A Spiritual Perspective For 2013

I was exchanging holiday wishes with a good friend and subscriber earlier this week. We discussed the rancor of 2012 politics and our hopes for for 2013.  I commented on her New Year’s greeting card she had sent earlier. In it she had written “… I can’t quite remember my early programming, but is fear and greed the result of our original sin?” During our conversation, she mentioned how it seemed to her that human history seemed to operate in cycles. It seemed to her that humankind would take 3 steps forward only to retreat 2 steps, followed by another 2 steps forward and then 3 steps backward – ending up maybe 400 years later with much newer technology but back in the same place culturally, politically, and spiritually.

I believe my friend is correct in the observation of cycles. Here in America, we have gone through quite a few cycles of 3 steps forward only to retreat 2 steps. For example, We have had what historians call “The Three Great Awakenings.” The first was in the mid 18^th Century, the second in the early half of the 19^th Century, and the third in the last half of the same century (1850-1900). The Third Great Awakening also spawned the era of the Social Gospel, which covered the period from 1890 to the outbreak of World War II.  

Each of these was precipitated by economic/cultural upheavals and associated alterations to our perceived cultural/social/moral values. Each “Awakening” was a step back to recapture perceived “lost” values but each also contained the seeds of further growth. For instance, during the 3^rd Awakening there was an enormous movement to recapture personal (almost Victorian) piety, which gave rise to Holiness, Pentecostal and other similar congregations. These, in turn, were very fundamentalist – interpreting the Bible very literally and being rather judgmental in terms of all those that didn’t quite agree with their positions. On the other hand, this emphasis on personal piety gave rise to a strong sense of social activism within the organizational structure of religious institutions – within congregations and denominations themselves. From this came the Social Gospel Movement and its focus on suffrage movements, unionization, the Salvation Army, progressive political positions, as well as humanist philosophies such as the Theosophical Society, to promote care for the health and housing of the poor, needy, and downtrodden.

I do believe there are cycles that societies go through, where there are elements of progressive change as well as elements of severe resistance to that change. In short, there are steps forward and simultaneous pressures to try to step backward.

Since the late 1980s and into the early 1990s, many with a spiritual (not religious) focus have noted that we are moving into another significant social/moral/spiritual Era. Some have attributed this to the Mayan Calendar Cycle. Regardless, we are currently witnessing some pretty significant social and cultural upheavals: The progressive political movement in the USA (with its focus on accepting the growing  diversity of our citizens as well as wanting to modify the growing disparity of wealth) and the Arab Spring movements. This progressive movements is coupled closely with the resistance to these trends – the TEA Party, the Religious Right, fear of immigrants, the perceived battle between “socialism” and “capitalism,” the desire for more personal piety in sexual behavior enforced by laws prohibiting contraception for unmarried women, the stark distinction between voiced social criticism and perceived unpatriotic behavior.

As I stated in my Christmas greeting, I do believe we are moving into another Era – one encompassing the beginnings of an Age of Cooperation rather than Competition, Inclusion rather than Exclusion, Acceptance and Tolerance rather than Self-Righteous Arrogance, the Power of Love rather than the Love of Power. If history holds true as a guide, the old values of competition, power, accumulation of wealth, and very strict adherence to rigid religious dogma will not simply “slip away quietly into the night.”

My friend has asked a very good question for the beginning of the year. “[Within the cycles of history] … Is fear and greed the result of our original sin?”

My short answer: Yes and No. Let me explain.

If I define sin (original or otherwise) as something I have done that violates one of God’s Law(s) and therefore I will be punished – then the answer is “No.” If I define sin as an error (as does A Course in Miracles), in which I have mistakenly come to believe that the reality of this physical world truly exists and I am truly a separate-from-everyone-else biological human being, then the answer is “Yes.” If I perceive I am a physically separate entity in human form, then all other errors of my perception follow from this: Separation, Duality, Lack or Greed, a dog-eat-dog mentality (protect-defend-attack-retaliate). When I think about it, all of these perceptions can be boiled down to FEAR – the opposite of Faith. 

