Most of what I learned about spirituality in my early years on the path, I learned from Wayne Dyer. I wish he’d written this book first. It would have saved me so much angst on the journey and so much “striving to arrive.” But as his colleague and friend, Deepak Chopra said in his book, The Third Jesus, “Spirit, like water, remains fresh only when it flows.”
Dyer’s consciousness was not there yet. Mine was so much, much further away.
As a matter of fact, I’d purchased Dyer’s book last year. I skimmed it and thought it would be a daunting task to weed through the many chapters to find the “pearls” I knew had to be somewhere in the pages. So, I read it sporadically, not making much connection with it, until recently when I picked it up again.
Now, with a changed consciousness, I find “pearls” in every page, in each chapter, in each day I read. “Wisdom of Tao,” is now my day- to- day guide for living. Each day, I pick a new chapter, or two, and try to “work” with it as I go through my day, trying to indeed practice the simple “Way” of the Tao.
“Living the Wisdom of the Tao” is not a book you read and put away on the shelf. It’s a book that’s intended to help you live your life in a clear, uncomplicated, simple, yet powerful way. Once you’ve reached a certain level of spiritual consciousness, then "Wisdom of the Tao" can provide a natural way to respond to the world unfolding around you and through you.
“The Wisdom of the Tao” that Dyer offers is based on “Tao Te Ching,” teachings that were dictated by Lao-tzu of China about 500 years before the birth of Jesus. In his “wisdom,” Dyer undertakes all 81 verses that make up the slim and tiny Tao Te Ching volume and interprets Lao-tzu’s meaning. Taking 81 very profound and insightful verses and trying to interpret the meaning of each line, each verse, obviously was not an easy thing to do. So, as Dyer explains, what we end up reading are his thoughts about what Lao-tzu meant.
He painstakingly went through each verse and strove for the meaning. Here’s how he said he did it:
“I awake before 4 a.m, meditate, consume juices and supplements, and enter my sacred writing space. In the table, I have some framed drawings of Lao-tzu: In one he’s clad in simple robes, in another he’s standing with a staff, and in a third he’s astride an ox. I ease into my work and read one verse of the Tao Te Ching, letting the words stay with me and inviting the forces of both the outer and the inner life to inform me.
Some of the passages contain ideas that seem to be directed to political leaders---yet in all cases I keep the average reader in mind. In other words, I seek the wisdom for “everyone”, not just for those in positions of government or business. I jot down a few notes, and for the next three days I think about what Lao-tzu is offering. I invite the Tao to be with Me throughout the day in all my activities as a background to the title of this book.'Change your thoughts, Wayne,' I tell myself, 'watch how your life changes.' And my thoughts' do' change!”
Using 10 of the most “well respected translations” of the "Tao Te Ching" in a period of over a year, Dyer set about writing his interpretation of the wisdom of the Tao, “the supreme reality, an all-pervasive source of everything .”
According to Dyer, The Tao cannot be named or defined. It never begins or ends, does nothing yet animates everything in the world of form and boundaries and which Lao-tzu calls ”the world of the 10,000 things.”
The 1st Verse Dyer interprets as “Living the Mystery.” Here his interpretation is that we just practice “letting go of always naming and labeling” things and relationships. Just let them be. “Let the world unfold without always attempting to figure it all out,” he writes. “Relax, let go, allow and recognize that some of your desires are about how you think your world should be, rather than how it is in the moment.”
I will not attempt to recount verse by verse, Dyer’s interpretations of the Tao. But this is truly the only way the essence of the book can be shared. To attempt to put words to Dyer’s message would be doing a disservice to him and all the work he put into translating the Tao so that we may benefit.
What I will say is that EACH chapter, each of the 81 verses, from the first to the last two, “Living Your Own Utopia” and “Living Without Accumulating,” offers pearls that people search a lifetime to find. The good thing is that you don’t have to read the chapters in sequence. You can go to “the one” that speaks to you on a certain day and work with it.
For example, if you feel the need of “letting go,” you would select Verse 55, “Living by Letting Go.” If your preference is to learn how to put aside the ways of the world, then you’d select Verse 35,”Living Beyond World Pleasures, ” or you may choose, Verse 37, “Living in Simplicity.”
My goal is to go through each one of the verses repeatedly over the next year, until their essence is a part of my “being.”
One important verse that you may want to incorporate immediately to deal with any stress you currently may be experiencing is Verse 50: “Living as an Immortal.”
Here, Dyer offers that “since the fear of death tops virtually everyone’s list of anxieties,” why not die now...while you’re alive!? He offers this exercise to “Die While You’re Alive!”
“In your imagination, contemplate the death of your physical shell: Visualize it lying there lifeless, and observe how you, the witness, aren’t identified with this corpse. Now bring that same attention to your body as it gets up and goes about its daily tasks. Nothing could harm your human form when it was dead, and nothing can harm you now because you are not that body---you’re the invisible witnessing essence. Remain in this realization, knowing that you’ve experienced the death of your earthly container as your primary source of identification. In this new awareness, you’re impenetrable and free.”
Dyer sees this exercise as allowing you to “change how you think about death by seeing your essential spiritual beingness, and you’ll be able to enjoy this world without the dread caused by believing you are of it."
I tried this exercise, and it does seem to take you to a different level.
I’m confident that like me, after you read this powerful offering by Dyer, you’ll feel tremendously grateful to him for providing this message of love, hope, and guidance in “Living the Wisdom of the Tao.”
Years ago, I’d purchased the “Tao Te Ching,” because someone somewhere had told me that it was a MUST read for anyone on the spiritual path. I still have my tiny little volume, and now thanks to Wayne Dyer, I can pick up “my little black book” and feel a “connection” with the verses.
With “Change your thoughts...and Change your life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao,” you are given a powerful way to becoming more empowered, yet living simply, with less complications and less at the will of your ego.
All you need do, now, is pick up a copy and keep it as your companion to following the “way” to the TRUTH within you! You’ll be so much richer...and much, much wiser... for doing so.
Namaste’,
Che’
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Love Will Find a Way! Don't Give IN... Don't Give UP...when "forces" are at Work!
“There’s only one presence and one power: God the Good, the Omnipotent!”
As a Unity student, I know this is TRUTH.
But to ignore the “other “ forces that seek to disrupt the flow of life is to be in total denial and reckless! There are negative forces at work---continuously---in our lives. This is also truth. But the difference with TRUTH and truth is that only ONE is absolute. Knowing this difference is the key to remaining steadfast even when cast into the “eye of the storm” (s) in life.
I grew along the spiritual path, wanting to believe only in TRUTH. As a new Unity student, I was able to stay true to this belief and life unfolded beautifully for me. Then, a phenomenon started: the steeper my climb along the spiritual path, the more determined I became committed to climb even higher and go deeper, the more “battles” I had to fight ---constantly---along the way.
When I gave in to these "forces," I knew I was going against TRUTH. It is then that only prayer and meditation pulled me out of the grasps of this “evil.”
I lived to fight another day!
Just when I thought I’d reached another spiritual plateau...more "forces" erupted...to challenge me.
I could not believe this! How many battles do we have to fight in one lifetime, I wondered?
Then, a curious thing began to happen.
When I truly held to TRUTH...no matter what the circumstances, no matter how fierce the storm...I always came out victorious and stronger for the wear!
Holding to TRUTH is a difficult, difficult thing to do, when life all around you would suggest that you are in denial of the battle waging against you. Things happen outside you that make absolutely NO sense; you are suspended in a surreal state. I described this as being in “Twilight Zone.” But it is in those times that you must hold on with a tighter rein and never, ever let go of TRUTH!
For the battles that we fight in life ...the seeming “evil” that we have to overcome...truly have NO power. Those forces of negativity arise precisely because of our faltering belief in TRUTH.
You see the "evil forces" are: fear, anger, disbelief, worry, guilt, impatience, hatred, stress, or any condition that would seem to challenge the omnipotence and omnipresence of God in our lives. They can be forces coming at us from the outside, or from within our own soul! Sometimes, so "dark” are these "forces" that at one time, the Catholic Church used to perform exorcisms.
These "forces" want us to give in and give up! If there is a “Satan,” these "forces" are it! This was the "force" at work in the life of Job!
Like Job discovered, they are all “forces” of the mind. So, if we give them “power” in our minds, then they would have power! But if we see them as arising only to challenge TRUTH as we know it, then we will see these very "forces" wither away and die!
I say this...because it is the absolute TRUTH!
The only thing that has power over you in your life is that to which you give power!
I know this because I’ve lived it and... almost...gave in.
I remember vividly the day I thought I’d fought one battle too many. So, I quickly told God to “Let Go of me...just let ‘it’ win for now.”
“I’ll be back,” I said to God. “Just give my soul a rest for a while. I’m weary.”
Just in that moment of defeat...I felt the LOVE...of TRUTH...of God...take over!
I fought back...hard!
I found the strength in me that had been dormant for a few weary days rising up to strike back. I became determined to survive...to not give in... to not give up... believing in TRUTH! I knew that “it” was hoping to get me in its ugly grasp...and was waiting...to snap shut its mouth on me.
That’s when I rose up...from within.
In that moment of triumph, I sang the first song I’d ever heard at Unity:
“I am free...I am unlimited...there are no chains that bind me.
I am free...I am unlimited...right now...right now!”
I found energy that I thought was long depleted, as I headed out the door.
I turned on the car radio to Lionel Richie’s voice. It took me a while to register the lyrics of the song, so powerful were they in that moment in time:
“Are you feeling down, and lonely.
Feeling like you can't go on.
Just remember love will find a way.
Tell me are you going through changes.
Time seems like it's passing by.
Just believe that love will find a way.
I see the tears you cry.
I see the pain that's in your eyes.
So many times you were so lonely.
And no one seemed to care.
But if your hopes, for your tomorrows.
Are drowning in your sorrows.
Know your heart will show you the way.
Are you trying to find a beginning.
Or something just to hold on to.
Always know that love will find a way.
Is it hard this life you're living?
Does the world seem so unkind?
Don't you worry, love will find a way.
Some say we've lost, our way.
Some say the world has gone astray.
But if you know where you're going,
there's nothing you can't do...
'cause problems will come...
and they will leave you.
The world will try to deceive you.
But the truth will always be in your soul!”
Wow! Was God not talking to me!? Until then, I never realized that Lionel Richie was singing a spiritual song!
Most every religion or teaching talks about not giving in to the negatives...about having faith. We see this in Christian Science’s entire focus only on “God, the Good,” with anything else being “error thought.” Mormonism, too, focuses only on God, and on absolute faith. And there are so many others...speaking TRUTH!
“God did not give us a spirit of fear...but of Power and Love and of a Sound Mind!”:2 Timothy 1:7
“Oh help, thou, my unbelief!”: Mark 9:24
“The battle is not yours but God’s!”: 2 Chronicles 20: 15
“Stand ye still and see the salvation of the Lord!”: Exodus 14:13; 2 Chronicles 20:17
If you’re ever tempted to give in and give up...to fear, anger, despair, hopelessness, worry, guilt...challenges or darkness of any kind...
...always try to remember these words...as they point only to TRUTH...the absolute:
Love (God) always will find a way! The truth will always be in your soul!
Namaste’
Che’
As a Unity student, I know this is TRUTH.
But to ignore the “other “ forces that seek to disrupt the flow of life is to be in total denial and reckless! There are negative forces at work---continuously---in our lives. This is also truth. But the difference with TRUTH and truth is that only ONE is absolute. Knowing this difference is the key to remaining steadfast even when cast into the “eye of the storm” (s) in life.
I grew along the spiritual path, wanting to believe only in TRUTH. As a new Unity student, I was able to stay true to this belief and life unfolded beautifully for me. Then, a phenomenon started: the steeper my climb along the spiritual path, the more determined I became committed to climb even higher and go deeper, the more “battles” I had to fight ---constantly---along the way.
When I gave in to these "forces," I knew I was going against TRUTH. It is then that only prayer and meditation pulled me out of the grasps of this “evil.”
I lived to fight another day!
Just when I thought I’d reached another spiritual plateau...more "forces" erupted...to challenge me.
I could not believe this! How many battles do we have to fight in one lifetime, I wondered?
Then, a curious thing began to happen.
When I truly held to TRUTH...no matter what the circumstances, no matter how fierce the storm...I always came out victorious and stronger for the wear!
Holding to TRUTH is a difficult, difficult thing to do, when life all around you would suggest that you are in denial of the battle waging against you. Things happen outside you that make absolutely NO sense; you are suspended in a surreal state. I described this as being in “Twilight Zone.” But it is in those times that you must hold on with a tighter rein and never, ever let go of TRUTH!
