“When we practice generating compassion, we can expect to experience the fear of our pain. Compassion practice is daring. It involves learning to relax and allow ourselves to move gently toward what scares us. The trick to doing this is to stay with emotional distress without tightening into aversion, to let fear soften us rather than harden into resistance.” ~ Pema Chödrön
From a metaphysical perspective, compassion is the revelation of one’s true self, bringing the soul’s agenda to the surface of being. From a psychological perspective, compassion is when the soul, the unconscious, the subconscious, and the conscious minds are aligned. It reflects the innate wisdom of the soul and a recognition of the Oneness of all. It is the ultimate truth of who and what we are and the capacity to see that truth in others. It is the highest religious/spiritual calling and is the goal of all spiritual practices and instruction.
Compassion may be expressed as kindness or harshness, depending upon the circumstances. It is always love and always truth but may be tough love where that is the wise and loving choice. Until we are fully in alignment with our own truth – our soul’s agenda, we are not fully capable of true compassion and should always attempt to be kind. Humility and empathy are components of compassion. Let’s take a hard look at what calls us to compassion:
WE ARE CALLED TO COMPASSION
As our society is roiled with political upheaval and the climate crisis shows the results of our ignorance and greed, we are called to compassion.
“The principle of compassion is that which converts disillusionment into a participatory companionship. This is the basic love, the charity, that turns a critic into a living human being who has something to give to–as well as to demand – of the world.” ~ Joseph Campbell
Pathways to Bliss
When we are in the presence of those who hold different worldviews which may mean harm to us or to other humans, we are called to compassion.
“Compassion hurts. When you feel connected to everything, you also feel responsible for everything. And you cannot turn away. Your destiny is bound with the destinies of others. You must either learn to carry the Universe or be crushed by it. You must grow strong enough to love the world, yet empty enough to sit down at the same table with its worst horrors.” ~ Andrew Boyd
Daily Afflictions: The Agony of Being Connected to Everything in the Universe
As we develop new awareness relating to the variety of ways of being human, including the expansion of our understanding of gender expression and non-neurotypicality, we are called to compassion.
“The way women married to men end up as their ADHD husband’s prefrontal cortex, while also parenting ADHD kids, while realizing they’ve had ADHD all along, and that peri/menopause just made masking impossible, so now they’re hanging by a thread. I see it every day in my practice. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.” ~ Dr. Jen Wolkin on Threads
“I genuinely hope that… anti-trans folks someday experience the joy and liberation of being comfortable in your own skin enough to know that the liberation of others is no threat to you. Equality is not a pie; there is more than enough for everyone.” ~ Charlotte Clymer
As we explore the evolving nature of spiritual community and the radical changes needed to co-create the spiritual community of the future, we are called to compassion.
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” ~ Coretta Scott King
As we come to terms with the need to recognize that compassion is truth, the radical holding of truth, even when others may be upset or judgmental as a result, we are called to compassion.
“Many embrace infantilizing treatment under the guise of solidarity because low self-esteem causes people to interpret condescension as compassion.” ~ Ayishat Akanbi
As we deepen our realization that the spiritual path is one of radical self-honesty as a component of self-love, we are called to compassion.
We are called to compassion, the highest quality of being human, by every experience, relationship, emotion, thought, and deed. I am incomplete in my human expression without compassion as part of my automatic response system. There is no higher, more important, or more needed goal.
“You are the people who are shaping a better world. One of the secrets of inner peace is the practice of compassion.” ~ Dalai Lama XIV
Because the One I love lives inside of you, I stand as close to you as I can. ~ Hafiz
Let’s get loose With Compassion, Let’s drown in the delicious Ambience of Love. ~Hafiz (Hafez)
We are in challenging times. Across the globe fear and its offshoot, authoritarianism, are rising and are increasingly in positions of authority. There are many who share these fears, this fear of the other, of the consequences of past and present failures to steward our beautiful planet, of the loss of power and privilege. To me, these fears arise from our collective decision as a culture to diminish our sense of innate value and to live our lives motivated primarily by scarcity and shame.
In our own New Thought communities and organizations, there is often disagreement and conflict about how to be in spiritual community, whether to engage in sacred activism, and how to distinguish moral teachings from political positions.
French Philosopher Albert Camus, who lived through the wars in Europe, spoke to the need to stand in power and truth.
“It is the job of thinking people not to be on the side of the executioners.” ~ Albert Camus
“We used to wonder where war lived, what it was that made it so vile. And now we realize that we know where it lives… inside ourselves.” ~ Albert Camus
If I have faithfully done my spiritual work, aligning my inner and outer selves with the truth of my being, I may still be afraid, but I will do no harm. Rather, I will seek to heal, I will stand in my truth, and I will face conflict with compassion while refusing to enable anyone’s dysfunction. I will recognize that I contain within me resources which allow me to actualize a life of awe, joy, and contribution by drawing on the infinite potential of Universal Mind.
Of course, there are times when we need to remove ourselves from the noise, the chaos, the negativity. As a part of a practice of self-care, I suggest that we uplevel our relationship with ecstatic poets. I have been reading more poetry lately and find it very helpful.
“Bless the poets, the workers for justice, the dancers of ceremony, the singers of heartache, the visionaries, all makers and carriers of fresh meaning—We will all make it through, despite politics and wars, despite failures and misunderstandings. There is only love.” ~ Joy Harjo
Indeed, we have all contributed to the circumstances in which we find ourselves. But when we are aware of our inner power, we can stop contributing to the problems and become a healing presence. We can identify the higher moral and spiritual ground and encourage others to join us there without shame. We are, after all, not surrounded by enemies, but by fellow travelers on this earth journey. The poets show us the way in these times.
Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder. Help someone’s soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd. ~ Rumi
If it is yours to demonstrate or protest injustice caused by the blindness of fear, then do so with a compassionate heart. When you meet those in opposition to your sense of truth, be clear and hold them in compassion, not allowing them to either drain or co-opt your energy.
