself. That's the end game, not the starting point. In yoga, the practice begins with just sitting on the mat. Even people who have practiced for decades and experience ups and downs in their commitment, sometimes falling away for weeks or months at a time. Know that it doesn't help to beat yourself up. It just makes it worse. Start simple, restart simple. Just sit on the mat. That's enough.

Give your new practice room to grow. Think of it like a plant in your garden. You plant a seedling in the spring but you don't expect the harvest until the fall. The reward of beginning a new spiritual practice is not quantity but quality; enjoy growing it over time. Resolving to read the whole Bible in a year is probably a bit much. However, resolving to read one chapter of one book of the Bible per week might be a better place to start. Just researching Contemplative Prayer and learning about it, collecting some resources or deciding where in your house you want to do the activity is a good place to start. That is the equivalent of "just sit on the mat." A slow, realistic start sets up a better chance of developing a long-time habit or new practice.

Be realistic about your schedule. WHEN would you sit with the Bible, do Contemplative Prayer. When could you set aside some time for reading some spiritual authors you've been wanting to read seriously, or do some journaling during your week? It's a lot easier to work with a time conducive to introducing a new activity rather than having to carve it out of an already packed week.

2. Get your team together and lean on them. Accountability and support is really important in setting resolutions. Who can support you in the development of your new spiritual practice? Authors make great support systems. When I feel a practice begin to slip I start watching some videos or listening to podcast or read from a book from someone with lots of experience in that area. I get re-inspired. I remember why I wanted to do the practice to begin with.

Who in your personal or social life is doing the same or similar kind of thing you are beginning? Keep in touch with them. Find someone who shares your interests in exploring a new practice. Check in with one another and share how it's going.

Use a calendar to record when you are doing your practice as a way to be accountable to yourself.

Journal about your experience or learnings as you begin, and later, the ways in which you are changing as you go deeper into your practice.

Talk to people who have been doing the practice you're beginning for longer than you. What advice do they have for you? What resources do they recommend? How do they manage "the seasons" of the practice; times of falling in and out of love with it?

Get a spiritual director to walk with you over the long-haul. Engaging in spiritual practices are not like going on a diet - there is no goal to be reached, no reward to earn. It isn't about how much book knowledge you gain. Before enlightenment: Cut wood, carry water. After enlightenment: Cut wood, carry water. But you will be different; more aware, more connected to the Source of all Being, more responsive, less reactive, more compassionate, more reflective and patient, more of everything the world really needs all of us to be. We do our practices best when we do them in community; that is, connected to those who are doing the work as well.

3. Perfection is missing the point. Be willing to let a resolution go if it you aren't following through or it isn't a good match. Be okay with that. Sometimes we think we want to do something but it isn't right for us. For instance, people who drink a lot of coffee probably aren't going to be able to sit in meditation as a daily practice; it isn't a match energetically or vibrationally - unless the two are separated by about 12 to 16 hours which is how long the effect of the drug, caffeine, lasts. It is normal to have monkey mind when "sitting," but caffeine creates monkeys on uppers and it can be really frustrating. Perhaps, in truth, you like to drink coffee more than you want to learn to meditate. No problem. Chose something else. Don't force a practice that simply isn't compatible with your lifestyle because of some perfectionist ideal: Which can be easily identified by the word, "should," in your self-talk. "I should be able to meditate; every one else is doing it."

Likewise, don't set a really high bar for yourself or be too rigid. That is a set-up for sabotage. Say, usually, you study the Bible in the mornings but vacation and a busy schedule threw you off your practice. No problem. Just sit on the mat. Come back with intention but not with a vengeance, i.e., forcing yourself to read in one sitting all the material you missed in the last two weeks so you're still "on schedule." Gently get back into your groove.

Don't identify with the practice - you are not your practice - it is only something you do in order to know Christ more deeply and to be transformed by that knowledge. That's the only reason to do a practice. When we are clear about this, ego falls away and there is no perfection. The goal is to have no goal, no ideal practice, no anticipated outcome, no expectations at all. It is said that when we are taught the word "bird" when shown a feathered creature in the sky, we can no longer see birds, we only see the object we call a bird. Spiritual practices, contemplative practices in particular, allow for the labels to fall away and the knowing of the essence of all things to be fully realized. When we are aware of our need for perfection we can respond in kindness to ourselves and just sit on the mat and breath for awhile.

Practices are tools. Beware of holding on too tightly to them. Enjoy them for awhile and then lovingly let them go when you need to grow by another means. Spiritual practices change lives. Expect to be changed, over time.

Christmas Eve: Good Luck/Bad Luck

2021-12-24T21:58:00.000-05:00

I begin with an old and well-known Chinese fable: There was an old man who had a farm; he was up in years and depended on his son to help him and they lived very modestly. One day the only horse that they had escaped the barn and ran off. All the neighbors came around and said to the old man: "Oh what bad luck!" The old man said, "We'll see."

The next day the horse returned bringing with it a herd of horses. All the neighbors came around and said to the old man: "Oh what good luck!" The old man said, "We'll see."

Soon after the son was breaking in one of the horses and was thrown and broke his leg very badly, leaving him with a permanent limp. All the neighbors came around and said to the old man: "Oh what bad luck!" The old man said, "We'll see."

A month later war broke out and the army came to take all the young men to fight. If the young man left the farm the old man would have no one to help him and he would lose the farm. But the army passed over the son because of his limp. All the neighbors came around and said to the old man: "Oh what good luck!" And all the old man said, was, "We'll see."

