Let it Begin With Me

Every Sunday at Unity Center of Davis, we conclude our service by standing together and singing the Peace song.  The first and last lines proclaim, let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.  There is a variation of this refrain, that our ego sings many more times during the week that goes like this: Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with: her, him, that situation, this dilemma, this preference, that shift, this resolution, that outcome, and on and on it goes. The false self that sings this refrain is not connected to the whole of life, and clamors to reclaim the fragments of happiness that it believes are in the world of outer conditions and other people.  When I am identified with my false self, I feel separated, and frustrated, and it is easy to blame my inner turmoil on what someone or something is withholding from me. It may take two to tango, or reach accord, but only one can only find peace inside oneself. Real and lasting contentment, the peace that Jesus referred to as passing human understanding, is not an effect of getting what we want in life, nor a negotiated agreement, nor the laying down of arms.  A Course in Miracles says, Nothing outside yourself can save you; nothing outside yourself can give you peace. Ultimately, peace is the recognition of a deep sense of well-being in which this moment is acceptable just as it is. Peace is more than the absence of conflict; it is the presence of a reality beyond the duality of your way or my way.  Rumi referred to this as a place beyond right or wrong, and a place where we could meet each other. The conflicts, which disturb our peace, are always some version of unskillful attempts to get our needs met.  When we drop below the surface mind that thrashes and lashes out we can see more clearly what is really true. This is spiritual insight that first takes us inward, opens our eyes to seeing in a new way, and brings us back to the world with a more holistic, compassionate perspective. The field beyond right and wrong is the unified field of our essential oneness, the great web in which we are united with every form of life. Once glimpsed, the ramifications of lashing out, or polluting, or blaming in order to redress some inner dissatisfaction, are seen more plainly as self-defeating. While we are evolving toward this enlightened perspective, we need constant reminders of the way to peace.  I know of no better technique to correct my perception than calling upon Spirit to help me see rightly.  Even when judgments are railing in my head and I am at war with everything and everyone one, there is the voice of Truth, that sees through the appearances and remains undisturbed.  This voice can lead me beyond the field of right and wrong, to the still waters of peace.  If nothing else we can sing the familiar refrain whenever we need to remember the way to peace, Let there be peace, and let it begin with me.

Solid Faith on Shaky Ground

God speaks to each of us as he makes us,
then walks with us silently out of the night.

These are the words we dimly hear:
 
You, sent out beyond your recall,
go to the limits of your longing.
Embody me.
 
Flare up like flame
and make big shadows I can move in.
 
Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror.
Just keep going. No feeling is final.
Don't let yourself lose me.
 
Nearby is the country they call life.
You will know it by its seriousness.
 
Give me your hand.
                                       -Rilke's Book of Hours, I, 59

Every day we are confronted with the "seriousness" of life. If our own lives are at the moment blissfully devoid of serious stuff, we can readily find a relative, friend or neighbor who's dealing with serious life stuff.  The enormity of the suffering of the Japanese people affected by the devastating quake and Tsunami compels us to realize how serious life can get in one cataclysmic moment.  This disaster with its widespread destruction and horrendous human cost arose from a singular and sudden geological shift. The spiritual significance of this event seems vitally important to recognize; that while we maintain through faith that we "stand on holy ground" the earth is not a stable and constant foundation upon which to build our faith.

As the expression goes, "Shift Happens!" Whether we are dealing with tectonic plates that slide and destroy the foundations of lives, or the unbridled mutation of cells that threaten a body, or the free fall of monetary value that threatens economic survival, all are expected and cyclical events certain to arise again and again on the human scene.  

Some people argue that such horrific events belie the existence of a loving Creator, who would not withhold its power to save humanity from such suffering.  This view sees the Divine as a reluctant Intervener that chooses capriciously to act or not act to avert disasters that would bring about "serious" life consequences. But what about this view misses the Big Picture? Seeing God as apart and acting upon a separate creation robs us of the God that is Spirit that is with us, in us, and working through all of creation constantly and completely. To adopt this Spirit view of the Divine is to find comfort as we move through all the changes and difficulties in life, knowing that suffering will not separate us from the Life that endures and bears all things with us.

