Fear

YOUR RELIGION IS WHAT YOU DO EVERY DAY

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“Your actions speak so loudly, I cannot hear what you are saying.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson (attributed)

The Latin origins of the word “religion”– In Latin religiō originally meant ‘obligation, bond’. It was probably derived from the verb religāre ‘tie back, tie tight’ (source of the English word rely), a compound formed from the prefix re- ‘back’ and ligāre ‘tie’ (source of the English words liable, ligament, etc).

I remember going to Sunday mass at Saint Ursula’s Catholic Church as a child with my mother. Dad, an agnostic, stayed home. Everyone was on their best behavior during the mass – I would get harsh stares from adults if I fidgeted too much. Then, after church, as everyone tried to get out of the parking lot, there was quite a bit of honking of horns and unpleasant yelling from car to car. I recall thinking that this behavior was inconsistent with what had just occurred in church, but what did I know?

“Jung once observed that our neuroses were in fact our private religions, that is, where the bulk of our spirit is actually invested.”
~ James Hollis

“The operative religions of the modern era are hedonism, narcissism and materialism.”
~ James Hollis

I think it is safe to say that for most people, there is a difference between the person they aspire to be and the person they are being. If we go to church or any spiritual gathering, we likely spend much of that time aspiring to be a better version of ourselves, perhaps affirming and visualizing changes in our behavior.

But when we get out to the parking lot, out to daily life, those intentions and affirmations are too often forgotten or replaced with unpleasant thoughts and fears. When this happens, we may resist going to church because we don’t like being reminded of what we are not doing for ourselves. This resistance tends to take the form of finding something wrong with church, rather than a desire to decrease our own discomfort or avoid spiritual growth.

“Jung believed that when religion is disregarded waters of the unconscious crash in, dissolving consciousness and extinguishing the light. Being mindful of the gods is a matter of psychic hygiene, not a matter of piety, social conformity or religiosity.”
~ David Tacey

One of the issues with fewer people regularly attending and participating in spiritual community is that we humans are less good at holding ourselves accountable than we think we are. Most of us need that community to remind us of who we are and are not. Most of us fall out of integrity when left to our own devices in a world full of potential distractions.

In fact, it is the very feeling of discomfort when we are reminded of these things which is a necessary element of our growth. We do not grow from comfort; we grow from discomfort. We have a term for this – divine discomfort – which refers to the instances where our discomfort leads to growth. Such discomfort is our unconscious and soul breaking through our conscious process to urge us toward healing or a return to our authentic self.

Being aware of and accepting this process is an aspect of living in integrity. It is a recognition that our challenges are FOR us in the sense that they provide opportunities for growth and healing if we accept them and take them on.

“Integrity is a shared process. Integrity is interrelational. Integrity is contextual. Integrity is integrating. Integrity is unscripted. Integrity is a kind of super-attention. Integrity is watching for the cracks in what you thought you knew. Integrity is willingness to learn together.”
~ Nora Bateson on Facebook

Staying in integrity is critically important.

Recognizing that our true religion is what we do every day, not just on special occasions, is critically important.

Living increasingly as our best selves is our purpose and our gift to the world.

And knowing that we are all works in progress along this pathway is also critically important.

And all these things require some grounding in spiritual philosophy and theology. Unless this grounding happens (meaning we create a consciousness in which they are present), we will likely be all too available for the negatives and distractions which come our way daily. This process of grounding, or embodiment of principle is not so much linear as it is and alchemical art form. We love our way to spiritual realization; we use our vivid imaginations to direct our attention and intention toward the revelation and expression of our authentic self.

“The soul longs for poetry, myth, metaphor and imagination, but the religions remain literal, historical and absolutist in their claims. The soul needs religious experience, that is, a direct transformative encounter with the numinous.”
~ David Tacey

I have found that the Science of Mind teaching does provide opportunities for transformative encounters with the numinous. This is especially so in community, where the teachings are taught and practiced in an atmosphere of mutual support, kindness, and love. If you have left your community, or not found one yet, perhaps it is time to return or seek one out. When you arrive, bring the energy of healing, joy, and contribution. Be a positive asset to your spiritual community.

“Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair.”
~ Gilbert Keith (G.K.) Chesterton

Copyright 2026 – Jim Lockard

THE UNCERTAINTY OF BEING

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“So, the universe is not quite as you thought it was. You’d better rearrange your beliefs then, because you certainly can’t rearrange the universe.”
~ Isasc Asimov

“The research literature has identified three factors that universally lead to stress: uncertainty, the lack of information and the loss of control.”
~ Gabor Maté

“When the Body Says No“

Many of our problems and issues come from an inner need for certainty. This need leads to fear, addictions, belief in conspiracy theories, codependency, and so on. Spiritual growth is largely about coming to terms with the uncertainties of life and of being human, for mystery is at the heart of reality. Spiritual growth is coming to terms the nature of reality as it is.