For the battles that we fight in life ...the seeming “evil” that we have to overcome...truly have NO power. Those forces of negativity arise precisely because of our faltering belief in TRUTH.
You see the "evil forces" are: fear, anger, disbelief, worry, guilt, impatience, hatred, stress, or any condition that would seem to challenge the omnipotence and omnipresence of God in our lives. They can be forces coming at us from the outside, or from within our own soul! Sometimes, so "dark” are these "forces" that at one time, the Catholic Church used to perform exorcisms.
These "forces" want us to give in and give up! If there is a “Satan,” these "forces" are it! This was the "force" at work in the life of Job!
Like Job discovered, they are all “forces” of the mind. So, if we give them “power” in our minds, then they would have power! But if we see them as arising only to challenge TRUTH as we know it, then we will see these very "forces" wither away and die!
I say this...because it is the absolute TRUTH!
The only thing that has power over you in your life is that to which you give power!
I know this because I’ve lived it and... almost...gave in.
I remember vividly the day I thought I’d fought one battle too many. So, I quickly told God to “Let Go of me...just let ‘it’ win for now.”
“I’ll be back,” I said to God. “Just give my soul a rest for a while. I’m weary.”
Just in that moment of defeat...I felt the LOVE...of TRUTH...of God...take over!
I fought back...hard!
I found the strength in me that had been dormant for a few weary days rising up to strike back. I became determined to survive...to not give in... to not give up... believing in TRUTH! I knew that “it” was hoping to get me in its ugly grasp...and was waiting...to snap shut its mouth on me.
That’s when I rose up...from within.
In that moment of triumph, I sang the first song I’d ever heard at Unity:
“I am free...I am unlimited...there are no chains that bind me.
I am free...I am unlimited...right now...right now!”
I found energy that I thought was long depleted, as I headed out the door.
I turned on the car radio to Lionel Richie’s voice. It took me a while to register the lyrics of the song, so powerful were they in that moment in time:
“Are you feeling down, and lonely.
Feeling like you can't go on.
Just remember love will find a way.
Tell me are you going through changes.
Time seems like it's passing by.
Just believe that love will find a way.
I see the tears you cry.
I see the pain that's in your eyes.
So many times you were so lonely.
And no one seemed to care.
But if your hopes, for your tomorrows.
Are drowning in your sorrows.
Know your heart will show you the way.
Are you trying to find a beginning.
Or something just to hold on to.
Always know that love will find a way.
Is it hard this life you're living?
Does the world seem so unkind?
Don't you worry, love will find a way.
Some say we've lost, our way.
Some say the world has gone astray.
But if you know where you're going,
there's nothing you can't do...
'cause problems will come...
and they will leave you.
The world will try to deceive you.
But the truth will always be in your soul!”
Wow! Was God not talking to me!? Until then, I never realized that Lionel Richie was singing a spiritual song!
Most every religion or teaching talks about not giving in to the negatives...about having faith. We see this in Christian Science’s entire focus only on “God, the Good,” with anything else being “error thought.” Mormonism, too, focuses only on God, and on absolute faith. And there are so many others...speaking TRUTH!
“God did not give us a spirit of fear...but of Power and Love and of a Sound Mind!”:2 Timothy 1:7
“Oh help, thou, my unbelief!”: Mark 9:24
“The battle is not yours but God’s!”: 2 Chronicles 20: 15
“Stand ye still and see the salvation of the Lord!”: Exodus 14:13; 2 Chronicles 20:17
If you’re ever tempted to give in and give up...to fear, anger, despair, hopelessness, worry, guilt...challenges or darkness of any kind...
...always try to remember these words...as they point only to TRUTH...the absolute:
Love (God) always will find a way! The truth will always be in your soul!
Namaste’
Che’
Saturday, July 5, 2008
What I know to be the Truth About Mormonism!
"Seeking Common Ground" series: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS)!
Five years ago this June, Elizabeth Smart, then 14 years old, was kidnapped from her bedroom at her parents’ home in Salt Lake City, Utah. For nine months, she was held captive by a drifter and his wife, until she was recognized on a city street with her captors and reunited with her parents.
When Elizabeth was found, I was thrilled, yet fascinated with the fact that she was indeed found safely, albeit a bit dazed and somewhat altered. I saw the joy of her father, Ed, who for all the nine months had never wavered in his faith, composure and “knowing” that she would eventually be returned home.
So of course when I saw a recent cover story on Elizabeth, five years after the ordeal, I was very interested to learn how she was doing. Well, of course she’s fine.
Elizabeth Smart today is a poised and, seemingly, well adjusted 20 year old. She also seems much wiser than her years. “We are all tested and tried,” Elizabeth said in the interview. “But I don’t think we were sent here to be unhappy or hold on to hurt feelings.”
She also said, “I feel so fortunate that I was able to come through this unscarred. I want to tell other people ’Don’t give up. Miracles do happen.’ ” She also added at another point,”I no longer feel that this was something bad to happen to me.”
According to reports, Elizabeth declined psychotherapy, choosing instead to speak with her parents and grandparents whenever she felt the need for guidance. In truth, I’m not a least bit surprised about Elizabeth’s resilience and the tremendous growth and “wisdom beyond her years” that she has gained from the ordeal.
If you’ve spent any time with Mormons, you’d know that these are people who not
only try to teach their faith, they live it!
My close exposure to Mormonism started sometime in 2003 when two missionaries, in their late teens/early 20s, knocked on my door in Hayward, California. I welcomed them in but quickly told them I was not interested in being “preached” to about the Mormon teachings; I had my own beliefs.
Those two young men were so respectful that I told them to stop by anytime they were in the neighborhood, and we could chat. Well, they did.
Even when those two moved on, others came, with a set of two Mormons stopping by my home throughout 2003. They knew that it was one of the homes in my neighborhood that had an “open-door” policy towards them. So, if it rained or if they were simply tired, they came in and sat and chatted with me. We talked about everything else... but not... religion.
I was especially grateful for my friendship with these young Mormon missionaries, when I needed to have someone available in my home for a large-item donation to the Salvation Army. I needed to be away, attending to business elsewhere, and it was two missionaries who stayed in my home and waited for the Salvation Army to show up.
The Mormons I’ve known are trustworthy, loving and full of faith. I was thrilled meeting so many in the three years I spent in Arizona and always had great encounters with them too.
Today, my home always will be open to any Mormon who wants to stop by and visit.
I know people in neighborhoods throughout the country are not always so open to Mormons, and possibly don’t even give them a hearing, because of presumptions they make about the Mormon teachings. That really is too bad! They truly are missing out on meeting some wonderful people, especially young men who are so full of hope and love and respect.
I am not blind...nor deaf...to the many controversies surrounding Mormonism. But the truth is...I don’t care what the Mormons teach! Those teachings have...nothing...no-thing...to do with me! The teachings of Mormonism is strictly between the church and its followers. All that I am concerned about and all I know is true about the teachings is that the “product” of a Mormon upbringing is one most parents would be proud.
For our purposes, here, today I will not focus on the many and deep controversies of the Mormon church. Instead, I’ll share with you information I know provide some truth about the teachings so that you have a basic understanding.
The Mormon Church is known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS).
The history of Mormonism began in 1820 near Palmyra, New York. Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of Mormonism, claimed to have received a series of visions in which he was told by God that all the churches were "wrong," their "creeds were an abomination in his sight," and all their "professors were corrupt." Smith was told that God would restore the true New Testament church, using him as a mouthpiece. Consequently, Mormons believe that the Christian Church went into apostasy after the death of the Apostles. Smith came to restore the church as it was before the Apostles died, thus, the Mormon church considers Joseph Smith, Jr. to be the first prophet of a new dispensation.
In the course of his visions, Smith was visited by an angel, Moroni, who disclosed to him the location of a book "written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this [American] continent, and the source from whence they sprang". Moroni also said that "the fullness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants" Smith was instructed to retrieve the plates and translate them with God's assistance. The result is called the Book of Mormon, first published on March 26, 1830. Smith referred to the Book of Mormon as "the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion"
In conjunction with its belief in modern prophets and revelation, Mormonism teaches that the Bible is not the sum total of God's words to man, though it is certainly one major portion. The canon of scriptures in Mormonism contains the Bible and three other books: the Book of Mormon (a record of the ancient inhabitants of the Americas whom Christ visited after His resurrection), the Doctrine and Covenants (revelations given to Joseph Smith and his successors concerning Church policy and doctrine), and the Pearl of Great Price (which includes additional writings by Moses and Abraham as well as a section that outlines the basic tenets of Mormonism).
Another major teaching of Mormonism concerns the Godhead. Mormonism teaches that God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three separate and distinct individuals united in purpose.
About Jews and the Mormon Faith
The theology of LDS incorporates many Old Testament ideas. As such, Mormonism has a historical affinity for Judaism. The beliefs of Mormons sometimes seem to parallel those of Judaism and certain elements of Jewish culture. These are primarily historical and doctrinal connections with Judaism.
In his time, Joseph Smith named the largest Mormon settlement he founded Nauvoo, which means "to be beautiful" in Hebrew. Later, Brigham Young, LDS leader from 1847 to 1887, named a tributary of the Great Salt Lake the "Jordan River." The LDS Church created a writing system, the Deseret Alphabet, based, in part, on Hebrew. Currently, the LDS Church has a Jerusalem Center in Israel, at which some college-aged youth study and learn to appreciate and respect the region.
The LDS church also teaches that its adherents are members of the House of Israel. Patriarchal blessings are received by most Mormon individuals in their youth. Among other things, the purpose of the blessing is to declare one's lineage i.e. the tribe to which the individual belongs.
There has been some controversy involving Jewish groups and Mormons. In the 1990s, Jewish groups vocally opposed the LDS practice of baptism for the dead on behalf of Jewish victims of the Holocaust and Jews in general. According to LDS Church general authority Monte J. Brough, "Mormons who baptized 380,000 Holocaust victims posthumously were motivated by love and compassion and did not understand their gesture might offend Jews ... they did not realize that what they intended as a 'Christian act of service' was 'misguided and insensitive.'"
About Blacks and the Mormon Faith
The LDS movement has had a range of policies and doctrines relating to black people.
When the Mormons migrated to Missouri they encountered the pro-slavery sentiments, and initially, Joseph Smith, Jr. supported the laws regarding slaves and slaveholders. Eventually, though, Smith rejected the institution and supported its abolition. Smith also welcomed free blacks into the church and ordained black men to the priesthood.
[Entertainer Gladys Knight converted to Mormonism]
Following the death of Joseph Smith, Jr. and a succession crisis, leaders of the major LDS denomination continued to welcome all people, regardless of color to be members. But they began to exclude people of “black African descent” from priesthood ordination and from participation in temple ceremonies. These practices continued until September 30, 1978, when church President Spencer W. Kimball, acting in his office as Living Prophet declared that in early June of 1978 he had received a revelation from God to extend the priesthood and temple ordinances to all worthy male members.
Other Latter Day Saint denominations dealt differently with the issue. The Community of Christ, The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite), and the Strangites have always allowed those of black African descent to hold the priesthood and participate fully in the religion. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and other Mormon fundamentalist groups continue the practice of exclusion based on race.
About Polygamy and the Mormon Faith
Mormonism has been closely associated in public discourse with polygamy.
In the 1830s, Joseph Smith, Jr. instituted a form of polygamy referred to as plural marriage, which Brigham Young acknowledged and promoted after he moved the LDS church's headquarters to Utah.
Upon learning about the practice, various political and church organizations became active in seeking the banning of the practice in the early 1880s. In 1890, the United States Congress finally passed laws that upheld criminalizing polygamy and set about dissolving polygamous families. A few months after the U.S. Supreme Court decision, the LDS church issued its 1890 Manifesto renouncing the practice of polygamy.
The 1890 renunciation of polygamy by the LDS Church also led to a number of schisms involving relatively small groups who today describe themselves as Mormon fundamentalists and who still practice polygamy as well as other elements of 19th-century Mormonism that have been rejected or denounced by the LDS Church. These organizations believe that their doctrines and practices remain true to the original teachings of Joseph Smith, Jr. and Brigham Young.
Today, the LDS Church asserts the time for polygamy has ended, rejects the practice, and excommunicates members who engage in it. In 1998, President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "I wish to state categorically that this Church has nothing whatever to do with those practicing polygamy."
With the recent raid of a polygamist compound in Eldorado, Texas, the LDS organization felt it necessary to issue a strong statement in April 2008, denouncing polygamy and stating unequivocally that it had no ties to Warren Jeffs, the polygamist leader. The statement said, “Jeffs is not now, and never has been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons). Neither does he have any connection or association, official or unofficial, with the Church.”
