Humility is one of those really popular personality traits, isn't it? That is, we all love the idea of everybody else being humble instead of parading around with an air of superiority. In the meantime, most of us have difficulty being humble ourselves. Please let me be clear: I'm talking about neither false modesty nor low self-esteem; I'm speaking of true humility.
I felt really struck by awe the other day, as I was taking my almost daily walk down into Rock Creek Park. I was looking up at the towering trees and all their beautiful leaves, just beginning to have a hint of fall color. I realized that there are billions or trillions or more leaves in the world, billions and trillions of stars, and billions and trillions of billions of other things in the universe.
It occurred to me that, with the infinite number of amazing events and species and stars in the universe, none of us can really, honestly, know very much. Well, maybe those who have attained God-Consciousness as taught in some Eastern spiritualities know, or are capable of knowing, so much more than those of us who merely count on the traditional rational consciousness of our relatively finite minds. Perhaps spiritual consciousness is unlimited, but rational consciousness is, generally speaking, pretty limited when compared to the vastness of the universe.
So, why do we take such pride in what we know? There are whole layers of the universe about which we are ignorant, or which we do not yet understand. The best astro-physicists can hardly also be incredibly knowledgable about biology and chemistry and electronics and medicine and psychology and neuroscience and parenting and economics and international diplomacy and relationship-building and forensics and hair-cutting and skiing and gymnastics and playing all the musical instruments in existence and painting and sculpting. You get my drift, I hope.
We do know things, by the grace of the Infinite Creator, the Divine Consciousness which is comprehensive enough to encompass knowledge of all reality, but what any single one of us knows is really just a drop in the bucket compared to all the information and knowledge and awareness and consciousness in all the different dimensions of the universe.
Why not allow ourselves to be humble, so that we can acknowledge our own ignorance, and then open ourselves up to a larger awareness, that is, a larger consciousness than we currently have? Humility opens the door to allowing in Divine qualities and Divine Presence. Humility allows us to listen to the voice of intuition and hear something beyond what we ourselves can ordinarily know.
Let's be humble, because only admitting that we do not know allows us to be open to learning. Learning is such a delightful gift. Expanded, enlightened, and ever-growing consciousness is even better! Since that kind of amazing God-Consciousness does not come from ourselves, but only through ourselves, we still need to be humble before the One who does know the whole universe, and who loves it very much. That kind of humility rewards us with ever-expanding awareness, which is a delightful gift! May we grow in our awareness every day.
In Love & Light,
Carol
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Monday, September 24, 2012
Wealth & Spirituality
There has been talk about redistribution of wealth during the political campaign season this year in the U.S. Redistribution of wealth appears to be a very unpopular topic, considered by many to be un-American.
From a spiritual perspective, let's ask: from where did the concept of redistribution of wealth come? Many spiritual traditions address wealth in a variety of ways. For thousands of years, however, we can see in the tradition of the Jewish prophets that they conveyed God's intention for the wealthy to share their wealth with the poor, particularly with widows and orphans.
This Jewish prophetic tradition actually called for redistibution of wealth in a number of ways, perhaps most strikingly with the forgiveness of debts during the year of Jubilee, which was to occur every 49 years, I believe. Many of the Jewish prophets decried the mis-treatment of poor people in order to exploit them and their labor to gain wealth.
Islam has carried the spiritual prohibition against usury, or collecting interest, as a witness to a spiritual practice which enriches all rather impoverishing some and enriching a few. And so, from Islam, we have a concept of fairness and equity.
Jesus stood in the tradition of the Jewish prophets when he told the rich young ruler: go, sell all you have and give the money to the poor. That instruction was given when the young man expressed a desire to love God more than just keeping the tenets of religious law. Thus, Jesus was saying that fully serving God means letting go of wealth and redistributing it to benefit those who suffer from poverty.
This command of Christ echoes a spiritual concept perhaps best expressed in Buddhism, but also found in Hinduism: the spiritual practice of non-attachment.