“Nothing is perfect. Life is messy. Relationships are complex. Outcomes are uncertain. People are irrational.”
~ Hugh Mackay 

We live in uncertain times, but all times have been and will be uncertain. It is our challenge in becoming healthy, mature, functioning people – to learn to survive and thrive in uncertainty and imperfection. The wonderful book “The Spirituality of Imperfection” speaks to this:

“To be human is to be incomplete, yet yearn for completion; it is to be uncertain, yet long for certainty; to be imperfect, yet long for perfection; to be broken, yet crave wholeness.”
~ Ernest Kurtz & Katherin Ketcham

“The Spirituality of Imperfection“

In New Thought, we are often encouraged to be certain. “First at home, in the silence of our own thought, let us heal ourselves of fear, of doubt, of uncertainty.” ~ Ernest Holmes, Observations (LINK)

We do want to be certain about the nature of God, about living in an abundant universe, about there being unlimited good in potential. But while all good may exist in potential, none of us can have all of it. A mature view would say there is little certainty about how to go about realizing our good to fully experience it.

This is often where our spiritual faith conflicts with the knowledge of the world around us. Science tells us that the universe is impersonal while religion often says it is loving and beneficent. Science says that we are subject of physical laws while religion says that we can literally raise the dead or move mountains if our faith is sufficient.

“My scientist friends have come up with things like ‘principles of uncertainty’…But many religious folks insist on answers that are always true. We love closure, resolution and clarity…How strange that the very word ‘faith’ has come to mean its exact opposite.”
~ Richard Rohr

Perhaps one reason why our spiritual communities are losing members is that too many of us insist on a degree of certainty which is counter to the lived experience of our students. We assume that if something good happens or if something bad happens, it can only be the result of some set of beliefs within the person or group affected. That not only is cause and effect the sole way the universe operates (it isn’t), but that the principle of cause and effect is both linear and identifiable as it functions.

Our desire or need to be certain about things in an uncertain reality leads us to demand to know why bad things happen to good people and vice versa. So we attribute a proficient or deficient “consciousness” based upon our external observations of someone’s experience (or of our own). We feel that we must believe we can be certain of the outcome we desire and must follow a specific path to attain it. It is one of our greatest errors.

“Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won’t have a title until much later.”
~ Bob Goff

“To stay with shakiness — to stay with a broken heart, with a rumbling stomach, with the feeling of hopelessness — that is the path of true awakening. Sticking with that uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic — this is the spiritual path.”
~ Pema Chödrön

“When Things Fall Apart“

Spiritual growth is always away from an excess of self-regard and toward a true sense of humility. We do have a powerful capacity to set the direction of our lives by the way that we think, but we ought not to develop the hubris to believe that power to be absolute. We are subject to many things, many forces in our environment, including physical laws, the collective intelligence of the beings around us, and our own unknowable unconscious drives and repressions. To be humble is to know that and recognize that the life we craft is always a collective effort in a largely unknowable realm of consciousness. It is to know that I am not a victim of life, but a participant in an ongoing experience of becoming.

Affirmations:

I learn to expect the best and to remain in balance when something different manifests.

I let go of the excessive burden of the false belief that I am completely responsible for what happens in my life.

I release the assumptions that something is wrong with me if my life is not manifesting perfectly.

I am more and more comfortable living in the mystery, the uncertainty, and the adventure of life!

“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.”
~ Isaac Asimov

Copyright 2025 – Jim Lockard

TURN TO THE POETS

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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

Copyright 2025 – Jim Lockard

NEW THOUGHT THEOLOGY – TIME FOR AN UPDATE? PART 7 – EVOLUTION & EMERGENCE

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“How devastatingly easy it is for patterns of fear, legacies of dominance, and habits of control to make us forget that creation emerges from the generous movement of the Divine, the mutual reciprocity of giving and receiving and sharing.”
~ Rev. Ana Blaedel (LINK)

“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.”
~ Ernest Homes

The first six posts in this series (LINK) have brought us here, to an exploration of what the theology[1] of New Thought might be if, going forward, it includes the lessons of quantum physics, brain research, and developments in psychological knowledge of the past century. Quantum physics helps us to see that there is true randomness (acausality) in the universe, and that this randomness is not accounted for in classical (Newtonian) physics. It also teaches us about things like “spooky action at a distance” or quantum entanglement (LINK) which helps us to understand more about the nature of consciousness and how our prayer can help to heal others.

Brain research has taught us that there are neural cells throughout the body and that the concept of a mind/body dichotomy is inaccurate. Our mind and its vessel, the brain extend throughout our being, and even the microbiome in our gut colony can and does influence our thoughts and emotions (LINK1) (LINK2). Science also has told us that all humans do not think in the same way and that things like depression can be affected by thought patterns but can also CAUSE or change thought patterns (LINK).

While the theory of evolution was known at the time of the founders of New Thought, the ideas of that theory have expanded and deepened in the past century. We now know that evolution is, in effect, the operating system of our universe and of every aspect of development within it.