State of the state of Mormonism Today
There are currently more than 120 LDS temples worldwide. In order to qualify as a temple, approximately 65,000 members must be in an immediate area. Temples are required for Mormon marriages and for proxy baptisms of ancestors. Before an LDS member is allowed to enter a Temple, he or she must prove to be worthy and “pure” in thoughts and intentions. Local LDS churches are called Wards or Stake Centers and members meet for worship in what the LDS calls "meeting houses.”
One prophet leads the Mormon church. Beneath the prophet, in authority, is the Council of the Twelve Apostles. A third group of men is called the First and Second Councils of the Seventy. All of these men together are called the General Authorities.
Teachings of Mormonism
Mormonism also has many teachings regarding the personal lives of those who live by it.
•Family: Family is very important in Mormonism and members of the Mormon Church are encouraged to love their families and strengthen their relationships with them. Through temple work, Mormonism teaches that families and marriages can remain intact after death and throughout eternity.
•Physical and Mental Health: Mormonism has a health code, known as the Word of Wisdom. Mormonism teaches against smoking, drinking alcohol, tea, or coffee, and the use of harmful drugs. It also promotes eating healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and grains. Mormonism also stresses the importance of everyone receiving the best education they can.
•Missionary Work is a fundamental principle of the Mormon Church, and has become one of the most readily identifiable characteristics of Mormons. Members of the LDS church are easily recognized by the darks suits and white shirts of male missionaries, 19-24 years old, called Elders, biking or walking two by two on the streets of cities, both large and small, throughout the world. Female missionaries, typically 21 years old, who also go forth two by two, are called Sisters. All missionaries have been assigned by Church headquarters to their area of work, which can be in any part of the world where governments allow them to preach. They contribute to their own support for up to two years, frequently learning another language.
But missionaries could also be young, old, or married couples as well, depending on their type of “mission.”
As Elizabeth Smart turns 21, it’ll be interesting to see whether LDS leaders make her “exempt” from missionary work, based on her nine-month ordeal.
I know this...whatever the LDS leaders decide about Elizabeth, they should know that she already has been a faithful, loyal and true “ambassador” of their teachings and beliefs!
Namaste’,
Che’
NOTE: For more information on Mormonism, there is an active Mormon site with a blog: http://www.mormonstories.org. The official site on Mormonism: http://www.lds.org. Also see: http://blacklds.org.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Are you WILLING to Sacrifice your "only begotten Son"? Going the Spiritual Distance!
This is: "I'd rather be blogging Post!" ;-)
I get many e-mails during the course of the day. Before, I used to spend time carefully reading, sorting through, then deleting or forwarding them on to others. Now, I read them and smile. When they are funny, and would truly brighten someone else’s day with laughter, I forward those on to my e-mail buddies.
I mostly erase and not forward those that are “spiritual” now. I especially don’t forward those that state at the end how much one needs to prove their love for “God” or “Jesus” by forwarding! (I tend to still fall for those with great photography and graphics!)
So many, many, many people claim to love God and to love Jesus!
Yes, forwarding an e-mail to prove such love is a very, very easy thing to do! It costs nothing! The people to whom the e-mails are forwarded already subscribe to some spiritual or Christian beliefs. So, the forwarder loses no “face” with anyone in that circle.
Try forwarding it to a boss or colleagues. That’s when I’d say you’re going beyond the bounds of the ordinary!
When people claim to love God and love “Jesus,” I’m often so tempted to ask:”Would you give up your only begotten son, like the old Testament fable of Abraham’s willingness to give up his son, Isaac?"
Maybe...in another age and time, God did ask us to make human sacrifices. This...I do not know. Maybe...according to some religious beliefs...he still asks this of us today. I cannot speak to those types of sacrifices.
What I can speak to are the sacrifices I know God asks of us day by day, and we pretend we don’t hear, or we say, “he can’t be talking to me!”
Yes... God is talking to you!
He’s not asking you to prove anything! He simply is asking you to get “closer” to him!
Often, the “sacrifices” he seems to be asking of us today do seem to many to be their “only begotten son!”
Those are the sacrifices close to our hearts: like our comfort zone.
Our comfort zone is...in...
...the job that people may hate so much but stay in because of a "paycheck!”
...the relationship that only provides torture but where many stay because of the need for a man or woman in their lives!
...the $50 you hold on to as “security” for your future because of a belief in lack and “never having enough” to spare?
With people being so reluctant to give up these “small” sacrifices, then it becomes laughable...yes... indeed laughable...to believe God would ever ask anyone to give up their real, live “only begotten son!”
If a child is taken seemingly prematurely from a family, the entire world mourns! That’s when many people throw up their fists at God and turn their backs forever on any belief in religion or spirituality! Indeed, this is the time that people believe God is absent in their lives.
But I challenge you to believe that these are the times that God is very, very present in your life and is inviting you to move closer!
The “things” that God seemingly asks us to sacrifice for a closer walk with him are the very things that keep us, and will keep us, separated forever from a closer walk with him.
The spiritual walk is not for the faint hearted.
God indeed asks us to make sacrifices....those of the ego!
Through the creative spirit of God coursing through our veins, God does provide for our human needs and comforts, often exceeding our wildest expectations. Through grace, mercy and love, God does provide for those not able to provide for themselves at certain times, or for the disabled, throughout a lifetime. Those are God’s gifts of Spirit to us.
The walk with Spirit, however, has nothing to do with what the Tao te Ching calls the world of “10,000 things!”
The walk with Spirit involves a conscious effort day by day, even moment by moment, to get closer to God’s whispers in our lives.
The walk with Spirit involves a trust and a faith that goes beyond any human capacity to explain or to share, as it is unique to that individual and Spirit, only!
The walk with Spirit involves making sacrifices that defy logic... but doing so anyway.
The walk with Spirit leads us through deep valleys of the “shadow of death” and yes, some of the highest peaks... but generally not knowing what is coming next... but following anyway.
The walk with Spirit is a test of human will, against the guidance of Spirit.
The walk with Spirit is a willingness to forego EGO.
The walk with Spirit asks nothing more than a willingness to go the distance...in trust, in faith, in hope, in peace, in joy, in ...letting go...and yes, in having blind faith, and yes, in walking the way of uncertainty, and yes, loving God ...enough.
This July 4, I ask you to consider the ways you walk in the world...
...the ways in which you are fully conscious of making a full commitment to God.
Are you willing to sacrifice "your only begotten son"?
Are you willing to seek your "independence" from the ways of the world?
Namaste’,
Che'
I get many e-mails during the course of the day. Before, I used to spend time carefully reading, sorting through, then deleting or forwarding them on to others. Now, I read them and smile. When they are funny, and would truly brighten someone else’s day with laughter, I forward those on to my e-mail buddies.
I mostly erase and not forward those that are “spiritual” now. I especially don’t forward those that state at the end how much one needs to prove their love for “God” or “Jesus” by forwarding! (I tend to still fall for those with great photography and graphics!)
So many, many, many people claim to love God and to love Jesus!
Yes, forwarding an e-mail to prove such love is a very, very easy thing to do! It costs nothing! The people to whom the e-mails are forwarded already subscribe to some spiritual or Christian beliefs. So, the forwarder loses no “face” with anyone in that circle.
Try forwarding it to a boss or colleagues. That’s when I’d say you’re going beyond the bounds of the ordinary!
When people claim to love God and love “Jesus,” I’m often so tempted to ask:”Would you give up your only begotten son, like the old Testament fable of Abraham’s willingness to give up his son, Isaac?"
Maybe...in another age and time, God did ask us to make human sacrifices. This...I do not know. Maybe...according to some religious beliefs...he still asks this of us today. I cannot speak to those types of sacrifices.
What I can speak to are the sacrifices I know God asks of us day by day, and we pretend we don’t hear, or we say, “he can’t be talking to me!”
Yes... God is talking to you!
He’s not asking you to prove anything! He simply is asking you to get “closer” to him!
Often, the “sacrifices” he seems to be asking of us today do seem to many to be their “only begotten son!”
Those are the sacrifices close to our hearts: like our comfort zone.
Our comfort zone is...in...
...the job that people may hate so much but stay in because of a "paycheck!”
...the relationship that only provides torture but where many stay because of the need for a man or woman in their lives!
...the $50 you hold on to as “security” for your future because of a belief in lack and “never having enough” to spare?
With people being so reluctant to give up these “small” sacrifices, then it becomes laughable...yes... indeed laughable...to believe God would ever ask anyone to give up their real, live “only begotten son!”
If a child is taken seemingly prematurely from a family, the entire world mourns! That’s when many people throw up their fists at God and turn their backs forever on any belief in religion or spirituality! Indeed, this is the time that people believe God is absent in their lives.
But I challenge you to believe that these are the times that God is very, very present in your life and is inviting you to move closer!
The “things” that God seemingly asks us to sacrifice for a closer walk with him are the very things that keep us, and will keep us, separated forever from a closer walk with him.
The spiritual walk is not for the faint hearted.
God indeed asks us to make sacrifices....those of the ego!
Through the creative spirit of God coursing through our veins, God does provide for our human needs and comforts, often exceeding our wildest expectations. Through grace, mercy and love, God does provide for those not able to provide for themselves at certain times, or for the disabled, throughout a lifetime. Those are God’s gifts of Spirit to us.
The walk with Spirit, however, has nothing to do with what the Tao te Ching calls the world of “10,000 things!”
The walk with Spirit involves a conscious effort day by day, even moment by moment, to get closer to God’s whispers in our lives.
The walk with Spirit involves a trust and a faith that goes beyond any human capacity to explain or to share, as it is unique to that individual and Spirit, only!
The walk with Spirit involves making sacrifices that defy logic... but doing so anyway.
The walk with Spirit leads us through deep valleys of the “shadow of death” and yes, some of the highest peaks... but generally not knowing what is coming next... but following anyway.
The walk with Spirit is a test of human will, against the guidance of Spirit.
The walk with Spirit is a willingness to forego EGO.
The walk with Spirit asks nothing more than a willingness to go the distance...in trust, in faith, in hope, in peace, in joy, in ...letting go...and yes, in having blind faith, and yes, in walking the way of uncertainty, and yes, loving God ...enough.
This July 4, I ask you to consider the ways you walk in the world...
...the ways in which you are fully conscious of making a full commitment to God.
Are you willing to sacrifice "your only begotten son"?
Are you willing to seek your "independence" from the ways of the world?
Namaste’,
Che'
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Money, Beauty, Fame...Too Much...Too Soon?
***5OTH BLOG MILESTONE!!! THANK YOU!!!***
Responding to Today's Headlines!
Today, I read a headline piece that still has me shaking my head.
A 20-year-old model from the Republic of Kazakhstan* took a “dive” yesterday from her ninth-floor New York City apartment to her death below. The death has been ruled a suicide. We’ll see if any evidence surfaces to dispute the suicide ruling.
The model had risen to fame in a relatively short time, since being discovered in her homeland and being described as looking “like something out of a fairytale.” The model represented such top designers as DKNY, Marc Jacobs, Nina Ricci, and made the cover of Vogue in 2005, which hailed her as “the face to be excited about.”
The question is then: What did she want? What made her so lacking that she would choose such a sure death as “diving” from her high rise?
At 20 years old, this model seemed to have the world at her feet: money, beauty, fame...were those not enough? Or did they come too soon?
We can only speculate that perhaps she was suffering from some type of depression, or it could have been the simple issue of a breakup with a boyfriend or possibly feeling isolation and homesickness in Manhattan for her homeland.* Even with any of these scenarios, the choice of such a final end seems to be without logic.
Then again...
When life loses its meaning, when life seems to be without purpose, when life seems to offer little more than getting up and doing the same thing again and again tomorrow and then the next day...life would seem to be without purpose...and yes...without hope.
Think of this scenario:
We strive to arrive to a place of comfort in the world, only to find that the destination is a tired old store front, offering little shelter or security from the ways of the world. There seems to be no real purpose for us being here!
We feel desolate as we look around the station and see few people had arrived at that same station in life, yet we know that on the road on which we’d traveled, there are many still waiting to even be able to get on the train.
So, we stand at the station, suitcase in hand. We look down the road from that old store front and barrenness and wilderness are all we can see.
Do we keep walking? Or do we jump off?
Jumping off...
...is life without hope.
...is life without being able to see beyond our immediate vision and view.
...is a life lived without believing in a purpose for our “being.”
At age 20 to have achieved a certain pinnacle of success without wisdom of the journey, yes, life would seem to offer little.
