An online magazine of faith based on a free and responsible search for truth and meaning. The mission of Unitarian Universalism: A Way Of Life ministries is to provide information, teach skills, and clarify values to facilitate the evolutionary development of increasingly higher levels of spiritual development for human beings around the world.
The experience and idea of awakening exists in all cultures and all religious traditions. It goes by various labels whether it is called samadhi in Hinduism, enlightenment in Buddhism, Tao in Taoism, the beatific vision in Christianity or Fana in Sufiism. In Unitarian Universalism, it might be called cosmic consciousness or Oneness with the interdependent web.
Regardless of what it is called, the perennial psychology holds the concept of the difference between the unconscious state of being asleep on the path of the ego or the conscious state of being awake on the path of the Spirit to be universal.
It might be said that the ultimate goal of the covenant of Unitarian Univeralism is the love of the interdependent web of existence which provides a cosmic consciousness. This stage of human evolution is not, usually, easily attained. As has been described earlier, some are born more attuned to this sensibility while others achieve it as a result of a crisis in their lives and others achieve it through diligent practice. Affirming, promoting, and living the seven principles as a path to salvation, awakening, is the key to the faith which Unitarian Universalists hold dear.
First, some people are born awake. They are rare, but they exist. They are sometimes referred to as an "old soul" even at a young age. They seem wise beyond their years. They are empathic and sensitive to the other beyond the bounds of their individual ego.
Second, some people wake up from a crisis. A near death experience, NDE, is the most familiar, but it can also occur from another life shattering experience after which things will never be the same again. These experiences are so ego shattering that the person can never go back to the way things were before. When you have seen the light of Truth, a person cannot go back to the darkness of ignorance.
Third, some people gradually awaken. They come to realize usually after frustration, discouragement, failure that there must be a better way. It dawns on the person that there must be more than just the trudging on the path of the ego, The person wakes up and begins a search for a better way beyond the path of the ego. Following this yearning is a matter of faith. Some people adopt the 8 fold path of Buddhism, some follow the practices of Christian mysticism, and some decide to enter into a covenant to affirm and promote the seven principles of Unitarian Univeralism.
This third path of awakening, using the covenant of Unitarian Univeralism's seven principles, involves relinquishment of the path of the ego. This third path involves a change in one's life pattern, a commitment to going beyond the small self of the ego. There are many aspects to this change, but perhaps one of the biggest is a simplification of one's life and an increase in honesty and authenticity.
Following the covenant of Unitarian Univeralism affirming and promoting the seven principles helps one become holy and this transformation sanctifies the world.
The perennial psychology distinguishes between the states of human consciousness as asleep and awake. Most human beings spend most of their lives with their consciousness asleep. Steve Taylor describes the sleep state of consciousness in his book, The Leap, as having four categories of signs and symptoms: affective, perceptual, conceptual and behavioral. We will be taking these categories of signs and symptoms of a sleeping consciousness one at a time. In this article we will describe the signs and symptoms of the behavioral category. People who are asleep, most of humanity, manage their dis-ease in two major ways: entertainment that is mood altering, and filling their internal void up with stuff, accumulating things. President George W. Bush, who professes to be a follower of Jesus, told Americans after the 9/11 attack to "go shopping" because we can't let the terrorists defeat our American way of life. Really? The answer to national anxiety after being attacked by terrorists is to go shopping is the second behavioral strategy for staying asleep. Continuing to sleep, America pursues its immoral wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which continue to this day 17 years later. These wars are evidence of the spiritual poverty of Americans. Americans are so asleep that very few people even question the fact that America is still at war in Afghanistan and has spent over one trillion dollars on this ineffective and disastrous strategy to create world peace. The first strategy of entertaining ourselves to avoid our dis-ease is evidenced by the preoccupation with social media, drugs, and materialism in all its shapes and sordid configurations. The desire to be entertained has led to the election of a reality TV president who filled the airways during his campaign and Presidency with all kinds of sensationalized lies, cheats, and attacking behaviors. As a fan of World Wrestling Entertainment, President Trump is a cartoonish figure whose outrageous antics have aroused passions which contribute to Americans continued sleep while all kinds of immoral policies are enacted in their names from immigration, to racism, to misogyny, to "tax reform" taking from the poor to enrich the one percent. Somnolent consciousnesses of Americans is addressed one soul at a time by the covenant of Unitarian Univeralism which affirms and promotes seven principles. The covenant of UU is a path to salvation. It is written in A Course in Miracles, “Salvation is nothing more
that ‘right-mindedness,’ which is not the One-mindedness of the Holy Spirit,
but which must be achieved before One-mindedness is restored. Right-mindedness
leads to the next step automatically, because right perception is uniformly
without attack, and therefore wrong-mindedness is obliterated.” T-4.II.10:1-2 The seven principles which UUs use as a compass to discern "right-mindedness" which takes us to the One-mindedness which we all yearn for. The mission of UU A Way of Life ministries is "to sanctify the world by helping people become holy." This sanctification involves becoming aware of the signs and symptoms of our somnevalence. Becoming aware we can choose to wake up.