“Evolution … is the central, enabling process not only of life but also of knowledge and learning and understanding. If you attempt to make sense of the world of ideas and meanings, free will and morality, art and science and even philosophy itself without a sound and quite detailed knowledge of evolution, you have one hand tied behind your back. … For evolution, which knows nothing, the steps into novelty are blindly taken by mutations, which are random copying ‘errors’ in DNA.”
~ Daniel C. Dennett

Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking

Evolution is a process of becoming something new from something which exists, and it is the developmental process of the universe and everything in it, including human development. We evolve physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually at the individual level and, in a like manner, our human cultures evolve. Evolution moves toward greater complexity. We are all connected with everything as evolving aspects of an evolving universe.

“Accept that the meaning of life is to first wake up to connective consciousness; and then, in each waking moment, to serve whatever is seeking to emerge within it so we use our one life to shape the material world around us in a way that reduces suffering and increases thriving.”
~ Nick Jankel

Our collective connections are more invisible than visible, but they exist. Evolution urges us forward, but not in a straight line of development. We rise and fall, we succeed and fail, we grow, stagnate, and sometimes regress. One of our challenges as students of New Thought principles is to remember that our trajectory toward spiritual growth is never a straight line. We must go into the depths of our being to reveal and heal the shadow elements we have repressed on a fairly continuous basis.

Rather than seeing our challenges, failings, and pain as defeats or signs of a “lack of the right consciousness,” we do better to see them as times of great potential for growth. Surrendering to the pain, living with it and learning from it can be invaluable to our ultimate journey to realization. This, among other things, is what developments in psychology have told us.

“When we must deal with problems, we instinctively resist trying the way that leads through obscurity and darkness. We . . . completely forget that these results can only be brought about when we have ventured into and emerged again from the darkness.”
~ C.G. Jung

“What looks like the end of the world today is often divine intelligence prodding us to incubate (to cocoon) to change ourselves from the inside out and emerge the butterfly. Don’t fight it.”
~ Nathalie Wynn Pace

Another major area of new awareness from the sciences is the concept of emergence[2], a familiar concept now used in human development to describe the arising of capacities or potentials once latent within an individual or a society. Emergence works through evolution, manifesting something new in experience. In cultural evolution, emergence describes the revelation of new stages of complexity of thought and the values systems which accompany them from within us (LINK). The potential is already within us, both encoded into our DNA and accessible from Universal Mind (Source) or the Collective Unconscious[3]. Emergence is a key to understanding all human growth and development, including spiritual development.

“Emergence violates so many of our Western assumptions of how change happens that it often takes quite a while to understand it. In nature, change never happens as a result of top-down, preconceived strategic plans, or from the mandate of any single individual or boss. Change begins as local actions spring up simultaneously in many different areas. If these changes remain disconnected, nothing happens beyond each locale. However, when they become connected, local actions can emerge as a powerful system with influence at a more global or comprehensive level. (Global here means a larger scale, not necessarily the entire planet.)”
~ Margaret Wheatley, Deborah Frieze (LINK)

Our theology should include the concepts of evolution and emergence as basic elements of our understanding. These, along with the lessons of quantum physics and brain science referenced earlier, combine to form a more coherent spiritual theology or design for living a life of spiritual realization. We are in a universe of both randomness and cause and effect, where evolution is the driver of new developmental expressions which emerge from within the cosmos and within our own consciousness.

“To live authentically, we often have to leave behind the reasonable, sensible option, and learn to live with the pervasive uncertainty and, sometimes, the seeming madness of the unique path and calling presented to us.”
~ Keiron Le Grice

The Rebirth of the Hero

In the 8th and final part of this series, I will attempt a cogent and user-friendly statement of philosophy and theology for New Thought in the 21st Century.

Your comments are welcomed, as always.

Copyright 2025 – Jim Lockard

[1] Theology: the study of religion and religious belief, or a set of beliefs about a particular religion.

[2] Emergence: the development of particular patterns, properties, or behaviours in parts of complex systems that happen only when the parts of the system interact, and that the parts do not have on their own: The concept of emergence dates back to Aristotle or even further. Some types of emergence involve incredible complexity emerging from simple elements, as with the emergence of the universe’s structure in a few microseconds after the Big Bang. (Cambridge Dictionary)

[3] Collective Unconscious: According to Jung’s teachings, the collective unconscious is common to all human beings. Jung also believed that the collective unconscious is responsible for a number of deep-seated beliefs and instincts, such as spirituality, sexual behavior, and life and death instincts.

TRANSFORMATION: HOW TO MOVE TOWARD SIGNIFICANT INDIVIDUAL CHANGE

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“Whatever leadership used to be — it used to be. Now, it has to be something different. Now, we all have to be more than we were. The kind of leadership that I want to explore may not be identifiable as leadership at all.  I am interested in a kind of mutually alert care and attention to the well-being of all people and ecological systems. This kind of leadership cannot be found in individuals, but rather between them. It cannot be found in organizations, nations, religions or institutions, but rather between them. I have called it Liminal Leadership to highlight the relational characteristics.”
~ Nora Bateson

The transformation of organizations (LINK to previous post) begins with the transformation of individuals. As individuals develop to new levels of complexity with expanded values systems, they can influence the organizations which they lead or to which they belong. In this post, we will explore what is needed for individual development of leaders, but anyone in an organization can lead or influence regardless of their title or position.