Whenever I hear this story I want to ask, and then what happened? What was the next bad luck event that turned to good fortune?

This story has also framed my hearing of the Lord's birth, life, death, and resurrection. Let's play with it a bit:

Mary, engaged to be married to Joseph, though a virgin, was with child. And the neighbors all gathered around and said, "Oh what bad luck!" And Joseph said, "We'll see."

They were traveling when the baby came and there was no room in any house for them so they went to a barn where the animals were gathered, and there, in a barn, Mary gave birth to her son. And the people gathered around and said, "Oh what bad luck!" And the shepherds who had followed the star said, "We'll see."

Herod heard of Jesus's birth and set out to use the Wise Men from the East to trap the young family. And the people who heard of this said, "Oh what bad luck!" But the wise men said, "We'll see."

And Jesus grew and became a wise teacher and prophet, and was revered and loved by the people in the Galilean countryside who were faithful to God and obeyed what Jesus required of them. The people proclaimed him the messiah and said to themselves, "Oh what good luck!" And the Pharisees said, "We'll see."

And it came to pass that one of the disciples betrayed Jesus into the hands of the Pharisees and he was crucified and died. The people cried out, "Oh what bad luck!" And no one said, "We'll see."

On the third day the women came to the tomb and found the stone rolled away and the body of Jesus gone. And the women exclaimed, "Oh what bad luck!" And the angel said, "We'll see."

The disciples went home after Jesus had died and they were very sad and very afraid. And they cried out, "Oh what bad luck!" And Jesus, suddenly standing there with them, said, "We'll see."

Framing the stories of our faith this way, beginning first with the birth of Jesus,

Emmanuel,

God-with-us,

invites us to re-frame the stories of our lives as well. We frame our stories not in terms of Good Luck or Bad Luck, but rather as events that have meaning and purpose in the larger scheme of things. Some people, for instance, are born into conditions far worse than a stable, robbed of childhood and innocence, and yet grow up and grow beyond their circumstances. Many grow beyond self-pity and self-identity as victim, to become spiritually mature and highly influential writers and teachers, poets, prophets, artists, social activists, community advocates, healers, pastors. And when the winds of misfortune swirl around them and the crowd says, "Oh what bad luck!" they can proclaim with confidence, "We'll see." They know the sure and steady flow of Love that runs throughout good times and bad and God's abiding presence through it all. They know that there is really no luck at all; there are just the ebbs and tides of life and its cycle and the divine incarnate is in it all.

The story of the birth of Christ invites us into patience and forbearance, far beyond the good luck, bad luck paradigm. And in those moments, when we can shrug and say with a knowing sparkle in our eye, "We'll see," then we are very close to the Kingdom indeed.

THREE THINGS... Three things I love about Christmas

2021-12-23T11:35:00.002-05:00

I admit that it takes me a while to get into the spirit of Christmas. The setting out of Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving fails to move me. Even the decorating of my own tree does not fully inspire the rising up of that familiar feel of Christmas joy and goodwill. I suppose after preaching on Advent for four weeks and being deep into the work of making the paths straight, Christmas seems somehow very distant and in a way, surreal. And then it arrives and I'm always a little surprised.

It is not the sparkling lights of the glittering houses and trees that light up the dark streets, nor the Christmas fare in stores, nor the seasonal concerts and parties that stir me into the Christmas spirit. It is only and finally the Christmas Eve service. The annual celebrations build one upon another into a collage of warm Christmas Eve memories: the faithful gathered in song and prayer, children rubbing their eyes with sleepy yawns at midnight masses, the darkness of the sanctuary dotted with small lighted candles in wavering hands as the chorus of Silent Night rises to fill the space, followed by the raising of the lights and the triumphant exclamation sung, "Joy to the World.... let heaven and nature sing!" Then, it is then, that Christmas has arrived at last.

Here are three things I love about Christmas.

1. Christmas Love remembered. My favorite thing about Christmas is not a concrete thing but rather a very specific feeling. It only comes once a year and is very fragile and fleeting. It originates in memories of the Christmas's of my childhood. Sitting with my mother and brother, the church filled and people standing in the aisles, my father celebrating and preaching, I felt loved, and safe, secure and cared for in the midst of those Christmas Eve services. My mother is very old now, and my father has gone to glory - my sister too, my brother lives very far away, as do my own grown children, and yet the unspeakable, undefinable divine presence that transcends the years still wraps me in a warm blanket of knowing the Love that is God on Christmas Eve.

2. Christmas Day memories with meditation on the Christmas Tree. There is a crispness to Christmas morning that is unlike any other day. The Love of Christmas Eve is carried into the fullness of the day. The day feels precious and I savor every moment of it. I am carried along by the memories of big family gatherings, festive meals with the fine china and crystal, and the best recipes of Gourmet magazine brought to life by my mother's finely tuned culinary skills. I was never able to replicate those holiday meals of old in my household but they live on somewhere inside me. The Christmas tree makes sense to me on this day. Before Christmas Day it was just a superficial decoration. It isn't a religious symbol of course. But it is symbolic of things that mean something to me, family, memories of Christmas's with my children and the ties that bind, the fondness of those who have passed who shared with me in the decorating of the tree, and the joy of the present moment. Sometimes I stare at it for long periods in a kind of blissful state of contentment. It isn't the materialness of the tree but the beauty and perfection of it. It has no connection to a religious understanding of the high feast of Christmas Day but I experience it as an iconic expression of the divine within the secular. I see in it the outward and visible sign of an inner and invisible presence, a manifestation of something holy, and therein, for me, on the Day of Christ's birth, takes on an almost sacramental significance.

