NO ONE CAN SHARE MY SPIRITUALITY

I have found a quote from James Hollis (in Spirituality and Health -- July / August, p. 51-52) that helps explain why each person's spirituality is unique:

...the numinous is found wherever we are moved and touched...That's going to be different for different people.

The numinous has to produce a resonance within us, which I think is one of the clues of one's spirituality. You have to ask, what is it that really activates the spirit within me? For one person it will be working tieh their hands; for another person, it's a creative endeavor; for another, it's an intellectual activity. It's different for all of us.

That needs to be repeated:

IT'S DIFFERENT FOR ALL OF US.

PICK WHAT WORKS FOR YOU

Rabbi Rami Shapiro refers to people who are spiritually fluid as "spiritual Boundary Crossers."

In his book, When One Religion Isn't Enough, Duane Bidwell refers to people who consciously ignore boundaries between religious territories as 'spiritual nomads.' He states: "From my perspective, most people of faith are spiritually fluid to one degree or another; they commit to one religion in name but incorporate many religions in practice." [p. 33, op. cit.]

When we are honest, most of us admit that we decide for ourselves what we actually believe, regardless of what religion we belong to. I had a Presbyterian friend who repeated the Nicene Creed every Sunday in worship. But knowing some of his 'beliefs,' I asked him how he could say "I believe." He responded by saying that he just repeated the words but didn't pay any attention to them. From my experience over the years, my friend's practice is more the rule than the exception.

Truth be told, most of us pick and choose what we believe by what resonates with us. Unfortunately,
as Bidwell writes, "Most of the religiously multiple people in North America and Europe live in a spiritual closet...When they are visible, ordinary people with complex religious bonds are apt to be dismissed...they are accused of practicing 'cafeteria religion' -- picking and choosing from a spiritual buffet." [p.9, op. cit.]

I, myself, have heard various 'authorities' argue against 'syncretism' and insist that you must stay focused on  just one religion. Perhaps this is why so many nowadays claim to identify with the SBNR label and refuse to identify a religion.  I dabbled with that label myself when I no longer wanted to identify with any religion, and decided to pursue my own form of spirituality.

But I am not opposed to religion. In fact I agree with Rabbi Rami's idea , who recently suggested that we "Marie Kondo" our religion. Author of  The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Kondo urged folks to pick up an item in their house and ask, "Does it spark joy?" If it doesn't, she suggested that we throw it out. So Rami suggests we lift up each part of our religion and ask if it sparks joy in us. "If it does, keep it. If it doesn't let it go."

In their encyclopedia of spiritual practices, Spiritual Rx, Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat basically suggest  the same. As they observe: "Not all spiritual practices are for everyone. Know yourself and look for the ones that are right for you." [p.5]

As I see it, when we go to a buffet, we take what we want and leave the rest. So as you explore other faith traditions and practices, why not take what works for you and let the rest go. The great basketball coach Phil Jackson did just this, as he admits in his book, SACRED HOOPS. He writes:

     "I started exploring a variety of paths...I began taking yoga classes, reading books about Eastern religion, and attending lectures by ... spiritual teachers .. the more I studied other traditions, the more intrigued I became about taking another look at my spiritual roots." [p.45, op. cit.]

Eventually he came across William James' The Varieties of Religioous Experience and couldn't put it down. As he described how it helped,

     "It also gave me a deeper understanding of my Pentecostal roots and helped lift the curtain of guilt that had shrouded me most of my life. I no longer felt compelled to run from my past or cling to it our of fear. I could take from it what worked for me and let the rest go. I could also explore other traditions more fully with out feeling as if I was committing a major sacrilege against God and family." [p, 46, op. cit.]

Eventually,  Phil grew beyond his childhood Pentecostal religion, studied Zen and found a way to embrace parts of both, keeping what worked for him.
                                                      * * * * * * *
                                     PICK WHAT WORKS FOR YOU!

BECOMING ONE'S OWN AUTHORITY.

{Preface: Please see "More Words of Encouragement..." from March 17, 2019.}

Who really decides if a religious claim is true or not?