“The seven
parts do not stand alone. They function in concert to convey the wholeness of
religious understanding.”
P.x Ellen Brandenburg, ed. The Seven Principles In Word and Worship
UU is a covenantal religion based on seven principles. The seven principles can be studied individually, but they also must be studied as a whole recognizing the the parts interact in a dynamic way to create an understanding greater than just a sum of the parts.
One of the problems with Unitarian Univeralism which hinders its growth and acceptance in a society to which it hopes to sanctify is a misunderstanding of the fourth principle which is the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. This is often interpreted as meaning that Unitarian Universalism is a creedless religion, that there is no doctrine, and that the seeker can seek whatever he/she wants. Not really. This is anarchy and nihilism which does not contribute to the creation of a cohesive covenant.
Francis David, the Unitarian pioneer in the sixteenth century famously said that we need not think alike to love alike and in his famous, and often quoted maxim, Francis David reframes the spiritual search from a cognitive activity to an experiential one.
As human beings we have a head and a heart. A well integrated personality uses both in alignment. The head and heart are working together in harmonious cooperation. There is no imbalance. Some people spend too much time in their head and not enough in their heart, and some people spend too much time in their heart and not enough in their head. Spiritual and psychological peace is realized when head and heart are in balance, what psychologists call "congruence."
In our search for sainthood, holiness, awakening, enlightenment, buddahood we are mis-served by the idea that anything goes and its every person for him/her self. The Unitarian Universalist church asks us to covenant together to affirm and promote seven principles. It is this covenant and these principles that provide the path to sainthood. The belief that this covenant and these principles will facilitate our spiritual growth is the basis of our faith. It is of concern that this faith in the covenant and principles is so often out of focus, disregarded, marginalized, ignored in our Sunday morning worship. The covenant and principles are rarely the topic of sermons and other elements of UU liturgies and therefore the people are mystified, oblivious to the key to the teachings of their purported faith.
If Unitarian Univeralism is to survive and grow it needs to be rejuvenated and revived. It has been on death support now for some time. It is time to uplift the path for the free and responsible search for truth and meaning which is the covenant to affirm and promote the seven principles. This path is journeyed with both our heads and hearts and it is a path that will take us to the promised land. As W. Edwards Deming said, "If you don't know where you're going any road will take you there."
The major benefit of Unitarian Univeralism for individuals and communities is that it offers hope. UU teaches that there is a better way.
In the age of Trumpism when people identify with the Trumpistic code which is;
Be mean and nasty and bully to get one’s way
Cheat and lie to get ahead
Embrace greed as the path to personal worth and aggrandizement.
Hate the other to protect what’s ours and one’s own.
Exploit others to attain pleasure and satisfaction
Practice moral and ethical behavior relative to one’s desires and preferences.
Unitarian Universalism offers a different code articulated in their seven principles around which they covenant to affirm and support.
In the age of Trump, not only in the United States but around the world, hope in a better future for humanity and the planet is in short supply. A political solution will not change the hearts and minds of human beings. That change must come from a different narrative of mythic proportions which inspires living in new ways.
The old narrative of a judgmental, wrathful, punishing Yeti in the sky no longer resonates with educated more enlightened human beings. Current humans aren't willing to sacrifice and martyr themselves for a place of peace and joy after death. Contemporary humans want peace and joy now on earth as it also is believed to be in heaven. The question is how to attain that peace and joy here and now. When the Trumpistic code does not work, and old time religion does not work, what other options are there? Unitarian Universalism offers one option.
Unitarian Universalism asks people to covenant together to affirm and promote
the inherent worth and dignity of every person
justice, equity, and compassion in human relations
acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth
a free and responsible search for truth and meaning
the right of conscience and the use of democratic process
the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all
respect and love for the interdependent web of all existence
Comparing the Trumpistic code with UUs seven principles which do you think offers humanity the greatest prospect for health and happiness. Unitarian Univeralism offers the world in the darkness of Trumpism, the light and hope of heaven on earth in the here and now.
One of the interesting observations about people who attend Unitarian Universalist congregations is that they know very little about their faith.
It is hard, if not impossible, to share one's faith with others if one knows nothing about the faith oneself. If you asked most people at a UU church what the seven principles are that they covenant together to affirm and promote, 90% can't tell you. Could they even name two of the seven?
Try it. Go to a UU church next Sunday, any Sunday, and ask the people in the congregations if they can name two of the seven principles they supposedly covenant together to affirm and promote.
The ministers don't help either because they rarely preach on the foundations of the faith. It's a shame really. This coming Sunday in a local church , the sermon is entitled, "My thirteen years with Mary Beth." The description states that "Mary Beth" is the preachers cat and the sermon will be about what we can learn from our relationships with our pets.
Really?
I could get this on YouTube and it probably would be more enjoyable.
I wonder if the preacher will be sharing pictures as one preacher did at a sermon I walked out of when she started passing around pictures from the National Geographic.