3. Gifting at Christmas. I very much enjoy buying and giving gifts at Christmas. To give something of value to someone else without expectation for anything in return has tremendous power. It is transformative. It resets our ordering of things in the material world aligning it more with the values of the Kingdom. When we choose a gift for someone we are focusing intently on the part of them we honor and even cherish, and is an act of goodwill as we let the rest go. This can be healing for relationships that are a bit rocky - but only if the motivation is pure. In this case, if the gift is not well-received, it does not corrupt the offering. An ungrateful recipient is then left with a unwanted gift and a hardened heart. The cynical will suspect the gift and the motive of the giver and no reconciliation will be possible. In this case, no gift can ever satisfy that person. But the one who gives freely regardless of circumstances has the benefit of an open and forgiving heart - open to the ongoing revelation of the Divine and is undeterred by either acceptance or rejection - the outcome of the giving is immaterial. How we receive a gift is as important as the giving. It speaks volumes about our relationship to Christ, to the receiving of the gifts of the Spirit, to the receiving of acts of kindness and generosity - these are not unrelated. Gifting is a spiritual practice. But at the most basic level it simply makes me happy to express Love (Love that is bigger than me) to others by way of the outward and visible signs of affection wrapped up and topped with a bow.

THREE THINGS... Three books I'm reading now

2021-12-16T21:45:00.001-05:00

I typically read a number of books at one time. I pick the one up that I'm in the mood for. Or I have an intuitive sense that there is something in a particular book that I need to know in that moment. Books of poetry lie around my apartment (aka The Hermitage) as well for easy access. There are stacks of books on most every surface. On average I have about 10 books in progress at one time. Some of the books remain 'books in progress' for years. Some books are not meant to ever be finished. Zhuangzi (below) is one of those books. I never read the last page first of any book nor do I generally start at the beginning.

Generally, I am not reading stories or texts with a strong narrative running throughout. I save that for audiobooks. Mostly I'm reading for spiritual learning, guidance and growth. I'm always learning so that I can teach whatever I have gleamed. I collect words in order to give them away.

I examine words as if I'd found them as a shell washed up on the beach. Sometimes the words are faded and worn and precious because they've seen some rough weather. Sometimes they are pristine and beautiful and I wonder how they came to be together in such a brilliant sentence! Sometimes the words are salve for a wound that needs to be tended. Sometimes the words inspire to action. Sometimes the words fade from my mind as water goes through a sieve and I know that those words were not meant for me, now.

There are many small scraps of paper around The Hermitage that have little notes on them.... words that catch my attention and I want to cling to them... or prepare to pass them along as life offers open spaces where a few helpful words could fit in.

Sometimes the words are clarifying; clarifying things that I did not know were unclear. Sometimes the words open up new windows on to vistas never before seen. Sometimes the words give my mind something else to think about but mostly I just appreciate the beauty of words. Some carry a lot of weight; like the word Demand. Some weigh little but call us to a higher place; like the word Light. I swim in a sea of words and play there every day.

I read what I don't understand because it forces growth and the expansion of my mind. Reading only what is clear and understandable (and agreeable!) is boring and does not inspire me to anything. I encourage you to read what you do not understand, yet.

Here are three of the books I'm playing with at the moment:

1. The Seeds of Contemplation, Thomas Merton (1962, reprinted 2007)

The seeds that are planted in my liberty at every moment, by God's will, are the seeds of my own identity, my own reality, my own happiness, my own sanctity.
To refuse them is to refuse everything; it is the refusal of my own existence and being: of my identity, my very self.
Not to accept and love and do God's will is to refuse the fullness of my existence.
If I never become what I am meant to be, but always remain what I am not I shall spend eternity contradicting myself by being at once something and nothing, a life that wants to live and is dead, a death that wants to be dead and cannot quite achieve its own death because it has to exist. (p. 33)

2. A Year with Martin Buber: Wisdom on the Weekly Torah Portion, Rabbi Dennis S. Ross (2021)

Note: Rabbi Ross is my colleague in the Interim Ministry Network. I have great respect for him and just received a copy of his book.

That tender surface of personal life which longs for contact with other life is progressively deadened or desensitized. (Buber)
Buber teaches that companionship is the foundation of meaningful living through a novel interpretation of the classic Garden of Eden story. He recalls Rabbi Simha Bunam of Pzhysha being asked about the serpent's punishment, which at first glance might appear to be more of a reward than a curse. After all, "dirt shall you eat all the days of your life" (Gen. 3:15) means that food is always there, worry free, leaving the serpent entirely self-sufficient, without having to work for anything. Yet Rabbi Simha replies that having all you need is more of a curse than a blessing. It means never having to rely on God - or anyone else. On the contrary, he wants us to need each other, and to know that we need each other, in relationship. (p. 52)

3. Zhuangzi: The Essential Writings, translated by Brook Ziporyn (2009)

Note: Zhuangzi is pronounced: Jon-zee; Zhuang Zhou aka Master Zhuang, ca. 369-286 BCE