Those who don’t feel this Love pulling them like a river those who don’t drink dawn like a cup of spring water or take sunset like supper those who don’t want to change let them sleep… ~ Rumi
If I am disappointed in the worldviews of others, I may do well to meditate and contemplate upon my worldview and how it may differ. And, on what I understand of their worldview and how it may have been formed. If a conversation can be had in safety and mutual care, then I may pursue that avenue.
Be calm with those in duality. Speak sweetly and reasonably Patience polishes and purifies. ~ Rumi
If you know that you are a spiritual being and you participate in spiritual community, how can you not encourage that community to engage in confronting injustices, fear, and ignorance in your larger community? If this is done from a place of clarity and compassion, it will be beneficial, if only to get a conversation going.
Don’t search for heaven and hell in the future. Both are now present. Whenever we manage to love without expectations, calculations, negotiations, we are indeed in heaven. Whenever we fight, hate, we are in hell. ~ Shams Tabrizi
Regardless of what may be happening, we have the option of going within and knowing a greater truth. Decide who you are and what energy you will bring to the world and to every room you enter. Show by your actions that you are compassionate, sincere, trustworthy, and that the highest possibility is what can be expected. We may disagree, but we can still recognize the divine in the other, whether they can at the moment or not.
Let’s get loose With Compassion, Let’s drown in the delicious Ambience of Love. ~Hafiz
Last night while walking under the stars I caught the happy virus. It’s very contagious. So, kiss me! ~ Hafiz
For my final post of 2024, I turn for inspiration to Pema Chödrön, whose works have inspired me for many years.
“Times are difficult globally; awakening is no longer a luxury or an ideal. It’s becoming critical. We don’t need to add more depression, more discouragement, or more anger to what’s already here. It’s becoming essential that we learn how to relate sanely with difficult times. The earth seems to be beseeching us to connect with joy and discover our innermost essence. This is the best way that we can benefit others.” ~ Pema Chödrön
When Things Fall Apart
As the new year dawns, many of us find ourselves feeling anxiety about what is to come. This concern or fear extends across many aspects of our lives, from personal issues with health, finances, or relationships outward into local, regional, national, and global concerns relating to the climate crisis, wars, political turmoil, economics, healthcare, racism, sexism, and so on.
A part of me wants to think, “after all the praying and rituals done for peace and wellbeing, how did we get into this mess?” The metaphysical answer to that question is that the collective consciousness of those involved at any level of conditions co-creates experience. Then, I want to ask myself, “is the collective consciousness of humanity so filled with fear that it produced so much suffering despite all the praying?”
And then I realized: the prayers, the Spiritual Mind Treatments (not the same as regular prayer – LINK), the rituals, and the actions were generated in a consciousness of fear, at least to some degree. We are taught to look at the outcome to determine the dominant consciousness, whether of the individual or the group. So many are caught up in a speeding up of thought driven by a combination of our own tendency toward anxiety and the technical revolution of devices and new media which feed that anxiety.
“Not causing harm requires staying awake. Part of being awake is slowing down enough to notice what we say and do. The more we witness our emotional chain reactions and understand how they work, the easier it is to refrain.” ~ Pema Chödrön
When Things Fall Apart
It is important to develop a consciousness of Oneness with the Divine within as a starting point or a foundation for the beliefs in our subconscious. This expands our capacity to see what we fear and simultaneously know that we can deal with it. It gives us the ability to love and to be calm in the face of apparent chaos and danger. And it gives us the ability to hold ourselves and others in compassion, even when they are against us.
Religious fear is loud; spiritual truth is quiet. What the founders of the branches of the New Thought family tree had in common was a realization of the power of mind to transform and heal plus an intention to help people develop spiritual truth in their lives. That process requires high levels of intention, determined and extended spiritual practices, and a growing realization of one’s own inner power.
“When we’re putting up the barriers and the sense of ‘me’ as separate from ‘you’ gets stronger, right there in the midst of difficulty and pain, the whole thing could turn around simply by not erecting barriers; simply by staying open to the difficulty, to the feelings that you’re going through; simply by not talking to ourselves about what’s happening. That is a revolutionary step. Becoming intimate with pain is the key to changing at the core of our being—staying open to everything we experience, letting the sharpness of difficult times pierce us to the heart, letting these times open us, humble us, and make us wiser and more brave. Let difficulty transform you. And it will. In my experience, we just need help in learning how not to run away.” ~ Pema Chödrön
Practicing Peace in Times of War
Being with the inevitable pains of life until they have taught us what we needed to learn is a hallmark of spiritual evolution. Too often our spiritual practices reflect a desire to have a life free of pain and problems, as if that were even possible. In fact, it isn’t even desirable. Our fear-based ego tries to defend us by amplifying what is frightening while at the same time constricting our access to deeper intuitive wisdom; at least until we train it differently.
We develop the capacity for spiritual realization by embracing all of life, even the painful parts. This does not mean that we enjoy pain or fear, but if these were eliminated from our lives, we would cease developing. Our deeply held and cherished beliefs are often false and will not be charmed out of our consciousness. When we teach that healing can come without discomfort and/or pain we are being inconsistent with both what we know about human psychology and what the founders actually taught. Without challenges, we do not grow. Learning and growth require change, and change is always uncomfortable or worse. However, we have within us the capacities to withstand and transform more than we think we can.
“If we want there to be peace in the world, we have to be brave enough to soften what is rigid in our hearts, to find the soft spot and stay with it. We have to have that kind of courage and take that kind of responsibility. That’s the true practice of peace.” ~ Pema Chödron
Practicing Peace in Times of War
Echoing Gandhi’s prescription to be the peace you want to see in the world, here Chödron cautions that it is courage which will soften our hearts and allow us to stay the course. In other words, there must be peace in our own hearts before we can see it in the outer world. The transformation of humanity begins within each individual.