Often, we hear wise people tell us, “Life is a journey!”
Truly life is a journey of the soul.
Along that long road to getting where we think we want to get, we sometimes make U-turns, have to jump over roadblocks, put up barriers to keep the rain from seeping into our “shelter,” leave a few comforts behind. But we keep moving in the direction that we believe our life should travel and ultimately towards a meaningful goal.
Some other wise souls may tell us: “Don’t hurry too much. Take your time. Smell the flowers.”
Those wise people know that it is in the stops and starts along the road that we build strength, courage, wisdom and true knowledge of the stuff of which we’re made.
We discover that along the stops and starts in life...along the road that seems to offer more pain than gain...that we are building a life...a life that is about our “being.”
So, we stop. We smell the flowers. We hear some music. We play some music. We dance to some music. We share laughter with friends. We share laughter with strangers. We grow. We stretch. We move. We journey.
Finally, we get on the train.
We are on the home stretch to our destination.
We get there.
We arrive and look around.
We take a deep breath.
We give a sigh of deep contentment.
We are at peace.
We are home.
We have arrived.
Don’t hurry along the journey of life.
Stop. Stretch. Grow!
When you get to the final destination, you’ll be so happy you took the time.
You’ll be so happy that you can look back and see the long road you’ve traveled.
You’ll be so happy that you built spiritual muscle.
You’ll be so happy that you know the truth about YOU and your “beingness!"
Namaste’,
Che’
Facts about Kazakhstan: It lies in the north of the central Asian republics and is bounded by Russia in the north, China in the east, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in the south, and the Caspian Sea and part of Turkmenistan in the west. It has almost 1,177 mi (1,894 km) of coastline on the Caspian Sea. Kazakhstan is about four times the size of Texas. The territory is mostly steppe land with hilly plains and plateaus.
Responding to Today's Headlines!
Today, I read a headline piece that still has me shaking my head.
A 20-year-old model from the Republic of Kazakhstan* took a “dive” yesterday from her ninth-floor New York City apartment to her death below. The death has been ruled a suicide. We’ll see if any evidence surfaces to dispute the suicide ruling.
The model had risen to fame in a relatively short time, since being discovered in her homeland and being described as looking “like something out of a fairytale.” The model represented such top designers as DKNY, Marc Jacobs, Nina Ricci, and made the cover of Vogue in 2005, which hailed her as “the face to be excited about.”
The question is then: What did she want? What made her so lacking that she would choose such a sure death as “diving” from her high rise?
At 20 years old, this model seemed to have the world at her feet: money, beauty, fame...were those not enough? Or did they come too soon?
We can only speculate that perhaps she was suffering from some type of depression, or it could have been the simple issue of a breakup with a boyfriend or possibly feeling isolation and homesickness in Manhattan for her homeland.* Even with any of these scenarios, the choice of such a final end seems to be without logic.
Then again...
When life loses its meaning, when life seems to be without purpose, when life seems to offer little more than getting up and doing the same thing again and again tomorrow and then the next day...life would seem to be without purpose...and yes...without hope.
Think of this scenario:
We strive to arrive to a place of comfort in the world, only to find that the destination is a tired old store front, offering little shelter or security from the ways of the world. There seems to be no real purpose for us being here!
We feel desolate as we look around the station and see few people had arrived at that same station in life, yet we know that on the road on which we’d traveled, there are many still waiting to even be able to get on the train.
So, we stand at the station, suitcase in hand. We look down the road from that old store front and barrenness and wilderness are all we can see.
Do we keep walking? Or do we jump off?
Jumping off...
...is life without hope.
...is life without being able to see beyond our immediate vision and view.
...is a life lived without believing in a purpose for our “being.”
At age 20 to have achieved a certain pinnacle of success without wisdom of the journey, yes, life would seem to offer little.
Often, we hear wise people tell us, “Life is a journey!”
Truly life is a journey of the soul.
Along that long road to getting where we think we want to get, we sometimes make U-turns, have to jump over roadblocks, put up barriers to keep the rain from seeping into our “shelter,” leave a few comforts behind. But we keep moving in the direction that we believe our life should travel and ultimately towards a meaningful goal.
Some other wise souls may tell us: “Don’t hurry too much. Take your time. Smell the flowers.”
Those wise people know that it is in the stops and starts along the road that we build strength, courage, wisdom and true knowledge of the stuff of which we’re made.
We discover that along the stops and starts in life...along the road that seems to offer more pain than gain...that we are building a life...a life that is about our “being.”
So, we stop. We smell the flowers. We hear some music. We play some music. We dance to some music. We share laughter with friends. We share laughter with strangers. We grow. We stretch. We move. We journey.
Finally, we get on the train.
We are on the home stretch to our destination.
We get there.
We arrive and look around.
We take a deep breath.
We give a sigh of deep contentment.
We are at peace.
We are home.
We have arrived.
Don’t hurry along the journey of life.
Stop. Stretch. Grow!
When you get to the final destination, you’ll be so happy you took the time.
You’ll be so happy that you can look back and see the long road you’ve traveled.
You’ll be so happy that you built spiritual muscle.
You’ll be so happy that you know the truth about YOU and your “beingness!"
Namaste’,
Che’
Facts about Kazakhstan: It lies in the north of the central Asian republics and is bounded by Russia in the north, China in the east, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in the south, and the Caspian Sea and part of Turkmenistan in the west. It has almost 1,177 mi (1,894 km) of coastline on the Caspian Sea. Kazakhstan is about four times the size of Texas. The territory is mostly steppe land with hilly plains and plateaus.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Finding God Without Religion!
I got in touch recently with two women who were dear to my heart when I was a young professional woman, living in Illinois. We worked in Corporate Communications for the same insurance and financial company, and Cindy and I were roommates, sharing a beautiful cottage in Barrington for more than a year before I moved away to live and work in Connecticut. Carol, our friend, was always just that: our friend.
I was glad to have made contact with Cindy and Carol. As we caught up on the happenings in our lives in the last one to two decades, it was good to know that despite our disparate walks in life, we were all moving on the same path...seeking Spirit within.
I was not surprised that both my friends had found their own spiritual oasis: Carol leads week-long and 10-day hikes to various beautiful and scenic venues across the country, and Cindy finds spirituality and tranquility walking around the 100 acres of nature in her Ohio backyard.
When I look back, Carol was always the ”spiritual” one among us. Even as a young woman, she examined her every step for its rightness or wrongness. And both Cindy and I recently realized that she’d found a reason to gift each of us, at different times, with her then favorite book: “Gifts of the Sea” by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. It then is no surprise to know that Carol is now an active member in the Lutheran church in her local community.
As I reflect on the many other individuals I’ve met along the way, this, I know is true: some of the nicest people I’ve known went to church often. Then again, as I look back, some of the nicest and best people I’ve known never went to any church or subscribed to any religious beliefs. They are people, like my ex-roommate Cindy, who breathe and live spirituality each and every day in every way!
Yet, we all can point to individuals who claim to be “religious” but in their behavior pose the most challenge for all the people around them.
This should tell us this: sitting in a church pew has little to do with whether someone connects or not to the Spirit within them. A more reliable indicator is the quality of interactions people have day by day.
People with big hearts don’t need religion and church to guide them. They simply follow the spirit within, often not recognizing the source for their compulsion to do right and to do good.
In a recent interview with Unity Magazine, Susan L. Taylor, the former editorial director at Essence Magazine, said this about her husband: “Spiritually, Khephra is light years ahead of me. He doesn’t seem to have the neurotic and existential conflicts most of us are working to resolve. He doesn’t yearn for material things, has his ego in check, and hardly ever complains....
“Khephra lives love. But don’t look for him in church or in any organized religious setting.”
Religion and churches do not have exclusive rights to God and God consciousness. Those are the inalienable rights given to each individual at the time of birth! To make claim to that relationship, though, we must diligently seek to connect through our own actions and efforts to stay “plugged in.”
The question then becomes: Does going to church help us stay plugged in?
Of course it does!
But before making an arbitrary decision to go to church, the more important questions we should ask ourselves are these: How is my heart towards other people? Do I feel connected to the Spirit within me? Do I really know who I am? Do I know my purpose for being here?
I believe that religion serves a very strong and good purpose in our lives. It helps us to uncover the ways to walk in the world in the tradition of the great spiritual people who have walked before us. There are examples of these great people to point to in every religion.
Going to church also serves the purpose of lifting people’s “spirit” and once that gets lifted, then connection to God and God Consciousness becomes easier. Prayer, too, lifts the spirit, raising people to a higher level of consciousness, where many solutions lie.
Religion also plays an important role when people are going through the dark night experiences. That’s when hearing about Jesus, the Buddha, Mohammad, Saint Francis, and other spiritual leaders and their trials can provide some comfort.
Choosing to attend church or going the journey alone is an individual choice. Many who are consciously aware of God as their moment-by-moment partner may never feel a need to attend church services, and then if they do, it may simply be to celebrate Spirit with others.
Those who are not aware of God, the consciousness and movement of God, in their lives probably may never feel the need to attend church. Their lives are fine, and will be fine, anyway. Then there are those who are unaware of God, but who begin to be disturbed by the stirring of their souls. That’s when they may choose to begin a search...in a church...or within their own souls.
I try to go to church, Christian services, as often as I feel called to do so, then mostly to celebrate with like-minded individuals. But whether I’m in a Buddhist or Hindu Temple, a Jewish synagogue or a Muslim mosque, I’d like to think that I’d feel God’s presence just the same: I’d be home with Spirit!
Like the wonderful Gifts of Spirit my friends Cindy and Carol shared so freely with me so many years ago, Spirit is eternal, everlasting and...oh...ever so present!
Namaste’,
Che’
I was glad to have made contact with Cindy and Carol. As we caught up on the happenings in our lives in the last one to two decades, it was good to know that despite our disparate walks in life, we were all moving on the same path...seeking Spirit within.
I was not surprised that both my friends had found their own spiritual oasis: Carol leads week-long and 10-day hikes to various beautiful and scenic venues across the country, and Cindy finds spirituality and tranquility walking around the 100 acres of nature in her Ohio backyard.
When I look back, Carol was always the ”spiritual” one among us. Even as a young woman, she examined her every step for its rightness or wrongness. And both Cindy and I recently realized that she’d found a reason to gift each of us, at different times, with her then favorite book: “Gifts of the Sea” by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. It then is no surprise to know that Carol is now an active member in the Lutheran church in her local community.
As I reflect on the many other individuals I’ve met along the way, this, I know is true: some of the nicest people I’ve known went to church often. Then again, as I look back, some of the nicest and best people I’ve known never went to any church or subscribed to any religious beliefs. They are people, like my ex-roommate Cindy, who breathe and live spirituality each and every day in every way!
Yet, we all can point to individuals who claim to be “religious” but in their behavior pose the most challenge for all the people around them.
This should tell us this: sitting in a church pew has little to do with whether someone connects or not to the Spirit within them. A more reliable indicator is the quality of interactions people have day by day.
People with big hearts don’t need religion and church to guide them. They simply follow the spirit within, often not recognizing the source for their compulsion to do right and to do good.
In a recent interview with Unity Magazine, Susan L. Taylor, the former editorial director at Essence Magazine, said this about her husband: “Spiritually, Khephra is light years ahead of me. He doesn’t seem to have the neurotic and existential conflicts most of us are working to resolve. He doesn’t yearn for material things, has his ego in check, and hardly ever complains....
“Khephra lives love. But don’t look for him in church or in any organized religious setting.”
Religion and churches do not have exclusive rights to God and God consciousness. Those are the inalienable rights given to each individual at the time of birth! To make claim to that relationship, though, we must diligently seek to connect through our own actions and efforts to stay “plugged in.”
The question then becomes: Does going to church help us stay plugged in?
Of course it does!
But before making an arbitrary decision to go to church, the more important questions we should ask ourselves are these: How is my heart towards other people? Do I feel connected to the Spirit within me? Do I really know who I am? Do I know my purpose for being here?
I believe that religion serves a very strong and good purpose in our lives. It helps us to uncover the ways to walk in the world in the tradition of the great spiritual people who have walked before us. There are examples of these great people to point to in every religion.
Going to church also serves the purpose of lifting people’s “spirit” and once that gets lifted, then connection to God and God Consciousness becomes easier. Prayer, too, lifts the spirit, raising people to a higher level of consciousness, where many solutions lie.
Religion also plays an important role when people are going through the dark night experiences. That’s when hearing about Jesus, the Buddha, Mohammad, Saint Francis, and other spiritual leaders and their trials can provide some comfort.