     Rabbi Rami Shapiro's Roadside Assistance for the Spiritual Traveler responded to this question in the may/june 2018 issue of Spirituality and Health as follows:

"You do. If you agree with the claim, you say it's true; if you don't agree with it, you say it's false. Once you admit you are the arbiter of religious truth and falshood, and that you believe what you believe simply because you've been conditioned to believe it, you will start questioning all your beliefs, liberate yourself from the straitjacket of intellectual and religious conformity, and slip into the gentle and terrifying grace of living with not knowing."  [p. 21]
    
     This was my experience as I struggled in my adolescence with my childhood fundamentalist indoctrination that the Bible was the infallible "Word of God," which I eventually came to conclude was the Protestants' counter to the Catholic claim of papal infallibility.  Father Richard Rohr spoke to this same issue when he wrote the following in his daily meditation on March 18, 2020:

"Most of organized religion, without meaning to, has actually discouraged us from taking the mystical path by telling us almost exclusively to trust outer authority -- in the form of scripture, tradition, or various kinds of experts -- instead of telling us the value and importance of inner experience. (I call that trusting the 'containers' instead of the 'contents.')


In fact,  most of us were strongly warned against ever trusting ourselves, told that our personal experiences of the divine were unnecessary and possibly even dangerous...We were taught to mistrust our own souls--and thus the Holy Spirit within us."  [Bold my emphasis--Ty]

     Elizabeth Lesser, author of The New American Spiirituality: A Seeker's Guide, writing in Spirituality and Health, asked:

"So what is new about 21st-Century Spirituality?  Some of it is not new at all...The big difference between the older forms of spirituality and 21st-Century Spirituality is the movement away from an external authority figure and a movement toward an empowerment of each seeker. 21st-Century Spirituality is not about being told what to do...It's about becoming one's own authority."  {S&H, Spring 2000, p.48 [Bold emphasis mine--Ty]

     To me, this issue of authority is what separates spirituality from religion:

* Religion is an institution that was created by others; spirituality is something you create and develop within yourself. 
* Religion tells you the truth; spirituality encourages you to discover the truth for yourself.
* Religion sets the creed, dogma and/or doctrine on what you should believe; with spirituality you decide for yourself.
* Religion promotes a path; spirituality involves you setting your own path.

     I like the way Jack Kornfield sums it up [taken from Bringing Home the Dharma]:

     "The spiritual path does not present us with a prescribed, pat formula for everyone to follow. It is a matter of invitation.  We cannot be Mother Teresa or Gandhi or the Buddha. We have to be ourselves. We must discover and connect with our own unique expression of the truth. We must learn to listen to and trust ourselves."

   

WHEN RELIGION IS NOT ENOUGH

Since my last entry in March, I have been studying the subjects of religious authority, differences between religion and spirituality, and related issues.

Recently, I read Duane R. Bidwell's book, When One Religion Isn't Enough (c) 2018.
Professor Bidwell teaches at a California seminary and is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church, USA; he is also a practicing Buddhist. In the book, he discusses people who practice more than one religion -- what he calls "religious multiplicity."

I first became aware of this practice when I read The Jewel in the Lotus some years ago: Jewish folk who also practice and identify as Buddhists, known as "JuBu's" are discussed at length.

In his book, Bidwell doesn't make a sharp distinction between religion and spirituality;  He does provide the following contrast:

    " I think of religion as the formal structures and practices that shape a community's relationship to Mystery and to the world...Spirituality expresses a person's way of relating to Mystery through rituals, prayers, physical movements and postures, spiritual disciplines, beliefs, values...and other ways of connecting to the sacred...while figuring out the meaning of life." [p. 5]

What really grabbed my attention is found later in the book where he writes:

    " From my perspective, most people of faith are spiritually fluid to one degree or another; they commit to one religion in name but  incorporate many religions in practice."  [p.33, my emphasis]
Later on he refers to such people as "spiritual nomads, people who consciously ignore boundaries between religious territories to find shelter, nourishment and meaning in fertile landscapes, familiar or not."  [p. 38]

Bidwell seems to compare these "spiritual nomads" with what have come to be called SBNRs --those who claim to be "Spiritual But Not Religious." He writes:

"SBNRs reject religious exclusivism, dogmatism, judgment...(and) advocate internal spiritual authority." [p. 41]

After leaving the Southern Baptist Convention, I joined a congregational (UCC) church and some years later joined a Unitarian Universalist congregation. With increasing distaste for denominationalism, after a time, I began to see myself relating to the SBNR classification. However, this, too, was  a bad fit, as I don't like labels, and  never thought of myself as being very religious or spiritual. But I do have a keen interest in the development of my spirituality, and gladly acknowledge that I am, indeed, "spiritually fluid." And with this comes the acknowledgement that I am responsible for my own beliefs and admission that I am my own authority.

