On a New Morning

For those of us raised in a traditional belief system, the passage of time and new knowledge may have eroded some of the old meanings. They may no longer seem either reasonable or complex enough for the ambiguities of the 21st Century. Still I think that spiritual themes remain that have value for us. We are approaching Easter, a season that many may now reject because its story seems more mythological than meaningful, but let’s not forget the recurrent theme that can apply to anyone. It tells the story of waking up, of rising up into a dawning sense of who we are as spiritual beings, and this is a more vital, internal activity than trying to work around the story of one special Son.

Doorways to peace....

So, with some consideration, we do not have to “throw the baby out with the bathwater.” The great spiritual themes of Easter, Christmas and other religious seasons have vitality because they are lodged in general human consciousness and have been so for eons of time. We can resurrect them as launching pads for greater inner growth. They can be doorways to peace, acceptances of self and others, and continuous awakenings.

A divine relationship that is ever with us...

The old stories point to a divine relationship that is ever with us. Now we can grow into it with more of a sense of adventure and the creation of a new story that is deeply personal to us. We have the chance to wake up to a new morning, not just one day a year but every day.

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You might enjoy "On Newness"

On Growing Up

    

I’ve been growing up again. I do this periodically. Technically I grew up many moons ago when I arrived at 21 years old, grew boobs, and thought I knew everything. This, of course, was laughable. Of course we all grow physically (and, in due course, hopefully, stop growing, but this is not a given…), but then comes the ever-increasing need to grow up mentally. Well, I thought I had done that as well. Went to school. Got degrees. But that seemed not quite enough, and most of my prized knowledge got outdated anyway.

...learning how to share...

I will say that marriage and family does demand a certain amount of growing up. After all, you have to least make the attempt to stay ahead of your kids for a while anyway. And living with a spouse does demand learning how to share.

Death grows you up in a hurry...

Death grows you up in a hurry, I found. When people you love die, I discovered that I did learn to live without them, even though I thought I never would, and pain does heal, even though missing them goes on. What became really interesting about death was when the people dying began to get closer in age to me, and suddenly I began to feel a little less immortal. This growing up is definitely not for sissies!

I have perspective...

Now when I grow up, I want to be like Angela Lansbury. I want to be able to contribute, to be artistic, to be creative, to have all my marbles like she does. There is nothing like a good role model when gravity is becoming a concern! And suddenly I discovered I have perspective, something I didn’t know much about when I was young. Now I can impress all the younger folks with it.

After all, there has to be a good reason for getting older!




You might also enjoy "On Noticing"

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On Letting Go

          

What is so difficult about letting go? There is a wonderful old spiritual adage that states very simply: Let go and let God. This is some of the best, most thoughtful, practical advice there is…and we hardly ever take it. It is almost as if we have to have the person, situation or the thing ripped from our clutching fingers before we will relax our grip. And then if we’re not careful, we’ll want to snatch it right back.

 Losing control.....

I wonder…could it be that we’re so afraid of losing control that we must have every person, place and thing under our hand all the time. Or are we just afraid of losing control…period! I have found that, the more things seem to get out of hand in world situations, the more I want to know that all my chicks are all accounted for. And I’m not sure whether it’s world problems…there is always something going wrong, after all…or if I feel I’m losing my grip with the passing years.

A great trust...

I really do believe in letting go and letting God, even if I sometimes seem reluctant to do so. Then again, I have developed a great trust in greater wisdom than mine, so it is mine to practice letting go. The days will continue to pass; the sun will rise each morning; the moon knows how to do its thing, and my chicks all arrive home at night.

The life in us knows how ...

It really does not have to be this difficult, does it? Some people are good at letting go, not many maybe, but some. They just let things slip right on by when it’s time. When I grow up, I want to be like that. The life in us knows how to be lived; therefore, letting go is up.

Better get on with it.

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Visit "On Room at the Feeder"

On Questioning

I think of the daughter of one of my former congregants. As a vital, young woman, she turned to her father and asked, “Are we kidding ourselves? Are we making this up?”, a natural inquiry as far as I am concerned, into the durability of our very existence. Some might consider it blasphemous to question so, but I don’t. I think that the more we ask, the more we can know. And as people who are spiritually minded—and any who reads these blogs are—we will ask.

The "know-ability" of the subject...

I recently watched a series of lectures on Understanding Gravity—Black Holes, Tides and Curved Spacetime. The mathematics escaped me entirely, but not the “know-ability” of the subject. Is it not amazing that minds on an infinitesimal speck of a planet in an infinitesimal speck of a galaxy in a jinormous cosmos can dope out the connectivities that consistently unfold in something that cannot adequately be measured? Sometimes it is enough to ask questions that will get answered down the road like Galileo, Newton and Einstein did. I am content with the “know-ability” of that which I do not yet know.

Evidences rather than proofs...

Or maybe enough with rationalizing! Maybe we could do what the religieuse—priests, nuns, people who join holy orders—do and follow spiritual practices that focus upon God-like ideas. Perhaps the inner invitation brings some light and enough “knowings” to keep us going, for some will feel a response to the invitation. I think that we will need to be satisfied with evidences rather than proofs. The evidences will be unique to the one who questions since no one can know for us what only we can know for ourselves.

Keep up the questions...

I think we should keep up the questions, though. What I did learn about black holes was that they can be dangerous and things that fall into them never come out. Better to keep up the inquiry rather than fall into a mental black hole that forms through disinterest and discouragement.

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http://margaretstortz.blogspot.com/2014/12/on-saying-yes.html

On Becoming More Self Aware

Every day the opportunity lies before us to become more self aware, which is very different than becoming self involved. In self awareness there is greater clarity of thought and the ability to experience a greater connection to those around us, where, on the other hand, self involvement usually means a drawing back into ourselves with less appreciation for the life around us. In fact one of my favorite resting places in Mind is this: If I do not know who I am, I cannot know who you are.

A primary concern to us...

I think that people who are interested in penetrating the depths of their spirituality almost automatically become more concerned with the well being of those in their surroundings as part of themselves rather than an “other.” If we believe in the inherent connection of all life, what happens to our brothers and sisters in life becomes a primary concern to us; hence, another interpretation of being our brothers’ keepers. Actually with increasing self awareness it becomes more difficult not to know what’s up in the world, which brings on a question: Is there something that is mine to do here?

We can always lend a hand...

And perhaps there is, maybe physically if this is within our means. Maybe through the annals of prayer and gift giving in some way. We can always lend a hand in increasing a loving consciousness to the general field of thought, and maybe we have the means to participate in bringing our good to life through footsteps on the ground or the distribution of our substance.

A great mass of loving concern could encircle our globe...

Once we know that we are part of the All, there is no retreating into our little corners of the world, never to step out again. Think of it! If increasing numbers of us become more intentionally self aware, a greater mass of loving concern could encircle our globe. Perhaps the great Christian mandate, Peace on earth, Good Will to all, could actually become a reality instead of just a hoped-for dream.

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