Eternal Youth

If you were given the gift of eternal youth...let’s say your body would never grow older than age 29, would you consider it a blessing or a curse?

In today’s youth-obsessed society, many attempt to stop the clock on the aging process.  We see advertisements for all sorts of beauty creams to prevent wrinkles, products to color hair, gyms and exercise programs to keep us strong, and all sorts of anti-aging supplements, including one to stop telemeres in our DNA from shortening.

So we have the recent romantic fantasy film, The Age of Adaline, in which the main character, a young widow and single mother, has a freak accident in 1937 and never ages another day.

Is she happy about this? No, she lives her life as much under the radar as possible.
 She escapes at the age of 45 from curious government agents who try to take her away for testing; thereafter she takes a new identity every ten years, makes only short-term friends who won’t learn her “secret,” avoids love affairs, except for one big mistake, and takes a succession of springer spaniels as her companions.

Born in 1908, we meet her in the present at age 107 ... looking fabulous in her Lauren Bacall/Veronica Lake hair and vintage clothing. We also are privy to a conversation between Adaline and her now 82-year old daughter, who is concerned with assisted living, hip replacements and other such aspects of aging. These, of course, don’t concern Adaline, but her overall demeanor is one of sadness and melancholy.

I won’t spoil the story, except to say that it has a happy ending when she discovers her first gray hair.

My initial reaction to the film was: what total mis-mangement of the gift of youth.
Granted, it would be very challenging to see those around you grow old and die, to realize you’re different, very different, from the rest of humanity, to find yourself isolated and alone.

But also, could there be an upside? Being healthy, vigorous, and strong as the years pass, without the decrepitude of aging. Could there be opportunities for fantastic personal and spiritual growth, for incredible learning, mastery of all sorts of skills, and extensive travels, experiences and relationships that we could never fit in one lifetime?

I was reminded of a book I read years ago...My First Two Thousand Years, The Autobiography of the Wandering Jew. The main character, Isaac Laquedem,  hatefully mocks Jesus on the way to crucifixion and death. Jesus, in a blaze of anger, declares; “I will go, but thou shalt tarry until I return!”

And that’s what happened. Isaac tarries, remaining ageless while all around him people passed into history. Along the way he meets many now-famous persons, has fantastic experiences, and influences any number of important historical events.

All in all, it is a rousing trip through the past two thousand years, up to the point where the curse may be released as he confesses his story, under psychoanalysis, in a monastery in 1928. His chronicle, said one of the listeners, is the history of human passion; it sheds new and colorful light on religion, sex, morality, occultism, rejuvenation, reincarnation, and more.

One thing of note that Isaac discovered, and that I saw no hint of in Adaline’s story: “It is not enough to live. One must find a purpose, a reason for existence... What did I desire? What purpose could I make my own?” he asks, as he sets forth to conquer ennui, and other challenges of human life.

That’s the question for all of us, regardless of the number of years we are granted, or the number of challenges we face. What purpose can we make our own? How can we make the most of the present moment, be here NOW, and truly enjoy this gift of life?

And so it is.

Over the Rainbow

Our center's fifth annual spring fling was held recently, with music, food, dancing, a silent auction and a general good time by all. It’s a great opportunity for us to get together for just plain fun. The theme this year was "Over the Rainbow." That sent me to the Internet to learn a bit about various meanings attributed to the rainbow.

According to the Bible, the rainbow appeared after the great flood that destroyed all life on Earth, except that preserved in the Ark. It was s a sign of promise, from God.  He said to Noah: “I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. . . and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.”

Over the centuries, the beautiful rainbow in the sky, which appears as a play of light upon the raindrops, has had many meanings, including Hope, Divinity, Potential, Connection, Transformation and Spiritual Cohesion.

In the Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, those who have attained the highest meditative state are said to experience the “rainbow body” or body of light when they attain oneness with the Divine. The rainbow is often seen as a bridge, such as a celestial bridge connecting the Earth to Heaven, or a channel to enlightenment.