Resist the urge to demonize others. Become strong enough to see through the eyes of compassion, which means the real truth: that Oneness is the nature of things and separation is an illusion. With that strength, refuse to be baited into a lesser version of yourself or to be knocked off balance by the behaviors of others. Remember that all harmful behavior arises from fear.
Stay with love. Stay with power. Stay with Compassion. Practice the principles every day. Engage with life from this basis and you will be a positive influence.
“So, the next time you encounter fear, consider yourself lucky. This is where the courage comes in. Usually, we think that brave people have no fear. The truth is that they are intimate with fear.” ~ Pema Chödrön
When Things Fall Apart
I wish you a very CONSCIOUS AND FULFILLING NEW YEAR!
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Eight years ago, I wrote a blog series on the tendency for progressive spirituality to attract those who are progressive politically. It was called “Does Progressive Spirituality Translate into Progressive Politics?” (LINK)
Now that we are once again preparing a Trump Administration, it might be time to revisit this concept. The conclusion I came to in the previous series was that yes, the degree of progressive vs. conservative presence in the spiritual principles taught, along with the cultural evolutionary stages present in the spiritual community or organization, would predict the predominant political worldviews present. For example, in most (not all) fundamentalist spiritual communities the predominant politics are conservative, and someone with progressive views might find those views unwelcome. And, in most (not all) spiritual communities with a progressive spirituality, someone with conservative political views may find those views unwelcome.
There are conversations going on in New Thought circles about how to respond to those who support Donald Trump. Some who do so (including ministers) report that they feel their political views are unwelcome in their community or within the larger organization. Among those who are conservative politically, there is particular concern with the statements and positions on issues taken by Centers for Spiritual Living over the years. The statements and positions are seen as supporting progressive or liberal political agendas and are seen as taking sides in the political arena.
All of this causes concern among many of the spiritual leaders and among organizational leadership. The desire to have everyone feel at home in their community, organization, and the teaching is strong, as one would expect. The likelihood of this happening given the current state of political discourse, however, is vanishingly small.
There are two main reasons for this:
Most positions taken by New Thought organizations on social issues are based on humanitarian values and spiritual principles. These tend to coincide with values and positions on the progressive side of the political spectrum. Examples are positions taken on marriage equality, on gun violence, and on trans rights.
For the past four decades, Americans have been subjected to what are in effect lessons on how to adhere to the values of one’s political party, including never to compromise, never to admit you are wrong, and to always attack the position of the other party. These lessons, on cable news, talk radio, in print, and on social media have had a profound effect on political discourse in America. They have largely focused on fear and resentment and making those with whom you disagree into enemies.
We now have so much vitriol in our media and social media that people are often afraid to engage with others in everyday life. We have become highly sensitized to different ideas and opinions we may encounter. Expecting that conversations within our spiritual communities about politics would automatically be different is unrealistic.
“People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for.” ~ Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird
If you want to facilitate conversations among people with different political worldviews, it is important to have strong facilitation skills. Such conversations, if they occur, will likely need to be managed if they are to remain civil. Ideally, conflict is allowed, but abuse is not. How and where to draw that line and having the presence to influence others to comply with important ground rules are essential skills for a facilitator.
We live in a time when agreement, even upon facts, can be very challenging. If I am unwilling to hear anything from members of a certain group, or to hear facts or opinions which do not agree with my worldview, then can I have the integrity to be in authentic conversation? And when I have learned to deny any attempt to convince me otherwise, when I attack whoever presents me with information contrary to my beliefs, how does the conversation progress? And to this point, what skill level would someone facilitating such a conversation need to express to guide the energy of the group?
And even if civility is present and there is a sense of openness to hearing different viewpoints, is that likely to lead to agreement on things like engaging in social justice projects, welcoming people in marginalized groups into the community, and related issues? Probably not.
We can avoid social justice initiatives, outreach, or discussing controversial matters, or encouraging people different from the current makeup of the membership to attend. Practicing avoidance is happening now in many ministries by spiritual leaders who don’t want to upset anyone – apparently deciding that the resulting appearance of peace is worth ignoring serious issues and failing to engage in good works if there is a hint of controversy.
Is it the job of a spiritual leader to make everyone agree? Or to make sure that everyone likes each other? I don’t think so. And what is the purpose of these conversations? Is it to get those who disagree to change their minds? If so, is that appropriate?
My belief is that the best way to attract people is to be authentic. For New Thought spiritual communities, that means being consistent and focused in teaching our timeless principles to help people in their spiritual self-development. It also means taking positions on issues where there is a spiritually sound position to be taken. It means not doing what is unauthentic, such as teaching material that is not related to New Thought – people can get that elsewhere or avoiding controversy when it arises.
“Whoever has ears, let them hear.” ~Jesus, Matthew 11:15
We do not serve people well by diluting our message or by refraining from supporting good works in an effort to get people to stay. When we are authentic in our practices and presentation of our principles, we attract the right people – those who are ready to learn and who will do so with enthusiasm. People who recognize that to learn is to change and to change is going to be both uncomfortable and joyful, if not at the same time. People who want to express greater love and compassion and who want to live lives of contribution to something greater than themselves.
We in spiritual leadership often fall into the false beliefs that there aren’t enough such people, or that we are insufficiently prepared to lead and teach them. Or the equally false belief that everyone is ready to learn and grow right now. Yet the world around us is telling us, with increasing volume, that what we have been doing for the past half century isn’t working any longer; that we cannot be all things to all people; we cannot keep everyone happy and be authentic to our principles. We cannot pretend that the “real” world ends at our doorstep.
It takes courage to insist that authentic adherence to spiritual principles be the only guideline for what happens in a ministry. It also takes years of commitment to inner work to develop the consciousness and the level of competence necessary to do so with clarity and compassion. But when it is present, it is a powerful attractor.