It is equally important to recognize how narrow is our view of life  from our limited human perspective. With a little probing we can uncover some obvious paradoxes that would give us pause to judge the compassion or disregard of the Divine for life threatening events such as earthquakes and cancer for example.   The wider view would tell us that shifting tectonic plates make it possible for geological material to rise up and replenish the earth surface, which of course supports life on earth.  And, it has been the ongoing mutation of cells that has evolved life on this planet so that species could survive and thrive.  When we are quick to isolate events and cast blame upon the Creator, we miss the long standing life affirming impulse that Life continues to express through all of creation.

When we are facing the disasters of life and searching frantically for evidence of the Divine, it is imminently important that we remember that "God walks silently with us through the night." Remembering that it's impossible to be separate from the Life that is our essence, from the Love that made us out of itself, we can"just keep going" through the "beauty and the terror." If we continue to extend our hand in faith we will be lifted up-it's a promise that Love never breaks.

Closing the Divide

Prayer is not a pious gesture at all. It is a response to the One whose heart beats with ours. - Joan Chittister

No matter our religion or spiritual views, the longing to have an active relationship with something greater than ourselves seems universal.  There are a thousand names for God and a thousand ways to pray yet beyond labels and forms of worship, we all share a yearning to know and be known by the Divine.

Because we are offspring of the Divine, we carry within us the imprint of our creator and deep remembrance of our true nature that calls to us to heal the divide and restore our primary relationship with Life. The urgency of this calling and our response is often related to how well we are doing 'on our own.' When our lives are relatively peaceful and to our liking, the call can be just a whisper in the background.  When our life "hits the fan," the volume and intensity of the call can be like a siren in our heart that brings us to our knees in surrender, to prayer, and sometimes, to insight.

In Unity, our prayers are entirely self-directed.  There is no capricious God apart from us withholding our good. There is only the presence of God in its fullness at every point in space and time radiating its blessings in every direction.  This sweeping realization can both soothe us and trouble us.  We love the notion of an unconditional loving God that is always there for us.  The discomfort arises when we realize in those dark hours of our lives, that God has not left us, we have left God.  Like the prodigal, it is up to us to reverse our wayward search in order to find the loving parent who awaits our return home.

Prayer is our attempt to correct our perception of any separation between us and the Divine and see the answer in the midst of us, even as us.  As author, Eric Butterworth wrote, "prayer is not a matter of conquering God's reluctance, but of attuning our selves to God's eternal willingness."

Any words or practice or mantra that closes the gap in our awareness of the Infinite arms that constantly enfold us is useful to bringing us to a place of remembrance and comfort. As Buddha noted, "better than a meaningless story of a thousand words is a single word of deep meaning which, when heard, produces peace."

A simple phrase, such as God is here, God is now or Be Still and know repeated slowly and mindfully can calm the raging waters of our mind and soothe our aching hearts. Even a minimal choice, to pause momentarily in our busyness and take 3 conscious breaths can, in an instant, change our reality. In that simple practice we can suspend history and mystery, find a moment of timelessness, and let ourselves be enfolded by the One whose heart beats with ours.