As Nora Bateson points out above, we are in a time where transformative change or change on a grand scale is needed. We may not recognize the kind of leadership that is needed now because it is not familiar to us. We will not recognize the transformed organizations in our future as familiar either. We are moving toward whole system changes, from what we have known to something which both transcends and includes what is familiar. We can no longer rely on strategies of the past to take us where we are being called to go. We must learn to presence (LINK) an emerging future, as C. Otto Scharmer tells us:

“The ability to shift from reacting against the past to leaning into and presencing an emerging future is probably the single most important leadership capacity today. It is a capacity that is critical in situations of disruptive change, not only for institutions and systems, but also for teams and individuals.”
~ C. Otto Scharmer

LEADING FROM AN EMERGING FUTURE

The idea of evolutionary leadership has been around for a few decades but is only now gaining significant attention. An evolutionary leader is one who has developed mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to be someone who presences the qualities of authentic leadership in such a way as to recognize the need for transformative change. In today’s world, it means presencing calmness and competence in the face of chaos, conflict, and disruption. It also means having the breath of vision to see the big picture and the depth of confidence and openness to welcome and encourage the participation of others.

“Fear of loss is part of the arrested state. Our nervousness in the face of chaos is what would make it impossible for the caterpillar to pupate into a butterfly. Chaos is the ground-force of creative potential.”
~ Jon Freeman on Facebook

“To think creatively is to walk at the edge of chaos.”
~ Robert Grudin

When we are in fear, we are paralyzed at least to some degree. We will be unable to respond effectively to challenges. A common version of this in Spiral Dynamics terms is when leaders are centered at Green, but are either immature, unhealthy, or both in that values system. This may show up as being paralyzed and unable to make needed changes because someone or some group will be upset by the changes. When centered at Green, we are very feelings oriented and will expend a lot of energy trying to keep everyone from being upset. Since all change is likely to upset someone, you can see how this situation can lead to negative outcomes.

Spiral Dynamics Levels of Existence

The degree of personal development needed to fully embody evolutionary leadership will vary from person to person, however it will involve both time and dedication. It is not a weekend seminar fix. Here are some qualities and characteristics of evolutionary leaders in spiritual settings. These are in addition to normal management and interpersonal skills required to lead spiritual organizations or ministries. There are also qualities which are consistent to movement into 2nd Tier levels (Yellow & Turquoise) on the spiral in here. You are unlikely to find most of these included in the curriculum of your spiritual organization.

  • Recommit to your spiritual practices. The advantage we in New Thought have is our spiritual awareness and the realization of our divine nature. Establish or deepen your practice to bring these elements into a stronger place in your consciousness. The goal is to automatically respond from your best self more and more.
  • Prioritize your emotional and spiritual intelligence (EQ & SQ) – the capacity to be fully present as your authentic self has never been more important. This is more about EQ & SQ than it is about IQ.
  • Also, work on your own individuation process (LINK). This means working to align every aspect of your mind – from the soul (deepest) through the subconscious (beliefs) and the conscious (thinking/feeling). Individuation involves the revealing and healing of the shadow (LINK) and other issues which keep your ego supporting your fears and not your passions. Being flexible and nimble is the key; being controlling (stemming from fear) doesn’t serve the needs of today. Therapy may be helpful here – seriously.
  • Study evolutionary leadership (do a search on the term for resources – I recommend Ecosia.org (LINK) who plant trees when you do searches).
  • Find some evolutionary partners – colleagues who are also on this pathway, even if they are not in New Thought. Connect with them regularly to discuss your thoughts, progress, frustrations, etc.
  • Find out what the futurists are thinking, writing, and saying. There are many people whose work is exploring what is happening and how it affects where we are heading. These include futurists (LINK) and cultural anthropologists (LINK). The purpose of this is both to inform you about trends which are affecting spiritual community and to get you outside of your siloed information gathering.
  • Read poetry. Write poetry. The coming times are better met by a poetic mind than by an analytical one.
  • The ability to be open to new ideas must be balanced with a clear sense of what is in harmony with your vision and what is not. The challenge for some is to learn to say ‘yes’ more often, the challenge for others is to say ‘yes’ less often.
  • If you are in leadership, make your vision (the organization vision) part of your everyday conversation. Get used to referring to it and make sure that everything that is done is in support of that vision. Don’t have a vision, or don’t have a compelling or relevant one? Then do a process to create one in the community or organization. Then make it a part of everyday life.
  • Remember that “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” ~ Peter F. Drucker. I am surprised that many leaders don’t really pay attention to the culture of their organization or simply are not aware of it. Knowing the culture is essential, especially when it needs to change. When you strategize in ways that are not in coherence with the culture, the strategies will fail. Leaders must presence the vision all the time.
  • And since we don’t know what the future has in store in terms of models for ministry or spiritual community, we should be working to develop a healthy sense of trying things, having them not work or not last, and then trying other things. Make everything a pilot project. Realize that no decision is final. Model being open, flexible, and comfortable with uncertainty.