The mission is to teach others how to do that in their own lives using New Thought principles and practices. Everything else we do either supports or distracts us from the mission. When this is done well, the conversations become less necessary as things are made clear.
“When day comes, we step out of the shade aflame and unafraid. The new dawn blooms as we free it. For there is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.” ~ Amanda Gorman
“People who deny the existence of dragons are often eaten by dragons. From within.” ~ Ursula K. Le Guin, The Wave in the Mind
“Most of us were conditioned to be nice rather than real, accommodating rather than authentic, and adaptive rather than assertive.” ~ James Hollis, Jungian analyst
It breaks my heart that wars rage in Ukraine, in Gaza, and in sub-Saharan Africa. It breaks my heart that hatred, racism, sexism, and religious persecution are on the increase across the so-called developed nations of the west. It breaks my heart that so many of my friends and fellow Americans seem to be fine with dangerously autocratic leadership and with their chosen politicians breaking the law. And it breaks my heart that all of this is happening at a time when we need all of our resources, intellectual, economic, business, and government to focus on the huge impending threat of climate crisis.
I have no doubt that it breaks yours as well if you are a reader of this blog. The question is, what do those of us on a spiritual pathway do? How do we square a spiritual desire for peace with the relentless attacks on innocent humans by Russia and Israel (and how to square a desire to see the Israeli state survive with the carnage in Gaza as well as the hardened absolutist views on all sides of the issue)? Similar questions arise for most of the issues facing us.
Many of us on a spiritual pathway have come to believe that we must never behave destructively or unkindly toward anyone or anything; that if we are spiritually in tune, there will be no dissonance, only harmony. As we are seeing with the current political dynamics particularly in the US but also elsewhere, destructive patterns exist aplenty. There are very real threats to the concepts of freedom and democracy present in the current dynamics, and large numbers of people have decided that those who would bring autocratic leadership offer them the kind of existence they really desire. In many ways, we are in the mud, wondering how to manifest the lotus.
If the response is to always be nice, accommodating, or adaptive in the face of destructive patterns, then we fail spiritually. We are here to first realize our spiritual nature and the power which resides in that nature and then to engage what is in our path, utilizing our spiritual power as compassion – the fullest expression of Truth. Compassion is rarely nice, often kind, and sometimes confrontational in the face of destructive energy, which arises from the false belief in separation. Compassion stands up for love, truth, and power – its expression is spiritual warriorship. To be a spiritual warrior is to defend what is essential to defend, to act in accordance with one’s highest values and to stand for what is right without being attached to our own version of what is right.
“When we find ourselves in a place of discomfort and fear, we’ll find that we want to blame, to take sides, to stand our ground. We feel we must have some resolution. For the warrior, ‘right’ is as extreme a view as ‘wrong.’ They both block our innate wisdom.” ~ Pema Chödrön
“If we find ourselves in doubt that we’re up to being a warrior-in-training, we can contemplate this question: ‘Do I prefer to grow up and relate to life directly, or do I choose to live and die in fear?’” ~ Pema Chödrön, Comfortable With Uncertainty
Some see the entire political/economic/social systems as corrupt and feel that only a great disruption can alter the course of society. These people usually minimize the consequences of that disruption and, candidly, see themselves as risking little in upsetting the system. There is rarely compassion in such a viewpoint. Much or most of this energy is driven by anger and unhealed individual and collective shadow. The failure to express true compassion is due to the prevalence of shadow in a person or group.
“There is an awful lot of anger in the world, and in me, and there is a real need to be creative with it, rather than destructive.” ~ Alice Walker
The question, as always, is how to move through to a greater possibility without causing unnecessary pain. This is especially difficult when we cannot agree what that greater possibility looks like. For most, it takes the form of trying to from power those who have a different worldview than “we” do – a conquest by ballot (or otherwise) if you will. If I cannot abide living in the world you describe and you cannot abide living in the world that I describe, what are we to do, especially if we each see our view as too important to compromise? And when compromise is seen as defeat or as immoral, how do we move forward?
“We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come. If we fix on the old, we get stuck. When we hang onto any form, we are in danger of putrefaction. Hell is life drying up. The Hoarder, the one in us that wants to keep, to hold on, must be killed. If we are hanging onto the form now, we’re not going to have the form next. You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs. Destruction before creation.” ~ Joseph Campbell. “A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living.”
I don’t see a lot of willingness to give up the life we are living, do you? We are in a time where whole system changes are necessary to alter the course of human destiny toward a sustainable future. This will take both courage and a willingness to change and let go of some of our own sacred cows.
Often, the only alternative offered in spiritual circles is to withdraw, show no opposition to what is unfolding, maybe refusing to participate or deciding to vote for candidates with no chance of being elected based on a principle that one values. But such a choice does have consequences, and are we not accountable for the results of our choices?
If my choice is to vote or to abstain so that a disruption will occur and do real harm to many people, whether I am included or not, am I in integrity? Is it spiritually sound? Is it different than walking past a person who has just fallen without offering some assistance and instead, simply saying a prayer?
How do we come to terms with the realization that compassion is the highest expression of a spiritual life AND that true compassion can be confrontational, even combative? How do we develop the required healthy self-concept which allows us to live a truly authentic life from a place of love, compassion, and engagement? How often do our worldviews demand that others make a sacrifice or relinquish their worldview so that our desires can manifest?