Choosing to attend church or going the journey alone is an individual choice. Many who are consciously aware of God as their moment-by-moment partner may never feel a need to attend church services, and then if they do, it may simply be to celebrate Spirit with others.
Those who are not aware of God, the consciousness and movement of God, in their lives probably may never feel the need to attend church. Their lives are fine, and will be fine, anyway. Then there are those who are unaware of God, but who begin to be disturbed by the stirring of their souls. That’s when they may choose to begin a search...in a church...or within their own souls.
I try to go to church, Christian services, as often as I feel called to do so, then mostly to celebrate with like-minded individuals. But whether I’m in a Buddhist or Hindu Temple, a Jewish synagogue or a Muslim mosque, I’d like to think that I’d feel God’s presence just the same: I’d be home with Spirit!
Like the wonderful Gifts of Spirit my friends Cindy and Carol shared so freely with me so many years ago, Spirit is eternal, everlasting and...oh...ever so present!
Namaste’,
Che’
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Book Review: "The Third Jesus" by Deepak Chopra, M.D.
Without any doubt, this is an important read for anyone on the spiritual path---beginner to more seasoned seeker! It also is a must read for those on the path looking for answers about the “ways” of the path, as circuitously as it unfolds in our lives.
I don’t know why it took me so long to get around to reading Chopra’s Third Jesus. Let’s just say that I thought it would be just another “book” that Chopra wrote to keep him busy in his spare time. Far from it! And... I should have known better!
After reading the Third Jesus, I am now convinced beyond doubt about the true integrity of people like Chopra and Wayne Dyer. Not that I ever doubted them, but come on, how many “books” do you have in you!? Chopra has written 50, and Dyer has 30 books.
Now that I’m finished “Third Jesus,” but still using it as a “companion” on most days and am also making my way slowly, day by day, through Dyer’s “Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao,” I easily can say that Chopra and Dyer have many more books left in them. I’m glad! Chopra’s “Third Jesus” is a gift!
Chopra undertakes a very careful study of Jesus’ words and actions and translates them for us in the Third Jesus. What I especially like about this book is that Chopra does not assume all his readers are at the same level of spiritual development. More importantly, he does acknowledge a path or spiritual “unfolding” process, and that some uncover more about their essence before others. As a matter of fact, Chopra takes pains in continuously stating, “depending on your spiritual awareness or where you are on the spiritual path!”
God Consciousness, Chopra knows, is not something people come to easily. Throughout this book, he takes a very compassionate approach to those who are not even aware of God “consciousness,” yet he appeals to those who are seasoned on their journey.
The last chapter of Third Jesus, “Where the Soul Never Dies,” will be especially appealing to the more seasoned seekers and those who have awakened to more and more of their divine essence. In this chapter Chopra talks about how movement and God Consciousness can be measured. This is a huge offering!
Acknowledging that God Consciousness is next to impossible to quantify, Chopra tries to slay this dragon by offering a simulated situation where people would push a red button to indicate when they were in God Consciousness awareness: those having little or no awareness would have little contact with the red button; those who have a deeper awareness and know when they are in the Presence would have more frequent connections...until those who are in “Total Presence Consciousness” would keep their hands continuously on the red button.
“At a certain point, wholeness prevails. There is no more going in and out of God, coming to God and moving away. The experience of God turns into a constant for one reason alone: “I” and “God” become one and the same.”
But let’s step back to the beginning of the book.
Here, Chopra explains that there are three concepts of Jesus: the historical Jesus, who is the rabbi; the second Jesus, who was built up by the theologians and who shifts “with the tide of human affairs,” and the third Jesus: the one who taught his followers how to “reach God-consciousness.”
This Third Jesus is the one Chopra likes most, and with this third persona, he believes that Jesus was truly, “as he proclaimed, a savior. Not the savior, not the one and only Son of God. Rather, Jesus embodied the highest form of enlightenment.”
Chopra proclaims about this Third Jesus, “Jesus intended to save the world by showing others the path to God consciousness!”
He evens states that the New Testament interpretation of Jesus by orthodox Christianity is a misinterpretation of Jesus by followers who wrote this section decades after he walked the earth. The idea of the “Second Coming,” he states, “has been especially destructive to Jesus’ intentions, because it postpones what needs to happen now. The Third Coming---finding God consciousness through your own efforts---happens in the present.”
And he sets out to demonstrate it.
In the first section, Chopra lays out Jesus, the rabbi, pointing out early on that “God-consciousness” does not solely belong to Christians through Jesus’ message. “Consciousness is universal, and if there is such a thing as God consciousness, no one can be excluded from it.”
Stating that Jesus said, “You are the light of the world," Chopra then lays out the teachings of Jesus in nine areas:meditation, contemplation, revelation, prayer, grace, love, faith, salvation, and unity.
In meditation, Chopra explains that Jesus’ constant reference to the light meant that “light exists inside everyone. When we go inside to find out who we are, we encounter the light and God at the same time.” For each section, Chopra continues to explain how the “light” that you are connects to God and all living creatures.
He continues to explain each, even as he offers ways in which we can enhance each of the nine areas in our own lives, explaining it from what he saw as Jesus’ perspective.
As the rabbi, Jesus’ intention was to lead everyone to their own “heaven.” Chopra delineates three ways: the path of devotion, based on prayer, constant worship and love of Christ; the path of service, based on charity, altruism and humility; and the path of contemplation, the way of the monastic, reclusive and impoverished.
In Part Two, The Gospel of Enlightenment, Chopra, who as a youngster in India, attended Catholic school, shows his absorption of the Scriptures. Under 10 subject headings, Chopra literally takes many well-known pieces of scripture under the microscope.
But before beginning the examinations, Chopra explained that “Jesus’ vision was so breathtaking that it inspired new religion, but without the lens of higher consciousness, these teachings seem to be mere fantasy, a distant hope that will be fulfilled, if ever, only in heaven.
“Christians want to feel that their religion is unique, which is certainly achieved by claiming the one and only son of God. But by the same token, they risk being left out of the great human project, which began centuries before Christ and continues to this day. This is the project of transcending the physical world to reach the realm of the soul.”
He then launched into the 10 sections:Love and Grace, Faith, Revelation and Redemption, Jesus and the Self, Meditation, Contemplation, Prayer, Karma---reaping and sowing, The World as Illusion and Unity.
Each section has extensive biblical references and their interpretations, based on Chopra’s view of this second Jesus...but through “spiritual and universal eyes,” not merely through the eyes of Theology. Being ever respectful to the three Jesus paths, Chopra also in this section, offers readers a way to utilize each of the nine ways, outlined in Section One, they can uncover Jesus’ lessons for themselves. Once you get past this section, you’ll have a full and thorough understanding of many key biblical passages and Jesus’ intended message.
Part Three, Taking Jesus as Your Teacher, is the place for serious seekers on the path and the one you’ll want to use as a DAILY companion on your journey. Here, Chopra offers 15 steps to God Consciousness with Lessons and Exercises, using Jesus’ teachings: 1.The kingdom of heaven is within you. 2. Be in the world but not of it. 3. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 4. Ask and you will receive 5. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. 6. Be still and know that I am God. 7. As you sow, so shall you reap. 8. Resist not evil. 9. In my father’s house are many mansions. 10. You must be born from above. 11. You are the light of the world. 12. So do not worry about tomorrow. 13. Abide in me, as I abide in you.14. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am among them. 15. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul.
The last two chapters are pure rewards for the spiritual seeker, as here Chopra validates your process in “How The Path Opens,” enabling you to know with confidence that you have not been hallucinating about any of your internal experiences or the guidance you’ve received.
“Where the Soul Never Dies” helps seekers fully understand Jesus’ message of Unity (impersonal, powerful, deathless, all knowing, creative and loving) and how "the Father and I are One" manifests in our lives.
At the end of Third Jesus, you want to find Chopra and give him a huge HUG! You want to say, “thank you so much for clarifying every step. Thank you for finally sharing the truth with us about Jesus, his messages, his intentions and love for us.”
Thank you, Deepak Chopra!
Namaste’,
Che’
NOTE: In July, we’ll share Dr. Wayne Dyer’s “Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.” This book is intended as a daily companion guide and one whose messages you’ll carry with you each moment of each day.
I don’t know why it took me so long to get around to reading Chopra’s Third Jesus. Let’s just say that I thought it would be just another “book” that Chopra wrote to keep him busy in his spare time. Far from it! And... I should have known better!
After reading the Third Jesus, I am now convinced beyond doubt about the true integrity of people like Chopra and Wayne Dyer. Not that I ever doubted them, but come on, how many “books” do you have in you!? Chopra has written 50, and Dyer has 30 books.
Now that I’m finished “Third Jesus,” but still using it as a “companion” on most days and am also making my way slowly, day by day, through Dyer’s “Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao,” I easily can say that Chopra and Dyer have many more books left in them. I’m glad! Chopra’s “Third Jesus” is a gift!
Chopra undertakes a very careful study of Jesus’ words and actions and translates them for us in the Third Jesus. What I especially like about this book is that Chopra does not assume all his readers are at the same level of spiritual development. More importantly, he does acknowledge a path or spiritual “unfolding” process, and that some uncover more about their essence before others. As a matter of fact, Chopra takes pains in continuously stating, “depending on your spiritual awareness or where you are on the spiritual path!”
God Consciousness, Chopra knows, is not something people come to easily. Throughout this book, he takes a very compassionate approach to those who are not even aware of God “consciousness,” yet he appeals to those who are seasoned on their journey.
The last chapter of Third Jesus, “Where the Soul Never Dies,” will be especially appealing to the more seasoned seekers and those who have awakened to more and more of their divine essence. In this chapter Chopra talks about how movement and God Consciousness can be measured. This is a huge offering!
Acknowledging that God Consciousness is next to impossible to quantify, Chopra tries to slay this dragon by offering a simulated situation where people would push a red button to indicate when they were in God Consciousness awareness: those having little or no awareness would have little contact with the red button; those who have a deeper awareness and know when they are in the Presence would have more frequent connections...until those who are in “Total Presence Consciousness” would keep their hands continuously on the red button.
“At a certain point, wholeness prevails. There is no more going in and out of God, coming to God and moving away. The experience of God turns into a constant for one reason alone: “I” and “God” become one and the same.”
But let’s step back to the beginning of the book.
Here, Chopra explains that there are three concepts of Jesus: the historical Jesus, who is the rabbi; the second Jesus, who was built up by the theologians and who shifts “with the tide of human affairs,” and the third Jesus: the one who taught his followers how to “reach God-consciousness.”
This Third Jesus is the one Chopra likes most, and with this third persona, he believes that Jesus was truly, “as he proclaimed, a savior. Not the savior, not the one and only Son of God. Rather, Jesus embodied the highest form of enlightenment.”
Chopra proclaims about this Third Jesus, “Jesus intended to save the world by showing others the path to God consciousness!”
He evens states that the New Testament interpretation of Jesus by orthodox Christianity is a misinterpretation of Jesus by followers who wrote this section decades after he walked the earth. The idea of the “Second Coming,” he states, “has been especially destructive to Jesus’ intentions, because it postpones what needs to happen now. The Third Coming---finding God consciousness through your own efforts---happens in the present.”
And he sets out to demonstrate it.
In the first section, Chopra lays out Jesus, the rabbi, pointing out early on that “God-consciousness” does not solely belong to Christians through Jesus’ message. “Consciousness is universal, and if there is such a thing as God consciousness, no one can be excluded from it.”
Stating that Jesus said, “You are the light of the world," Chopra then lays out the teachings of Jesus in nine areas:meditation, contemplation, revelation, prayer, grace, love, faith, salvation, and unity.
In meditation, Chopra explains that Jesus’ constant reference to the light meant that “light exists inside everyone. When we go inside to find out who we are, we encounter the light and God at the same time.” For each section, Chopra continues to explain how the “light” that you are connects to God and all living creatures.
He continues to explain each, even as he offers ways in which we can enhance each of the nine areas in our own lives, explaining it from what he saw as Jesus’ perspective.
As the rabbi, Jesus’ intention was to lead everyone to their own “heaven.” Chopra delineates three ways: the path of devotion, based on prayer, constant worship and love of Christ; the path of service, based on charity, altruism and humility; and the path of contemplation, the way of the monastic, reclusive and impoverished.
In Part Two, The Gospel of Enlightenment, Chopra, who as a youngster in India, attended Catholic school, shows his absorption of the Scriptures. Under 10 subject headings, Chopra literally takes many well-known pieces of scripture under the microscope.
But before beginning the examinations, Chopra explained that “Jesus’ vision was so breathtaking that it inspired new religion, but without the lens of higher consciousness, these teachings seem to be mere fantasy, a distant hope that will be fulfilled, if ever, only in heaven.