Which brings me to the subject of religious/spiritual authority. (To be continued...)

      

More Words of Encouragement for Developing Your Own Patchwork Quilt Spirituality

From Shel Silverstein:

There is a voice inside of you
     That whispers all day long.

"I feel that this is right for me,
      I know that this is wrong."

No teacher, preacher, parent, friend, 
     Or wise man can decide
     What's right for you -- just listen to
     The Voice that speaks inside.
                           * * *

From Wolf Walker:

There is nobody external who can heal you,
     change who you are or the things you've experienced.
It has to come from you..
     You have to make that choice.
                          * * *


From Letty Cottin Pogrebin (in Getting Over Getting Older:)

We read books and consult experts, looking for answers 'out there,' …
     before we discover … that meaning is made, not found, 
     in the CRUCIBLE OF ONE'S OWN WONDERING SOUL.

                                             * * *


From JUNG:

You are your own best authority.
                     * * * 


And a TOUCHSTONE developed from by Baptist heritage:

LEND A DEAF EAR 
                                      TO ANY PROFESSIONAL RELIGIOUS GURU 
WHO TELLS YOU 
                                    WHAT YOU MUST BELIEVE.
                          

WHAT HELPS YOU MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT?

What helps you make it through a very cold night?

Chances are, a very nice, warm comforter or QUILT!

But I am thinking about those times when we are caught up in the recognition that life is difficult and can be scary hard; what about those times when our demons are attacking us in the middle of the night with all those "what if" questions, trying to provoke an anxiety attack? Where do we turn for help?

For me, it is prayer … my spirituality, and that is why I refer to my spirituality as a "patchwork quilt."

My beliefs have changed over the years, and continue to do so; that is why the image of a patchwork quilt works for me. As parts of my spirituality become worn or no longer meaningful, I remove and add new patches as necessary according to what works for me.

A recent weekly e-mail from the Christian Century [3/07/19] contained a post from Barbara Brown Taylor taken from her new book, My Holy Envy of Other Faith Traditions. In teaching Religion 101 and researching world religions, she realized that the various teachings caught her attention (but) "finding these things attractive did not mean it was time...to start making a quilt of spiritual bits and pieces with  no strong center."

Despite my high regard for Dr. Taylor, that is exactly what I have done, and will continue to do.

As she notes in this excerpt from her new book, "God created humans exactly the way we are, with freedom to choose good or evil." And then she adds, "No one can do our choosing for us."

No one can be responsible for my spirituality but me. I must decide what is true for me: what is BS and what resonates...what is true for me. That is the only reason that I remained associated with the Baptist tradition for so long, as the early Baptists insisted in the right of each individual to interpret their own conscience under God. Each of us has the RIGHT, and yes, the RESPONSIBILITY, to decide for ourselves in matters of faith and spirituality. Existentially, we actually have no other option for we must live our own life.

And for those religious professionals who insist that we cannot just pick and choose what we would believe, I would observe that in my experience with people, that is exactly what every one actually does.

RECENT FOOD FOR THOUGHT

In doing research for a work in progress on  aging, I discovered an interesting article on PBS.org entitled "Faith, Spirituality & Aging" - An Interview with Rev. Jennifer L. Brower. She is quoted as saying,

Some theological thinkers believe that God, called by so many different names, is found or created in the connection formed between two people who are engaged in the mutual enterprise of sharing from their deepest self and being open to the other person's deepest self -- what Martin Buber called an "I-Thou" relationship, or what is referred to in the term namaste, meaning "I bow to the divine within you." There, in that space, the holy is brought to life, and through that experience both people will be  transformed.

In Unitarian Universalism, we believe that the holy is continually being revealed; that "revelation is not sealed." So until our very end, and maybe after, there is always the possibility of discerning something new about the transcendent and our connection to the Most High.
                                              
                                                             * * *
I found this to be a good reminder that when I am being congruent and conversing in an authentic manner with another, I am on "holy ground." And a good reason why my patchwork quilt spirituality will always be a work in progress.

SERENDIPITY

I found an interesting quote while perusing the current edition of  Entertainment magazine this morning (FEB. 15/22, 2019 - p.77.) The article stated that the director of the movie Serendipity,  Peter Chelson, during deliberations about the movie, picked up Julia Cameron's book Blessings and randomly opened it to page 61:

"Rather than insist on being the sole author of my life," it read, "I invite the collaborative forces of the universe. Synchronicity, coincidence, reinforcement, and serendipity." 

