Peace and joy arising in timelessness.

The miracle is the only device at your immediate disposal for controlling time. Only revelation transcends it, having to do with time at all. T-1.1.48:1-2

The miracle, the shift in perception from the world of the ego to the world of Spirit, suspends our sense of time. Time stands still. The only thing better is to participate in direct revelation of the Unconditional Love of God which is our natural inheritance.

In Alcoholics Anonymous we are invited, in step eleven, to improve our conscious contact with God through prayer and meditation.

In Unitarian Universalism we affirm and promote the experience of the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Today, stand still and look inward and let everything go and experience the peace and joy arising in timelessness..

What's your plans for Thanksgiving?

 

What's your plans for Thanksgiving, David? 

I am working up a gratitude list of all the things I am grateful for and if other people are involved in generating gratitude in me I will let them know and specifically, if I can, what was done or said that I am especially grateful for, and how it has affected my life. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year because of its focus on all the things that have been a blessing., 

Saturday, November 20 2021, 

What is the UU teaching about the Santa Claus myth?

 

Santa Claus, that peculiarly American avatar of Saint Nicholas, remains surprisingly controversial for a character who promotes good will and generosity among children. Some secularists think he is too Christian—and ban him from public schools—and some Christians say he is too secular—and ban him from church. But there is another dividing line between Santa's supporters and opponents that cuts across religious lines: 85 percent of American children under five believe that Santa Claus is real. Is this good or bad? Is telling children about Santa Claus passing on a tradition, sharing a fantasy . . . or telling a lie?

Rebecca Sicree, "Is Santa Claus Real?", Touchstone, Nov./Dec. 2021 p.15

How does the Santa Claus myth fit with the UU principle of the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. Is the perpetuation of the Santa myth "responsible?"

The Santa Claus myth is for children which encourages them to believe in a world of enchantment and wonder. The Santa Claus myth is also for adults which encourages them to be generous and care and share with others.

There are three stages of human development:

1. You believe in Santa.
2. You don't believe in Santa.
3. You are Santa.

Mature UUs become Santa which is embodied in our second principle which is to affirm and promote justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.

The key factor in the Santa myth is in gift giving. The second factor is that it is based on conditional love so that the gifts that are given or received are based on whether the recipient is "naughty or nice." Will it be an orange in your stocking or a lump of coal?

UUs don't believe in conditional love, but rather have historically been strong advocates for unconditional love and therein lies the rub for UUs when it comes to the Santa Claus myth. UUs believe that Santa loves all people unconditionally and, as such, is an avatar for the Unconditional Love of our Transcendent Source.

What does time mean in the realization of Unconditional Love?

The miracle is a learning device that lessens the need for time. It establishes an out-of-pattern time interval not under the usual laws of time. In this sense it is timeless. T-1.1.47:1-2

The miracle is the shift in perception from the world of the ego to the world of Spirit and when this shift occurs time stands still. After the miracle occurs people sometimes say, “Where did the time go?” Sometimes people say that the experience was “timeless.”

Miracles do not occur in the past or in the future. They occur in what the Course calls the “holy instant.” Miracles are a mood and mind altering experience.

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested, in step eleven, that we improve our conscious contact with God through prayer and meditation. This conscious contact suspends our sense of time. When we have experienced a miracle we sometimes say, “Where did the time go?”

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to become aware of the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. This awareness is timeless as we realize the Oneness of life. Sometimes this is referred to as a mystical experience.

Today, we become aware of the fact that time is a construct of the world of the ego. In the world of Spirit time is meaningless. What could time mean in an experience of unconditional love?

Which is worse, evil or stupidity?

Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice. One may protest against evil; it can be exposed and , if need be, prevented by the use of force….Against stupidity we are defenseless. Neither protests nor the use of force accomplish anything here; reason falls on deaf ears; facts that contradict one’s prejudgment simply need not be believed - in such moments the stupid person become becomes critical - and when facts are irrefutable they are just pushed aside as inconsequential, as incidental. In all this the stupid person, in contrast to the malicious one, is utterly self satisfied and, being easily irritated, becomes dangerous by going on the attack.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison (c.1944)

Unitarian Universalist ideas can be as stupid as anyone's but usually they are not evil, not malicious. This makes the stupid ideas of UUs more difficult to deal with. UUs are great at ignoring ideas but when forced to take them up they will attack and do unjust things just like anyone else. As Jesus said, "By their fruit you will know them." There is not much fruit being harvested and that is because stupidity has prevented an abundant crop.

Where are the wise and smart ideas? They emerge but are quickly ignored because they do not fit the prejudgment as Bonhoeffer states.

Make me one with everything.

The Holy Spirit is the highest communication medium. Miracles do not involve this type of communication, because they are temporary communication devices. When you return to your original form of communication with God by direct revelation, the need for miracles is over. T-1.1.46:1-3

A Course In Miracles provides us with a vocabulary describing a spiritual intelligence which most of us are not familiar with in our contemporary culture. So understanding the teachings of the Course takes some effort in learning the vocabulary. Today’s principle brings this understanding to bear. 

The Holy Spirit, the Course teaches in this principle, is a communication medium. Miracles do not involve this type of communication because they are only temporary shifts in perception from the world of the ego to the world of Spirit and when we leave from the world of the ego to the world of Spirit, miracles will no longer be necessary because we will experience direct revelation of the Oneness of God.

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested, in step eleven, that we improve our conscious contact with God through prayer and meditation. Step eleven encourages us to look within and no longer seek our relief from the ego in external substances.

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. The “responsible” search for truth and meaning takes us inward and not outward. What is our true nature as human beings? What is our original face which we had before we were incarnated?

Today, we are reminded that while miracles can be helpful and enjoyable, they are only temporary because when we rejoin the Oneness they will no longer be necessary because we will join the Oneness permanently.

Trust that unconditional love never fails.

A miracle is never lost. It may touch many people you have not even met, and produce undreamed of changes in situations of which you are not even aware. T-1.1.45:1-2

The shift in perception from conditional love to unconditional love is like throwing a rock into a pond which causes a splash and then concentric circles of ripples that extend outward moving through the whole body of water. The changes made in the pond cannot be seen, heard, or sensed completely and they emanate unperceived through the space. Unconditional love is like the rock. We cannot know the influence it has on the world but we trust that it has salutorious effects.

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested, in step twelve, that we carry the message of the power of the program to induce a spiritual awakening for the world of humanity. How the message moves and the influence it has we can never know, but it is trust that we have that the seeds we sow will germinate and grow and bear blossoms and fruit.

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to accept one another and encourage spiritual growth that contributes to an actualization of the potential of humanity to realize that we are One.

Today, we generate a confidence in the idea that unconditional love is never lost but in miraculous ways creates changes for the better in a myriad of situations and lives.