The good news is that we have within us everything we need to move through these challenging and transformative times. We need to call it forth – inwardly in the latent capacities which lie within us and outwardly in the vast array of resources and information available to us. This is our high calling in this moment.

“To know that you live in world in which you will change and be changed is to hold an idea of self gently enough to be reshaped, without breaking those around you. Every organism does this as seasons change. Life requires nothing less than infinite reshaping. This is grace. The alternative is a bet hedged against life itself; a zombie bargain for sameness.”
~ Nora Bateson

Your comments are welcomed.

Copyright 2025 – Jim Lockard

My books relate to these ideas and are available at all Amazon websites.

2025 – IT’S TIME TO AWAKEN AND ENGAGE

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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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Copyright 2024 – Jim Lockard

NEW THOUGHT: TRANSFORM OR COLLAPSE – Part 2

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“If we enter into it, that chaos can resurrect us into a higher wisdom, rooted in the wisdom of the creative process. The chaos that we fear is the very thing that can free us.”
~ Marion Woodman

Transformation is not for the faint of heart. It requires one to realize their power to surrender and to vision in a chaotic environment. The chaotic environment is upon us now, and growing more chaotic as time goes on. This chaos is driven by increasing rates of change in our society as well as the pushback to that change. In Part 1 (LINK) I wrote about how these dynamics are affecting New Thought organizations and ministries. In this post, I will address how it affects individuals and what we need to be to survive and thrive in these times.

“We suffer from the delusion that the entire universe is held in order by the categories of human thought, fearing that if we do not hold to them with the utmost tenacity, everything will vanish into chaos.”
~ Alan W. Watts,

The Wisdom of Insecurity

We have constructed our lives in concert with others and in the process, come to believe that the structures, both physical and cultural, which we have built are necessary for our survival. But the dynamics of the world around us are saying something different. They are saying that it is time to break out of the shell of the status quo as the snake sheds its too-small skin, and trust that there is something new for us.

These times of chaos are calling something forth from within us, something that has not yet emerged, but exists within us as latent potential. We are being called to individuate, which is to come into ourselves more and more fully.

“Jung’s individuation process is usually experienced after middle age or toward the end of life. It is not a withdrawal from life, but life itself–a way between man-the-seen and his soul-the-unseen. It is a way of transformation toward experiencing the wholeness.”
~ Maude Oakes

As we come to realize our wholeness more fully, by doing our spiritual practices and studying the great wisdom teachings, we become the version of ourselves which is necessary to traverse this liminal time of chaos and co-create what is beyond. This means that the more fully realized we become, the more we can engage with whatever is in our path – the positive and the negative.

‎”The black moment is the moment when the real message of transformation is going to come. At the darkest moment comes the light.”
~ Joseph Campbell

Spiritual realization, individuation, does not mean that we have no problems. It means that we can face much larger problems and grow as a result. It means that we are very difficult to knock off balance. It means that we know our own power. We stay present to whatever is happening, and we hold firm in our truth.

“To stay with shakiness — to stay with a broken heart, with a rumbling stomach, with the feeling of hopelessness — that is the path of true awakening. Sticking with that uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic — this is the spiritual path.”
~ Pema Chödrön

When Things Fall Apart

“What I’ve noticed about the people whom I consider to be awake is this: They’re fully conscious of whatever is happening. Their minds don’t go off anywhere. They just stay right here with chaos, with silence, with a carnival, in an emergency room, on a mountainside.”
~ Pema Chödrön

The time we are in requires nothing less than the best that we have to offer, the highest and deepest version of ourselves. True compassion can only come with the realization of our power, and compassion will be needed in the near future. Compassion means Truth expressed as Love and Power. It means the ability to stay balanced in chaos, to speak the truth, and to act with wisdom and love. Our beloved New Thought Teachings give us an advantage in this process, for that is exactly what they are designed to provide.

This is what it will take to lead spiritual communities and organizations from this time forward to truly create The Beloved Community. I am sure that New Thought principles will survive, however, the organizations and ministries will need to transform in order to survive in a sustainable manner.

“One must have chaos within oneself in order to give birth to a dancing star.”
~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Copyright 2024 – Jim Lockard

Note: for those who have followed me as @JimLockard on Twitter/X, I am migrating that account to Bluesky Social LINK: https://bsky.app/.

Look for me there as @jimlockard.bsky.social – I look forward to connecting.

REMEMBERING WHO WE ARE IN CHALLENGING TIMES

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NOTE: I haven’t published in a while because we were traveling in the far east and the US in September and early October. I mean to write about those experiences, but this topic has risen to the top of my need to-write list.