Non-attachment is a spiritual practice of letting go of material belongings and desires, so that one remains in a constant state of peace, rather than getting upset when one does not have or does not receive what one wants in life.
This is not to say that one has to give up what one needs; rather, non-attachment is focused on the inner event of demanding a particular event, object, outcome, relationship, and so on, rather than resting in an inner state of peace and acceptance, and choosing to act from that state of peace.
When one practices non-attachment, it is easier to share the wealth, and to spread one's wealth around to others, because one learns that one's happiness never depends on wealth, nor even on particular belongings or benefits of wealth.
Redistribution of wealth was a moral imperative in the Jewish tradition, because of God's compassion for the suffering of the poor. Redistribution with Christ became both an act of compassion, as well as an act of non-attachment.
From Hinduism, we gain a fourth spiritual concept: oneness with the divine as well as oneness with one another. This concept of spiritual oneness invites us to embody the Divine in how we live our lives, and surely the Divine Father/Mother would distribute wealth fairly among all those who are children of God. In addition, the concept of oneness with each other implies that I cannot be well spiritually if that part of me which is in you is suffering from hunger, illness, or deprivation, and I have the power to prevent that. We are one, and therefore we are responsible for the well-being of one another. We are not separate, as so many Westerners view us.
So, from the various faith traditions, we have four main spiritual concepts addressing the importance of redistribution of wealth: equity, compassion, non-attachment, and oneness. When we see ourselves as One in the Great Source of all the wealth of this earth, then we see that we must share that wealth, for we will never find true and lasting peace and joy until we do so.
From a spiritual perspective, let's ask: from where did the concept of redistribution of wealth come? Many spiritual traditions address wealth in a variety of ways. For thousands of years, however, we can see in the tradition of the Jewish prophets that they conveyed God's intention for the wealthy to share their wealth with the poor, particularly with widows and orphans.
This Jewish prophetic tradition actually called for redistibution of wealth in a number of ways, perhaps most strikingly with the forgiveness of debts during the year of Jubilee, which was to occur every 49 years, I believe. Many of the Jewish prophets decried the mis-treatment of poor people in order to exploit them and their labor to gain wealth.
Islam has carried the spiritual prohibition against usury, or collecting interest, as a witness to a spiritual practice which enriches all rather impoverishing some and enriching a few. And so, from Islam, we have a concept of fairness and equity.
Jesus stood in the tradition of the Jewish prophets when he told the rich young ruler: go, sell all you have and give the money to the poor. That instruction was given when the young man expressed a desire to love God more than just keeping the tenets of religious law. Thus, Jesus was saying that fully serving God means letting go of wealth and redistributing it to benefit those who suffer from poverty.
This command of Christ echoes a spiritual concept perhaps best expressed in Buddhism, but also found in Hinduism: the spiritual practice of non-attachment.
Non-attachment is a spiritual practice of letting go of material belongings and desires, so that one remains in a constant state of peace, rather than getting upset when one does not have or does not receive what one wants in life.
This is not to say that one has to give up what one needs; rather, non-attachment is focused on the inner event of demanding a particular event, object, outcome, relationship, and so on, rather than resting in an inner state of peace and acceptance, and choosing to act from that state of peace.
When one practices non-attachment, it is easier to share the wealth, and to spread one's wealth around to others, because one learns that one's happiness never depends on wealth, nor even on particular belongings or benefits of wealth.
Redistribution of wealth was a moral imperative in the Jewish tradition, because of God's compassion for the suffering of the poor. Redistribution with Christ became both an act of compassion, as well as an act of non-attachment.
From Hinduism, we gain a fourth spiritual concept: oneness with the divine as well as oneness with one another. This concept of spiritual oneness invites us to embody the Divine in how we live our lives, and surely the Divine Father/Mother would distribute wealth fairly among all those who are children of God. In addition, the concept of oneness with each other implies that I cannot be well spiritually if that part of me which is in you is suffering from hunger, illness, or deprivation, and I have the power to prevent that. We are one, and therefore we are responsible for the well-being of one another. We are not separate, as so many Westerners view us.