The article noted that the quote persuaded him to make the movie.

And the article makes me wonder if these collaborative forces of the universe are not another way of describing G-D or the Creative Life Force (the term I like to use.)

JEWISH VOICES TO CONSIDER AMONG THE PATCHWORK

Elie Wiesel writes in NIGHT that he found Moishe the Beadle, a master to help him with his study of
Kabbalah:

"He explained to me, with great emphasis, that every question possessed a power that was lost in the answer...
Man comes closer to God through the questions he asks Him, he liked to say. Therein lies true dialogue. Man asks and God replies. But we don't understand His replies. We cannot understand them. Because they dwell in the depths of our souls and remain there until we die. The real answers, Eliezer, you will find only with in yourself.
One evening...After a long silence, he said, There are a thousand and one gates allowing entry into the orchard of mystical truth. Every human being has his own gate. He must not err and wish to enter the orchard through a gate other than his own." 

                                        [ NIGHT - translated by Marion Wiesel (c) 2006,Hill and Wang, p. 5]


The great scholar, Harold Bloom,  shared his thoughts on belief in God in an interview printed in the October 2018 edition (p. 85) of ESQUIRE:

"My wife, Jeanne, is an admirable and honest atheist. I'm not an atheist. My attitude toward Yahweh is that I don't like him and I don't trust him and I wish he would go away. But I know he won't, because he's built into the language, as Nietzsche said. He's part of the way we think. As soon as you use a verb involving being, you're in trouble. When he identifies himself to Moses, he says, 'ehyeh asher ehyeh,' punning on his own name of Yahweh. It means something close to 'I will be what I will be.' Which in effect means 'I will be present whenever and wherever I choose to be present,' which has the horrible corollary 'And I will be absent wherever and whenever I choose to be absent.' And he--or whatever it is, she--has certainly been absent for a long time."

SOME THOUGHTS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Back when I was pastor of First Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, I posted the following on the front page of our newsletter, ( THE LINK, (No. 49, #1, dated January 7, 1993) written by Adolfo Quesada. I came across it again yesterday in a file of favorites, and it struck me anew:


     Seek the treasure of your heart.
     Seek God.
     Seek God's face in every person you encounter.
     Seek to understand God's complexity in the simplicity of a leaf.
     Seek to embrace God's immenseness in the smallness of a hummingbird.
     Seek God's joy in the sparkling eyes and spontaneous smile of a child.
     Seek God's immeasurable love in the gentle touch of a caring friend.
     Seek the presence of the loving Spirit.
     Seek this in prayer.

And may we all pray and work for peace.
SHALOM!

GOODBYE 2018!

I just realized that 2018 is coming to an end with my blog empty of any new entries for the year.

It strikes me symbolic of the year that I have had.
My family has kept the "healthcare industry" in business--no need for details--and keeping up with all the appointments, etc., has been a weary journey.

My year has been one of emptying and letting go...some of it intentional; much imposed by life.
Perhaps the fact that I just traded in our 2009 Chrysler van last week has brought the reality of letting go home. The fact that one has been attached to a physical object does not seem very "spiritual" but letting go of the familiar is not easy, as we are "hard-wired" to resist change.

The worship leader at church yesterday suggested we turn the light on in our soul room before he read the scripture. Our pastor later took a "time-out" to write that phrase down as he said he had not heard it before (nor had I.) As I contemplated that phrase later in the day, I realized that there have been days this past year when I've had difficulty finding my soul room, and others when I could not find the switch to turn the light on.

At other times, I've been aware of the need to "re-boot" my faith--as I've tried to identify childhood and superstitious beliefs from my fundamentalist childhood...and let them go. Duke Divinity School professor Kate Bowler's book "EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON and Other Lies I've Loved" points to the struggle in this process.

Our pastor's sermon yesterday was entitled: "Searching for Jesus."

Since then, I've come to recall what my congregation at First Baptist in Lynchburg called the "Jesus window" -- a stained glass reproduction of Holman Hunt's painting  "The Light of the World." that towered behind and above the chancel, with Jesus holding a lantern and knocking at the door ( Rev. 3:20 - "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in and sup...") I used to tease that no matter how sorry a sermon I might have delivered that morning, that window "preached" the gospel message loud and clear!

Despite all my questions and uncertainty about what I actually believe, my patchworkquilt  spirituality has that picture at its center, as I do believe that the divine never tires in her search for each of us.