Ruo of the Northern Sea said, "That cows and horses have four legs is the Heavenly. The bridle around the horse's head and the ring through the cow's nose are the Human. Hence, it is said, 'Do not use the Human to destroy the Heavenly, do not use the purposive to destroy the fated, do not sacrifice what you have attained (from Heaven) for the sake of mere names.' Hold onto this carefully, for then you can return to what is genuine in you." (p. 73)

THREE THINGS.... Three things to do before coming to worship

2021-12-10T14:21:00.001-05:00

Worship is not like other things we do in our lives. It's a time set apart, in a place set apart, for us to connect with God through the person of Jesus Christ, to prepare ourselves for the work we are called to do in the world. We do this habitually - week after week. But what if we "pre-paved" the experience? That is, what if we did a few things to heighten our awareness and clarify our intentions around the act of worship. Here are three things you might consider doing between Saturday and Sunday morning prior to coming to worship. It may be best to start with one, and when it is integrated into your routine, move to the next one.

1) Sit quietly for 15 minutes and imagine yourself at St. Mark's on Sunday morning. Focus on the aspect of worship that feels the most satisfying to you. Sit in that place of satisfaction until it has completely filled your heart. Be aware of your body: are you smiling as you feel the sensation of joy in this moment in the worship experience? Where in your body do you feel this happiness or joy or deep satisfaction (whatever word best describes your experience)? Put your hand on this part of your body and rest in the knowledge that you are communicating with the Spirit in this moment - it is the joy of the Spirit that you feel. Joy is the natural state of the Spirit. By doing this practice prior to worship you are tuning your mind and body, your whole self, to the mystery of the worship experience, and moving beyond the mere mechanics of it.

2) Skip the news from 7pm Saturday evening until Monday morning. Give your mind and nervous system a sabbath. Notice how this practice feels to you. Are you feeling that something big is missing? Are you having a hard time not checking the headlines on your phone? When I first began the practice of turning off the news I quickly realized that I was missing the adrenaline hit - it took a while to let peace and tranquility, the connection to the Spirit, be a bigger emotional payoff. Be intentional and disciplined about your time away from "the world" fully knowing and trusting that God's attention is fully present to every situation.

3) Read the scripture lessons for Sunday. You can find them on The Lectionary Page.net. Look particularly at the Gospel lesson and find it in your bible. Read several verses before the prescribed reading, and several verses after it, enough to give yourself a sense of location, audience, and of what is going on. Did the lectionary writers leave out verses? What are they? Observe one word or phrase that is in the lesson - or in the surrounding verses - or missed verses - that catches your eye. Write it down and then, quickly, without analyzing or self-censoring your thoughts, jot down a note about why it speaks to you. This practice should only take about 15 minutes.

THREE THINGS.... Three Ways to Reduce Stress TODAY

2021-12-10T14:12:00.001-05:00

When stress is too high and for too long the normal benefits of small amounts of daily stress that help us to care for our personal safety swells into an overwhelming storm of stress that has harmful effects on our bodies, minds and spirits.

The Gospel assures us that no amount of worry will add to our lifespan and that, in fact, we have no need to be anxious. (But don't tell that to an anxious person because they can't hear you in the midst of their stress storm!) When we are in a less anxious place we can take in this teaching:

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. (Luke 12:22-29)

Take a moment to assess your stress level. If you feel it is too high, take measures to reduce it for your overall and long term well-being. In this blog I recommend three ways to reduce your stress level beginning today.

1. Stop watching so much news. I urge those who are feeling highly anxious about the situations in the world to lessen the amount of time spent watching news reports and increase time spent in nature and with enjoyable activities. 15-20 minutes of news at some point during the active part of one's day (not in the early morning or within 2 hours of going to sleep) is generally sufficient to see the major headlines and have a sense of where things stand on any given day. Skip the news altogether from Saturday evening through Sunday. Focus instead on spiritual matters - spend the time you would have devoted to the news to reading from the Bible or a spiritually themed book or in meditation (see #3). I believe that you will find this a satisfying endeavor if you come at it with a sense of curiosity as to what the spirit would like to say to you through whatever text you have chosen to spend time with or in the silence you have allowed into your life.

2. Stop mouth breathing. Observe your breathing; if you catch yourself mouth-breathing switch to nose breathing each time which changes the nervous system response from sympathetic to parasympathetic, from fight or flight to calm and non-anxious. Many people absent-mindedly mouth breath all day which triggers the body to be alert and ready to flee or fight. Through the day check to see if you are "rabbit breathing" with lots of short, shallow breaths through the mouth or are you calmly breathing long, deeper breaths through the nose? We generally don't pay much attention to our breathing but it can make a huge difference in managing stress. In the spiritual life breathing is central to connecting to the divine. It is central to many of the world's religious prayer practices. Cultivating disciplined breathing habits is a life-changer on every level.

3. Meditate daily. Spend 15 minutes in the morning and/or evening sitting quietly with eyes closed, nose breathing, focusing only on your breath as it comes in and goes out. As your mind wanders, gently come back to your breath. Breath in. Breath out. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. The research on the benefits of mediation is endless and conclusive. There is virtually nothing even close to meditation that helps to alleviate both short and long term stress and cope with day to day anxiety as it crops up. If you have decided to take a news-free Sabbath, use the time you would have spent in front of the computer or TV sitting in meditation instead.

Bonus: Get a massage. We hold stress in the tissues of our body; massage releases that stored energy and has long-term calming effects. This is well-documented. Getting massages regularly can be extremely helpful for those who experience chronic stress.