So, by all means pray and pray ceaselessly. Pray to know what wants to happen by means of you. But act in accordance with your prayers. Be open to finding a way forward which differs from the viewpoint which you currently hold, but which does not stray from a course of true compassion. If there is a paradox in that idea, does that surprise or perplex you? Here is a quote that is 127 years old:
“We are born into a strange time—a time that tries men’s souls. Bewilderment and fear hold many; change and uncertainty stalk through the land—all lands. Those who keep their courage up and go serenely on are coming through in a way that those who weaken or lie down cannot know. But to do this many lives need help—real concrete help….There is something in the universe that responds to intrepid thinking. The POWER that holds and that moves the stars in their courses sustains, illumines, and fights for the brave and the upright. Courage has power and magic in it. Faith and hope and courage are great producers—we cannot fail if we live always in the brave and cheerful attitude of mind and heart. He alone fails who gives up and lies down. To open ourselves to this sustaining POWER, to live continually under its guidance, this is our part. Those of us who do our part will keep free from fear, and therefore from a weakening, corroding worry.…”
The Universe is constantly changing, moving toward greater and greater complexity. This is done through a process called evolution, which has been going on at least since the Big Bang – our name for the origin of the universe. Evolution appears to be a process through which Spirit manifests increasing degrees of complexity and intelligence in Its creation. As of now, human beings exist at the pinnacle of evolution, so far as is known. It can be said that greater intelligence emerges from potential to actualization by means of evolution. Human beings have reached a point in our evolutionary development where we can and do consciously affect the process of evolution.
“This is exactly the position that modern philosophers take; it is called the theory of emergent evolution, which means that when nature needs something, it demands it of itself, and out of itself makes it. So, in the evolution of the human being, when it was necessary for him to grasp, fingers were produced. When, then, if it is necessary for you and me to know something we do not know, can we not—according to this theory of emergence—demand the information of ourselves and have it come to be known? ~ Ernest Holmes, published in Science of Mind Magazine, July 2011
Holmes’ explanation reflects a mid-20th Century knowledge of evolution, but it is generally accurate. Seen through the lens of metaphysical spirituality, evolution is the methodology for the development of Spirit’s expression AS our universe. Our universe evolves in a cosmological sense, our planet in a geological sense, life in a biological sense, and humans in a psychological and spiritual sense. The only constant in this scenario is change. Nothing is static, all is dynamic.
It is best to think of evolution as a flow, a moving image, rather than as a series of photographs. Human evolution flows like a river, sometimes wide and slow moving, sometimes very rapidly. We are currently in the rapids of evolution – things are changing faster than in the past. However, regardless of the rate of evolutionary change, the process of emergence is always at work. Everything is moving, vibrating, expanding or contracting.
“Others will arise who will know more than we do; they won’t be better or worse, they will be different and know more than we do. Evolution is forward.” ~ Ernest Holmes, Sermon By The Sea- Asilomar, Saturday, August 15, 1959
BELIEF FOUR:
The Universe and everything in it is infused with intelligence and is self-organizing. Behind every thing is an invisible Power, a Power that is the Ground of All Being, and The Animating Force. This Power expresses as the physical or manifest universe and the energy therein. This Power expresses impersonally – it is fully available to all.
“You belong to the universe in which you live, you are one with the Creative Genius back of this vast array of ceaseless motion, this original flow of life. You are as much a part of it as the sun, the earth and the air. There is something in you telling you this — like a voice echoing from some mountain top of inward vision, like a light whose origin no man has seen, like an impulse welling up from an invisible source.” ~ Ernest Holmes
In order to become spiritually realized, we must fully transcend believing only in the evidence of our senses. The senses have evolved to help us negotiate our physical surroundings. The Source of everything in those surroundings is invisible to our senses. Spiritual realization, the process of discovering this invisible Power, does not separate us from our physical surroundings, it allows us to know ourselves for what we are and to know our surroundings for what they are – projections of an invisible Power imbued with intelligence.
“Sooner or later we have to risk everything. We have to gamble on the invisible and risk all that we can see and taste and feel. But we know the risk is worth it, because there is nothing more insecure than the transient world.” ~ Thomas Merton
Spiritual realization is a process of awakening to our inner reality, the mystical reality which is behind all physical expressions of reality. The mystic is one who has cultivated a relationship with the inner self, a capacity we all have. It is kind of like learning the inner operations of a clock and discovering what makes the hands show the time.
“Invisible connection is stronger than visible. To arrive at the basic structure of things we must go into their darkness.” ~ Heraclitus
This quote from Heraclitus is over 2,000 years old. The idea of an invisible Power in back of all things is not new. It remains a key to developing a powerful and mature sense of personal spirituality.
As always, your comments are welcomed. The next post will explore beliefs 5 & 6 from SACRED THINKING.
“Human beings must involve themselves in the anguish of other human beings. This, I submit to you, is not a political thesis at all. It is simply an expression of what I would hope might be ultimately a simple humanity for humanity’s sake.” ~ Rod Serling
Last week, I published a guest blog post by Rev. Dr. David Alexander on transgender issues and how they are playing out in the US today (LINK to post). I know that David is both informed and passionate about this issue, and more importantly, is experienced in spiritually motivated social engagement. His ministry focuses on social justice issues.
My intention was twofold. One to give a larger voice to both the issue and to David’s work, and two, to present an approach to a controversial and political issue from a New Thought perspective. I think that the responses, and relative lack thereof, speak to where we are in New Thought regarding social justice.
First, the relative lack of response. This post generated far fewer comments at the blog site and on social media that other posts – about ¼ the normal number. While I cannot know the motivation of everyone who read the piece and did not comment, there is a consistency with a tendency in New Thought to withdraw from controversy and things which seem “too political.” I am not saying that anyone should have commented; I am simply noting that many did not.
Second, those who did comment in detail were either against any connection between New Thought spirituality and political issues or were not in favor of transgender rights to one degree or another. While these are not unexpected viewpoints, they are somewhat surprising coming from New Thought adherents, where support for gay rights has become nearly unanimous.
