Giving it up to God

Dear Friends, Last week marked the beginning of Lent in the orthodox calendar, and for our church, if you take a quick glance at our program, Passiontide begins March 23rd, just after the vernal equinox. During this time before Easter, we are encouraged to find ways to bring ourselves closer to the Christ, to try to prepare ourselves to experience, in just a small way, what Easter is all about. Most people consider Lent a time of giving up some little habit or luxury. Traditionally it was about fasting. Today, I want to consider a different perspective - the act of forgiveness. These were almost the last words that Jesus gave on the cross - Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do, and is also fundamental in the Lord's Prayer. How many of us walk around in our daily lives carrying a grudge against someone? How many of us feel we are walking around with a dark cloud over our heads? Or perhaps it is something/someone you are worried about and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it? According to an article in MacLean's magazine, worrying has reached epidemic proportions, which translates into poor productivity, absenteeism, and of course, poor health. What if there was a way to help get rid of this heaviness? One way that I have mentioned before is the Hawaiian tradition of ho'oponopono. Please feel free to have a look at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac5SGwRPv0o Trust the Hawaiians to make forgiveness an art form! Dr. Emoto took it even further, in his work on revitalizing polluted lakes. In other words, it works just as well on bodies of water as it does on the human being. If you are ready to give up that dark cloud, or ball and chain you've been carrying around, give it a try. The second suggestion is not new, but I recently decided to give it a try. For some people, a real prayer chest works best, for others, one can try it figuratively. If you have a problem that is dragging you down and there is nothing you can do about it, it's time to give it up to God. Write it on a piece of paper and put in your prayer chest, or do it in prayer, it works either way. What would you like to give up to God? In the art, or act, of forgiveness, one is transforming darkness into light, and I intend to live my life in Light. Sparky

In Praise of God's Creation

Hello friends and blog followers! Here I am posting another bit of writing I put together after considering how amazing all of Creation is! This one is in the vein of nature as experienced in this part of the world.

Yesterday at work I took a very appreciative look at the lovely little creek which flows behind the center at my workplace at Cascadia Society, a Camphill Community in North Vancouver. I wrote a few lines of prose about this body of water here on this blog on June 16th, 2011 if you remember or would like to compare to what I wrote today. Anyways, on my way home last night an image of this creek was stuck in my mind and before I got out of my vehicle to get a few groceries I had to write a few things down before I forgot them. This morning I got to work quite early so I wrote it out again in a semi-good copy and here it is this evening for you to read. It is not entirely based on any one location but is a compilation of a few places

here in western British Columbia. I imagine there could be many places up the coastline that could quite easily be described by these lines though.

                                         The Promise

Vast blue skies promised adventures without end when I was very young...

Thick woods promised hidden treasures when I was a child...

Hills and mountains promised new vistas when I was a teenager...

Long roads on camping trips promised lasting memories when I had a family of my own...

A walk in the dark forest.

It is daytime but everything is in shadows.

Far ahead the glint of sunlight on an undulating brook.

As I get closer the magnificence grows.

Just the faintest glimmer of sun on water promises bright daylight but I would stand here and stare at it forever if I could.

The water and sun together look like liquid gold melting a path between the thick moss carpet, standing fern fronds and the tall coniferous trees.

A raven's cawing-clucking and the wet smell of things turning back into soil remind me this is West Coast.

Later the muffled sound of the sea crashing on sand and rock can be heard beyond pillars of hemlock and cedar.

Much later I can see the wild surf out past a thicket of salmonberries growing on the edge of a bank high above the ocean...