These suggestions can only be helpful in as much as they are practiced. Adopting new practices takes time and repetition. But shortly they can become part of the fabric of our lives and we are better able to cope with life's challenges as they appear. Over time these practices can play a significant role in becoming strongly rooted in the serenity of the Spirit and able to readily identify an increasingly familiar calming stillness that is ever-present and ever-accessible at the core of our being.

Note: This article and the suggested practices are not intended to diagnose or treat any specific physical, mental or emotional condition. If you feel stress is causing you to experience a serious physical condition please contact your medical provider.

THREE THINGS.... Three Ways to Approach Self-Care

2021-12-10T14:03:00.000-05:00

I recently ripped this quote off the website of a really cool wisdom teacher I follow:

"Where ritual is absent, the young ones are restless or violent, there are no real elders, and the grown-ups are bewildered. The future is Dim." - Malidoma Some

I don't think we really need to look far to see the veracity of this statement. Ritual is foundational to the spiritual life. And self-care is foundational to the development of ritual. So when I speak of self-care, I cannot speak of it apart from ritual. The lives of Christians are highly secularized today and the topic of self-care can appear to be rather pedestrian and disconnected. But it is at the top of my list for those who have an itching sense of curiosity about the something more that calls to them amidst the chaos of life in this present moment. This blog entry is less about what you should do to care for yourself and more about how to reframe self-care as ritual and a necessary and vital part of one's daily spiritual life.

1. Examine your current daily patterns. All of them. What do you do everyday, from the time you first awaken in the morning to the time you fall asleep at night? Make a written list of all your patterns. For example:

Lie in bed before getting up and think about what I need to do that day.
Eat breakfast.
Do a Suduko puzzle every day.
Go to a stretching class at the Y; then go to Starbucks with my YMCA friends.
Read in the afternoon with a cup of tea.

On your list identify at least 3 things that you want to focus on transforming, at least mentally, into rituals of self-care. It is way easier to work with what you are already doing first than to try to add new "self-care" routines into your daily life. Let's take one thing from this list as examples for modification so you get the idea.

Current pattern: Lie in bed before rising and thinking. Transforming pattern to ritual: Do the same thing but be intentional about how you want to transform this pattern into a ritual. Are you thinking: "Today I have to do this and this and that...."? or are you saying to yourself, "I am really looking forward to...."? Create a disciplined ritual of only thinking positively about your day - beginning with: What's the one thing I'm really looking forward to experiencing this day? Spend some mental time with that one thing, really feeling gratitude for the opportunity to do that one thing. Thank God for your life and the ability you have to do this thing and the people who will be in your day connected to this item (even if that's just you!) Then get up. Repeat every day. Now you have a ritual that will feed your soul while creating new neural pathways in your brain for the better! How we wake up every day sets the stage for how we live our lives. This is a good starting place for a self-care ritual.

2. Eat like you live on planet earth. I read a blog from a pastor/counselor who was talking about self-care. He told of a recent interaction with one of his clients who was irate and highly anxious about something going on at work. The first question he asked was: Did you eat breakfast today? The answer was "No. I don't have time to eat breakfast!" His advice to his client was to eat breakfast and lunch at regular times every day for two weeks and then to call him back. The truth is, with the person's blood sugar all over the map and no established routine of eating real meals, all else was going to be a Band-Aide. We humans don't think or feel well, much less participate in life at our highest level when we don't follow the earth's/our body's natural rhythms for taking in and digesting food. Traditional wellness practices of India and Asia have for thousands of years suggested setting apart time to eat in the morning, something substantial, midday, very substantial, and early evening, light fare with a 12 hour fast overnight. They understood that we live best when we are not at odds with the planet's rhythms; our energy flows well when we are in the flow of the energy of the planet of which we were born and reside. If your meals are all over the place or you skip meals, try to establish a ritual of taking in food being consciously aware of when the sun is rising, is high in the sky, and when it is setting. Most spiritual traditions, except Christianity (for the most part), have rituals around food; some are pretty elaborate. Fasting can also be a ritual, but it needs to be done safely and as part of an overall plan for creating health or as part of an established spiritual practice. Skipping breakfast or lunch (the two most important meals of the day) because your life is too busy does not check that box.

3. Rethink the traditional meal blessing. The most important part of every meal - more important than what you are eating - is the prayer that precedes it. Skip the rote prayer and speak with gratitude to the food. Remember that it has a lifeforce ("prana" or "chi") that will become part of your living body. Speak gratitude to the farmers who planted and harvested and brought the food to your table; gratitude to those who harvested the food from the fields; those who slaughtered the animals on your behalf; gratitude for the plants and animals that gave their lives so you could live; gratitude for the businesses that sold the food and the long line of employees who had to handle your food to get it from the field or stockyard into your hands; speak gratitude to the cook who lovingly prepared the meal. Ritualizing this one prayer at all your meals will change your relationship with food, with the living beings on this planet and with the divine hand who provides it all. It will move food from a commodity to the reality of interconnection with God's creation and all its generous beings who live in an economy of reciprocity. While there is much attention placed on micro and macro nutrients there is nothing like a good, heartfelt prayer, to make those nutrients a blessing for your body. This is a foundational ritual for a healthy life.

