Sunday, May 26, 2013

OBSTACLES

What are the obstacles in making your vision a reality? On this plane of existence, we know that the 2 big ones are Time and Money. In business, it is even said that Time is Money. Most excuses go along the line of, I don't have the time, or I don't have the money. This is the obstacle of Thinking. Something cannot be brought into being, because it is not logical, or it does not compute. Intellect comes into play, as does Ego. It is the rational point of view. It cannot be done because... One of the things I love about Reverend Susan Locey is that she rarely says no to an idea. More often that not, she will say, Okay, let's do that! In rare instances, she may ask how? or who? HOW IS THIS TO BE MADE POSSIBLE? This is a human question heard often in the Bible. The other one is WHO AM I THAT I HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO DO SUCH AND SUCH? The answer is given time and again, Have Faith. Know that I am God, and I make all things possible! This is not Logic. It is Eternal Wisdom. It is opening up onself to possibilities, becoming the vessel. Another obstacle is emotions. These can play for or against your idea. The big one is, I'm afraid to try this. We are conditioned from birth to avoid things that may cause us pain - emotional, physical, psychological; however, pain and suffering, can also open the door to compassion and insight. Quiet contemplation and meditation can allow one to put things in perspective. Through Right Meditation, one may reach the Right Standpoint or Balance. One can find oneself going like a ping pong ball from emotions to unproductive thoughts, and back again, over and over. By striving to attain Balance, it opens the door to seeing what Can be done and what Is possible. It may take time, effort, knowledge, money, resources that are not currently available. It's an interesting thing that if you are doing something out of love, or loving what you do, time and money don't matter so much. Aboriginal people call this relationship between thinking, emotions, the spiritual and the physical, a medicine wheel, and has probably been known for thousands of years. I would like to quote a few lines from a wonderful article I found recently on the internet, by William Bento, Ph.D., called "True North: The Compass of the Heart". Google it and you will find it, and this is another reason why I love The Sacrament of the Consecration of Man: "The doing is our collective prayer, our ritual of communion with the beautiful, the truth and the good. By doing this inner work as sacrament, we increase the power of love in the world, the only power to eradicate the evils loosened into this post-modern world of ours. In Christian esotericism this Culture of Love is referred to as the Future City of Jerusalem." Whatever your vision or idea is, if you are striving to create something beautiful and good in the world, you will attract the resources needed to make it a reality, if not right now, certainly in a future time. Think back to the great artists of the Renaissance, and the great composers. Were they appreciated in their time? Rarely. They lived often in poverty, hand to mouth, but their works of love and beauty will exist for all time. I hope I have sparked some interest and the reader will follow up with their own research. Now back to the phrase, Time is Money. I will add another one: Silence is Golden. Switch this around a little, and you have, Time is Golden. This will be the subject of my next blog, including some thoughts on grandparenting, and a lovely book I just found at a book sale: From Age-ing to Sage-ing, a profound new vision of growing older, by Zalman Schacter-Shalomi and Ronald S. Miller. This discusses the concept of "Eldering". Oh, and don't forget our Strawberry Tea on June 23rd, in celebration of our Elders! Cheers Sparky

Saturday, May 11, 2013

MANIFESTING

As promised, a short discussion on manifesting. This is a very old fashioned word. It means to make something obvious or evident to the eye, or to one's understanding. After the crucifixion, Thomas could not believe that Christ had overcome death, until he could see and touch His wounds. On the spiritual side, we may have a vision or inspiration, that we then want to try to create in the physical world. It could be something very specific, or only an idea or concept that we have to try to work with and be guided by to see how it will take shape. The idea is to try to focus one's energy to bring something into being. The greater the vision, the more likely it will be a long term project, sometimes not completed in one lifetime. Usually it starts out as a tiny seed for which the ground must first be cultivated. Planting has to occur at just the right time. Then it must be carefully nurtured. At first there are roots, then a small sprout, then leaves. Eventually there may be a flower and even fruit. These in turn produce more seeds, and the whole process starts over again. In the plant kingdom, depending on the type of plant, there can also be a dying away, or sacrificing, of the old plant. Also for some types of insects, fish, etc. Sociologists and anthropologists have also documented this process in different cultures, civilizations, and empires. What exists today is the result of thousands of years of history. What we create today will be the foundation for the future. What kind of future do we want for our children and grandchildren? What can we do to help bring this about? What obstacles have to be overcome? What can get in the way of bringing the spiritual into the physical? That will be the subject of my next blog. 'Til next time, and Happy Mother's Day to all.