“The Love of the All-Good is within me and through me. That Love goes out to meet all who come into my atmosphere. It radiates to all and is flowing through all. My Love within me is Perfect.”
~ Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind

“The soul will not put up with a narrow span of existence. ‘All the years,’ says the soul, ‘are mine; no epoch is closed to great minds; all Time is open for the progress of thought.'”
~ Seneca, Stoic Philosopher

Ernest Holmes tells us that we are ever renewed by the passage of divine energy through us. This energy is life itself, and it is the “fuel” with which we operate at every level of our being – physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. When we remember this, we can draw upon our strength, wisdom, and potential in every aspect of our lives.

We are facing challenging times, and while all times have their challenges (it is how we grow and develop), these times represent an accumulation of conditions relating to our collective inattention and denial. Various aspects of our collective human shadow are being projected and we must deal with them with great love, wisdom, and empowerment.

The fear generated by these conditions is creating additional chaos, conflict, and violence across the globe and in our own psyches. We are too often entrapped by our fears of growing chaos.

“Any meaningful change must begin with recognizing and letting go of what entraps us. Yet the little self feels it will lose what it holds so dear. Even when life begins to feel like a trap and the pain becomes undeniable, the monkey-minded little self will not simply let go. Often enough it seems better to cling to a familiar pain than suffer a genuine change of state.”
~  Michael Meade, “Fate and Destiny”

Fear is turning many toward an embrace of authoritarianism, which promised to wall our perceived troubles out and keep us safe within if we only obey the increasingly disempowering rules and edicts; if we only close our eyes to “necessary cleansing” of those “undesirables” who are blamed for our fears.

At the same time, there are no perfect candidates, no clear path toward a more loving humanity. However, there are stark differences among those who seek leadership of our nations, our communities, and our spiritual communities. Choosing wisely is not that difficult when we remember who we are. And we remember who we are more clearly when we do our spiritual practices.

“There is a longing that burns at the root of spiritual practice. This is the fire that fuels your journey. The romantic suffering you pretend to have grown out of, that remains coiled like a serpent beneath the veneer of maturity. You have studied the sacred texts. You know that separation from your divine source is an illusion. You subscribe to the philosophy that there is nowhere to go and nothing to attain, because you are already there and you already possess it.

“But what about this yearning? What about the way a poem by Rilke or Rumi breaks open your heart and triggers a sorrow that could consume you if you gave in to it? You’re pretty sure this is not a matter of mere psychology. It has little to do with unresolved issues of childhood abandonment, or codependent tendencies to falsely place the source of your wholeness outside yourself. The longing is your recognition of the deepest truth that God is love and that this is all you want. Every lesser desire melts when it comes near that flame.”
~ Mirabai Starr, “Longing for the Beloved”

Whether it is the coming national elections in the US and elsewhere or watching the transformation of what it means to be in spiritual community in New Thought, we are called to know the Truth every more clearly and to be our best selves as a result. We are called to end our denial about both the conditions of the world and our own capacity to be effective. We are called to stand in our strength and power with compassion and grit. We are called to deny falsehoods lovingly and clearly because we have educated ourselves about the issues. We are called to treat (pray) and move our feet.

None of us are fully “there” yet. We are all works in progress. Begin where you are, do your practices to know your best self and to forget whatever is within you that is unlike that. Practice self-care as necessary. Listen to your body and to your intuition. Repeat every day for as long as needed.

“The spiral of life is upward. Evolution carries us forward, not backward. Eternal and progressive expansion is its law and there are no breaks in its continuity. It seems to me that our evolution is the result of an unfolding consciousness of that which already is and needs but to be realized to become a fact of everyday life.”
~ Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind

Copyright 2024 – Jim Lockard

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STAYING IN ALIGNMENT – INDIVIDUATION

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“Individuation is the term Jung used to refer to the lifelong process of becoming the complete human beings we were born to be.”
~ Robert A. Johnson, Inner Work

“There is a short-cut to individuation: Relentless inner work and exploration of our unconscious. Most people take the long way – anger, frustration, projection, depression and engaging in distractions to soothe the inner turmoil. The latter get nowhere until they try the first.”
~ John Campbell

One of the most valuable concepts to come out of the work of Carl Jung is the idea of individuation (LINK). Simply put, individuation is about becoming who we really are at the depth of our being. As Dr. Gary Simmons puts is, it is about “being who you came here to be.” The idea is in perfect alignment with New Thought teachings: Universal Mind individualized as our minds, providing a channel for the expression of Life.

Becoming individuated is coming into alignment at every level of being, from the soul, through the unconscious, to the conscious mind and heart. As we are enculturated by our families, society’s institutions, and by others who have been so enculturated, we inevitably lose at least some connection with our deepest identity. In Jung’s terms, we form a shadow self, which is a collection of aspects of us which have been repressed.

Shadow work is the process of revealing, healing, and integrating these repressed aspects to come into alignment once again. When we are in alignment, we have access to our full intuitive wisdom, which is seated in our soul, the deepest level of our individualized beingness.