So, from the various faith traditions, we have four main spiritual concepts addressing the importance of redistribution of wealth: equity, compassion, non-attachment, and oneness. When we see ourselves as One in the Great Source of all the wealth of this earth, then we see that we must share that wealth, for we will never find true and lasting peace and joy until we do so.
Monday, September 3, 2012
The Gift
The third and ongoing step in the Tao is to find your direction. The direction is not a path so much as it is a gift. Just as the "Wise Men" from long ago set out in a direction to find the Christ child, so also each of us sets ourselves a direction in life, and we begin this journey of new life in the direction of seeking the Divine.
We seek the gift of Divine Presence.
The Zen of this gift is that this gift does not come to us, until we offer, freely and fully, the gift of ourselves to the Divine. As soon as we dedicate our whole selves to Divine Love as a gift of self to Self, then we begin to receive, in the bits that we can handle, the Gift of Divine Presence.
The journey of life provides us an opportunity to seek the gift of Divine Presence, while offering the Gift of ourselves in each moment, so that as we give the gift of self in preference for receiving the Gift of Divine Self, or higher Self, we indeed do so. When we give our self to the Divine, we receive the gift of the Divine.
This is a moment by moment experience. So, whenever we are following other desires without focusing on the gift of self to Self, we lose the Gift of Presence. One way to maintain focus is to become more fully aware of our own desires, especially any and all desires to control. Influence is different than control. When controlling, we are demanding. When influencing, we are still offering the gift of self, along with a request.
In each moment then, we need to be aware of whether or not we are asking, or demanding what we desire, while offering ourself complete with desire, to the Divine Love, so that Love can show us if it is better to let go of the desire, postpone the desire, or pursue the desire.
Unlike the "Wise Men" of long ago, however, the Presence we seek becomes a gift within ourselves. Instead of offering gold, and frankincense and myrrh, we offer the gift of Self, and receive the gift of Divine Oneness, Divine Consciousness within our own being.
First, we offer our lower self, then we offer our higher Self, until All becomes One. What a gift is that One! May we seek, and may we find, that pure Oneness that is Divine Love.
Carol
We seek the gift of Divine Presence.
The Zen of this gift is that this gift does not come to us, until we offer, freely and fully, the gift of ourselves to the Divine. As soon as we dedicate our whole selves to Divine Love as a gift of self to Self, then we begin to receive, in the bits that we can handle, the Gift of Divine Presence.
The journey of life provides us an opportunity to seek the gift of Divine Presence, while offering the Gift of ourselves in each moment, so that as we give the gift of self in preference for receiving the Gift of Divine Self, or higher Self, we indeed do so. When we give our self to the Divine, we receive the gift of the Divine.
This is a moment by moment experience. So, whenever we are following other desires without focusing on the gift of self to Self, we lose the Gift of Presence. One way to maintain focus is to become more fully aware of our own desires, especially any and all desires to control. Influence is different than control. When controlling, we are demanding. When influencing, we are still offering the gift of self, along with a request.
In each moment then, we need to be aware of whether or not we are asking, or demanding what we desire, while offering ourself complete with desire, to the Divine Love, so that Love can show us if it is better to let go of the desire, postpone the desire, or pursue the desire.
Unlike the "Wise Men" of long ago, however, the Presence we seek becomes a gift within ourselves. Instead of offering gold, and frankincense and myrrh, we offer the gift of Self, and receive the gift of Divine Oneness, Divine Consciousness within our own being.
First, we offer our lower self, then we offer our higher Self, until All becomes One. What a gift is that One! May we seek, and may we find, that pure Oneness that is Divine Love.
Carol
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Blessing!
Step 2 in the Way/Tao/Path is to be willing, unconditionally, to be a blessing to others. This, my friends, can be delightfully surprising and wonderful, and it can be scary, if we allow ourselves to feel fear.
It's important not to feel fear, because fear is the opposite of love, and the Tao/Way/Path of Enlightenment is the Way of Love. We never know what might happen when we allow Love to operate, and to bless through us.