THREE THINGS..... Three Ways to Acknowledge and Receive Divine Love

2021-12-10T13:57:00.002-05:00

Christians fully accept, and perhaps, at times, take for granted that the Triune God loves us, both individually and collectively, unconditionally and without exception. Young children in Sunday school through the ages have been taught: Jesus loves me, this I know, for the bible tells me so.... We see memes on Facebook, banners carried by Christians, and signs posted in front of churches that read: God Loves You. (often with the addition of No Exceptions.) God's love for us is expressed doctrinally in the work of the cross... and in the words of the Gospels... God so loved the world.... (Jn. 3:16) and in the teachings of Paul. One could rightly say that the foundation of the Abrahamic faith traditions in the canon of sacred texts is rooted in God's outpouring of love for the whole of creation. One could also rightly state that the persistent dogma of Christianity rests squarely on the doctrine: God is Love.

But most often the phrase, God Loves You, becomes an adage of the intellect more than a visceral moment to moment reality. We may accept it is true for others but how do we know this is true for ourselves? How do we experience the love of God? This post offers some suggestions to help us move Divine Love as an idea to a tangible experience, from the head to the heart, as we dare to acknowledge and receive the love of God.

1) Sitting with Love. Sitting quietly with eyes closed, say to yourself, I give myself permission to feel God's Love in my life. In order to receive the love of God we must first believe that we are worthy of it. The church can proclaim God's Love for God's people day in a day out but it will fall flat on those unable to accept it. Many carry wounds of shame, guilt and a deep, unconscious belief that they are not worthy, they have fallen short, and cannot possibly be loved so profoundly. However, the question is not, what can I do to be in God's favor, to be worthy of God's love, rather the question is how can I acknowledge the unconditional love of the Divine as a reality in my life? It comes down to conditioning. Keep before you this verse from Isaiah: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Is. 55:8-9) Humans experience love as conditional much of the time; in fact, it is rare that it is not. But God's ways are not our ways, thankfully. God's thoughts are higher. Any assumptions about how God deals with us is based on our thought, which is not in the realm of divine thought - generated on a higher plane, not on the physical plane. Though we cannot imagine it, we can only acknowledge that God's Love is beyond our understanding and that it is good and without fail. Condition yourself to simply accept, without understanding, that God's Love envelopes you, guides you and supports you each minute of each and every day. I give myself permission to feel God's Love in my life.

2) Ask and you shall receive. Start a "Conversations with God/Jesus/Christ/the Divine/the Creator (whatever name you wish to use) Journal." Consistency will be important for this practice. At the top of the page write: "Holy One, what would you like me to know at this moment?" Then add: "I give myself permission to receive the voice of the divine who loves me and resides within me." Begin to write and keep writing without pausing until you feel you have received what you were intended to hear. Do not expect to hear words or a voice, but trust that you are receiving what you need through the act of writing. Read over what you have written. If anything you have written is negative, critical or not loving it simply means that your ego, your inner critic, slipped in. The words of the Divine are always loving and kind, supportive and encouraging, that is how you will know it is authentic. How do you know it's not just YOU writing to yourself, you writing what you want to hear? The Divine is speaking to us all the time but we have not been trained to discern this voice, much less to trust it explicitly. This practice assists us in understanding the closeness, the immediacy of God; the intimate care and guidance we are receiving all the time whether or not we are aware of it. Call Love into your awareness and it will materialize there.

3) Read the mystics. Meister Eckert (d. 1328), Rumi (d. 1273) or Hafiz (d. 1589) are solid mystics to start with. These poets, who are as popular today as they have been through the centuries with Christians and non-Christians alike, express their ongoing relationship with Divine Love in playful and beautiful ways. They have taught people through the ages how to see God in every part of creation and to understand that every expression of Divinity in an expression of Love. To see Divine revelation is at once to become a part of it. Here's a sample from Hafiz:

How did the rose

Ever open its heart

And give to this world

All its Beauty?

It felt the encouragement of light

Against its Being,

Otherwise, we all remain

Too Frightened.

(The Gift, Poems by Hafiz The Great Sufi Master,

translation by Daniel Ladinsky)

THREE THINGS.... Three Reasons to Add a Fourth Leg to the Three-Legged Stool

2021-12-10T13:47:00.002-05:00

First, I have included a link in this introductory paragraph so that you might learn or refresh your memory as to the famous and foundational Three-Legged Stool of Anglicanism by theologian Richard Hooker. The three legs are Traditional, Scripture and Reason. This theological framework is basic to every confirmation class and Intro to the Episcopal Church and is worth revisiting now and again, never more so than in this present time of transition and opportunity within the Episcopal Church. Here is a one page summary to be reviewed before moving on: https://www.gracemuskogee.org/2020/08/14/the-three-legged-stool/.

The fourth leg I propose to be added is that of Experience. Why is this important? Because by standing firmly on only Tradition, Scripture and Reason we do not acknowledge real shifts in culture - the way in which people are searching for the experience of the Divine in their day to day lives, in their communal life, and in their worship. What everyone knows for certain about the existing church is that it is rooted in tradition - our many old and grand buildings of 150 years or more testify to this, as do all the celebrated (and beautiful) trappings of those buildings. What everyone knows is that the Bible is foundational for the whole of Christendom and for the Episcopal Church in particular whose Book of Common Prayer is framed and weighted with Holy Writ. What anyone knows who has spent time in the church's traditional worship and its educational offerings is that Episcopalians are thoughtful people who have long-standing reasoned doctrines; we are good at explaining the faith, at framing it within 2000 years of scripture and tradition. None of these things is up for grabs. But there is a reason Episcopalians are referred to as "the frozen chosen." It's time to add the fourth leg of Experience.

