UUAWOL weekly report 03/18/18 - 03/24/18

Weekly report from UUAWOL 03/18/18 – 03/24/18

Stats

1.    During the week of 03/18/18 – 03/24/18  UUAWOL received 859 views up 158 from the previous week of 701.

2.    The heaviest viewing day was Sunday, 03/18/18 with 152 views.

3.    The average number of views per day was 123 while the average number of views the preceding week was 100.

4.    The number of views is up for reasons difficult to speculate about let alone ascertain.

Highlights

1.    The column on Lent continued.

2.    A new feature, the UUAWOL podcast has been added.

3.    The Holy Fool humorous articles are among the most popular.

Plans - Short term

1.    Continue with a daily post about the spiritual life.

2.    Continue a series of weekly reflections on the meaning of Lent.

3.    A weekly article on prophetic voices and events will be maintained.

4.    Continue with at least a weekly article on humor.

Plans - long term

1.    Build a model of UU theology

2.    Create a dictionary of UU terms

3.    Further develop an articulation of the values that comprise a good life.

4.    Describe and encourage deliberate practice of an interior spiritual life.

To what are Unitarian Universalists faithful?

Unitarian Universalism has a theology which is fuzzy. Its principles and sources contribute to ambiguity. In its respect for, and attempt to affirm and promote a free and responsible search for truth and meaning, it provides too little guidance and assistance.

As W. Edwards Deming, the teacher of Total Quality Management, said one time, "If you don't know where you'
re going, any road will take you there."

UUAWOL's mission is to provide a map, a cognitive model of the stages of the spiritual life. Currently we are describing the Walk With Love on the path of the spirit. We have been describing some of the milestones on the path of the spirit and one of them is faithfulness.

At present, we can ask, "How faithful are you in affirming and promoting the seven principles?" The question seems overwhelming and unwieldy. It might be easier to ask, "When you make decisions about choices you have in front of you, to what extent do you ask yourself, 'What would Love have me do?'" Are you faithful to this practice?

Faithfulness is another milestone on the spiritual path. Faithfulness implies an understanding and acceptance of who one is (a creation of the Divine) and the desire to walk with Love on the path of the spirit.

Faithfulness means giving up the path of the ego and all the idols that are placed on that path. We no longer crave money, power, status, sex, control and all the things that the path of the ego tells us are necessary for us to acquire if we are to be happy.

We have recognized the lies that the idols on the path of the ego have told us, and we have committed ourselves to finding a better way to live our lives, but sometimes that commitment is half-hearted. Sometimes that commitment applies to some things and not others. Sometimes that commitment is intense in times of desperation and stress, but less so when we are less desperate and the stress has been reduced.

We may see the benefit and desirability of walking the path of the spirit but we still are ambivalent. Matthew tells the story in Chapter 19:16-22:

16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 

17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 

18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 

21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 

22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

The rich young man lacked faith. His faith was still in his possessions. He seemed to desire to leave the path of the ego and turn onto the path of the spirit but he was not ready and it made him sorrowful.

At the early stages of our spiritual development, after the dawning and the turning and beginning the search, we still are ambivalent. There is part of us that does not want to leave the path of the ego or we wish we could have our cake and eat it too. Our faithfulness is weak. Over time, though, and with increased practice, we become more faithful to the path of the spirit and we walk it with more confidence with increased peace, bliss, and generosity of spirit.

Prophetic Voices and events - March For Our Lives, March 24, 2018

The March For Our Lives on March 24, 2018 has filled me with great hope that I have not experienced before.

These young people have taken their trauma and transformed it with resilience into something very positive for humanity.

Witnessing this reminds me of the word "miracle." A miracle is a shift in perception and understanding. Some might call it an "epiphany," you know, when the light bulb goes on?

This "miracle" is preceded usually by disillusionment and what I call "the dawning" that there must be a better way.