Last week, I was headed home on the DC metro one night, and arrived at the exit gate of the Takoma Station after dark, only to find myself going through the ticket gates with three young African-American guys.
All of a sudden, I heard one singing, and he had a nice voice. So, pausing only for a split-second to debate (in my head) the pros and cons of speaking to a complete stranger in this setting, I said to him, "You have a nice voice."
One of his friends immediately retorted, "Don't encourage him!"
So, I turned (they were behind me), and said to the one who sang, "Wait a minute, how old are you?"
He replied, "Twenty-six."
I told him, "You're never too old to be told that you're good at something. I was 30 years old before I was told that I have the gift of writing."
What followed was a conversation about writing books - the other young man has a dream of writing a sci-fi fantasy type of book, so I encouraged him to follow his dreams. I shared with them how I was moved to write, and self-publish, my first book when Michael Jackson died.
We had a very touching conversation, standing in the semi-darkness of a metro station at night - I and three young men with whom I would never have had a conversation if I had not sought to bless one with a compliment. I feel so grateful for this conversation. At least the young man who plans to write did too.
Sometimes this business of being a blessing seems easy like that. Sometiems it is a little more challenging. The very next morning, I was running late on my walk (sometimes I have to jog a little) to the metro, when I encountered a toothless man at a bus stop along the way.
This very large man was asking me something which at first I did not understand because of his lack of teeth. Then I realized he was asking (me!) for a cigarette.
I told him I did not have any as I kept walking. Then he asked me for a hug. By then, I was past him a good fifteen feet, but I turned, hesitated, and he did not help the situation by adding that he "just wanted to prove that I'm not a rapist." Hmmm....
So, I paused and asked him if he believes in God. He said he did. I asked him if he believed that if I hugged him, God was hugging him too. He said he did. So, I walked up to a strange, large, toothless man, and gave him a hug. He kissed me on the neck.
I told him I had to go, and he released me from the hug, and I said something about having a blessed day, and really hurried on my way. Okay, I confess, a small part of me was a little concerned about all this, but mostly, I truly hope that this man at the bus stop actually experienced a hug from God that day.
When's the last time that you received a hug from God from a total stranger? When's the time you gave a hug from God to a total stranger? I'm sure God was hugging me and kissing me, if only I could let it be just that.
Blessing. It's so often unexpected, both in the giving and receiving, but that is the Way/Tao/Path of Enlightenment.
May you also be blessed!
Carol
It's important not to feel fear, because fear is the opposite of love, and the Tao/Way/Path of Enlightenment is the Way of Love. We never know what might happen when we allow Love to operate, and to bless through us.
Last week, I was headed home on the DC metro one night, and arrived at the exit gate of the Takoma Station after dark, only to find myself going through the ticket gates with three young African-American guys.
All of a sudden, I heard one singing, and he had a nice voice. So, pausing only for a split-second to debate (in my head) the pros and cons of speaking to a complete stranger in this setting, I said to him, "You have a nice voice."
One of his friends immediately retorted, "Don't encourage him!"
So, I turned (they were behind me), and said to the one who sang, "Wait a minute, how old are you?"
He replied, "Twenty-six."
I told him, "You're never too old to be told that you're good at something. I was 30 years old before I was told that I have the gift of writing."
What followed was a conversation about writing books - the other young man has a dream of writing a sci-fi fantasy type of book, so I encouraged him to follow his dreams. I shared with them how I was moved to write, and self-publish, my first book when Michael Jackson died.
We had a very touching conversation, standing in the semi-darkness of a metro station at night - I and three young men with whom I would never have had a conversation if I had not sought to bless one with a compliment. I feel so grateful for this conversation. At least the young man who plans to write did too.
Sometimes this business of being a blessing seems easy like that. Sometiems it is a little more challenging. The very next morning, I was running late on my walk (sometimes I have to jog a little) to the metro, when I encountered a toothless man at a bus stop along the way.
