Where did you come from and where are you going?

All day I think about it, then at night I say it.

Where did I come from, and what am I supposed to be doing?

I have no idea.

My soul is from elsewhere, I’m sure of that,

and I intend to end up there.

Rumi, Jalal Al-Din; Barks, Coleman. The Essential Rumi - reissue (p. 2). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition. 

Extend unconditional love of which you become aware to others.

We have said that without projection there can be no anger, but it is also true that without extension there can be no love. These reflect a fundamental law of the mind, and therefore one that always operates. It is the law by which you create and were created. It is the law that unifies the Kingdom, and keeps it in the Mind of God. T-7.VIII.1:1-4

A Course in Miracles (p. 267). Foundation for Inner Peace. Kindle Edition. 

A person cannot give what they don’t have, can’t share what they don’t themselves possess. What is it that a person has? It is the unconditional love of their Transcendent Source which they can extend to others at any time they choose if they can rise above the ego.

In Unitarian Universalism some of us join together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. In order to affirm and promote this inherent worth and dignity, the person needs to know that inherent worth and dignity exists and from whence it arises.

Today it is suggested that we consider the unconditional love which has engendered our awareness of the loving existence of which we are a part. In order to become aware of this loving existence we need to rise above the ego and when we have done so, enjoy the peace and bliss that accompanies this awareness of unconditional love which is amplified by sharing it.

A year's journey with Rumi in 2023

 This year, 2023, along with A Course In Miracles, UU A Way Of Life will be reading and reflecting on the ideas from the poetry of Rumi in the book, The Essential Rumi, translation by Coleman Barks.

We are born and then we return.

 The Qur’an says, “We are all returning.”

Rumi, Jalal Al-Din; Barks, Coleman. The Essential Rumi - reissue (p. 1). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition. 

Focus on the Divine Spark that animates existence.

Perceive any part of the ego’s thought system as wholly insane, wholly delusional and wholly undesirable, and you have correctly evaluated all of it. This correction enables you to perceive any part of creation as wholly real, wholly perfect and wholly desirable. Wanting this only you will have this only, and giving this only you will be only this. The gifts you offer to the ego are always experienced as sacrifices, but the gifts you offer to the Kingdom are gifts to you. They will always be treasured by God because they belong to His beloved Sons, who belong to Him. All power and glory are yours because the Kingdom is His. T-7.VII.11:1-6

A Course in Miracles (pp. 266-267). Foundation for Inner Peace. Kindle Edition. 

Reading today’s passage might make one laugh out loud. “Perceive any part of the ego’s thought system as wholly insane, wholly delusional and wholly undesirable, and you have correctly evaluated all of it.” Holden Caufield, in The Catcher In The Rye, called the world of the ego, “the big lie.” The world of the ego is based on conditional love which is comprised of “give to get” and “one or the other.” The world of God is based on unconditional love and is comprised of one for all and all for one.

In Unitarian Universalism some of us join together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person and an awareness of the interdependent web of all existence.

Today it is suggested that we detach our attention from the things of the ego and focus on the Divine Spark which animates existence.

Deepen your awareness that you are one with everything.

You are the Will of God. Do not accept anything else as your will, or you are denying what you are. Deny this and you will attack, believing you have been attacked. But see the Love of God in you, and you will see it everywhere because it is everywhere. See His abundance in everyone, and you will know that you are in Him with them. They are part of you, as you are part of God. You are as lonely without understanding this as God Himself is lonely when His Sons do not know Him. The peace of God is understanding this. There is only one way out of the world’s thinking, just as there was only one way into it. Understand totally by understanding totality. T-7.VII.10:1-10

A Course in Miracles (p. 266). Foundation for Inner Peace. Kindle Edition. 

God is the ocean, the nondual Oneness which is the energy which animates Life. Neale Donald Walsch writes that if don’t life the word “God” substitute the word “Life.” People say they do not believe in God and when they do so they misunderstand and deny what they are. Life animates our being as it does others. We are all in this called “life” together.

In Unitarian Universalism we join together to affirm and promote an awareness of the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. This awareness of the interdependent web of existence is experienced as great peace and bliss.

Today it is suggested that we take some deep breaths, relax, and deepen our awareness that we are one with everything.

Don't be afraid of the dark; fermentation is in process.

Fermentation is one of the oldest symbols for human transformation. When grapes combine their juice and are closed up together for a time in a dark place, the results are spectacular.

Rumi, Jalal Al-Din; Barks, Coleman. The Essential Rumi - reissue (p. 1). HarperCollins e-books. Kindle Edition.