Felix Scharnberg, February 2014

2014 Year of the Horse

Dear Friends, I could not have imagined 5 years ago when I chose to includde 2014 in my email address that this year would indeed hold so much promise. There were 2 reasons I chose that particular number: (1) it was the address of the former seminary in Chicago, and (2) it would be the earliest date that I could consider attending seminary workshops, when my youngest son graduates from grade 12 this June. So much has changed since then, but this year still is huge for me in terms of possibilities. I mentioned in a previous blog about how the wishes of the consumer are changing, and they will now be looking for “experiences” rather than goods or services. It’s a very fine thing that after 2 years of struggle, I have finally landed a permanent full time job with a structural engineering company. The projects they work on range from private residences to university buildings, to recreation centres and hospitals – the whole gamut. The construction industry now puts a very high value on “sustainable” and “green” buildings, because that is what the consumer is demanding. It’s a very exciting and creative industry, and I hope to be there a long time. The other thing that has happened is, I have attained my first level certification in the healing modality of Reiki. I won’t go into it here, if you are curious there is lots of information on the internet. Suffice it to say that it allows me to be the conduit for loving, healing energy, to anyone and everyone who asks. It’s a whole new world, the seeds of which were planted in 2013. I should mention that these years between 2012 and 2016 have tremendous potential for those who are open, and perhaps it is no coincidence that these particular years also involve the North/South America Conferences for The Christian Community. This particular blog I wanted to talk about the Chinese New Year and the Start of Spring in the Chinese calendar, which are 4 days apart. 2014 is Year of the Horse and it will arrive on February 4, 2014 in China Standard Time. That is the day of the Start of Spring in the Chinese Astrology Calendar. The Start of Spring is the time when the sun enters the 315th degree on the tropical zodiac. The Start of Spring in China Standard Time is at 6:04 A.M. on February 4, 2014. This day is not the Chinese New Year day. 2014 Chinese New Year Day is on January 31, 2014 in China Standard Time. Chinese New Year Day is the new moon day of the first lunar month. The new moon time is at 5:39 A.M. of January 31, 2014 in China Standard Time. The Start of Spring in US Eastern Standard Time is at 17:04 P.M. on February 3, 2014, and in the US Pacific Standard Time is at 14:04 P.M. on February 3, 2014. Therefore, the 2014 Horse year starts on February 3, 2014 in US time zones. Year of 2014 is Wooden Horse. Wood (tree) is connected to the color of Green. Therefore, 2014 is the Year of Green Wood Horse. Again, this seems to me a very special year, because of the company I am working for, where the words “green” and “wood” take on many different kinds of meaning. This year, I like the image of a silver coin put out by the Canadian mint, of a horse with a flowing mane. The edges of the coin is curved in waves, and it is called a silver lotus. If I could figure out how to download the image, I would, but technology fails me. In this image, one could perhaps imagine a more mythical creature such as Pegasus. The consensus is that the word Pegasus means well or spring. Then I thought about the wonderful history of horses in general, and I found this beautiful article about the Arabian horse, coming out of the dream time of Epiphany, and a brief discussion of the Knights Templar by Stephanie Georgieff: By Rob Flemming On Vision.ae website “Admired and desired, immortalized by pen and brush, the Arabian horse has, arguably, had more influence on civilization than any other equine breed. The nomadic Bedouin were the first to ‘tame’ the wild Arabian but treated it as a friend and ally rather than a beast of burden. Fleet of foot, courageous and determined, it was also beautiful and loyal. A lasting relationship formed between man and horse. “An Arabian will take care of its owner as no other horse will, for it has not only been raised to physical perfection but has been instilled with a spirit of loyalty unparalleled by that of any other breed.” (anon) The camel was a means of survival, providing meat, milk, leather and transportation on the long treks across the desert sands. However, the horse’s bravery, endurance, speed and agility were vital for inter-tribal raids and skirmishes. But it would also provide the bridge for momentary truces. The rules of hospitality dictated that even in times of war, the unexpected guest should be welcomed and given nourishment. In token, the warrior’s mare’s bridle would be hung from the pole of the host’s tent where the men would eat together. With the rise of Islam, horses became regarded as a gift from Allah. One Bedouin story tells of how the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) turned his horses loose to drink at a desert oasis, recalling them a mere moment later. Only five faithful mares returned before reaching the precious water. The Al Khamsa, as they are known, are still believed by some to be the genesis of the five strains of the Arabian – Kehilan, Seglawi, Abeyan, Hamdani and Hadban. The Bedouin set a high value on the purity of each strain, breeding horses that maintained all the desired attributes. The antecedents of each horse were tracked through the dam and genealogies passed down orally through the generations. As Islam reached out, the Arabian carried warriors westwards to North Africa, the Mediterranean, Europe and as far east as China. Many of their enemies quickly began to appreciate the qualities of this quicksilver horse. Although they left many dead comrades behind them, the crusaders did take back many Arabians to cross breed with their own horses. Meanwhile in Spain, the Moors crossed their horses with indigenous species to produce the jennet or genet. And it was this new breed that Columbus took to the Americas. The Arabian bloodlines were crossing the oceans.” In the Far East as well, the horse was not used to till the fields, but as a means of transportation. From China, to Arabia, to Europe and finally to the Americas, the horse is perhaps one of the most beautiful and magnificent creatures universally admired and loved – something we can hold in common. Cheers, Sparky

Micro within the Macro(cosmos)

First off, I want to say thank-you to Sparky for setting me on the correct path the other day when I was serving during the Twelve Days of Christmas. I had forgotten about or did not see four extra candles in front of the wooden statuettes of Mary, Joseph and the Christ Child and she set me straight by daring to whisper a reminder during (prelude to) the Service.