“During individuation, you are called by the Self, as the greater power and center in the psyche, to bring your own personal will into alignment with the Self’s own intentions, which are often significantly different from your conscious plans for yourself and your life.”
~ Keiron Le Grice

As you can discern from this quote by Keiron Le Grice, the process of developing shadow can block us from our soul identity to the point that we live our lives as someone who we are not. This is very common in today’s world, because the more “civilized” a society, the greater the amount of shadow in its developing citizens. Individuation is a process of revealing and healing these shadow aspects sufficiently to be able to live in society, but as an integral version of our true selves. But shadow work is difficult because it requires us to face aspects of ourselves which we have earlier deemed harmful, weak, dangerous, or disgusting.

Now comes the really difficult part. Most of our spiritual and religious instruction does not deal with revealing, much less healing shadow. Spiritual practice works on the conscious mind and to some degree the surface levels of the subconscious to change some beliefs. But deeply held beliefs which are connected to repressed aspects of the self are hidden from these conscious practices. In other words, it may be fairly easy to demonstrate a parking place or a promotion at work using spiritual techniques, but healing deeply repressed issues with a strong emotional fear-based history requires something different.

“’Tame your mind, Control your mind’ is an empty societal construct Mind cannot be tamed, it can be aligned. Taming your mind, forcing it, is a chase and a non-permanent endeavor to which Mind retaliates strongly. It is far more effective to ‘Observe’ your mind. No one talks about this.”
~ @PhilosophyVK

Spiritual practices like prayer/treatment and meditation are beneficial and important, but they do not reveal what we have decided to repress from ourselves decades ago. Such practices are good for us and can lay the foundation for approaching the deeper aspects of shadow work.
By observing our mind – our thoughts and emotions as they arise, we can gain clues about what we have repressed. Your emotional responses to the behavior of others can be very informative. Strong negative emotions are almost always reflective of repressed energy. Strong positive emotions toward others can reflect positive things about us which we have repressed.


“It is understandable why so few attempt Shadow work. It is much easier to scapegoat others, blame, and feel superior to them.”
~ James Hollis, Jungian analyst

“What Shadow work requires is growing up, maturity, and who wants to do that?”
~ James Hollis

Our shadow uses our ego to protect us from seeing what we don’t want to see about ourselves and the world  around us. Together, these aspects of our mind want to be right, even when the evidence says we are wrong. The fear of having what we have repressed revealed is very strong and guides our reactions to others, often making enemies unnecessarily, wanting to see others diminished, or becoming antisocial. Such behaviors reveal that we are out of alignment.

“Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square.
She calls to the crowds along the main street, to those gathered in front of the city gate:
“How long, you simpletons, will you insist on being simpleminded?
How long will you mockers relish your mocking?
How long will you fools hate knowledge?”
~ Proverbs 1:20-22, The Holy Bible, NLT

Wisdom is the agenda of the soul, the deepest and truest sense of who we are. As noted in this passage from Proverbs, wisdom is often lost in the turmoil within us, our pathways of intuitive knowing fractured by repressed aspects of ourselves. We then project this fear and anger onto others.

The call here is to come into alignment with that deep truth, the soul’s agenda. We are called in times like this to increase our spiritual expressions of love, wisdom, and compassion. To bring the best of ourselves to the world, to perceive with clarity, to be calm in chaos, and to be a presence for good and empowerment.


“A new world is upon you and all peoples of the earth. A different tomorrow awaits.
 
Nothing is going to be the way it was before.
Not your finances, not your politics, not your work life, not your
relationships, not the way you experience your spirituality – all of it is changing…and is going to continue to change.

The only question remaining: Will you be part author of those continuing changes, or merely one who is impacted by them?”
~ Neal Donald Walsh

Since it is political season, one might ask this question as they decide how to spend their valuable vote: “Which candidate(s), which ballot initiative(s), which issues feel the closest to being aligned as described in this post? Knowing that there is no perfect answer to this question, (for who of us is in perfect alignment?): who or what is the closest to that feeling of integrity I want to see in my life, my nation, and my world?

As always, your comments are welcomed and feel free to share this post with others.

Copyright 2024 – Jim Lockard

DON’T PANIC – IT’S GOING TO GET WORSE

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“Panic lacks perspective.”
~ Charles M. Blow, NYTimes

“Anxiety is the great killer of love. It creates the failures. It makes others feel as you might when a drowning man holds on to you. You want to save him, but you know he will strangle you with his panic.”
~ Anaïs Nin

“To stay with shakiness – to stay with a broken heart, with a rumbling stomach, with the feeling of hopelessness – that is the path of true awakening. Sticking with that uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic – this is the spiritual path.”
~ Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart

We are well into a cycle of disruption. Human cultural evolution has pushed us to new heights of awareness and technology while simultaneously putting humanity, in fact much of life on earth, into grave danger. Those who have not been able to keep up with the progress made are reacting angrily, trying to smash the systems which heretofore have sustained them – not from a place of wisdom about redirecting our efforts toward sustainability, but from a place of fear. Fear is increasingly driving the ship of state across the world.