1. Spirituality has shifted from the Intellectual to the Experiencial. It wasn't that long ago that congregations were quite satisfied with knowledge; that is, doctrines and theology, church history and biblical study (hermeneutics and exegesis). Knowledge of things religious has been generally accepted as a form of piety. Apologetics is undeniably heady stuff. But as culture has changed, and with it the make-up of Episcopal congregations, it has become clear that knowledge/reason alone does not quench spiritual appetites as it once did. Many people in the church today want to have the experience of God in their lives; not just the evidence of answered prayer; much less to read a paper on efficacy of prayer, but the satisfaction of feeling that they have met with the very presence of God in the act of prayer. Of course people have always had spiritual experiences; the music and art of the church bears witness, and scripture itself is a testimony of the experience of the divine. Further, there is an entire library of Christian mystics whose poignant words capture our curious imaginations lead us into awe and wonder by association. But mystical experiences of the Divine have not historically been as well known, studied, or promoted within parish life as the three legs of tradition, scripture and reason that support the church's historical identity.

2. The mass exodus from mainline churches testifies to the missing leg. Many in the church remain bewildered at why people have left or why there are so many people who have no interest whatsoever in exploring traditional Christian mainline religious offerings, whatever the flavor. For many years I heard from within church walls that it was the Sunday sporting practices and games that were taking away the kids and their parents. Before that it was the opening of stores for shopping on Sundays - that the Sabbath day had been subverted. Secular culture was blamed. But the fact is, people increasingly make the choice for themselves to go elsewhere on Sunday mornings. I believe that the church did not understand to what extent that what people wanted was to really, really experience God within the context of Sunday morning. Big Box or Megachurches fill their mammoth buildings with thousands every Sunday, despite the ball games of their children and open malls, because what they are offering is an experience. We might argue about content in favor of our own biases but talk to the people who attend these services and what they report is not how much they learned or how they had come to a reasoned faith but rather they describe the worship experience as a spiritual experience in and of itself. I do not wish to knock out the three legs and establish a single, solitary and unstable leg of experience primarily, which may well prove to be a deficit in the mega church culture in the long run, but I do think that we Episcopalians might pay attention to what is evidenced in front of our eyes.

3. Yes. And.... Warning: Some of what I write here will be hard to read. Episcopal liturgies are beautiful. Yes. And, they are outdated in many respects and in need of revision. Episcopal hymnody is as familiar to those who grew up in the church as a loved relative; favored, savored and sacred. Yes. And... To most people outside the church walls, while is lovely to some it is to others unfamiliar and dated, stiff, stale and uninspiring. The church's cathedrals and grand buildings of the 18th and 19th centuries are sacred monuments grounded in scripture, tradition and reason; they are beloved testimonies to the church's place in society and religious life. Yes. And... the cost of maintaining those buildings cannot be sustained; the costs have skyrocketed and the money isn't there anymore. The foothold the Episcopal church once held in the religious landscape has shifted dramatically. Yes. And.... I believe that Michael Curry, in his role as presiding bishop is leading the church into a new day; a new day led by the experience of Becoming Beloved Community in the midst of the dissolution of much of what went before. Additionally, as Stephanie Spellers (author of The Church Cracked Open) spells out quite clearly and succinctly, we did not arrive at this place in our history innocently. There is much within Episcopal tradition to be questioned, and much to reconcile and yet the three legged stool has its place. Yes. And.... it must now be equally balanced by Experience; the experience of forgiveness, the experience of gratitude; the experience of the divine: the experience of the inner witness, the experience of inner knowing, the experience of the inner compass, the experience of the inner voice, the experience of the inner guide, the experience of inner wisdom, the experience of the inner lover of souls, the experience of the inner seer of the unseen, the experience of inner calm in a sea of worldly chaos and disorder, and the experience of inner wonderment in the midst of worldly conflict, division, violence and broken bonds of trust.

THREE THINGS... Three Habits to Break When You Are At Worship

2021-12-10T13:39:00.001-05:00

Coming to church with regularity is an important religious ritual for many people. It is an easy thing to walk into the sanctuary and fall into simple routines and habits that, even after just a few weeks, much less years of repetition, makes being at church just as comfortable as sitting on the couch watching a favorite show. But the purpose of worship is actually not to be so comfortable that we know it like the back of our hand. The role of worship as a spiritual practice, for that is what it is, is to gently wake us up to another reality that is different from the one we move around in at all other times during the week; it is to wake us up to a higher consciousness, Christ Consciousness, or that which the gospels refer to as the Kingdom of God. This process is subtle, however, and while we do not invoke it necessarily, we do indeed invite it by adopting a posture of reception so that the Spirit may do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. We do not awaken, we are awakened. The comfortable habits we adopt are not spiritual aids but can instead be spiritual blockages. Habits that lull our senses close us off instead of opening us up. Small routines that we are very attached to mirror patterns of rigidity that exist into other parts of our lives. So here are a few habits to consider breaking when next you attend worship:

1. Sit in a new place. You won't like it. But do it anyway. Observe your discomfort. Observe your new perspective from that seat, what can you see and hear clearly from this new location? What have you gained? What have you lost? Sit in that place for a few weeks until you notice it is becoming comfortable. Move to another place. Repeat. After a few months go back to "your old seat." What did you gain? What have you lost?