Shaping the Light

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Jesus-Mathew 7:7 We have been exploring the major tenets of Unity philosophy in these articles and our Sunday lessons.  This week we look at the principle that perhaps causes the greatest confusion and difficulty in accepting and understanding its implications and application in our lives.  It is the notion that each of us has co-creative power to affect our lives. Sometimes called the Law of Mind Action, it claims that "thoughts held in (our) mind, produce after their kind." Quite simply this spiritual principle contradicts the fatalistic belief that life happens to us. Conversely, this tenet asserts that we are not helpless to affect life experiences because we have dominion over our lives.  It is the conviction that our thoughts and feelings have creative, formative power in our life experience. While most people, regardless of religious or spiritual orientation, would generally agree with the notion that our state of mind can affect our state of affairs, there is significant disagreement as to how literally and to what extent this principle is valid and useful.  This is a long discussion that the scope of this article cannot do justice but suffice it to say that when it comes to this principle there is a wide range of understanding of what it really means.  Just like in religious circles within a given faith, adherents to this principle range from literal fundamentalists, who believe that we can, and do, create everything in our lives by the content of our minds, to those who see it as an awareness to take us deeper into our true self.  I'll admit my leanings toward the latter camp.  Again, the whole explanation can't be unpacked in this short treatment, but let me give you a glimpse of my take on this much debated spiritual question. Clearly we are creative beings, as offspring of a Creator; we share its creative nature.  Quantum science bears out the implication that our presence in the field of infinite possibilities is significant and causative to particular outcomes. There seems to be no escaping the idea that our perception of reality is fundamental to our experience. As some have said, "we see the world not as it is, but as we are." That said, the question for many of us is how we use that ability to create better lives; a better world.  Some of us have played with the manifestation powers of focused intention, created treasure maps of ideal life situations, and witnessed the magic unfold before our eyes. However notwithstanding the creative successes there often remained a lingering discontent that the acquired stuff of life did not alleviate. Such discontent is the ache for inner wholeness; the back story of every human want or desire.  Simply, it is our desire to know God, or more universally, to know our true self, the imago dei. Once we come to realize the deepest need of our soul then that becomes our focus, our raison d'etre, and it follows that the most appropriate and effective use of our creative power is to maximize that awareness. Jesus emphasized this singular focus in many of his parables about the kingdom of God, suggesting that the worldly gains will not take us where our souls will find comfort.  He said "seek first the kingdom of God...and these things will be added unto you." In other words if we make peace, love, wholeness, and harmony the predominant thoughts and goals for our life, we direct the universe to match our life experience according to these inner qualities.  If we do it in reverse (I have) we get the sports car, or house overlooking the ocean, and still feel spiritually bankrupt, and then were back at the drawing board trying to figure out what would really satisfy us. The truth says that you have the kingdom of God within you now; the treasure map points inward. When we focus our creative power on manifesting these spiritual qualities, we create a world that works for us immediately, without exception or condition. And, as Truth would have it, the rest of the world is equally blessed by our brighter light.

Radical Revolutionary Freedom

It is our deepest natural impulse to be free so it should not alarm our deepest sensibilities to see perpetual struggles to attain it. The impulse to self determination and liberation are at the heart of the protests we now witness in the Mideast.  The violence, which garners attention on the world stage, is only an externalized response to this deeper impulse, and can divert an appreciation of the innate and ubiquitous desire for self mastery and personal choice that underlies it. We all want to be free. Free from the oppression and tyranny of external powers that would wield unjust power over our lives and deny us the fruits of freedom - life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  Because we enjoy peace in our land, it is easy to forget that radical revolutionary behavior was central to our nation's genesis.  Because we live in relative freedom today we may have forgotten the reality of the bitter bloody battle; the extraordinary costs paid to wrest liberty from an autocratic King that once ruled unjustly over Americans choices and lives. The intrepid men who drafted the Declaration of Independence stepped boldly across the line of personal safety and put it all on the line to achieve the inalienable right of freedom. So what we see in Egypt and surrounding nations is the outpicturing in their people of the same core value that once rallied Americans to battle oppression and gain freedom. Unfortunately, achieving true freedom is more complex. In truth, freedom is not won through successful wars, deposed dictators, or even governments by the people. True freedom is an inner condition; a state of mind that can overthrow the power of external conditions to affect one's peace. Like the King of England, our ego mind often reigns supreme over our thoughts and affairs and we have suffered the tyranny of a long train of (its) abuses and usurpations.  We have placed the crown of authority upon our senses that they might have the last word on reality.  In return, we receive a meager appraisal of life's possibilities.  We are taxed by levies of fear and doubt.    Yet the truth is that we have assented to these oppressive practices, even while railing against them.   True freedom is self-evident when we come to know our true spiritual nature.  Created in the image and likeness of the Great Perfection, we have always had the inalienable right to self-determination. Free will empowers us to cast the deciding vote on every issue. We are at liberty to find peace and plenitude in the very ground of our being. When we realize the source and course of true freedom, we may be driven to our knees as much as to the streets. We will realize that non-resistance is the most effective approach to inner freedom as protest is to the external kind. Having gained what many people in the world are still fighting to achieve, our revolution is inner evolution.  It may cost us our lives, as we have known them, to cross the line of entrenched beliefs and illusory expectations. Beyond forms, conditions, preferences is peace without condition. To be willing to sacrifice all these treasured but false ideals is to make way for the true and lasting freedom that lies undisturbed within our very Being.