Which brings ups a question – do we in New Thought stifle conversations, intentionally or not, about sensitive or controversial issues? I have had more than one conversation with ministers who have said that Centers for Spiritual Living has moved from a focus on teaching The Science of Mind to a focus on social activism. Indeed, such a focus on equality for all is in the founding documents of the organization from 2011. However, there has been an ongoing debate in the organization about whether the organization and local spiritual communities should engage in social outreach and social justice issues. Among those who think they should, there is a debate as to how that engagement should look, especially for highly controversial issues.
To be sure, the issues around the expanding understanding of gender, sexual orientation, and sexual preference are more complex than the traditional binary understanding of the past. We are in the midst of an emerging new paradigm where many of our established ideas and attitudes are found to be insufficient. It is important to remember that while the paradigm is new, the actual expression of gender has not changed; there have always been a variety of nonbinary expressions, which have been largely hidden, ostracized, and the victims of violence over time.
One result of being confronted with a new paradigm is a tendency to overreact to changes – both from conservative and progressive viewpoints. The conservative viewpoint may want to stop any changes from happening or being allowed to exist in the open; the progressive viewpoint may want to expand the changes too rapidly, sometimes before we know enough about the issues at hand.
From a spiritual perspective, I believe our New Thought principles say we ought to be in support of any authentic representation of who someone is. For some time, that primarily involved a rather simple dichotomy – is someone heterosexual or homosexual – and that dichotomy took some time to be fully accepted, and in some quarters is still not accepted as “normal and natural”. While transgender people have been known about for some time as isolated cases, there is now a realization that it is more common than many believed. Today, we have a much more complex set of possibilities to consider in understanding gender and how it expresses.
When an issue is complex, as the Spiral Dynamics™ Model tells us, those who are thinking at less complex levels may currently lack the capacity to understand that complexity. When we demand that people move from viewing gender as a simply binary, which has been backed-up by scriptures and authority figures for thousands of years, to accepting a more complex array of gender identities, it makes it difficult if not impossible for them to change their minds.
And many who have the intellectual capacity for more complex thinking lack the emotional maturity to view the expanded paradigm in a positive way. This is true with any change in the social structure, as we see with the conflicts across social and religious spectra today. The cries against being “woke” are a familiar trope to label an emerging paradigm as the enemy. Being woke is being aware of and desiring to care about those who are marginalized.
“Changing the way we talk is not political correctness run amok. It reflects an admirable willingness to acknowledge others who once were barely visible to the dominant culture, and to recognize that something that may seem innocent to you may be painful to others.” ~ David Plotz
More complex levels of thought and their associated values systems, such as Postmodern-Green (LINK) on the spiral, will more easily see the value and necessity of societal acceptance and support for nonbinary and transgender expressions. In fact, that is where the current paradigm has emerged. Those centered at Traditionalist-Blue and below will have difficulty doing so, as it clashes with their absolutist values. Those centered at Modernist-Orange will be split between these two viewpoints – having the capacity to understand the complexity, but perhaps still having the influence of strong Blue values in such matters.
All of this makes it very difficult for those who recognize that they do not fit into the small range of accepted gender/sexual expressions. What is ours to do is to accept and support them without making them pawns in political or religious conflicts. This does not mean being quiet, but it means having a compassionate voice and being a good ally in the struggle for equality in our society.
Dr. David Alexander showed a way to be a voice for equality in his post. Whether or not you agree with his position or his tone, it is important to understand that he is actively trying to be a voice for compassion. To be compassionate is to humbly speak the truth as skillfully as one can, even if that upsets some people. It means to call out those who do harm and to support efforts to bring greater equality for all. I hope that such efforts would be second nature to those of us in New Thought.
This is the 6th Anniversary of the first post on this blog. There have been over 123,000 views and we currently have 711 regular followers. It has been a gift for me to be doing this as a significant part of my ministry for these years, and the blog will continue. My deepest gratitude for those around the world who have taken the time to visit, read, and comment.
Today’s topic is, once again, compassion. I can think of nothing more important to post about, because the development of compassion in individuals, families, communities, and nations is the only way forward for a harmonious and sustainable human presence on our dear Planet Earth.
Compassion is the full realization of who we are as divine beings living in the physical universe – the best of each of us expressed fully. It is obvious in viewing human history and human development that compassion must be developed – it doesn’t seem to show up on its own. Too many of our social patterns inhibit and restrict the development of compassion, which is often (mistakenly) seen as weakness, when there is nothing stronger that a compassionate person. There is nothing more important for spiritual communities to do than to teach, encourage, and model compassion.
“The one and only test of a valid religious idea, doctrinal statement, spiritual experience, or devotional practice was that it must lead directly to practical compassion. If your understanding of the divine made you kinder, more empathetic, and impelled you to express this sympathy in concrete acts of loving-kindness, this was good theology. But if your notion of God made you unkind, belligerent, cruel, or self-righteous, or if it led you to kill in God’s name, it was bad theology.
Compassion was the litmus test for the prophets of Israel, for the rabbis of the Talmud, for Jesus, for Paul, and for Muhammad, not to mention Confucius, Lao-tsu, the Buddha, or the sages of the Upanishads.”
~ Karen Armstrong
Compassion is more than sympathy, which is a limited consciousness of a positive, but incomplete nature – sympathy involves separation. It is also more than empathy, which is the capacity to cognitively and/or emotionally connect with and understand someone else. Absent the inner strength needed for true compassion, empathy can be an energy drain.
True compassion is built on two qualities: humility, which is the ability to live in truth, wherever it leads; and courage, which is the inner strength needed to keep one’s faculties operating in difficult situations. Combined, humility and courage give us integrity, out of which compassion can express. Compassion requires that we become immense.
“The work right now is to become immense. We have to get our arms around immense things. Violence and hatred and bigotry and racism. And also around love and compassion and devotion and a certain fidelity to protect what is alive. We have to become immense. This is not a time to become small.”