I leave you with several uplifting thoughts as this New Year begins. Hopefully, these might help each of you maintain a perspective about the events that are currently occurring:

• ·      The powerful experience of inspiration that many of us feel at the beginning of a new year is the recognition that we really can do something that we hadn't believed possible before—that we are capable of breaking through to higher ground and reaching previously unimaginable levels of our own potential. Indeed, the uplifting experience of inspiration that we feel in those moments is the thrilling sense that anything is possible. That feeling of inspiration is a taste of spiritual freedom, because within it we experience liberation from any habitual sense of limitation. —Andrew Cohen. NOTE: You can read the full context for this quote in Andrew's new blog post, "When the New Year Doesn't End"  <http://click.enlightennext-mail.org/?qs=8cd9bef9ba57d83c0c54f2a4101cd01d8f5206cf5988eaa831ff8b37a28cb395>

• ·      One of my favorite sayings.  “Strive for control over your experience of the events and people of your life – not control over the events or people themselves.”

Although these messages are mostly for me, thanks for listening. As always – feel free to forward this message to your friends, family, and those accompanying you on your spiritual journey.

Don

#1 January, 2013

Copyright, 2013

Part 1 - The Spiritual Message I Find in the Libyan Murder of Our Ambassador

A Course in Miracles tells us we cannot achieve peace through conflict. AA taught me that I cannot achieve serenity through agitation, anger, inflammatory speech and holding on to resentments.

I’ve said before in these messages that thoughts are things and words really do matter. As one on his spiritual path, I know I am to be in this world without being of this world. It is difficult at times for me to draw the line between the two. Nonetheless, this is an “…in this world…” message.

Let me tell a brief story: There was this “naughty” boy who swore often and said awfully mean things about siblings and student friends. Trying to correct him, his father told him he had to drive a nail in the outside fence every time he said offensive things or used bad language. He did this for several months. To repent, his father told him for every day he went without using abusive language, he could take a hammer and remove one of the nails. After 4 months the boy had removed all the nails and was quite proud of himself. The father took him outside and, together, they observed the fence.

“See,” the father said. “Even thought you’ve removed all the nails – and I’m very proud of you for your change of behavior – the holes are still there. The results of your actions are still visible. The same is true for the words you use and say. You may apologize, but the hurt may linger long after you’ve removed the nail.”

We’ve just seen an adult example of this “nail hole” principle.

I’m not going to get into the Romney debacle using the Cairo Embassy press release – issued 6 hours before the targeted attack in Libya, and issued to ease perceived growing tensions in Egypt over the vitriolic anti-Mohammad video – as a political attack on Obama. Romney believed the Embassy issued its statement in response to the Libya attack. When confronted with the truth, he doubled down on his initial statement and continued his public political criticism, while the crisis was still unfolding and new corrective information was flowing..

I’m also not going to talk about the facts pointing to the Libya attack as a well-planned operation, not a spur-of-the-moment mob action in response to the U-Tube video. There were some “mob-ish” actions, but they were unrelated.

I do want to talk about how inflammatory words only add flame to the fire. They do not quell it.

A Course in Miracles tells us we cannot achieve peace through conflict. AA believes we cannot achieve serenity through agitation, anger and holding on to resentments. When we try, all we do is hurt ourselves. It’s like ingesting poison in order to hurt someone else.

But we continue to do it. If an Ambassador or a President tries any avenue, other than brute force and saber-rattling, the political opposition calls this approach weakness and stimulates the fear-based impression that we are now vulnerable.

Continued in Part 2 

Part 1 - My Desire To Be “Right” Or Have The “Right” Ideas Leads Me Off My Spiritual Path.

In our current political atmosphere it may be difficult to remain focused on our spirituality. We all seem to want – desperately – to be right. So, someone has to be wrong (or bad or evil or dangerous or threatening). All that is of my ego.

