Tuesday, May 12, 2020
The Spiritual Life, Topic Twenty Five, In which world do you put your faith?
The Spiritual Life, Topic Twenty Five
In which world do you put your faith: the world of the ego or the world of the spirit?
Osho. Maturity: The Responsibility of Being Oneself (Osho Insights for a New Way of Living) . St. Martin's Press. P.53
Like so many ideas in the spiritual life, they seem paradoxical.
“We get by giving.”
“We learn what we teach.”
“Love is an overflowing not a sucking up.”
These paradoxical ideas are not difficult, but to the ego they seem counter intuitive.
So today whatever you need give some away. Share. See what happens.
Jesus points out this paradox when He teaches that the first shall be last and the last shall be first. Jesus is not talking about things in the ego world but in the world of the spirit. Jesus teaches that we have to be “in” the world, but not “of” the world.
So where do you focus your attention and effort? Your experience is heavily influenced by what you think, the thoughts you pursue and cling to. In which world do you put your faith: the world of the ego or the world of the spirit?
The Covid - 19 tales - What is Covid 19 trying to teach us?
Topic One
What is Covid-19 trying to teach us?
Humanity can’t continue on as it has been without going extinct as a species on planet earth. We have been destroying our ecosystem that supports us and the powers that run things on this planet are in denial or have deliberately decided for their own advantage to continue the destructive systems they have created and maintained. Profit and power is more important than Life. Once again, God has observed us worshiping the Golden Calf, the symbol of our god, Mammon.
God has sent us some prophetic women and men, but they are not listened to. Their warnings and teachings have been farting in a hurricane and pissing in the ocean. The eco scientists have told us with dire warnings that time is running out. Species are already going extinct in huge numbers, the glaciers and ice caps on the two poles are melting, the sea levels are rising, and the average temperature of the earth is rising.
The changes have been slow and insidious and the rich and powerful have sequestered themselves in their gated communities and isolated themselves from the consequences of their decisions.
Unitarian Univeralists have been taught better. They have paid lip service to a covenantal principle to affirm and promote a respect for the interdependent web of all existence, but UUs are such a small weak voice of humanity that it is not enough to wake their fellow humans up.
And then comes along Covid-19, the metaphorical whack alongside the head with a 2 x 4. The rising infection rates and death rates around the planet have created a WTF moment. Covid-19 has created an opportunity for abrupt awakening with a message that human behavior has to CHANGE. It’s as if God is sending us a stark clear message, that our ways of living have to change, and change now, and if we aren’t willing to comply with the requirement of Mother Nature we will die in this ego world.
And what must we change? What is Mother Nature requiring of us?
To be continued
Sunday, May 10, 2020
When religion fails us on Mother's Day.
The pastor went on gushing about mothers and their goodness and our gratitude and so forth. I left the service. Couldn't stomach any more.
Since when has religious worship become a Hallmark production?
The sentimentality can be repulsive.
Motherhood is often full of neglect, abuse, and trauma that lasts a life time.
The abuse and trauma sometimes begins with abortion and if not abortion then abandonment and rejection and if not abandonment and rejection, then torment, exploitation and abuse both physical and mental and emotional.
Religion should help us face up to the hard realities of life.
Religion too often fails and its failure to validate and affirm a person's deeper experiences of wounds and injuries only deepens the wounds and adds to confusion, guilt, and shame.
Mother's Day has become commercialized and in doing so artificially contrived.
Every day should be Mother's Day. If so, it there would no need to comparmentalize it and guilt people into commerically "celebrating" it.
When churches pile on and try to get into the act, it is antithetical to their function and covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person every day of the year.
Religion is to provide solace to the wounded and help them learn how to forgive, but what isn't named can't be forgiven. True religion would be more helpful if it gave us words for the turth.
Friday, May 8, 2020
The Spiritual Life, Topic Twenty four, Conditional and unconditional love
The Spiritual Life, Topic Twenty four
Conditional and unconditional love
Osho. Maturity: The Responsibility of Being Oneself (Osho Insights for a New Way of Living) . St. Martin's Press.p.52
Love is not conditional. Love is unconditional. You love just because you feel like doing it.
Unconditional love comes from abundance not from scarcity. One loves unconditionally
when joy is overflowing.
The mature person is past “give to get” and “one or the other” and “me or you.” There is only “we.” The “I” is gone.
Unconditional loving comes from having one’s priorities straight. First comes God, then comes me, then comes you, and then everyone and everything else. Putting God first, the circle expands naturally as everything is part of Godliness.
Unconditional love is an awareness of nondual Oneness. It is born from cosmic consciousness. It is in cosmic consciousness that we put our faith.
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
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