~ Francis Weller
We live in very confusing times. Technology and ingenuity have given us amazing powers of communication, where we can access knowledge instantly and communicate almost without limit. However, these powers can be and are being misused by those who live in fear and have not developed a realization of their spiritual nature or of our universal connectedness. Humility allows us to question our beliefs, the beliefs of our various tribes and communities, the information we access. It keeps us from becoming automatons, blindly following groups or ideologies – or blindly distrusting everything from certain sources.
Courage gives us the strength to stand in our integrity and be fluid in our beliefs – to be nimble enough to change our mind when that is warranted. It allows us to be discerning, that is, to evaluate the validity of the information we receive and to act accordingly. Courage lets us face those with whom we disagree with love and compassion and to stand firmly in those qualities regardless of how we are treated by others.
Humility and courage allow us to be strong and flexible – two necessary attributes for the challenges of today and for the development of compassion.
“So, do it. Decide. Is this the life you want to live? Is this the person you want to love? Is this the best you can be? Can you be stronger? Kinder? More Compassionate? Decide. Breathe in. Breathe out and decide”
Our work is clear – to use our spiritual practices and principles to develop a sense of radical self-honesty and compassion, first within ourselves, and then out into the world. We have these abilities, these qualities, within us as latent possibilities. It is time for them to emerge in ever greater ways so that we can co-create the things we want:
To live a good life
#AWorldThatWorksForEveryone
#TheBeloved Community
As always, your comments are welcomed. Please share this post with others who may be interested.
Copyright 2021 – Jim Lockard
NOTE: I will be speaking at the Spiritual Center of the Desert LINK CSLPalmDesert.org) on Sunday Aug 29 at 10am PDT – livestream at the link.
“The fates lead him who will; him who won’t they drag.”
~ Joseph Campbell
The famous line from the Simon & Garfunkel song “Old Friends” has finally come upon me (LINK). I was 18 or 19 the first time I heard it, on the “Bookends” album on 8-Track cassette as a student at the University of Maryland. Seems like yesterday, or earlier this morning, to me now.
We are funny about aging in our culture. We deny it, ignore it, fear it, loathe it, and sometimes, we long for it. When it comes, as it inevitably does, we are surprised by it, as I was at the number of old men who attended my 50th high school reunion two years ago. I was even more surprised by the twenty percent of the graduating class of 1969 who were on the in memorium board. I looked it up and the statistics were about right.
We are funny about a lot of things in our culture, as Lillian Schneider points out below. While we have our individual quirks, preferences, and tendencies, we tend to be more a part of the collective than we may want to admit.
“Single people want relationships, settled people wonder if they’re missing out on something, traveling types miss stability, stable ones are restless, old friends want new friends, new friends miss old friends, and basically almost everyone my age has some dangling worry trailing around after them everywhere that they’re somehow not doing everything, that what they’re doing is not altogether the right thing, that they are missing out. … Do not be ashamed. The doubt is natural, and everyone you know – yes, even that person – carries it sometimes too. Allow yourself to be peaceful. Allow yourself satisfaction in what you have. If you really don’t like it, allow yourself permission to make changes.”
~ Lillian Schneider
If I have any wisdom to impart due to my longevity, it would be to pay attention to what Joseph Campbell said in that opening quote. The fates he speaks of are our own inner fates – who we came here to be as Dr. Gary Simmons puts it so uniquely and so well. When we fail to be who we came here to be, either because we never really discover who that is, or because we do discover it and resist embodying and expressing it for some reason, it makes for an unhappy life. Campbell speaks of living joyfully in the sorrows of the world, and he is right about that, too. We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can learn to live in joy – not by ignoring the suffering, but by realizing our own worth and making ourselves able to do something about it. That’s a tall order, but an increasingly essential one.
The main influences on me, aside from relatives and friends, have been Joseph Campbell, Ernest Holmes, and Carl Jung. I would include the branches which have emerged from each of them, so others as well. They helped me to realize my own power and my own limitations and gave me ways to heal what needed healing within me (still a work in progress). For me, the greatest healings have come via teaching and writing, ostensibly for others, but for myself most of all. We do teach what we need to learn if we are wise enough to realize that path. An elder once told me that the purpose of the Science of Mind teaching was to learn how to die. He said that the teaching did that by teaching us how to live fully by realizing our divine nature and that we have everything we need within us.
“The great secret is to embody something essential in our lives. Then, undefeated by age, we can proceed with dignity and meaning, and, as the end approaches, be ready ‘to die with life’. For the goal of old age is not senility, but wisdom.”
~ Anthony Stevens
Now, at 70, I am very healthy for my age, on no medications so far, fortunately. I am noticing general aches and pains on a more regular basis, my memory is becoming a bit less dependable than it was earlier in life, it’s time to get new glasses, I wear hearing aids, and I have never been happier. Well, I was pretty happy as a young boy, blessed with imperfect parents who were perfect about letting me know they loved me. But I know that my memories of those times are selective.
Ernest Holmes wrote that there is no such thing as a mistake, an often-misunderstood idea. What he meant, I believe, is that every choice we make has consequences and that we are always at choice to move in a different direction. This idea was reinforced in the book “The Power of Decision” by Raymond Charles Barker. We are always in the flow of life and each decision is a choice as to how to move forward. Also, to know that indecision is a decision to stay in place (which is actually impossible). We are best served by combining being decisive with the deep inner work necessary to support making wise and compassionate decisions more of the time.
I have come to believe that if there is a secret to a fulfilling life, it is to find ways to live authentically, in joy, AND to be a force for good in the world. To live joyfully in the sorrows of the world is to find your inner, authentic sense of self and to develop meaningful ways to contribute to the greater good. When we sacrifice ourselves to too great a degree or when we live selfish, detached lives, we are out of balance.
Another bit of wisdom from Joseph Campbell which has also been misunderstood, is to follow your bliss. Joseph defines bliss as that inner authenticity, the divine nature at the depth of our being. When we bring that forward and live from it, our lives have meaning and purpose. It takes lots of inner work to find and follow your bliss.