We are witnessing a nation increasingly disillusioned with old way of doing things with the norms promulgated by the NRA and the politicians they have bought with their campaign contributions. The idols of money and guns have not served us well and it is the young people, not as jaded and compliant as us older folks, who are teaching us that a new way is possible and highly desirable.

Tears of empathic resonance well up with the innocence and optimism which we old folks have lost and find rekindled in our hearts and minds, dare I say our souls, when we witness it once again in the younger generation.

The prophetic voices of this younger generation provide new hope for the future of humanity.

 As Travis Tritt sings, "It's a great day to be alive."

UUAWOL podcast - Episode 5, Walking With Love

Unitarian Universalist: A Way Of Live podcast now available on its own web site and on Itunes

The Unitarian Universalist: A Way Of Love Podcast is available here.

It is also available on Itunes and other podcast distributors.

UUs on a spiritual path manifest patience

Some Unitarian Universalists have chosen to walk on the path of the spirit. They have left the path of the ego. How can you recognize UUs who are walking the path of the spirit? They manifest certain signs, one of which is patience.

This patience is not the same thing as denial or avoidance or passivity or ignorance. This spiritual patience is based on trust and faith in the ultimate outcome of salvation, the At-One-Ment, what some might call "cosmic consciousness" or "God consciousness."

Another milestone on the the path of the spirit is patience. "Patience is a virtue" is an old cliche which people like to quote because it is so hard, at times, to practice.

Once on the path of the spirit, the outcome is known. The outcome of human evolution is the At-one-ment. The Atonement is when everybody loves everybody all the time. It may seem like a long way off but the trust and faith in its ultimate achievement can help a person practice what seems like infinite patience. The goal is assured. It is only a matter of time. Some people are slower learners than others. Not everyone learns at the same pace.

It says in the introduction to A Course In Miracles, "It is a required course. Only the time you take it is voluntary. Free will does not mean that you can establish the curriculum. It means only that you can elect what you want to take at a given time."

We are all in this thing called Life together. Life provides us with a series of lessons if we are to survive in our present incarnation. The lessons about our physical functioning are the easiest to learn when we are small children. The lessons about our emotional functioning are more difficult to learn and can take a whole life time. The lessons about our spiritual functioning for many are never learned but for some, who are willing to examine their lives, lessons can be learned culminating in enlightenment.

One of the milestones on the path of the spirit is the learning of patience. There is no need to hurry. Learning cannot be forced. People cannot be pressured into learning their lessons. The person has to choose when they will learn and even if they will learn. Some people learn quickly the lessons Life is teaching and others don't seem to pay attention and learn much at all, and continue to make the same mistakes over and over again.

The spiritually advanced soul is patient, gentle, defenseless, nonjudgmental, joyful, honest, and trusting. It is the trust born out of faith in the eventual certainty of the Atonement that generates patience. In traveling the path of the spirit, the traveler finds peace and this peace is imbued with patience.

Generosity is a basic virtue which UUs covenant together to enact.

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote the acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth. This principle assumes generosity. Generosity is a virtue, in Buddhism a paramita, and is a behavior admired and yet raises great anxiety when generosity is called for.

On the path of the ego, generosity means to give away and the giver will have less. On the path of the spirit, generosity means to share with others and the giver will have more. It is like singing in a chorus. Does the generous singer have less in sharing his/her song with the group or does (s)he gain something by sharing her song with others? The same gain occurs in telling a joke or engaging in a conversation. We gain by giving.

A woman with nine children was asked how she divided her love between all her children. The woman replied, "You have your math wrong, honey, you don't divide, you multiply."

On the path of the ego, giving implies giving up something and having less. On the path of the spirit, giving implies the opposite, we get what we give and it is only in giving that we fulfill humanity of which we are a part.

Generosity is the sharing of Unconditional Love and is a sign of  advanced spiritual development. It is a basic principle upon which UUs pledge to guide their lives.