A recent conversation with a friend reminded me that not everyone sees much difference between religion and spirituality. And though I feel passionate about the difference, it's not that easy to explain.

The current issue of Spirituality and Health  [july/august 2017] has some quotes which show the complexity:

     Author Dan Millman (Way of the Peaceful Warrior) is quoted as saying: "The word spiritual refers to the transcendent--that which inspires, uplifts, even liberates us: in the simplest terms, life's Big Picture. In my view, we're all on a spiritual quest, seeking to understand our larger purpose here, even as we address the duties of daily life.

     Rabbi Rani Shapiro, in his regular Q&A column (Roadside Assistance for the Spiritual Traveler)
responded to the question, What's so healthy about spirituality?

     Spirituality is about opening yourself up to love, compassion, hope, justice, and possibility.
It's about daring to see what is without the distortion of belief and creed. Spirituality is living without a net, and being surrendered to the awesome and the awful with tranquility. Living spiritually is living a life beneficial to the thriving of self and other, and that is the healthiest thing any of us can do.

LIVE EACH DAY AS IF ITS YOUR LAST?

We had a young friend over for lunch today. It's always a delight to be with him, as he has such a great sense of humor and positive outlook on life. He's also a physical trainer and works out at the gym all the time--so he is very high energy.

As we were talking about his great attitude about life, he remarked that he lived his life each day as if it were his last. When he said that, it struck me that I see him just the opposite, so I told him that I see him as if he were living each day as if it were his first!

When I said that, his eyes lit up with recognition, and he said that I was right: He lives each day as if it were the first day of his life -- not the last.

As that fact hit home, I told him that I was reminded of what I believe the Buddhist tradition calls the "Don't Know Mind."  I explained that when we approach any experience with too much familiarity, we are not paying attention (not mindful) and are closed to the unique reality of the present moment.

And so it was that I heard the truth of the word of Jesus to Nicodemus afresh: "You must be born again!" That is, if you would live more fully and abundantly:

                                     LIVE EACH DAY AS IF IT WERE YOUR FIRST!

Who are you going to be? BE A WONDERFUL PERSON!

What does the research about success show us?

According to Dr. Emma Seppala in the July/August 2017 issue of Spirituality and Health:

     It shows us that we will gain only momentary bursts of joy from all the pleases we are seeking in life, from sex to money. The long-lasting fulfillment we seek comes from living a life of purpose, of meaning, of compassion, and of altruism. It comes from being there for others...Forget the stories you have heard, forget the cultural lenses you have been subjected to: You already know what leads to true happiness. You already know what you will know on your deathbed: that a life well lived is a life in which you have shared an abundance of love. That the only aspiration to have is to be a wonderful person for some one else.

Some years ago, a therapist friend told me that she had heard the only question that we are asked after we die is: "Who did you love?"

"I AM WHAT I DO." --NOT!!

According to Dr. Emma Seppala in the current issue of Spirituality and Health [July/august 2017],
"High achieving students (and high achievers generally) buy into the idea that 'I am what I do.'
They think their value stems first and foremost from their productivity...You are a worthwhile human being if and only if you are successful, powerful, or wealthy or have reached a certain status."

With identity and productivity so intertwined, Dr. Seppala see the result leading to a lifelong quest to be more and more successful -- but never bringing deep fulfillment.

After challenging her class about the idea of "success," she asked them to identify the qualities of the most wonderful person they knew. Loving, caring, and present were the adjectives they described.

She then asked: "Isn't it the wonderful people, the generous, kind, and compassionate ones...who carry us through life? They are there when we have fallen, they love us when we don't love ourselves, they care when no one else does...It's the wonderful people who are the most successful and impactful influences on all our lives, and we at blessed to encounter them."

WHAT DO YOU DO?

I saw a recent news segment that focused on how we handle social interactions.

It was noted that usually, conversations with a stranger begin with the question:
    
          "What do you do for a living?"  (or "How do you make a living?")

Again, the norm seems to focus on jobs or career -- and really tell us little or nothing about who the person really is.  What if the question asked:

          "How are you spending you life?"  (or "What gives meaning to your life?")

It seems to me that what we do to "make a living" and how we decide to "make a life" can involve quite different issues.

The deeper question ultimately becomes "WHO AM I?"

Some years ago, I was in a workshop with the "free-lance" philosopher Sam Keen.