“You will evolve past certain people. Let yourself.”
~ Mindy Hale
I hope that you continue to evolve – to grow in your capacities for wisdom and compassion. That is the goal, if there is a goal in this life: to be fully expressed as an authentic version of yourself, living from a being state of connection and a healthy self-concept. That has been my path, imperfectly trodden to be sure, but my north star has been what Holmes, Campbell, Jung, and others have described. You will know when you are on the path and you will know when you have strayed or gotten stuck. Pay attention to those signals, which come from your soma (body) and your emotions.
“One great thing about growing old is that nothing is going to lead to anything. Everything is of the moment.”
~ Joseph Campbell
How terribly strange to be 70. How terribly wonderful to come to terms with the aging process; to learn how to die by learning how to live fully. To release the striving for money, fame, respect, attention, or anything else. To be in what Carl Jung called the second adulthood – a place of being, not a place of striving.
As always, your comments are welcomed. Please share this post with others who may be interested.
“We all wish to be free, but at the same time we should realize that liberty is not license. To say that we are free with the freedom of God does not mean that we are free to do that which contradicts the Divine nature. We are free only in that freedom which God is – the freedom to be alive, to enjoy living, to enter into the activities of everyday living with enthusiasm and interest.”
~ Ernest Holmes, Richer Living (1953), p. 64.1
We are in a time of great challenge. Each of us is being challenged to face increasing uncertainty, too often in a complex environment where it is difficult to know who or what to trust. Between the global climate crisis, the ongoing COVID Pandemic, and the increased politicization of both, there is a lot of taking sides vs. sincere investigation. There is also a lot of vitriol and animosity vs. compassion and consideration. And I include our New Thought members in this statement.
I have seen people use quotes or describe New Thought principles to justify any number of positions about the issues of the day and how we should be responding. While this is nothing new, we New Thoughters tend to value independence of thought, the levels of animosity and condemnation have grown. I have seen more people “unfriend” of disconnect from others on social media. I imagine as our centers and churches reopen for in-person activities this problem may surface there as well.
“The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day.”
~ David Foster Wallace, This is Water
I have seen people use the concept of “freedom” or “absolute choice” to support positions for and against vaccinations, for example. I have seen people post that each of us is 100% responsible for what happens to us, which usually features a statement such as “all you have to do is know the truth.”
While I can attest to the truths of such statements, they represent oversimplified understanding of some of our basic spiritual principles. The quote from Dr. Ernest Holmes above speaks to this – that freedom is not license. Our choices have consequences. And none of us is ever completely independent of the collective consciousness of our family, community, society, nation, etc., not to mention our own subconscious conditioning. If our choice is lacking in compassion, it is off the mark.
“The whole purpose of Buddhist psychology, …is the discovery that freedom and joy are possible in the face of the sufferings of human life. By neither grasping nor resisting life, we can find wakefulness and freedom in the midst of our joys and sorrows.”
~ Jack Kornfield
This Buddhist perspective is echoed in my favorite principle of Joseph Campbell – to live joyfully in the sorrows of the world. This is another principle not to be taken simplistically. It means that we must accept that the world is full of sorrows, impermanence, and loss, but as we come to accept that, we can live in joy. When we grasp (insisting that our life work all the time with no problems) or resist (practicing avoidance of legitimate pain, living in denial, or dwelling in magical thinking), we rob ourselves of the possibility of joy. True joy can only come from seeing oneself as part of the larger society and by growing in compassion for the well-being of others and contributing to the greater good.
Many have decided to contribute to the greater good by being vaccinated against COVID. Many of us did this despite some degree of fear. Some did it strictly for self-preservation, others out of a sense of oneness with the larger community. Some have refused or resisted because of fears, or because their political pundits have told them to, or because of a lack of trust in any institutions. To me, being vaccinated is in the spirit of Dr. Holmes’ opening quote and it is a compassionate choice and a courageous one for many. I understand that there is a choice not to be vaccinated, but I do not see how that choice can be considered compassionate. Perhaps, if that is the choice you have made, you can enlighten me in the comments section.
“I no longer have any intention of sacrificing my life, time, my freedom, and the adolescence of my daughters, as well as their right to study properly, for those who refuse to be vaccinated. This time you stay at home, not us.”
~ French President Emmanuel Macron on initiating a Pass Sanitaire*
”Having compassion does not mean indiscriminately accepting or going along with others’ actions regardless of the consequences to ourselves or the world. It is about being able to say ‘no’ where we need to without putting the other out of our hearts, without making the other less of a fellow human being. There is a difference between discerning and sometimes even opposing harmful behaviour and making the other wrong – less than we are, less a part of that presence that is greater than ourselves – in our own minds and hearts.”
~ Oriah Mountain Dreamer
What is so often lacking in our discourse today, perhaps due in part to the nature of social media, is generosity of spirit. To be able to disagree without condemnation of the other, but with meaningful boundaries is a critical skill to develop. President Macron, using strong language, is being a compassionate leader by taking a strong stand for the well-being of everyone in France, as the reality is that COVID is spreading most virulently and creating new variants almost entirely via the unvaccinated. The fact that some disagree with him does not mean he is not compassionate. Compassion does not require unanimity nor even agreement; it requires a very developed form of love.
None of us know what the future holds, and the even horizon grows ever closer. If we do not face that uncertainty with courage, love, and compassion, we may make it through, but there will be little, if any joy in the process.
“If I had ever been here before I would probably know just what to do Don’t you? If I had ever been here before on another time around the wheel I would probably know just how to deal With all of you”
~ Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, “Déjà vu”
As always, your comments are welcomed in the comments section.
*Pass Sanitaire: requires people to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID test to enter any venue in France with a capacity of 50 persons or more.
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