For the Celts, the rainbow and its cauldron at the end symbolized fertility, the promise of a child and the continuance of the bloodline. This morphed into the familiar story of the pot of gold, guarded by a leprechaun, at the end of the rainbow.

Native Americans have a number of myths and sayings around rainbows. For example, from manataka.org comes a poem about the Rainbow Tribe by an unknown author, which includes the lines:

"The sun rose on a magical new day...
Over the whole earth they came,
The people of every colour,
Sister, Brother, Father, Mother
Traveling over many a land
People of the Rainbow
Children of the Way..."

The Sioux have this prophecy about The Rainbow Warriors: There will come a time when the earth is sick and the animals and plants begin to die, then the Indians will regain their spirit and gather people of all nations, colors and beliefs to join together in the fight to save the Earth.

Rainbow power can remind us to take a fresh look at our opportunities, our options for current challenges, our readiness to cross over from one phase of life to another, or to examine our own connection to the Divine.  The rainbow, that paintbrush of divinity, reminds us to open up to spirit, to let it guide us on our life’s journey.

We can also see it as a gift, and when we encounter its beauty, we can be reminded to be grateful for the gifts and blessings we already experience in our lives.

In the song” Over the Rainbow,” from the film, "The Wizard of Oz," Judy Garland asks plaintively why she can’t fly over the rainbow. Bluebirds do it. Why can’t she? It’s so elusive...we can’t seem to move over it, or reach its end. But it brings a promise -- a promise that our troubles will soon be over, and we’ll experience new beginnings and new prosperity.  We’ll reach our heart’s desire at the end of the rainbow and we’ll  celebrate the fulfillment of our dreams.  

And so it is.

Play A Bigger Game

 

I came upon the book, Play Your Bigger Game, 9 Minutes to Learn, A Lifetime To Live, by Lifecoach Rick Tamlyn. It's a roadmap to living your best life and includes a gameboard, which looks a bit like Tic Tac Toe.

You can start anywhere on the board, which represents Tamlyn's plhilosophy: "Life is all made up, so why not make it up the way uyou really want?" The names on the squares express what most of us want: Create a meaningful life and have a positive impact on the world around us.

On the squares you'll find:

Hunger - you feel a powerful desire for something more, even if uyoui don't know what it is.
Compelling Purpose - you define or seek a purpose that inspires or drives you.
Comfort Zones - you feel comfortable, or even uncomfortable, but are afraid to leave for something better.
Gulp - you feel fear, possibly mixed with excitement, before the leap into change.
Investment - you look at time, money, talent, energy and work needed to make the change.
Allies - you build a support network, which can be family, friends, circumstances, other people, pets, your church...whatever helps you.
Sustainability - what you  need to sustain yuou, mentally, physicaly emotionally and spiritually for this bigger game.
Assess - ask, "How am I doing?' "Where am I." "Where do I want to go?"
Bold Action - the Center square, where you actually make the leap into your bigger game.

So if you're seeking a compelling purpose, stuck on your project, or find your New Year's Resolutions waning, this book can be an antidote. Turn them into a game, with you as the player. Or you could get some friends together for a rousing group session.

Religious Scientists will agree with Tamlyn when he says: Your life goes in the direction of the words that fall from your mouth; your life goes in the direction of the questions you ask. This is something we know, and practice as best we can.

This board game triggers questions that keep us stretching, thriving, growing and going beyond limits, self-imposed or not.

I found the book and the game helpful as I looked at my own completed book manuscript. Yes, I completed the writing, but now felt overwhelmed at the next stage--actually getting it published and having the book in my hand.

It's easier to hang out in my comfort zone at home, puttering and decluttering and watching movies. This is positive as I take care of myself and my home, but also negative as it keeps me stuck.

I see that I need to move around that board to Assess where I'm at, get over the fear of moving into unchartered waters of the publishing world, and take a big Gulp.  It's only Bold  Action that will take me into MY Bigger Game.