He asked us to partner with someone in the group we did not know and introduce ourselves by making 5 "I AM" statements. After we finished this exchange, he then told us to now describe to our partner how we are not those 5 statements!

In my experience, we all struggle with the question, "WHO AM I?" and probably never reach a final answer. Even the great Apostle Paul could only answer with a paradox:

      I know that in me...dwelleth no good thing;

for to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not. (18)

    

     For the good that I would, I do not;

but the evil which I would not, that I do. (19)

                                                                               {Book of Romans, chapter 7 KJV}

Clearly, I need more patches on my spirituality quilt.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BE WHEN YOUR GROW UP?

     Some where in our early childhood, most of us were asked, "What are you going to be when you grow up?"

     I don't remember my earliest answers, but eventually I decided I wanted to be a medical doctor. That decision carried me through high school and into college until I acknowledged my aversion to chemistry and the physical sciences. Nonetheless, my desire to help people eventually led me to seminary and an early career as a minister. It was back then that I first developed a sermon entitled:

"WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?"

My main thesis was the insight that this question confuses the meaning of WHAT with WHO, and BEING with DOING. I believed then, and still do, that the pivotal question for our life is:

WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

     During my childhood back in the 1950's when Dwight Eisenhower was President, the best answer to the question you could give  was to say that you wanted to be President of the United States. But years later in my  ministry, after the downfall of President Nixon and other revelations about earlier presidents, I  was able to observe that doing the job of president was not the same as being a person of good character and high moral values. So the emphasis of my sermon was to ask:  What kind of a person do you want to be? What are the values that you choose to live by?

     I also pointed out that we never finish growing up!

     Now, at age 70, I realize the truth of that statement more than ever. No matter whether we are still working, unemployed, retired, married or single by choice, divorce or death, LIFE keeps happening and we continue to adjust and change. Some of my friends have sought second careers or retired; lost a spouse through death or divorce; and coping with the "empty nest" and/or "downsizing."

     Throughout all these life change events, as we process these transitions, we discover that we, ourselves, continue to change; and the reality is that we never finish "growing up" --until we die.

     Consequently, I believe that the question "Who do you want to be when you grow up?" remains central to our becoming and growing spirituality. As Sue Monk Kidd has written: " our earlier lives aren't wrong, they are just pre-construction, that's all. Our lives are meant to unfold, to evolve, and that's good...It's a process that doesn't really end."

    
    

    

TRUTH SEEKING

We spent the month of October finishing our plans and then moving back to Vermont -- and I am still recovering from relocation stress. Not that I am complaining, as we arrived in Bennington to find the fall colors at their peak, and just had our first beautiful snowfall! Vermont is, indeed, awesome!!

Nevertheless, our self-move was exhausting, and I am still in recovery mode. Seeking some inspiration this morning, I was reviewing Rami Shapiro's Q&A column in the current  issue of Spirituality and Health magazine (2016 Nov-Dec) and was taken with his encouragement:

          "Befriend fellow seekers, questioners, and spiritual creatives
who are devoted to truth seeking without falling into the trap of truth owning;

          who play with ritual and are committed to innovation;

          who share the values of justice, compassion, peace, and the honoring of all beings;

          and who actively work for the welfare of person and planet."

I find myself being re-energized as I re-read this.
Thank you Rami!

Namaste.
Ty

LOVE ("GOD IS LOVE")

"Love" jumped out at me this morning on both TV and in my e-mail:


3 Rules of Spirituality

* Embrace love

* Know that all is love

* Be the love that you are

          -- by Debra Engle

[see Maria's (Shriver) Sunday Paper, 9/4/16]

          ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"You can't write love off or put it on hold.

It stays with you until death.

And I don't know it doesn't continue."

          -- Jerry Lewis

[in an interview by Tracy Smith on CBS' Sunday Morning, 9/4/16]          

FOOD for THOUGHT

"No one is right all the time...
and no one is wrong all the time."
                                                       
                      -- Steve McQueen as Josh Randall in Wanted: Dead or Alive

          ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"God is the experience of looking at a tree and saying  'Ah...!"

                                                                    

                      -- Joseph Campbell

          ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"What is a man if the doesn't have a spirit?

     And what is a man's spirit if it cannot connect with the master of life?

          I won't back down from my faith and from that power that keeps me alive."

                     -- Johnny Cash
[from the documentary Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of a Masterpiece, 2008]

          ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Believe and your belief will actually create the fact."

                     -- William James

          ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"The past is not dead:

                                      it's not even past."

                     -- Wm Faulkner