2. Engage someone you don't know well in conversation. We are creatures of habit. In the same way we tend to sit in the same pew, we also tend to gravitate to people who are familiar and who we perceive are "like" us. Before or after worship, strike up a conversation, even a very brief one, with someone you have rarely or perhaps never have talked with at length. Silently, offer a gift of gratitude for this person. Later, write down three things you liked about this person and ways you are different. Sit with those three things and ask yourself how they remind you of you (even the things you initially identify as clear differences). Don't try to rush the answer; hence, the 'sit with it' instruction. Why do you think you chose that particular person to engage with? The outer world we experience is a mirror. Learning to read the mirror is an excellent spiritual practice. We cannot see ourselves and are poor judges of how we are perceived by others. For instance, the only way we can see our shadow side is to read the mirror of ourselves as it is revealed to us by the people we engage with. In this practice the mirror will reveal parts of ourselves we may be tempted to judge harshly. Observation is all that is necessary for spiritual transformation. Judgment either of others or self (after a time you will see it's the same thing) is not a spiritual aid and will not serve you well. Try appreciation instead as a path to Love, a door by which to enter the Kingdom.

3. Stand when you normally kneel and kneel when you normally stand during these prayers.... There is a particularly damaging tendency of religious people that all Christians should be familiar with and that is spiritual materialism. It is when we attach to particular rituals in worship and believe them to be "the right/proper way" of doing the parts of worship. Everyone is susceptible to this unfortunate tendency and plays in it from time to time. However, there is only one "right way" in the context of religious worship and that is to walk through the doors and be there. That, in itself, requires courage because it invites vulnerability/openness to the Spirit. Whether we sit or stand or kneel is a far second in importance to the work of showing up. If you always kneel at the Prayers of the People or at the Eucharistic Prayer, stand instead or vice versa. Standing for prayer is as acceptable as kneeling, sitting or lying prostrate - all currently observed in the Orthodox Church. Pews were invented by Protestants only 500 years ago to allow congregations to listen to long sermons. But for the first 1500 years Christians stood or sat for much of the worship. If you feel you simply can't do this because it's not the way you were taught or you've always done it this way.... I invite you to keep working at #1 and come back to this in time.

THREE THINGS.... Three ways to increase your critical thinking skills

2021-12-10T13:33:00.000-05:00

We all have biases. And while there is a good side to that, especially for us! - as we routinely gravitate toward all things familiar and safe, biases also create blind spots. As we navigate day to day life it is our biases, most of the time, that inform us as to what we believe and what new information we are willing to consider. Biases are present in systems as well, that is, in communities. Taken to an extreme, communities can have such strong biases they become "closed systems." In such communities, everyone who "belongs" knows how things work and everyone agrees on the beliefs within that community. Outsiders are excluded, shunned and often outright rejected... sometimes subtly and sometimes violently. In an "open system" the community as a whole is curious and flexible and open to new information; the hallmarks of an open system are creativity, hospitality and innovation. Below are three ways to begin to think critically, beginning with educating ourselves about the roles of biases, and what role they play for us personally and in the communities with which we associate.

1. Get to know your biases. A couple of years ago Richard Rohr and Brian McLauren teamed up to do a podcast through the Center for Action and Contemplation on biases and how they affect the spiritual life that I highly commend to you: https://cac.org/podcast/learning-how-to-see/. Know thyself.

2. Make honesty your best friend. Being a naturally curious person and eternal student I am always seeking out new voices for my library (which includes far more podcasts, audio books, webinars, and youtube videos than actual books these days). One of the people who has really rocked my world is Byron Katie and her methodology of determining reality that she calls "The Work." There are four questions to ask about every situation. The first two which apply to my purpose here are: Is it true? followed by, Can you know absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, that it is true? Because we are biased we often side with opinions and beliefs about things, all kinds of things, because we hear it from sources we find credible, or people who line up with our philosophies or religiosity, or media sources we enjoy, etc. Sometimes we parrot things that the culture says is true only to find out later that it was never true. Worse, we believe things about other people, even people we care about, because we have been shaped by our histories, our biases, and we make assumptions that become truth for us. But are our beliefs actually true? Sometimes we cling to untrue beliefs because we feel protected from looking at what might be true about us. With brutal honesty Byron Katie says about her life before The Work, "Everything that came out of my mouth was a lie." Love requires that when we point the finger at the other we must examine the other four fingers pointing back at ourselves. Love requires asking: Is it true?

3. Move from listening to observing. Interpersonal communications is the playground of spiritual exploration. At the intersection of communication between humans and the spiritual life there is a lot of emphasis on deep listening - and it is certainly important. But even more useful for the critical mind is learning to listen as an observer, not as an arbitrator of right and wrong. Observe your inner voice and inclination to resist anything and everything that doesn't fit into your worldview, beliefs or biases. Observe both your inner and outer responses. Are you agreeing? To what are you agreeing? Are you defending? What exactly are you defending? Are you unsure how to respond? What is going on in you to create ambivalence? Observe is the key word here. Just observe, as if you were a witness to a scene in a movie. Observers don't have opinions, they are just observing; they don't have a stake in the game. God observes us every minute of every day. God does not say: You're just wrong! The point I am trying to make is summed up best by the beloved Sufi poet Rumi who wrote:

"Out beyond right-doing and wrong-doing there is a field. I'll meet you there."