I want to begin this message with a quote from Tikkun Magazine, a Jewish publication focused on spiritually progressive people, ideas and articles. [The following] “…was sent to Tikkun  (Hebrew: To heal, repair, and transform the world) by email from Catholic News and a column called "The Not-So-Social-Gospel." It is a powerful reminder both of how far sections of the Christian world have strayed from the teachings of Jesus, and also a reminder of the tens of millions of Catholics who are deeply dedicated to social justice, peace, generosity and love (even though unfortunately they are stuck in a Church whose leadership is more interested in demonizing gays, abortions and attacking the American Nuns, who take Jesus' teachings seriously, than in carrying on the progressive elements in Jesus' gospel).

“It saddens us at Tikkun to see how twisted that Church leadership has become, just as we have been saddened by how twisted the Jewish leadership has become to give blind support to the oppressive policies of Israel toward Palestinians, and reminds us to once again invite all Christians, who do feel connected to the social justice, peace and love-oriented Jesus, to join our Interfaith Network of Spiritual Progressives at http://www.spiritualprogressives.org so that we can work together to amplify these voices and provide comfort and support to those who are being "dissed" in their own religious communities for taking seriously the highest teachings of their God.” – Rabbi Michael Lerner, Editor Tikkun Magazine and Chair, the Interfaith Network of Spiritual Progressives.

Also…

In “The Third Secret,” by Steve Berry, Random House Publishing, 2005, the protagonist is a Roman Catholic Monsignor and private secretary to the pope. He is becoming very conflicted between his personal faith and the actions of the very political and pragmatic Vatican. From page 168 (italics are mine):

“He’d studied the Roman Catholic Church enough to understand that the majority of its teachings were directly related to its own interests, rather than those of its members. Time had certainly blurred all lines between practicality and divinity. What were once the creations of man had evolved into the laws of heaven: Priests were celibate because God ordained it; Priests were men because Christ was male; Adam and Eve were a man and woman, so love could only exist between the sexes. Where did these dogmas come from? Why did they persist?

“Why was he questioning them?”

I was asked a question from a subscriber as to how certain I was about not being a human body, but being an already-loved eternal spirit currently having a human experience. “Don’t you ever doubt?” the writer asked. Sure I doubt. But I need always to remember that I am the one responsible for determining my reality. It is all my perception. If I change my perception, my reality changes.

Continued in Part 2

Part 2 - The World of Separateness, Death and of Being Right

When I drank I was in a world of separateness and it was a world of death. When I fall back into my ego thought-system of the “rightness” of my perceived sense of reality, I fall back into that same world of death. Now, I want to be happy and peaceful, not right.

Continued from Part 1 .....

A Course in Miracles (ACIM) states that to communicate these kinds of experiences is simply beyond words. That’s why I love the introduction to the Course:

This is a course in miracles. It is a required course. Only the time you take it is voluntary. Free will does not mean that you can establish the curriculum. It means only that you can elect what you want to take at a given time. The course does not aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond what can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of love’s presence, which is your natural inheritance. The opposite of love is fear, but what is all-encompassing can have no opposite.

This course can therefore be summed up very simply in this way: Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God.

ACIM is a course in “undoing” and removing the ego thought-system of duality. It’s a course in mind training. Collectively, we are the Son of God, and we can live in a community of love and acceptance. To live in the womb of an accepting community will transform each of us. This is what AA has done for me. A place, wherever I find a meeting, that allows me to be just as I am – honestly. It is a place where I am accepted. [Being accepted is a more meaningful synonym for love for me.]  AA’s Program is not about memorizing the words or stories of the Big Book. It is to work the Twelve Steps in absolute honesty. It is to turn my life and will over to the care of God, as I understand God, by working Steps 4-12 for the rest of my life.  Doing this, I undergo a spiritual transformation. To quote the Big Book – or to memorize and quote the Bible – is to remain in my ego thought-system of duality, sin and separateness, both from others and from God.

When I drank I was in that world of separateness and it was a world of death. When I fall back into my ego thought-system of the “rightness” of my perceived sense of reality, I fall back into that same world of death. I want, now, to be happy and peaceful, not right. Perhaps that’s why so many fundamentalist Christians (or Moslems or Jews) seem always to be so angry and frustrated.

Thanks for listening. As always, feel free to share this message with your friends, family, and those with whom you are walking your spiritual path.

Don

#1 July, 2012