Spiritual practice #7 - Empathy and collaboration

Empathy and collaboration

The seventh component of spiritual health is attunement to the interdependent web and the cardinal sin # 7 is individualism and attachment to the ego.  The spiritual practice to mitigate individualism and attachment to the ego is empathy and collaboration.

The ability to put oneself in someone else’s shoes is the skill of empathy. Empathy is different from sympathy. The empathizer does not feel the same way the perceived person feels, but rather stays in one’s own shoes but can imagine what the other person might think, feel, and prefer. It is this empathy that contributes to the ability to effectively and efficiently collaborate.

This ability to empathize and collaborate requires that the person can be objective, nonjudgmental, and see things in the perspective of the big picture. This takes self awareness, self discipline, mindfulness, and the ability to use one’s personality in a purposeful way for the mutual welfare of the whole.

This ability to understand another’s point of view and the good of the whole requires good listening, and “reading” skills of other people’s thoughts, feelings, and preferences as well as the well being of the whole of which they are a part.

This skill of empathizing and collaborating is based on knowledge, understanding, and wisdom which comes from the individual being a lifelong learner motivated by curiosity and open mindedness.

This practice involves daily study and deliberate practice of using the knowledge obtained through study in improving one’s functioning. One of these traditional practices is called “lectio divina” which is usually thought of as reading religious or spiritual texts. More commonly known in Christian circles as “bible study.” It is the understanding developed from lectio divina which allows a person to be more empathetic and collaborative and develop a greater appreciation of the interdependent web of which we all are a part.

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson # 12 - I am upset because I see a meaningless world.

Lesson # 12

I am upset because I see a meaningless world.

The world I see that is meaningless and upsets me is because of my projection.

Do circumstances influence my perceptions or do my perceptions influence the circumstances? We are taught and socially conditioned to think the former while the latter is the truth. If we live by the former assumption we live as victims and victimhood in the realm of the soul is an illusion. We Universalists know this. We know that we are loved unconditionally by a loving Creator. Hell is what we have made in the world of the ego on earth, but we know there is another dimension, another reality which transcends the meaningless world of the ego which will so upset us if we let it.

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote a free and responsible search for truth and meaning. This search can take us beyond the meaningless world that upsets us so to the world of the soul where there is peace and bliss.

Good news for 08/13/20 SNAP - The Food Stamp program helps people now more than ever.

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote justice, equity, and compassion in our human relations. What better way that to assure Americans with food insecurity assistance in a way that respects their dignity and right to self determination?

When you vote in Federal and State elections vote for candidates who support the Food Stamp program and encourage other people to do the same.

Help with spiritual parenting on UU A Way Of Life

Spiritual Book Discussion - The Spiritual Child - Religion and Spirituality

Topic Five

Religion and Spirituality

The research shows a clear difference between strict adherence to a particular religious denomination and personal spirituality, with the latter focused upon spirituality as “an inner sense of living relationship to a higher power (God, nature, spirit, universe, the creator, or whatever your word is for the ultimate loving, guiding life-force).” This focus may seem clear and self-evident, but it took nearly two decades for the scientific community to embrace it.

Miller, Dr. Lisa. The Spiritual Child (pp. 6-7). St. Martin's Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Some people are religious but not spiritual, and some people are spiritual but nor religious, and some people are both religious and spiritual and some people say they are neither.

What about you? When the Pew Research Group does studies on the topic of religion they find that in the United States people increasingly say they are spiritual but not religious. It is ambiguous about what people mean by this. When questioned further they say things like “There is something out there bigger than me.”

So the way it winds up being discussed is the belief in a “Higher Power” whatever that Higher Power might be for them.

The first question for the parent-child relationship is what does the parent think about a Higher Power and having gained some clarity about that, what do they want to nurture, inculcate, and teach their children?

The important point here is that religion and spirituality are two different things and what a parent shares with their child about a Higher Power is important for the child’s development.

