Essential Spirituality by Roger Walsh

Perennial philosophy - Human beings partake of the two realms of reality

 

2) Human beings partake of both realms. We are not only physical but also spiritual beings. We have bodies, but we also have, at the core of our being, in the depths of our minds, a center of transcendent awareness. This center is described as pure consciousness, mind, spirit, or Self and is known by such names as the neshamah of Judaism, the soul or divine spark of Christianity, the atman of Hinduism, or the buddha nature of Buddhism. This divine spark is intimately related to—some traditions even say inseparable from and identical with—the sacred ground or foundation of all reality. We are not divorced from the sacred but eternally and intimately linked to it.

Essential Spirituality, Roger Walsh, p.6

Roger Walsh teaches that there are four crucial claims in the Perennial Philosophy, the first of which is that there are two realms of reality and the second that we, as humans, partake of both realms: the profane and the sacred.

Unitarian Universalism affirms and promotes this when it holds as its fourth principle, the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. This search is engaged in in the realm of the sacred. It does this by exploring the six sources of its living tradition. Each congregation seems to find one source or another as a center of gravity for this exploration. Some congregations tend to be more Christian or Buddhist or Earth Centered or humanistic. Some dabble in all six.

One of the strengths and weaknesses of Unitarian Universalism is the eclecticism in telling its story of the sacred. It tries to be a jack of all trades while a master of none and like the Israelites of the Old Testament wander in the desert led by Moses after escaping slavery in Egypt for 40 years.

Now is the time for a recognition of a perennial philosophy which brings all the spiritual teachings of the world religions together in unified concepts and practices.

Today we recognize and acknowledge not only that there are two realms of reality which human beings experience, but that we partake in them whether we are consciously aware of it or not. We can all agree that we have Life but what the nature of this Life is is less well understood depending on many factors.

Unitarian Universalism attempts to elucidate and manage those factors so that a healing can be achieved between our separation from and rejoining with our Transcendent Source.

Healing our separation from our Transcendent Source

My part in the Atonement is the cancelling out of all errors that you could not otherwise correct. When you have been restored to the recognition of your original state, you naturally become part of the Atonement yourself. As you share my unwillingness to accept error in yourself and others, you must join the great crusade to correct it; listen to my voice, learn to undo error and act to correct it. The power to work miracles belongs to you. I will provide the opportunities to do them, but you must be ready and willing. Doing them will bring conviction in the ability, because conviction comes through accomplishment. The ability is the potential, the achievement is its expression, and the Atonement, which is the natural profession of the children of God, is the purpose.

A Course in Miracles . Foundation for Inner Peace. T-1.111.1:4-10. 

Jesus assures us he will help us achieve the Atonement. He tells us we have the potential to achieve the Atonement, and when we work miracles we demonstrate we have achieved it, and achieving the atonement here on earth is our purpose.

In Alcoholics Anonymous it is suggested in step three that we make a decision to turn our willfulness over to the will of God. When we do this we are working the miracle which brings about the Atonement which is simply healing the separation of ourselves from our Transcendent Source.

In Unitarian Universalism, we covenant together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. When we do this we are working miracles which achieve the Atonement ,the Oneness that heals separation.

Today, we can ask Jesus to show us the way to achieve the Atonement by walking the way of Spirit rather than the way of ego.

The Road NotTaken by Robert Frost

 When we consider the two realms of reality we realize we have a choice: the low road or the high road, the road well worn or the road less traveled where the path is less clear. Which would you choose: the safe road of convention or the less well known road of post convention?

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Perennial Philosophy - The Two Realms

 Developed over thousands of years, the perennial philosophy is a treasure house of humankind’s accumulated wisdom. Vast in scope, profound in depth, it offers numberless insights into the nature of life and love, health and happiness, suffering and salvation. 

At its heart lie four crucial claims—actually observations, since they are based on direct insights by advanced spiritual practitioners—about reality and human nature. 1) There are two realms of reality. The first is the everyday realm with which we are all familiar, the world of physical objects and living creatures. This is the realm accessible to us via sight and sound and studied by sciences such as physics and biology. But beneath these familiar phenomena lies another realm far more subtle and profound: a realm of consciousness, spirit, Mind, or Tao. This world cannot be known through the physical senses and only indirectly through the physical instruments of science. Moreover, this realm creates and embraces the physical realm and is its source. This domain is not limited by space or time or physical laws, since it creates space, time, and physical laws, and hence it is unbounded and infinite, timeless and eternal.

Walsh, Roger. Essential Spirituality (pp. 6-7). Turner Publishing Company. Kindle Edition. 

If you only knew how much your Father loves you.

I am in charge of the process of Atonement, which I undertook to begin. When you offer a miracle to any of my brothers, you do it to yourself and me. T-1.III:1:1-2

The “atonement” in A Course In Miracles is to undo the separation which the ego believes is real and which the Course calls a “tiny mad idea.” Jesus demonstrated this undoing when he said in many ways over and over again, “if you only knew how much your Father loves you.” When we realize that Unconditional Love is our natural inheritance, and we share this realization with others, miracles occur.

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested in step twelve that we share our spiritual awakening with others.

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person and this perception moves past the ego to the Divine Spark within every person.

Today, it is suggested that we share in the atonement as Jesus demonstrated for us by shedding the world of the ego and entering into the world of Spirit. Do this for a few moments several times throughout your day.

Time stands still

The miracle minimizes the need for time. In the longitudinal or horizontal plane the recognition of the equality of the members of the Sonship appears to involve almost endless time. However, the miracle entails a sudden shift from horizontal to vertical perception. This introduces an interval from which the giver and receiver both emerge farther along in time than they would otherwise have been. The miracle thus has the unique property of abolishing time to the extent that it renders the interval of time it spans unnecessary. 

A Course in Miracles . Foundation for Inner Peace.T-1.II.6:1-5

The miracle, the shift in perception from the world of the ego to the world of Spirit, involves a suspension of time. Time stands still. Time has no meaning. Unconditional love is all there is. Perception of linear time is abolished and all there is Oneness.

In Alcoholic Anonymous it is suggested in step eleven that we enhance our conscious contact with God through prayer and mediation. Another way of describing this step is to say that it encourages a shift in perception from the world of the ego to the world of Spirit, from the world of conditional love to the world of unconditional love.

In Unitarian Universalism we covenant together to affirm and promote a love for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. When we affirm and promote this love we shift our perception from the world of the ego to the world of Spirit and join the Oneness where time no longer has meaning.

Today, it is suggested that we shift our perception from the world of the ego to the world of Spirit. When we do this a miracle occurs and time stands still.