In past weeks, the actions of the US Supreme Court and the surprise elections in France and the United Kingdom show the degree to which fear is rising. Blatant power grabs which are being supported by a growing percentage of the populations of western democracies. Promises to protect “us” from invasions by “them” are increasingly a winning electoral practice. The politics of regression are on the rise and the politics of progression are fading in so many places.

And in the US, it goes beyond that – there is a plan already made public, called Project 2025 (LINK1) (LINK2), which would effectively usher in an authoritarian state, minority rule, and make future elections anything but competitive. The US Supreme Court decisions (LINK) of the past weeks are effectively a part of this plan. Here is a brief synopsis and some of the links contain access to the full document:

Project 2025 is a remarkably detailed guide to turning the United States into a fascist’s paradise. The primary document of Project 2025, [Democracy Docket (LINK)] explains, lays out what is essentially a “Christian nationalist vision of the United States, one in which married heterosexuality is the only valid form of sexual expression and identity; all pregnancies would be carried to term, even if that requires coercion or death; and transgender and gender-nonconforming people do not exist.”


It’s a terrifying vision of what American life could look like, but what’s most concerning about Project 2025 is its playbook for the first 180 days of a hypothetical second Trump term. “The time is short, and conservatives need a plan,” the playbook states. “The project will create a playbook of actions to be taken in the first 180 days of the new Administration to bring quick relief to Americans suffering from the Left’s devastating policies.”

Among the numerous troubling suggestions laid out in the playbook is a detailed plan to essentially purge the federal workforce of tens of thousands of workers in favor of hiring ones who will adhere to the conservative principles of Project 2025. Paul Dans, a former Trump administration official whose director of Project 2025’s Presidential Transition Project, told the Associated Press the 180 day transition plan is a “clarion call to come to Washington… People need to lay down their tools, and step aside from their professional life and say, ‘This is my lifetime moment to serve.’”
Project 2025 is the brainchild of The Heritage Foundation, the 50-year-old conservative think tank that’s among the most influential right-wing organizations in the country. In its nearly half century of existence, The Heritage Foundation has used its resources, influence and money to push its conservative agenda in just about every facet of American life: anti-abortion advocacy, voter suppression, anti-climate policies, and anti-LGBTQ advocacy. 

What has this got to do with spirituality?

The answer is everything. If my spirituality is how my life is lived from the inside-out, then politics and the resulting policies of government and other institutions reflect how the societal environment in which I live my life is co-created. When I mentally divorce my spirituality from the politics of the society in which I live, I also fail to approach politics from a spiritualized perspective. There is little question that those who support Project 2025 are out of alignment with the spiritual values of New Thought. Who represents our values in the political system? Do we leave that to others?

When I try to detach and to rise above the energy of my society, I may withdraw my talents and fail to support others who are adversely affected by the politics of the day. Or I may simply be unable to relate to the mindsets of some in the political discourse.

“The thing you have to understand about fascism is that you’ll never understand it. You don’t have a need for absolute power that becomes absolute obedience. You’re not a sadist. You feel empathy not hate. It’s about stopping it, not debating it.”
~ @umairh on Twitter/X

“That’s the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too.”
~ Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner 

When we disconnect from the political realm, other than for a brief respite, our actions say that we do not believe everything is connected to everything else. What happens in the political realm determines the environments in which we live at the local, regional, national, and international levels. To absent ourselves because of discomfort turns that arena over to those who may not be bringing wisdom and compassion into the dynamic.

“Transformation occurs only when we remember, breath by breath, year after year, to move toward our emotional distress without condemning or justifying our experience.”
~ Pema Chödrön, The Places That Scare You

Barbara Marx Hubbard used to say that New Thought was the theology for the 21st Century. To be sure, our theology has not failed us, but to the degree that we cower from the fray of today’s critical political dynamics, our acceptance and practice of it has. It is time to recommit for many of us. We face a future of great challenge that will likely increase rather than diminish regardless of the outcome of the 2024 elections. We need to be ready to co-create transformation together.

AN AFFIRMATION:

Armed with a deep realization of who I am, I enter the realm of the politics of my society, from a place of love, wisdom, compassion, clarity, and determination. I strengthen my spiritual foundation daily through deep spiritual practices. I engage with others from a place of power filled with love. I do not hide, I do not cringe, I do not run away. I bring a clear presence of my divine nature to all that I do; I have and use my spiritual muscle to be a presence for good. From this place, I engage in the political system according to my calling, according to my talents, and the needs present. I find what is mine to do: I vote, I encourage others to do so, I volunteer to work at the polls, I march where appropriate. I am no shrinking violet, but a force to be reckoned with. I am co-creating #aworldthatworksforeveryone ! And so it is.

“When faced with great danger and when people panic and seek a false sense of safety, run towards the roaring and go where you fear to go. For only in facing your fears can you find some safety and a way through. When the world rattles and the end seems near, go towards the roar.”
~ Michael Meade

Copyright 2024 – Jim Lockard