On This and That

Recently my husband and I had the opportunity of having a meal with a group of regulars that we see about every quarter. When we are together I notice that, no matter how I may be feeling before we all arrive, I always go away from our together times with new energy and deep pleasure. Doubtless the togetherness we bring holds great comfort and familiarity…and we are by no means peas in a pod…but there is more than this taking place. Taking thought about it I believe I know at least some of what is happening. There is in this group the willingness to bring the diamonds and pearls, the stones and pebbles of our lives into the open so that we may all be a part of them. We do this unabashed and without worry that what we bring will be ill considered, so it is easy to go from here and there to this and that.

Nothing short of amazing...

It is nothing short of amazing to be part of the unfolding lives we are sharing, and all the thises and thats are not necessarily comfortable. Some bring illnesses that need healing…and they ask for our prayer work without embarrassment. Others bring losses that become a bit softened perhaps by being absorbed in the listening of interested friends. And, of course, there are accomplishments and pleasures which are made greater because they are received by all of us.

The open place that is theirs awaits...

We have created a history together, a collective consciousness that endures because we all are situated and invested in our changing lives. Even when some are not present each time, the open place that is theirs awaits them whenever they can come, and a gap created by their absences is closed around them.

Can friendships be this organic?

Can friendships be this organic? Can they arrive and grow without major entanglements or criticisms? Can they be this easily renewed by the simple act of being present? Apparently so. We seem to be readily available to one another, whether times are difficult, wondrous or simply giddy.

Doesn’t get better than this.

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One Turret at a Time

       

I am very fond of the use of metaphors, which are basically comparisons of similar ideas or subjects that may help in clarifying their meanings. One that I always enjoyed is this one: When you’re thinking of painting a castle, perhaps the best way to begin is by taking one turret at a time. In other words, if we find ourselves absolutely snowed by things in front of us to do, how about picking out just one place to begin? Hopefully the progression should be obvious. If we can find one small way to create an opening, the whole, imponderable pile in front of us starts to become more manageable.

Frantic never helps...

Frantic never helps. I discovered this years ago as I found myself overwhelmed by big picture concerns and had no idea where to start. There always is a starting place, but we often need to narrow our focus so that we can find an opening. Scattered searching won’t do it. There is no question that narrowed, contained thinking is difficult to do at a time when ideas, challenges, possibilities and demands are thrown at us every day, sometimes packaged so cleverly that our eyes bounce from idea to possibility to distraction without settling anywhere.

Dancing with interesting distractions...

All depends, of course, on how much we want to actually accomplish. Dancing with interesting distractions we can always do and never really resolve anything, which is ok if that’s what we want. But if we actually want to gather some arrows into our quiver (nice metaphor—yes?), we might keep our eye on one turret at a time.

Sometimes little really is big!

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On Surrender

Surrender is one of the best spiritual practices there is, no question about it, but it’s good to understand what surrender can do for us. When we hear the word, most of us probably go back in memory to early 20th Century American western films with good guys and bad guys trying to get the upper hand, usually with lots of guns blazing. If one group won the skirmish, the others had to raise their hands in submission and say, “I surrender.” Bad example of a good mental/spiritual practice.

Give over, not give up...

A fine metaphysical author and teacher, Ervin Seale, had a wonderful take on surrender when he said that it meant to “give over, not give up.” Give over the problem, the concern, the thing we have been wrestling with to the greater Mind of God, which has the big picture in hand at all times. In this act there is immediate relief. We have stopped fighting. As the mythical Atlas should have done, we have lifted a weight off our shoulders and entrusted it to the wiser, more expansive power than our own. For the believer, there is encouragement and better still, the openness to solutions which can be hard to find when we are caught in the coil of a dilemma.

Surrender a situation to a new mind set...

Spiritual practices are ours to use for help with clarifying our thinking. They help us to recognize the difference between effort, which is often necessary to move ahead, and struggle, which is never fruitful and can pull us back. To be spiritually wise is to know when to surrender a situation over to a new mind set rather than exhausting ourselves in mental lacerations.

Clear guidance...

Come to think of it, active surrender at the outset of a cycle of thought could definitely lead to clear guidance to a stronger, more creative outcome without the upset in between!

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On Prayer

As a minister,I have prayer as a part of my toolkit, as it is for many who try to live a life anchored in spirituality, and anyone who turns to prayer in the course of their daily activities knows that it is not always seamless and flowing. Sometimes we find ourselves fighting for every step toward the peace prayer can hold.

Prayer is a staff...

People who are not inclined to a prayerful life sometimes scoff at the supposed sentimentality they say it suggests. They see it as a crutch, a means of propping ourselves up when moving through a dark place. They are wrong; prayer is a staff, a strong arm of support when we are making our way through an unknown field to an outcome we may have fear or concern about.  And sometimes it can part the red sea.  It can make a way where before there was no way.  I think of prayer as a conscious reminder that we connected to the all-encompassing Divine. True, the connection may always be present…this is what Oneness means…but sometimes it grows dim without the light of prayer.

Pray without ceasing...

     St. Paul said to pray without ceasing, and that is a lot easier than one might think.  To the person with a prayer habit, it is a comfortable matter to stand in quiet during the day, a moment here, a moment there, letting the mind ease its way Godward for small renewals.  Words aren't necessary.  The heart knows the path.

A waiting calm...

I do not always sit easily in prayer. Sometimes the roil in my mind will not allow it, so I must move my feet as I move my lips, hoping the two will coalesce into one. Sometimes the reach for prayer opens me to a waiting calm; sometimes I wrestle my way through to a resting place at least.

I have burnished the connection...

I would like all my prayer to result in a place of quiet release and trust, and many times it does. But at other times I have to be satisfied that I have dwelt in it and not found the sweet spot, but left my impression nonetheless. It is no matter, for I have burnished the connection. Even without full, inner harmony, I know I can trust enough to make the entry, knowing it will move me at least part way.

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