Something is wrong with the living tradition of Unitarian Universalism when it focuses on pop psychology and pop culture. Are we that desperate to fill the pews on Sunday mornings? A community not well grounded in the basic understanding of their faith is a dying community. It is written in Proverbs 29:18, "Where there is no vision, the people perish."
Unitarian Univeralism is perishing because the people have lost touch with the vision of the faith.
Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote seven principles. Applying these principles are thought to bring its adherents to bliss. Has Unitarian Universalism nurtured and facilitated the development of many saints? If one were to aspire to sainthood, to holiness, would adherence to the seven principles help? Are there wise ones among the fellowship to help us on the path?
The Dali Lama has said that the purpose of life is happiness. The big question is, "What will make me happy?" The answer is to live a moral life full of virtue. People respond, "You can't tell me what to do!" And the answer is, "Of course not, it is not my intention to deprive you of your freedom. It is my intention to help you figure out what will make you happy."
Becoming happy is the outcome of implementing certain skills. As with any skill, a person could exercise it any old way he/she wants to, but will this willy nilly approach get the same results? We pay big money for tutors, for teachers to help us improve our skills because we have grasped that accomplishment takes deliberate practice. If you are to play the piano well, it must be practiced on a regular basis and a piano teacher can help.
If you are to live life well it takes a lot of practice and a certain amount of intention and reflection and a good teacher can help as well.
Many things on the path of the ego create obstacles and block our progress to happiness. Are we even aware of what thoughts and behavior will lead to happiness?
Osho makes an important distinction between pleasure, happiness, joy, and bliss. People seek sensory pleasure, but this doesn't contribute to longer term happiness let alone joy and bliss. The Universe calls us to bliss and few people know how to attain it. Sometimes the achievement of bliss requires the forgoing of pleasure. Feeling good and doing good can be two different things.
Achieving happiness and bliss requires discipline and awareness. In achieving a degree of happiness and bliss, wisdom accrues. Seek out and learn from the wise ones.
Unitarian Universalists' seven principles help them navigate the path of the ego and the path of the spirit and yet they kind of miss the point.
The compass the principles attempt to provide sometimes leads people astray because the compass points to a path that takes them askew.
What is the function of a person on the spiritual path? It is to join with others in forgiveness and Love.
We can't do this half way. We can't do this for some and not for others. It is an all or nothing deal. Either we are one with the All or we are not. Either we see the Divine spark in all people or we don't.
On the path of the ego it is difficult sometimes to see the Divine spark in all people, and yet, our faith tells us it is there if we are on the path of the spirit.
The path of the spirit asks that we walk with Love. Jesus is very clear about this for He tells us that the way to the kingdom is to "Love as I have loved."
We hesitate, though, thinking that some people are deserving of love and forgiveness and other people aren't. Or some people are deserving under certain conditions but not under other conditions. We act as if we are prosecutor, judge, and jury.
In our judgment we have lost our way. We have forgotten that the bull shit on the path of the ego isn't real in the spiritual world. The bull shit is stuff we humans have made up and promulgated and performed.
As we enter onto the walk with Love on the spiritual path we laugh and say, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do," and we extend our love and forgiveness to the Divine in everyone and heaven is born.
Linda said she believed in deprivation. She complained of feeling anxious much of the time. She told me her doctor told her she was suffering from "generalized anxiety disorder" and prescribed Klonapin for her which used to make her feel better and then didn't so she increased the dose and now it doesn't seem to work at all.
When we talked more she told me she grew up worrying about money, and her parents, and was fearful that there would never be enough and it was only a matter of time before some bad thing happened. As we talked she said she could see how the fear of deprivation had contributed to her thinking that sacrifice was love and it made her feel better to do things for other people to the point that people laughed at her and told her that she should remember that "nice gals finish last." Linda said with tears that she usually felt as if she was last or would become last in any given situation.
The doctor diagnosed Linda's problem as a medical problem, and a psychotherapist might diagnose her problem as psychiatric, and I wondered with Linda if it was spiritual.
Linda asked what do you mean, spiritual?
I said, "Thinking that you are a body and meeting its needs has made you fearful of so many things and situations in life that it is robbing you of your peace and contentment. You are not your body but a divine spark that is loved by the universe. It says in A Course In Miracles, 'As long as you perceive the body as your reality, so long will you perceive yourself as lonely and deprived.' It says a bit further 'Deprivation breeds attack, being the belief that attack is justified. And as long as you would retain the deprivation, attack becomes salvation and sacrifice becomes love.'"
"Does that mean," asked Linda, "that to be happy and at peace I have to give up my preoccupation with my body and focus my energies on fulfilling myself in other ways?"
"Yes," I said, "and our UU faith can help you do that if you pursue the mission of living and extending the seven principles. These principles are rich and deep and their implementation and operation in our lives brings great peace and happiness. Pick one and work on it for a week or as long as you want and then move on to one of the other principles.My favorites are the first, the third, the fourth and the seventh."
Linda laughed and said, "That's about all of them."
I laughed too and said, "Yeah, it's hard for me to choose. Start with the first and see where that takes you."