“Christians want to feel that their religion is unique, which is certainly achieved by claiming the one and only son of God. But by the same token, they risk being left out of the great human project, which began centuries before Christ and continues to this day. This is the project of transcending the physical world to reach the realm of the soul.”
He then launched into the 10 sections:Love and Grace, Faith, Revelation and Redemption, Jesus and the Self, Meditation, Contemplation, Prayer, Karma---reaping and sowing, The World as Illusion and Unity.
Each section has extensive biblical references and their interpretations, based on Chopra’s view of this second Jesus...but through “spiritual and universal eyes,” not merely through the eyes of Theology. Being ever respectful to the three Jesus paths, Chopra also in this section, offers readers a way to utilize each of the nine ways, outlined in Section One, they can uncover Jesus’ lessons for themselves. Once you get past this section, you’ll have a full and thorough understanding of many key biblical passages and Jesus’ intended message.
Part Three, Taking Jesus as Your Teacher, is the place for serious seekers on the path and the one you’ll want to use as a DAILY companion on your journey. Here, Chopra offers 15 steps to God Consciousness with Lessons and Exercises, using Jesus’ teachings: 1.The kingdom of heaven is within you. 2. Be in the world but not of it. 3. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 4. Ask and you will receive 5. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. 6. Be still and know that I am God. 7. As you sow, so shall you reap. 8. Resist not evil. 9. In my father’s house are many mansions. 10. You must be born from above. 11. You are the light of the world. 12. So do not worry about tomorrow. 13. Abide in me, as I abide in you.14. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am among them. 15. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul.
The last two chapters are pure rewards for the spiritual seeker, as here Chopra validates your process in “How The Path Opens,” enabling you to know with confidence that you have not been hallucinating about any of your internal experiences or the guidance you’ve received.
“Where the Soul Never Dies” helps seekers fully understand Jesus’ message of Unity (impersonal, powerful, deathless, all knowing, creative and loving) and how "the Father and I are One" manifests in our lives.
At the end of Third Jesus, you want to find Chopra and give him a huge HUG! You want to say, “thank you so much for clarifying every step. Thank you for finally sharing the truth with us about Jesus, his messages, his intentions and love for us.”
Thank you, Deepak Chopra!
Namaste’,
Che’
NOTE: In July, we’ll share Dr. Wayne Dyer’s “Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao.” This book is intended as a daily companion guide and one whose messages you’ll carry with you each moment of each day.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
The Power of Intention: Don't Even Swat the Fly!
“Consciousness in the Everyday” Series
The lesson I was attempting to implement was the power of setting my intention, then just letting go and just “BE.”By happenstance, the fly entered the picture, reinforcing my lesson in a more powerful way.
Let me share with you the story of the fly.
He came through the sliding door to my backyard. Although it was only ajar for a few minutes, this huge fly had managed to slip through the screen door and into the kitchen/dining area of my home.
I thought of how I’d get the fly back into the yard. I knew it would be a huge job, and I pictured myself running all over the place, probably breaking things, as I tried to swat him.
I was in a peaceful frame of mind that late afternoon, so I decided that the matter of the fly had to be dealt with later.
I climbed upstairs and left the fly to his own “being-ness,” forgetting all about him.
Later that night, I went into the bathroom, upstairs, and noticed the fly had managed to work his way in there.
NOW...what do I do?
Again, I did not relish getting all worked up and doing gymnastics all over the bathroom, trying to “get” the fly. Fortunately, I noticed he’d settled on the screen door. So, all I had to do, then, was to close the half-open window and stop him from getting air.
Ah! I’d found a solution.
I quickly slammed the window close, letting the fly just “be.”
I forgot all about him until several hours later when I went back into the bathroom. I could still see his outline in the window. He was still moving around, probably alive from the little air that was seeping through.
Oh...well.
I went to bed.
Early the next morning, thoughts about the “fly in the window” flooded my memory, as I got ready to shower. There he was....still resting on the screen, not moving, but...still alive.
I needed to open the window, not to fog the bathroom, as I showered. What do I do about the fly?
I opened the window...swatted him without much force...took a paper towel to capture his remains and...flushed him down the toilet! That’s all I did.
The “pest” was gone. No jumping around...no breaking things...no disturbing my peace.
I’d done nothing but set my intention to remain “peaceful,” “let go” and just “be.”
How often do we do this in our lives?
Do we simply set our intention on a matter, do what we need to do to set things in place, then just “be,” letting things unfold in a natural, non-resistant way? Or do we often get anxious and start “stirring” things up?
How often do we NOT get involved to “swat” the situation?
In Hamlet, William Shakespeare said it in another context, but it still is relevant here: “To Be or Not To Be, That is the question.”
In life when we have a goal, we often cannot “be” still. We have to take action.
I think to times when I said I wanted to just “be,” not do anything and not go anywhere. Then, I set about reading a book, talking on the phone, writing, thinking...yes...thinking...yes...thinking...sometimes meditating.
To “Be,”or Not to “Be."
“Be” Still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46: 10).
No actions. No thoughts. No visualizing while meditating...just observing your breathing...in...and... out.
When you set your intentions on a matter, learn to then let go and just...
Be!*
Namaste’,
Che’
*Woman with Flower
by Naomi Long Madgett
I wouldn’t coax the plant if I were you.
Such watchful nurturing may do it harm.
Let the soil rest from so much digging
And wait until it’s dry before you water it.
The leaf’s inclined to find its own direction;
Give it a chance to seek the sunlight for itself.
Much growth is stunted by too much prodding.
Too eager tenderness.
The things we love we have to learn to leave alone.
The lesson I was attempting to implement was the power of setting my intention, then just letting go and just “BE.”By happenstance, the fly entered the picture, reinforcing my lesson in a more powerful way.
Let me share with you the story of the fly.
He came through the sliding door to my backyard. Although it was only ajar for a few minutes, this huge fly had managed to slip through the screen door and into the kitchen/dining area of my home.
I thought of how I’d get the fly back into the yard. I knew it would be a huge job, and I pictured myself running all over the place, probably breaking things, as I tried to swat him.
I was in a peaceful frame of mind that late afternoon, so I decided that the matter of the fly had to be dealt with later.
I climbed upstairs and left the fly to his own “being-ness,” forgetting all about him.
Later that night, I went into the bathroom, upstairs, and noticed the fly had managed to work his way in there.
NOW...what do I do?
Again, I did not relish getting all worked up and doing gymnastics all over the bathroom, trying to “get” the fly. Fortunately, I noticed he’d settled on the screen door. So, all I had to do, then, was to close the half-open window and stop him from getting air.
Ah! I’d found a solution.
I quickly slammed the window close, letting the fly just “be.”
I forgot all about him until several hours later when I went back into the bathroom. I could still see his outline in the window. He was still moving around, probably alive from the little air that was seeping through.
Oh...well.
I went to bed.
Early the next morning, thoughts about the “fly in the window” flooded my memory, as I got ready to shower. There he was....still resting on the screen, not moving, but...still alive.
I needed to open the window, not to fog the bathroom, as I showered. What do I do about the fly?
I opened the window...swatted him without much force...took a paper towel to capture his remains and...flushed him down the toilet! That’s all I did.
The “pest” was gone. No jumping around...no breaking things...no disturbing my peace.
I’d done nothing but set my intention to remain “peaceful,” “let go” and just “be.”
How often do we do this in our lives?
Do we simply set our intention on a matter, do what we need to do to set things in place, then just “be,” letting things unfold in a natural, non-resistant way? Or do we often get anxious and start “stirring” things up?
How often do we NOT get involved to “swat” the situation?
In Hamlet, William Shakespeare said it in another context, but it still is relevant here: “To Be or Not To Be, That is the question.”
In life when we have a goal, we often cannot “be” still. We have to take action.
I think to times when I said I wanted to just “be,” not do anything and not go anywhere. Then, I set about reading a book, talking on the phone, writing, thinking...yes...thinking...yes...thinking...sometimes meditating.
To “Be,”or Not to “Be."
“Be” Still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46: 10).
No actions. No thoughts. No visualizing while meditating...just observing your breathing...in...and... out.
When you set your intentions on a matter, learn to then let go and just...
Be!*
Namaste’,
Che’
*Woman with Flower
by Naomi Long Madgett
I wouldn’t coax the plant if I were you.
Such watchful nurturing may do it harm.
Let the soil rest from so much digging
And wait until it’s dry before you water it.
The leaf’s inclined to find its own direction;
Give it a chance to seek the sunlight for itself.
Much growth is stunted by too much prodding.
Too eager tenderness.
The things we love we have to learn to leave alone.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Why The Land of Israel Is So Important to Jewish People!
A Spiritual Perspective: “Seeking Common Ground”series!
I certainly understand why one of Senator Barack Obama’s first moves upon capturing the Democratic nomination for President of the United States was to make conciliatory moves towards Israeli leaders. Settling the issue about the “land” of Israel is critical to Jewish people here in the United States, abroad, and certainly those living in Israel itself. Obama’s ability to secure the support of Jewish voters in November will depend on their confidence in his position on Israel.
I learned the importance of the “land” of Israel one July afternoon in 2006 in Scottsdale, Arizona. I sat through a five-hour seminar, “Basic Understanding of Judaism for Christians,” led by a Jewish rabbi in a non-air conditioned classroom at a monastery. If you’ve spent any time in Arizona, especially in the summer time, you’d know that sitting in a room with no air-conditioning in the middle of July, was no easy feat! But at the end of the day, all 60 of us Christians left with a much greater understanding of Judaism and an appreciation for the ongoing struggle the Israelis have with the Palestinians.
From the Jewish perspective, the struggle cannot be seen as a matter of mere land ownership. It is a strong belief that the land of Israel rightfully belongs to the Jewish people, because of God’s promises made to Abraham. (Genesis 12: 1-7). In addition, Jewish people believe that to be in 'right relationship' with God, they must follow his commandments, and one of God’s commandments to Jews was that they occupy the land, promised to Abraham (Genesis 12: 7).
Historically from the time of Abraham, Jewish people were not obedient to the covenant made with God about occuping the "land" of Israel, so many scattered to places outside Israel. But in the late 19th century, Austro-Hungarian Theodor Herzi introduced Zionism, an international political movement that originally supported the re-establishment of a homeland for the Jewish People in Palestine (Hebrew: Eretz Yisra'el, “the Land of Israel”), and continues today primarily as support for the modern state of Israel.
Described as a "diaspora nationalism," proponents of Zionism regard it as a national liberation movement whose aim is the self-determination of the Jewish people.
While Zionism is based in part upon religious tradition linking the Jewish people to the land of Israel, where the concept of Jewish nationhood is thought to have first evolved somewhere between 1200 BCE and the late Second Temple era (i.e. up to 70 CE), the modern movement was mainly secular, beginning largely as a response by European Jewry to antisemitism across Europe. It constituted a branch of the broader phenomenon of modern nationalism.
As the first of several Jewish political movements offering alternative responses to the position of Jews in Europe, Zionism gradually gained more support, and after the Holocaust became the dominant Jewish political movement.
Here are two opposing positions on the disposition of the "land" of Israel:
Israeli position on Jerusalem:
"The Israeli position [on Jerusalem] is based on its religious, historical and political claims to the holy city. Since King David established the city as the capital of the Jewish state circa 1000 BCE, it has served as the symbol and most profound expression of the Jewish people's identity as a nation."
-- Anti-Defamation League, "Jerusalem, the Israeli Position," 1997
Palestinian position on Jerusalem:
"For centuries, Jerusalem has been the geographical, political, administrative and spiritual center of Palestine. It is, in all regards, the symbol of Palestinian nationality and identity."
-- Palestine Ministry of Information,"The Palestinian Official Position," 2005
Beyond the issue of land, we all are aware of another huge religious contention many Christians and others have with the Jews: their position on Jesus, the Christ.
For Orthodox Jews, it is a simple matter: there was no messiah! Only in the book of Daniel, according to the rabbi who taught my Saturday afternoon seminar, is there any reference to a messiah. Hitherto, messiah in the Hebrew bible refers to one who is “anointed,” and those meant the king or priests. From that perspective, it was, and is, difficult for Jewish people to accept Jesus, also a Jew, as the messiah.
In Jesus’ days, there were three distinct classes of people: The Pharisees, the middle class, who believed in an afterlife; The Sadducees, the elite class, who did not believe in an after life, and The Essenes, the celibates who populated the deserts, living monastic lives and were regarded as zealots.