One Power

"...All shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well." - St. Julian of Norwich

Every Sunday we conclude our service with a collective prayer which ends with the words, "all is well."

How is it that we can justify such an over arching statement of well being as a community affirmation? Are we ignorant, or in strict denial, of the human suffering in our midst?

Neither is true.  We are not immune from the travails of the human life.  Among us are many who have suffered loss, small and great.  Some have lost small fortunes, others face life-threatening illness, and some of us grieve the death of loved ones.

How then, given our losses, can we express such a collective appraisal of well being?  The answer is not in the circumstances of our lives, but in the context in which they arise.

We believe in a greater reality beyond form that holds us in its loving embrace.  We hold to knowing that despite the powerful winds that tear across the landscape of our human lives, there remains an underlying Presence and Power within us that ensures our well-being.  Beyond appearances of limitation and loss, our true essence remains undisturbed, and imperturbable through it all.

We do not deny appearances but neither should we let them blind us to a deeper reality. Our faith urges us on to see reality as it truly is;, and inspires us to awaken to God's irrefutable presence in the midst of our challenges now rather than waiting for preferential existence in an afterlife.  We can do this with feet planted solidly on the ground of the present moment, standing shoulder to shoulder with fellow human beings, sharing human vulnerability and spiritual strength.  Girded by inexorable truths and fellow believers, we can muster the resolve to look courageously into the face of our human dramas and affirm together:

"There is only one Presence and one Power in the universe and in my life, God the good, omnipotent."

Love's Thorny Virtue

"What if the mightiest word is love?" asked Yale professor, Elizabeth Alexander in her Inaugural poem. We diminish the true power of love when we expect to find it only in the tender, sentimental and happy moments in life. The "mighty" quality of love that inspires and sustains us is the love that emerges undefeated out of adversity. A rose and a thorn share the same stem. According to our preferences, we welcome the gift of the rose with its beauty and fragrance. Conversely we avoid, even shun the thorn. Human preferences can blind our wiser sensibilities to what is equally contradictory and true.  The rose grows beautifully, necessarily, and unflinchingly surrounded and supported by a thorny stem. This koan from nature opens our eyes to paradox and opens our hearts to embrace opposing energies that sustain the fullness of life. Examples that bear witness to the dichotomy and fierceness in love abound. Anybody within earshot of a maternity ward knows that sounds of childbirth are not always sweet and tender. Love made visible demands endurance, patience, commitment, and a desire to bring something beautiful into the world. Sentimental love, romantic notion, are flimsy representations of love; mere tastes of a much deeper force. Not that I'm against romance and sentimentality. I admit enjoyment of romantic films and I give cards and flowers to my beloved. However, after years of tempering love in the refining fire of life, I know that love's depth and truth is not captured nor conveyed with momentary expressions of the heart. Love is the clarified perception that sees goodness in a person behind their misdeeds. Love is a bone-tired parent who works two jobs to feed their kids or maintains a constant vigil of care. Love never fails to see beauty, no matter the appearance, nor fails to be grateful no matter the measure of good. Love is the unimaginable ability to forgive the unforgiveable; the power to heal the nastiest wounds. The key to harnessing the mighty power of love, is to look for love where you least expect to find it. We need not shun the thorn that is our pain. If we close our heart to guard it from the thorn, we close the very vessel capable of delivering the Big Love we need most. The rose blossoms amidst thorns, the lily blooms out of mud, and the mightiest love flows from an open heart.