There have been many thoughts about the microcosmos and the macrocosmos floating around my mind lately. I have been wanting to tie some ideas together but they keep developing into other ideas or I think of something else to add that might need further mulling over and then I feel I am not ready to share yet. Anyways here is a simple idea which only took me a few minutes to write down. I like explaining images that in themselves contain space for a lot more. Think of potential of the subject (or object) described and/or detail in the subject which can lead to whole other realms of exploration. I am talking about detail within detail in the natural world and patterns of the universe both as part of a subject or set of subjects or subjects in motion producing patterns.

The Creator made it all, from the extremely large to the very small
A spore seed so tiny the eye cannot see
A shimmer on a dragonfly's wing
A tree's crown billowing in a warm breeze
A seagull wheeling in freedom in high blue ocean skies
A stoney and snowy ridgeline between mountain peaks
A huge bank of puffy storm clouds far off and reaching to great heights
A sun spectrum:
 yellow out west, orange climbing, red above, purple falling to night, dark blue in the east
A million miles of moon at night
A billion light years of stars so bright...
Felix Scharnberg 2013

The Power of "YES" and the Theory of You (or U)

Dear Friends: Yesterday many of us witnessed a rare sacramental celebration in Vancouver: the Sacrament of Marriage, between two very dear friends, Constance Lucky and Ralph Danyluk. It was Dec. 21st, the winter soltice, and the weather had cooperated in providing a fairy tale-like setting. It had snowed the day before. The local mountains looked like they had been sprinkled with powdered sugar. The local evergreen boughs looked as if someone had painstakingly painted each one silvery white. The roads were good by the morning of the wedding, the bride and groom were delivered safely. The last wedding in our church took place in 2001. We are very fortunate now that a member of our congregation is licensed to conduct weddings and can issue a certificate of marriage, required in B.C., so we actually had 2 ceremonies. Since she is also a storyteller, we were treated to one of the tales from King Arthur. The reception downstairs was beautiful: roses and evergreen boughs and candles everywhere. How did all this come about? It happened because a question was posed, and the answer was a very firm and considered "YES". This is the power of 3 letters - Y,E and S. As Rev. Grimm mentioned in his sermon today, one can also find E and S together in the words Present and Presence. One also finds these letters in the words Essence, Essential, Best and Essence. All very powerful and positive words. There is a very wonderful book by Otto Scharmer called Theory U, a remarkable application of anthroposophy as a business model. In it he discusses accessing the Source. Coincidentally, I was reading a book by Florin Lowndes at the same time: Enlivening the chakra of the heart, who also discusses accessing the Source, through Rudolf Steiner's 6 fundamental exercises. In Scharmer's book he discusses how economics has moved its focus over the past 2 centuries from a focus on goods/economies of scale, to a focus on services/economies of scope, and how we are now moving to a focus on co-created personalized experiences/innovation/economies of presencing. (Please refer to the blog on co-celebrating The Act of Consecration of Man.) This means we are moving from a focus on the working class, to service class, to the creative class, which includes science, engineering, architecture, education, arts and music. In other words, a kind of 21st century Renaissance is afoot. Last weekend we were treated to 2 workshops by Stephanie Georgieff, one on the Virgin of Guadalupe and one on the Black Madonna (please take a look at her blog, The Heart of the Black Madonna). It's a curious thing that for the most part, there is no artist associated with the black madonnas sprinkled throughout Europe. These icons were created as gifts to the world for many centuries to come, and the name of the artist did not matter. The same is true of many of the great cathedrals. Creating/building/painting a work of art was a task given by the Spirit, or perhaps one could say Source. The artists knew they were creating something using natural materials at hand, that could be a source of inspiration in the future - something that could be taken into one's soul. Oh, one more thing, there is another sacrament where a question is asked, and it is hoped the answer will be Yes - The Sacrament of Ordination. :))) Sparky