It was not known whether Jesus was of The Pharisees or The Sadducees, but according to all knowledge, he was not an Essenes. This may be a key factor as to why Jews, who in the time of Jesus living by strict religious codes, found it extremely difficult to accept that God would anoint a man, who was not a celibate and living a monastic life, as "the messiah.”
Specifically, Jews do not accept Jesus as the messiah because: Jesus did not fulfill the messianic prophecies, and Jesus did not embody the personal qualifications of the messiah, which Jews believe is based on national revelation. Jewish scholars believe that any interpretations of the bible referring to Jesus as the messiah are mistranslations.*
Jewish people are those born into the faith or those who become converted into the faith. Jews do believe in redemption, but it is not through a person. For Jews, redemption comes directly from your acts! Jews, since the Hebrew bible, believe there is a world to come but the dichotomy is not between heaven and hell but in the world to come vs. this current world. If there is any interpretation of hell, it is "eternal punishment” in not being able to connect to the world to come.
Jews believe that it is important to pay attention to not only "what comes out of your mouth but also what goes into your mouth." Thus, they follow a strict (kosher) diet, where foods are prepared in special ways, especially certain meats, where all the blood is drained out and salt applied.
The relationship Jews believe they have with God is that of parent/child. For Jews, adulthood comes for girls at age 12 (with a bat mitzvah celebration), and for boys at age of 13 (with a bar mitzvah celebration). They become "mitzvos” i.e. “son and daughters of the commandments” and are expected to begin to fulfill God’s commandments mitzvahs). Boys, following tradition, begin to use the head and hand tefillins.
In Judaism, there are only three types of prayer: to praise, to plead or for thanksgiving.
Today there people of Jewish heritage who do believe in Jesus as the Christ or messiah. Messianic Judaism is a religious movement whose adherents believe that Jesus of Nazareth, whom they call Yeshua, is both the resurrected Jewish Messiah and their Divine Savior.
As of 1993 there were 160,000 adherents of Messianic Judaism in the United States and 350,000 worldwide. As of 2003, there were at least 150 Messianic synagogues in the U.S. and over 400 worldwide. The number of Messianic Jews in Israel is approximately 15,000 members.
Messianic Jews consider themselves to be Jewish. However, Jews of all denominations do not consider Messianic Judaism to be a form of Judaism. Many Christians consider Messianic Judaism to be a form of Christianity.
Other interesting information I learned from the rabbi on that hot Saturday afternoon:
The literal law, or the commandments, given to the Jewish people by God is called The Torah. These are laws detailed in the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah also is called The Chumash, or the Five Books of Moses and is the first part of the Hebrew Bible: Tanakh. Even Christians and Samaritans accept the Torah as the literal law from God to the Jewish people.
So much do Jews respect and try to follow the commandments of God that orthodox Jews wear the Tallis (a prayer shawl), which has knotted fringes at the end with the color of blue in the fringes. (Numbers 15:38). These knots are a reminder of God’s commandments and should be worn during the day.
Following God’s commandments is not an easy task, especially thousands of years after the promise was made about land ownership.
When I recently asked a local rabbi what was the reason for the continuing current conflict between Iraelis and Palestinians, he said that Jews "just want to be able to live in peace!"
Even with the best efforts of Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and the intercession of American presidents, it ultimately may take an “act of God” to provide a workable solution to the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Namaste’,
Che’
*For more information on Jewish beliefs see http://www. jewsforjudaism.org.
Next in the "Seeking Common Ground" series: a look at Mormonism.
I certainly understand why one of Senator Barack Obama’s first moves upon capturing the Democratic nomination for President of the United States was to make conciliatory moves towards Israeli leaders. Settling the issue about the “land” of Israel is critical to Jewish people here in the United States, abroad, and certainly those living in Israel itself. Obama’s ability to secure the support of Jewish voters in November will depend on their confidence in his position on Israel.
I learned the importance of the “land” of Israel one July afternoon in 2006 in Scottsdale, Arizona. I sat through a five-hour seminar, “Basic Understanding of Judaism for Christians,” led by a Jewish rabbi in a non-air conditioned classroom at a monastery. If you’ve spent any time in Arizona, especially in the summer time, you’d know that sitting in a room with no air-conditioning in the middle of July, was no easy feat! But at the end of the day, all 60 of us Christians left with a much greater understanding of Judaism and an appreciation for the ongoing struggle the Israelis have with the Palestinians.
From the Jewish perspective, the struggle cannot be seen as a matter of mere land ownership. It is a strong belief that the land of Israel rightfully belongs to the Jewish people, because of God’s promises made to Abraham. (Genesis 12: 1-7). In addition, Jewish people believe that to be in 'right relationship' with God, they must follow his commandments, and one of God’s commandments to Jews was that they occupy the land, promised to Abraham (Genesis 12: 7).
Historically from the time of Abraham, Jewish people were not obedient to the covenant made with God about occuping the "land" of Israel, so many scattered to places outside Israel. But in the late 19th century, Austro-Hungarian Theodor Herzi introduced Zionism, an international political movement that originally supported the re-establishment of a homeland for the Jewish People in Palestine (Hebrew: Eretz Yisra'el, “the Land of Israel”), and continues today primarily as support for the modern state of Israel.
Described as a "diaspora nationalism," proponents of Zionism regard it as a national liberation movement whose aim is the self-determination of the Jewish people.
While Zionism is based in part upon religious tradition linking the Jewish people to the land of Israel, where the concept of Jewish nationhood is thought to have first evolved somewhere between 1200 BCE and the late Second Temple era (i.e. up to 70 CE), the modern movement was mainly secular, beginning largely as a response by European Jewry to antisemitism across Europe. It constituted a branch of the broader phenomenon of modern nationalism.
As the first of several Jewish political movements offering alternative responses to the position of Jews in Europe, Zionism gradually gained more support, and after the Holocaust became the dominant Jewish political movement.
Here are two opposing positions on the disposition of the "land" of Israel:
Israeli position on Jerusalem:
"The Israeli position [on Jerusalem] is based on its religious, historical and political claims to the holy city. Since King David established the city as the capital of the Jewish state circa 1000 BCE, it has served as the symbol and most profound expression of the Jewish people's identity as a nation."
-- Anti-Defamation League, "Jerusalem, the Israeli Position," 1997
Palestinian position on Jerusalem:
"For centuries, Jerusalem has been the geographical, political, administrative and spiritual center of Palestine. It is, in all regards, the symbol of Palestinian nationality and identity."
-- Palestine Ministry of Information,"The Palestinian Official Position," 2005
Beyond the issue of land, we all are aware of another huge religious contention many Christians and others have with the Jews: their position on Jesus, the Christ.
For Orthodox Jews, it is a simple matter: there was no messiah! Only in the book of Daniel, according to the rabbi who taught my Saturday afternoon seminar, is there any reference to a messiah. Hitherto, messiah in the Hebrew bible refers to one who is “anointed,” and those meant the king or priests. From that perspective, it was, and is, difficult for Jewish people to accept Jesus, also a Jew, as the messiah.
In Jesus’ days, there were three distinct classes of people: The Pharisees, the middle class, who believed in an afterlife; The Sadducees, the elite class, who did not believe in an after life, and The Essenes, the celibates who populated the deserts, living monastic lives and were regarded as zealots.
It was not known whether Jesus was of The Pharisees or The Sadducees, but according to all knowledge, he was not an Essenes. This may be a key factor as to why Jews, who in the time of Jesus living by strict religious codes, found it extremely difficult to accept that God would anoint a man, who was not a celibate and living a monastic life, as "the messiah.”
Specifically, Jews do not accept Jesus as the messiah because: Jesus did not fulfill the messianic prophecies, and Jesus did not embody the personal qualifications of the messiah, which Jews believe is based on national revelation. Jewish scholars believe that any interpretations of the bible referring to Jesus as the messiah are mistranslations.*
Jewish people are those born into the faith or those who become converted into the faith. Jews do believe in redemption, but it is not through a person. For Jews, redemption comes directly from your acts! Jews, since the Hebrew bible, believe there is a world to come but the dichotomy is not between heaven and hell but in the world to come vs. this current world. If there is any interpretation of hell, it is "eternal punishment” in not being able to connect to the world to come.
Jews believe that it is important to pay attention to not only "what comes out of your mouth but also what goes into your mouth." Thus, they follow a strict (kosher) diet, where foods are prepared in special ways, especially certain meats, where all the blood is drained out and salt applied.
The relationship Jews believe they have with God is that of parent/child. For Jews, adulthood comes for girls at age 12 (with a bat mitzvah celebration), and for boys at age of 13 (with a bar mitzvah celebration). They become "mitzvos” i.e. “son and daughters of the commandments” and are expected to begin to fulfill God’s commandments mitzvahs). Boys, following tradition, begin to use the head and hand tefillins.
In Judaism, there are only three types of prayer: to praise, to plead or for thanksgiving.
Today there people of Jewish heritage who do believe in Jesus as the Christ or messiah. Messianic Judaism is a religious movement whose adherents believe that Jesus of Nazareth, whom they call Yeshua, is both the resurrected Jewish Messiah and their Divine Savior.
As of 1993 there were 160,000 adherents of Messianic Judaism in the United States and 350,000 worldwide. As of 2003, there were at least 150 Messianic synagogues in the U.S. and over 400 worldwide. The number of Messianic Jews in Israel is approximately 15,000 members.
Messianic Jews consider themselves to be Jewish. However, Jews of all denominations do not consider Messianic Judaism to be a form of Judaism. Many Christians consider Messianic Judaism to be a form of Christianity.
Other interesting information I learned from the rabbi on that hot Saturday afternoon:
The literal law, or the commandments, given to the Jewish people by God is called The Torah. These are laws detailed in the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah also is called The Chumash, or the Five Books of Moses and is the first part of the Hebrew Bible: Tanakh. Even Christians and Samaritans accept the Torah as the literal law from God to the Jewish people.
So much do Jews respect and try to follow the commandments of God that orthodox Jews wear the Tallis (a prayer shawl), which has knotted fringes at the end with the color of blue in the fringes. (Numbers 15:38). These knots are a reminder of God’s commandments and should be worn during the day.
Following God’s commandments is not an easy task, especially thousands of years after the promise was made about land ownership.
When I recently asked a local rabbi what was the reason for the continuing current conflict between Iraelis and Palestinians, he said that Jews "just want to be able to live in peace!"
Even with the best efforts of Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and the intercession of American presidents, it ultimately may take an “act of God” to provide a workable solution to the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Namaste’,
Che’
*For more information on Jewish beliefs see http://www. jewsforjudaism.org.
Next in the "Seeking Common Ground" series: a look at Mormonism.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
We Reap What We Sow! Do we Really?
When misfortune strikes, the tendency is to start playing the “blame” game. Fingers start pointing at what the person did to have these “curses” heaped upon his or her head. Many believe it is God’s retribution and justice finally being served. Many may also feel vindicated for any wrongs that the person may have done to them.
But does God punish us for our “sins"? Does God really care about our “sins"? Do we have to be a really, really “good” person to get close to God? Let’s look at the “sins” we may commit in our lives.
Most of our “sins” come from our thoughts, deeds, words and such against other people, even against ourselves. But the only ones who really care about our actions are the people against whom we’re doing “evil” and bad deeds...and yes, our very soul!
The more seemingly "bad" and "evil" things we do to ourselves and to others, the more separated we become from ourselves, especially if we have a conscience. Those who truly don’t care, those who truly don’t have a conscience about how they treat other people, rarely receive any “punishments” for their misdeeds. Think about some of the really horrible people in history: Hitler in Germany, Papa Doc in Haiti, Idi Amin in Uganda , and others. Have you ever heard any punishment being exacted to fit their crimes?
The only person who seemingly was made to suffer for his crimes in recent times is Saddam Hussein. And the justice that was exacted upon him came at the hands of other men, not God. I would wager that doing God’s will was not the intention of those men who exacted the “punishment” on Saddam.
I know this: every time I’ve gone through periods of “suffering,” it always has been Spirit’s way of nudging me to look deeper, move higher and move further along the Spiritual path to more clarity and truth about myself and the truth of who I am. It always has been Spirit’s way of getting me closer to the within! It always has been Spirit’s guidance to find “yet a more excellent way” of seeing, being and doing in the world!
Spirit always is inviting us to move closer, through events in our own lives, or through larger world events that affect us, like 911, Hurricane Katrina, the Asian tsunami and the recent earthquake in China. At times of catastrophe, we intuitively seek comfort from each other, by moving closer to one another and, sometimes, to the Spirit within. By and large, though, not many people listen to Spirit’s call from within them, and some who do only do so when a crisis or situation becomes so unbearable that they truly feel impotent.