Children in the United States are encouraged up to the age of seven to believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, Guardian Angels and other mythical creatures. At age seven the child comes to the “age of reason” and gives up these beliefs, and what, if anything takes their place? Parent-child discussions about Higher Powers after age 7 become more difficult.

What do you believe and what do you want to teach your children and grandchildren that would be helpful and healthy for their development? What kind of social support would you like for your efforts?

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Letters From Hilton, NY #6 - Mindfulness - What do ya think?

Letter #6

Mindfulness - What do ya think?

It’s been quite a month in Hilton, NY where Harry Hollywood has been reading books on mindfulness and trying to be less reactive and feeling so much like a victim. Harry was over at the coffee corner in the Hilton pharmacy where he ran into some of his friends. He was telling Barbara Golden about his attempts to meditate and Barb said, “That’s wonderful Harry. I meditate every day and it calms me down. I find my day goes better when I am more centered.”

Ted Marketer overheard what Barb told Harry and said, “They are opening a new yoga and meditation studio down the street where you pay a monthly fee to take their classes like you do at the gym. I’m selling memberships if you are interested.”

Jennifer Golddigger heard this from an aisle over in the store and came over and asked, Ted, “How much?”

Ted said, “$30 dollars a month or $300 for the year if you pay up front.”

Jennifer said, “How about I teach a class. Would I get a discount?”

“Good question,” said Ted, “I’ll talk to the director and see if I can work out a deal for you.”

Roy Christain, sitting at one of the tables in Coffee Corner, called over to the group, “I didn’t know mindfulness was for sale.” It wasn’t  a question but a statement of mild contempt and disdain.

Elmer Sandbagger walked into the conversation and said, “Roy, you should know by now that everything is commodified and for sale. Otherwise no one in this materialistic dump pays attention.”

Jacob, who overheard the whole conversation being at work that day at the counter at Coffee Corner said, “Mindfulness involves doing a life review, a personal inventory, which leads to confession, and in the middle ages the Catholic church sold indulgences for time off in purgatory after a person died which lead to Martin Luther instigating the protestant revolution.”

“Hell’s bells,” said Barb, “This has turned into quite a conversation. All I’m saying is that I like meditation because it calms me and I think Harry would benefit from developing a mediation practice.”

“Gaze at your navel,” said Elmer and snickered.

And that’s how things have been going in Hilton, NY where Harry is beginning a mediation practice which Barb endorses and supports. Ted is trying to figure out how to market the practice and cut Jennifer in on the deal. Jacob connects mediation to life review and confession and points out how easily the practice can be corrupted and Roy is disgusted by the attempts to commercialize spiritual practices. Harry, though, has already experienced more peace and joy in his life from his fledgling efforts and in his own mind makes a commitment to continue.

A Course In Miracles Workbook Lesson # 11 - Meaningless thoughts = meaningless world

Lesson # 11

My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world.

The key idea in today’s lesson is counter intuitive. Most people, unless familiar with the metaphysical philosophy underlying the Course concepts, resist, defend, and deny this idea which is that the world we experience is a projection. Rather than the world stimulating our thoughts, our thoughts stimulate the world.

The sarcastic slogan is “What you see is what you get,” or as might be better said, “What you think you see is what you get.”

Yeah, yeah, I can hear people say now, “If you think gravity is merely a projection jump off a bridge.” Well, there are natural laws in the world of the ego which we learn about, but do they exist in the world of the Spirit? Another sarcastic slogan is “Eternity laughs at our mundane worries.”

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. UUs who endeavor to apply this principle to their lives know about implicit bias, confirmation bias, the Dunning-Kruger effect, prejudice, and judgmentalism. UUs who actually incorporate the principles into their lives already know that their meaningless thoughts are showing them a meaningless world and so they do not seek truth and meaning in the world of the ego but inwardly in the world of the soul.

Jesus, one of the world’s greatest mystical teachers told His disciples to be in the world but not of the world. The ACIM lesson today echoes Jesus’ teaching.