This very large man was asking me something which at first I did not understand because of his lack of teeth. Then I realized he was asking (me!) for a cigarette.
I told him I did not have any as I kept walking. Then he asked me for a hug. By then, I was past him a good fifteen feet, but I turned, hesitated, and he did not help the situation by adding that he "just wanted to prove that I'm not a rapist." Hmmm....
So, I paused and asked him if he believes in God. He said he did. I asked him if he believed that if I hugged him, God was hugging him too. He said he did. So, I walked up to a strange, large, toothless man, and gave him a hug. He kissed me on the neck.
I told him I had to go, and he released me from the hug, and I said something about having a blessed day, and really hurried on my way. Okay, I confess, a small part of me was a little concerned about all this, but mostly, I truly hope that this man at the bus stop actually experienced a hug from God that day.
When's the last time that you received a hug from God from a total stranger? When's the time you gave a hug from God to a total stranger? I'm sure God was hugging me and kissing me, if only I could let it be just that.
Blessing. It's so often unexpected, both in the giving and receiving, but that is the Way/Tao/Path of Enlightenment.
May you also be blessed!
Carol
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Rise Again!
Good morning! This is your wake-up call. If you feel dissatisfied in any way with yourself or your life, then please listen to these words: the change you seek begins within.
Whether you need hope, peace, love, or less anxiety, or to let go of anger, you are the one in control of these processes inside you.
Whether you need to be treated differently, need a different income, need security in your life, you and your higher power need to cooperate together to accomplish these tasks, and your higher power is always cooperating, so the question becomes: are you cooperating too?
We often want the world to change around us. We often want people to treat us differently. We often want something to happen differently in our lives.
So, under the pressure of all that desire, too often we seek to control people and events outside of ourselves. This always leads to unhappiness, either in ourselves, or in others - usually in others. The law of karma will sooner or later give us a kick-back on this. So, if you've been receiving some karmic kick-backs, it might be time to ask why.
Sometimes we receive karmic challenges simply so that we can gain self-mastery. After all, we really have very little control over others, over life, and over the universe. What we do have control over is ourselves. So, the ultimate mastery is self-control.
When life sends us some negativity, therefore, we simply need to figure out how to rise above that negativity, and soar on a positive plane, free as an eagle from all earth-bound desires.
Not there yet? We will step-by-step explore how to get there. Soaring, free and clear of attachment/desire, is the Way or the Tao of True Spirituality, which has no religion, and which is the essence of all true religion.
Step 1: acknowledge with faith that there is a higher way, a higher path, a higher power, and that you and the Way/Path/Power are One. Therefore, cooperation is a necessity!
Love & Light,
Carol
Whether you need hope, peace, love, or less anxiety, or to let go of anger, you are the one in control of these processes inside you.
Whether you need to be treated differently, need a different income, need security in your life, you and your higher power need to cooperate together to accomplish these tasks, and your higher power is always cooperating, so the question becomes: are you cooperating too?
We often want the world to change around us. We often want people to treat us differently. We often want something to happen differently in our lives.
So, under the pressure of all that desire, too often we seek to control people and events outside of ourselves. This always leads to unhappiness, either in ourselves, or in others - usually in others. The law of karma will sooner or later give us a kick-back on this. So, if you've been receiving some karmic kick-backs, it might be time to ask why.
Sometimes we receive karmic challenges simply so that we can gain self-mastery. After all, we really have very little control over others, over life, and over the universe. What we do have control over is ourselves. So, the ultimate mastery is self-control.
When life sends us some negativity, therefore, we simply need to figure out how to rise above that negativity, and soar on a positive plane, free as an eagle from all earth-bound desires.
Not there yet? We will step-by-step explore how to get there. Soaring, free and clear of attachment/desire, is the Way or the Tao of True Spirituality, which has no religion, and which is the essence of all true religion.
Step 1: acknowledge with faith that there is a higher way, a higher path, a higher power, and that you and the Way/Path/Power are One. Therefore, cooperation is a necessity!
Love & Light,
Carol
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