From time to time, I hear people talk about how “blessed” they feel because they have never gone through any crisis or any major life trials. They also feel “blessed,” because life is moving along a beautiful, uninterrupted path for them and their loved ones. Blessed, they may be, but I wonder: how truly connected are they to the Spirit within?
Despite some people truly having calm and peaceful dispositions and personalities, none of us is born into this world knowing our innate connection with Spirit! This is the journey we uncover and undertake with our lives and in our lives.
So, if your life is smooth and “unblemished,” and you are feeling so satisfied with yourself, I’d ask you next about your connection to Spirit.
Many people can seemingly “perfect” the game of life, i.e. doing all that is right in life to get along with others, to play the corporate or organizational game, succeeding in every area and avenue in life. They move through life with ease and seeming “grace.” Yes, it is the good life, and it’s what we all aspire to have in this world? Or is it not?
These graceful people sometimes exit the world without a “blimp” on their smooth surface, leaving us all to wonder the purpose they served, not having graced us with any lessons in life, other than their “graciousness.” Sometimes, though, we may be privileged to glimpse the cracking of the smooth surfaces and the facades...when something hits...really BIG with them. It is then, we may hear their story, and we become witnesses to the true connection to Spirit within: there is none!
Then we begin to wonder about our seduction. We talk about how much we were deceived by appearances.
I want to caution you to not become seduced by the seemingly beautiful surfaces you encounter in life...not even your own smooth surface. Because of our resistance to true change and because of our ego, the walk we must undertake with the Spirit within us often is not a smooth ride, neither does it have beautiful scenery all the time. What it DOES have...and what makes us know this is the ONLY ride we want to undertake...is the unparalleled peace, joy, happiness, comfort and true grace...we feel along the way.
Then, just when we think we’ve arrived safely home, we may find ourselves seemingly starting over again. But then we realize this: we’re more experienced because of the road we’ve traveled before. We are able to have greater understanding and wisdom to discern what’s unfolding before, and within, us! We’re indeed further along the road to the “Spirit within.”
When it gets really going, the Spirit within us will cause the “tables” and all the “rules of goodness” we know about our own soul to be completely over turned. The Spirit journey truly is not a ride we can undertake, without eventually feeling the bruises of piercing questioning within our own soul.
Many of us want to believe that we are exempt from this close walk with God, because we’re going to church on a Sunday, tithing faithfully, being a good person to our neighbors and friends, a good mother, father or good wife, husband, to our family, and a good employee to our company. We may even believe that the close walk with Spirit and for discovering this “spiritual stuff” is the walk for our ministers, preachers and other spiritual teachers to undertake, not us.
Really? What does your minister, or your preacher, or your teacher, have to do with YOUR Spirit?
Yes, we can let them take the walk of Spirit for us. But then, can we inherit the “kingdom of connection” by proxy, too?
No one can undertake your spiritual walk for you, and that includes your husband or wife or best friend. You can’t get close to God by proxy, or by association, either. You also cannot trade in the chips of “goodness” from your lives in exchange for “miles” along the spiritual road.
We do not even begin to connect closely to God, until our very lives as we know it are disrupted and interrupted. We do not even begin to get close to God, until we truly become “uncomfortable” with ourselves and realize our own impotence, becoming like the little “children” that Jesus spoke about. It is ONLY then...when we feel the break from the old...that we begin to truly know and experience God i.e. the God force within us.
God indeed is a jealous God! Once he (Spirit within) gets started with you, and on you, he intends to complete the job! But he also can only do this, with your full cooperation, i.e. if you’re sincerely searching with your whole heart and mind and soul and every part of your being! Giving lip service to goodness and to Godliness is not akin to finding the Spirit within you! You can’t “con” your Spirit! It is within YOU! Trying to con your Spirit is what delays your connection and also gets you into deeper "trials" with the Spirit Within.
Until you have been “possessed” by desire to truly know the very Spirit of God within you, then you DO walk alone...and ONLY with your EGO!
When you truly begin to walk with God, you do so with humility! You do so like Saint Francis, who had begun as a warrior to impress women, only to lay his weapons down at an altar in a small church on his way back to Assisi; or as Siddhartha, who became the Buddha, The One Who Is Awake, when he was willing to fight Death to find God; or by walking the Way of Mother Teresa; or the Pope; or some of the great saints, or other prominent spiritual leaders, like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, among others.
In this lifetime, none of us will probably ever get as close to Spirit as did some of these individuals, but at least we can begin to understand their ways, and we also would have started to walk in the right direction.
“All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes, but the Lord weigheth the spirits.”Proverb 16:2.
Without corrective action, like “bad things happening to good people,” many people become seduced into believing in their innate PERFECTION! Through prayer, we do connect to the Spirit within, and without, that helps us through our daily trials, when they arise. But do not let these miscellaneous and sporadic connections to Spirit seduce you into believe that you are fully connected and that your work is done!
Good deeds make you a good person in your circle of friends, in your neighborhood, in your community, amongst your co-workers, in your family. But good deeds and feeling “blessed,” unless truly inspired by the Spirit, do not earn you a place in “heaven.”
For that?
Look within you! Then look to your mind and its clarity, or lack thereof, to know the truth.
How do you truly feel about your connection to Spirit? And are you willing...really willing...to give up your “ways of the world”, i.e. your EGO self, to find it? Are you willing to trade any of the joys of the world for the joys of Spirit?
That is the question.
So, are you reaping what you’re sowing?
You betcha!
Namaste’,
Che’
But does God punish us for our “sins"? Does God really care about our “sins"? Do we have to be a really, really “good” person to get close to God? Let’s look at the “sins” we may commit in our lives.
Most of our “sins” come from our thoughts, deeds, words and such against other people, even against ourselves. But the only ones who really care about our actions are the people against whom we’re doing “evil” and bad deeds...and yes, our very soul!
The more seemingly "bad" and "evil" things we do to ourselves and to others, the more separated we become from ourselves, especially if we have a conscience. Those who truly don’t care, those who truly don’t have a conscience about how they treat other people, rarely receive any “punishments” for their misdeeds. Think about some of the really horrible people in history: Hitler in Germany, Papa Doc in Haiti, Idi Amin in Uganda , and others. Have you ever heard any punishment being exacted to fit their crimes?
The only person who seemingly was made to suffer for his crimes in recent times is Saddam Hussein. And the justice that was exacted upon him came at the hands of other men, not God. I would wager that doing God’s will was not the intention of those men who exacted the “punishment” on Saddam.
I know this: every time I’ve gone through periods of “suffering,” it always has been Spirit’s way of nudging me to look deeper, move higher and move further along the Spiritual path to more clarity and truth about myself and the truth of who I am. It always has been Spirit’s way of getting me closer to the within! It always has been Spirit’s guidance to find “yet a more excellent way” of seeing, being and doing in the world!
Spirit always is inviting us to move closer, through events in our own lives, or through larger world events that affect us, like 911, Hurricane Katrina, the Asian tsunami and the recent earthquake in China. At times of catastrophe, we intuitively seek comfort from each other, by moving closer to one another and, sometimes, to the Spirit within. By and large, though, not many people listen to Spirit’s call from within them, and some who do only do so when a crisis or situation becomes so unbearable that they truly feel impotent.
From time to time, I hear people talk about how “blessed” they feel because they have never gone through any crisis or any major life trials. They also feel “blessed,” because life is moving along a beautiful, uninterrupted path for them and their loved ones. Blessed, they may be, but I wonder: how truly connected are they to the Spirit within?
Despite some people truly having calm and peaceful dispositions and personalities, none of us is born into this world knowing our innate connection with Spirit! This is the journey we uncover and undertake with our lives and in our lives.
So, if your life is smooth and “unblemished,” and you are feeling so satisfied with yourself, I’d ask you next about your connection to Spirit.
Many people can seemingly “perfect” the game of life, i.e. doing all that is right in life to get along with others, to play the corporate or organizational game, succeeding in every area and avenue in life. They move through life with ease and seeming “grace.” Yes, it is the good life, and it’s what we all aspire to have in this world? Or is it not?
These graceful people sometimes exit the world without a “blimp” on their smooth surface, leaving us all to wonder the purpose they served, not having graced us with any lessons in life, other than their “graciousness.” Sometimes, though, we may be privileged to glimpse the cracking of the smooth surfaces and the facades...when something hits...really BIG with them. It is then, we may hear their story, and we become witnesses to the true connection to Spirit within: there is none!
Then we begin to wonder about our seduction. We talk about how much we were deceived by appearances.
I want to caution you to not become seduced by the seemingly beautiful surfaces you encounter in life...not even your own smooth surface. Because of our resistance to true change and because of our ego, the walk we must undertake with the Spirit within us often is not a smooth ride, neither does it have beautiful scenery all the time. What it DOES have...and what makes us know this is the ONLY ride we want to undertake...is the unparalleled peace, joy, happiness, comfort and true grace...we feel along the way.
Then, just when we think we’ve arrived safely home, we may find ourselves seemingly starting over again. But then we realize this: we’re more experienced because of the road we’ve traveled before. We are able to have greater understanding and wisdom to discern what’s unfolding before, and within, us! We’re indeed further along the road to the “Spirit within.”
When it gets really going, the Spirit within us will cause the “tables” and all the “rules of goodness” we know about our own soul to be completely over turned. The Spirit journey truly is not a ride we can undertake, without eventually feeling the bruises of piercing questioning within our own soul.
Many of us want to believe that we are exempt from this close walk with God, because we’re going to church on a Sunday, tithing faithfully, being a good person to our neighbors and friends, a good mother, father or good wife, husband, to our family, and a good employee to our company. We may even believe that the close walk with Spirit and for discovering this “spiritual stuff” is the walk for our ministers, preachers and other spiritual teachers to undertake, not us.
Really? What does your minister, or your preacher, or your teacher, have to do with YOUR Spirit?
Yes, we can let them take the walk of Spirit for us. But then, can we inherit the “kingdom of connection” by proxy, too?
No one can undertake your spiritual walk for you, and that includes your husband or wife or best friend. You can’t get close to God by proxy, or by association, either. You also cannot trade in the chips of “goodness” from your lives in exchange for “miles” along the spiritual road.
We do not even begin to connect closely to God, until our very lives as we know it are disrupted and interrupted. We do not even begin to get close to God, until we truly become “uncomfortable” with ourselves and realize our own impotence, becoming like the little “children” that Jesus spoke about. It is ONLY then...when we feel the break from the old...that we begin to truly know and experience God i.e. the God force within us.
God indeed is a jealous God! Once he (Spirit within) gets started with you, and on you, he intends to complete the job! But he also can only do this, with your full cooperation, i.e. if you’re sincerely searching with your whole heart and mind and soul and every part of your being! Giving lip service to goodness and to Godliness is not akin to finding the Spirit within you! You can’t “con” your Spirit! It is within YOU! Trying to con your Spirit is what delays your connection and also gets you into deeper "trials" with the Spirit Within.
Until you have been “possessed” by desire to truly know the very Spirit of God within you, then you DO walk alone...and ONLY with your EGO!
When you truly begin to walk with God, you do so with humility! You do so like Saint Francis, who had begun as a warrior to impress women, only to lay his weapons down at an altar in a small church on his way back to Assisi; or as Siddhartha, who became the Buddha, The One Who Is Awake, when he was willing to fight Death to find God; or by walking the Way of Mother Teresa; or the Pope; or some of the great saints, or other prominent spiritual leaders, like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, among others.
In this lifetime, none of us will probably ever get as close to Spirit as did some of these individuals, but at least we can begin to understand their ways, and we also would have started to walk in the right direction.
“All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes, but the Lord weigheth the spirits.”Proverb 16:2.
Without corrective action, like “bad things happening to good people,” many people become seduced into believing in their innate PERFECTION! Through prayer, we do connect to the Spirit within, and without, that helps us through our daily trials, when they arise. But do not let these miscellaneous and sporadic connections to Spirit seduce you into believe that you are fully connected and that your work is done!
Good deeds make you a good person in your circle of friends, in your neighborhood, in your community, amongst your co-workers, in your family. But good deeds and feeling “blessed,” unless truly inspired by the Spirit, do not earn you a place in “heaven.”
For that?
Look within you! Then look to your mind and its clarity, or lack thereof, to know the truth.
How do you truly feel about your connection to Spirit? And are you willing...really willing...to give up your “ways of the world”, i.e. your EGO self, to find it? Are you willing to trade any of the joys of the world for the joys of Spirit?
That is the question.
So, are you reaping what you’re sowing?
You betcha!
Namaste’,
Che’
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