The third source articulated for the living tradition of Unitarian Universalism is "Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life." One of the most important nuggets of wisdom found in all the world's religions is some form of the golden rule - "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The golden rule might be even further simplified to one word, "share."
R.D. Laing, the British Psychiatrist, wrote in his book, Politics of Experience, that I can experience my own experience, but I can never experience your experience. The closest I can come to you is to experience my observing you experiencing your own experience.
Read that again. Stay with it. It's profound.
According to A Course In Miracles, we humans have decided to separate from the Oneness and form our own bodies. In doing so we made a sacrifice.
Recent psychological studies report that the biggest psychological problem in the United States is loneliness.
As I was reading about this finding, it made me laugh. Really? Loneliness? What made me laugh is the naming of this as a psychological problem which, undoubtedly it is, for which one of us has not experienced loneliness even in a crowded room, even in our committed long term relationships? What made me laugh is the lack of recognition that this, at its fundamental base, is a spiritual problem. The psychological aspect is only symptomatic at the surface, but fails to get to the bottom of things.
And so the problem of loneliness is a problem of the path of the ego. Rather than take the path of the spirit we have chosen the path of the ego which has taken us down the dark dead-end road to loneliness.
The good news is that things don't have to be this way. We can change course and embark on the path of the spirit and leave the path of the ego.
What does this change of course look like? It looks like forgiveness and love instead of blame and greed. It is about sharing instead of clinging and protecting.
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.
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Prophetic voices and events - Poor People's Campaign 2018
Suggested spiritual practice of the day #13
Take a media fast. Give up social media and turn your cell phone off. Take a day off and enjoy the peace and quiet and listen for the Angel's music in the wind or stillness of the room you are in.
In case you were wondering...............
Question of the day
It is taught in A Course In Miracles, other religious traditions, and in modern psychology that every unloving action comes from fear and is a well disguised cry for healing and help. To what extent do you believe this on a scale from 0 - 10 with 0 meaning not at all and 10 100% positive?
Friday, January 12, 2018
Suggested spiritual practice of the day #12
Instead of being reactive, back off, calm down, get things into perspective, ask the Holy Spirit to help you figure out how you want to respond, and then go back and deal with things.
There is a divine spark in every person that deserves only our love
Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote their second of seven principles which is justice, equity, and compassion in human relations. The justice, of which this principle speaks, is not civil justice, although it can be, but rather a spiritual quality of God's kingdom which is happiness, peace, and a high quality life for everyone. Any less is unjust. As long as one person is denied Love, we all suffer.
It is only just that everyone love everyone all the time. Any less is unfair to God's creation. Love withheld from any of God's creations is wrong and blocks the awareness of Love's presence. For the person, from whom Love is withheld in our hearts and minds, we attack and all suffer in a hell of our own making.
In order to love everyone all the time we must forgive our misperceptions and our misjudgments. When we misperceive and misjudge, we have not acted rightly and have been unjust, first to ourselves, and then to others. To correct our perceptions and judgments so that love comes to replace our injustice is what A Course In Miracles calls a "miracle."
In order to manifest the justice of God in the world we must love everybody all the time. What we must perceive and acknowledge is the divine spark in everyone which deserves only our love. When we love everyone all the time, God's justice manifests itself in our consciousnesses.
It is only just that everyone love everyone all the time. Any less is unfair to God's creation. Love withheld from any of God's creations is wrong and blocks the awareness of Love's presence. For the person, from whom Love is withheld in our hearts and minds, we attack and all suffer in a hell of our own making.
In order to love everyone all the time we must forgive our misperceptions and our misjudgments. When we misperceive and misjudge, we have not acted rightly and have been unjust, first to ourselves, and then to others. To correct our perceptions and judgments so that love comes to replace our injustice is what A Course In Miracles calls a "miracle."
In order to manifest the justice of God in the world we must love everybody all the time. What we must perceive and acknowledge is the divine spark in everyone which deserves only our love. When we love everyone all the time, God's justice manifests itself in our consciousnesses.
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