The Good News

Dear Friends, life is always on the move, and as much as we try to make plans, things will always come up that one must pay attention to, perhaps calling for an alteration, or new direction. As Rev. Polter told the delegates' meeting a few years ago, "I have bad news, good news, and bad news." The past couple of blogs discussed more or less the difficulties we can face, as individuals and as a Movement. That's the bad news. The good news is, there are forces at work, waiting and wanting to help. I am speaking of course, of the spiritual world. This time of year, from now until Epiphany we instinctively feel the spiritual world drawing ever closer. Time has a way of making us feel like we are in a vortex, swirling down and down, faster and faster, until we come out the other side, or "the eye of the needle". We need something to hang onto, a lifeline. Otherwise, we can easily get caught up in the madness that materialism and commercialism bring this time of year. Remember that the spiritual world is always ready to help, all we have to do is ask. From our guardian angels, spirit and healing guides, the angelic being of our individual communities, all the way up through the hierarchies, to the Seraphim, or Spirits of Love, they are waiting and wanting to help. This is not possible, however, without our active participation. Outside the Vancouver Art Gallery right now is a sign that reads, "Warning, Perception requires Involvement." You must be willing to be involved, physically, mentally and spiritually, in order to be able to perceive, one could say, something in the supersensible. A very wonderful exercise during our workshop in Sacramento with Rev. Baan, was working a little bit with the Greek text, from which the Bible was translated into English. It's very interesting how many of the words we use today, are derived from the Greek. Take the word, koinoia. I love this word, partly because it sounds like "coin", which again takes me back to the Living Gold Conference. This is a very wonderful word: The essential meaning of the koinonia embraces concepts conveyed in the English terms community, communion, joint participation. These are all things directly related to our church, or community. I like the word community much better than congregation, which sounds more passive. Those who have studied the word find there is always an implication of action included in its meaning. One could also consider the words communication and commitment. Koinonia embraced a strong commitment to "kalos k'agathos" meaning "good and good", an inner goodness toward virtue, and an outer goodness toward social relationships. In the context of outer goodness, translated into English, the meaning of koinonia holds the idea of joint participation in something with someone, such as in a community, or team or an alliance or joint venture. The term can also relate to a spiritual relationship. In this sense, meaning something that is held and shared jointly with others for God, speaking to man's "relationship with God". Epictetus talks of religion as ‘aiming to have koinonia with Zeus". The word Zeus was later understood to mean Deus. The early Christian community saw this as a relationship with the Holy Spirit. The idea of community denotes a "common unity" of purpose and interests. By engaging in this united relationship a new level of consciousness and conscience emerges that spurs the group to higher order thinking and action, thus empowering and encouraging its members to exist in a mutually beneficial relationship. There are, of course, various levels of community, from just 2 people, anywhere and up to including humanity as a whole. This is where we are eventually heading: from 2 people in the beginning, to feeling connected and working together as a whole, across the whole world. Now there is one more meaning to the word koinoia, which we will be celebrating on December 21st, a very special wedding between 2 long time friends, Constance Lucky and Ralph Danyluk: Two people may enter into marriage in order to have "koinonia of life", that is to say, to live together a life in which everything is shared. Koinonia was used to refer to the marriage bond, and it suggested a powerful common interest that could hold two or more persons together. Next time, I hope to discuss another basic derivative, "es". Sparky

Support Your Local Sheriff (I mean Priest/Church)

Hi there, just a brief note, continuing where I left off last week with regard to an orientation on the working of a priest. I know the title will put me in a certain age bracket, but there it is, and I still like James Garner, as well as his successful actor daughter, Jennifer. For some of us, part of the reason for attending the workshop, was in the hope of learning how better to support the work of the priest. It's a huge job, and it was extremely indicative of the working of the priest, that none of the lecturers, all priests, ever spoke of what a priest can expect in terms of a salary or stipend. They are sent into a community with the trust and faith that they and their families will be adequately supported and provided for. Having attended several delegates' meetings, I would like to emphasize the word, adequate, which could also read, "barely". They truly do seemingly take a vow of poverty, when they are ordained. The fact that we are still struggling to find ways to support our priests in retirement, speaks volumes. That to me, is the first and foremost question: what does our priest and their family need? Take a good look, this is the responsibility of all members. Are they living at least as well as the average member of the congregation? If not, why not? Secondly, there are all the myriad little details that again, board members are usually well aware of, but other members of the congregation may not, and should be. In fact, one community is in the process of sending out a questionnaire, trying to find out what skills different members have, that could be volunteered in aid of the operation of the many things that often fall to a priest to carry: practical care of vestments, candles, flowers, the incense. Putting together the program, event planning, finances, website administration, email, study groups, building maintenance, taxes, insurance, etc., etc. The more that we as individuals can offer, the stronger our sense of community will become. Take a good look at your church building. Is it something you can be proud of? Would you be proud to bring your friends and family? If not, why not? Thirdly, the more of these things other people can take care of, the more the priest can concentrate on the things they are supposed to be doing: celebrating the sacraments, soul care in the community, and teaching/bringing the Word into physical being. That is the whole point of the Act of Consecration. The building of community, or helping to bring the spiritual down into the physical. The fact is, we are not just onlookers when we attend a service - we are co-celebrants. We are working together to help create something that can work positively on the Earth, and that will help carry it into its next evolution. Of course, in doing this, we also work on transforming ourselves, moving ever closer to something sacred that is waiting to be discovered in each and every one of us. We can all strive to breathe in the Word and transform it into the physical. Any and all work can become sacred. This is, of course, all done out of the freedom of our own will. The more we choose to work with the sacraments, not just by ourselves, but with others, the wider our horizons of perception and understanding will expand. Okay, that's the hard part. Next time, the Good News! Sparky