So are you a player who wants to play a bigger game on this plane of existence? Who, at the end of your life prefers to say, "It's been a great ride," rather than "If only...?"

Then as Tamlyn suggests, get in touch with what matters to you, ask some good questions, Gulp and move forward with Bold Action. His book provides the details on how to do this.

We are fortunate at our Center for Spiritual Living to have a loving environment, positive people who can be natural allies, and a spiritual philosophy to ground us on our journey through a meaningful life.

And so it is.

I Am An Evolving Mystic

I am an evolving mystic. I am attuned to Spirit and my oneness with Spirit, and know that all life, visible and invisible, is the wholeness of God. I use prayer, meditation, contemplation and silence to patiently listen for the voice within. I center myself throughout the day, observing my thoughts, emotions, actions, and people in a non-judgmental way. As I evolve my consciousness, past the blame game of victimization, through the personal empowerment of using prayer to make life changes, to surrendering to divine guidance and allowing Spirit to live through me, I finally reach complete identification with God -- knowing that I am It. I am an expression of God in action.

As I evolve, I allow my awareness of the Infinite and my place in It to be revealed, step by step. Each day I do soul work to answer these questions: Why was I born? What is the greater meaning and purpose of my life? How am I meant to be of service? As I develop a soul with qualities of humility, dignity, integrity, honor, wisdom, justice, harmony and endurance, I build a soul of STAMINA, strong enough to be in direct contact with God, to listen to and act upon Divine Guidance.

As my soul work continues, I find my highest potential -- to live without fear, to experience divinity, to develop my own healing power, and to evoke my Inner Mystic.

And so it is.

Evoking Our Inner Mystic - Part III

Continuing with the class, Practical Mysticism, we focused on the lessons of the Sufi mystic, Rumi, who lived 700 years ago. He is someone who experienced the merging into that bliss of divine love, and wrote some of the world’s most beautiful poetry.

Born in 1207 in Afghanistan, the son of a theologian and mystic, he became a teacher.
In 1244, he met the wandering mystic Shams of Tabriz, who he recognized as a kindred spirit.

 They spent months together in what is described as pure ecstatic communion. Shams served as spiritual guru and they shared a pure unselfish love mixed with reverence.

Rumi came to understand that love for the teacher, the Beloved, is simply divine love, love for our own inner self. God is the Beloved Friend, and Shams embodied this Friend.
Shams taught Rumi that God within us is real; we are not separate entities. We are all One.

This intense relationship aroused jealousy  and the story is that Shams disappeared, murdered through a plot involving Rumi’s son.

Rumi’s grief over this loss of his Beloved Friend stimulated his transformation into a mystic artist. Today we celebrate not only his inspired poetry, but his legacy of the Whirling Dervishes.

Rumi poetry is all about love, acknowledging that “God is Love, Lover and Beloved.”
He writes: “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 in sunset like supper, those who don’t want to change, let them sleep."

He also writes: “There’s no love in me without your being, no breath without that. I once thought I could give up this longing, then thought again. But I couldn’t continue being human."

In his grief and trance-like whirling movement, Rumi disgorged his poetry: “The Lover is ever drunk with love; He is free, he is mad, He dances with ecstasy and delight. Caught by our own thoughts, We worry about every little thing. But once we get drunk on that love, Whatever will be, will be.”

His poetry echoes across the centuries, relevant today. “When your love reaches the core, earth-heavals and bright irruptions spew in the air. the universe becomes one spiritual thing, that simple, love mixing with spirit.”

And so it is.

Evoking Our Inner Mystic - Part II

 

I, along with Rev. Nancy Woods, am in the throes of teaching the class, Practical Mysticism, and we’re continuing to awaken our inner mystics.

As mentioned in an earlier blog, we use the book by Caroly Myss, Enter the Castle, which is inspired by Teresa of Avila, who views the Soul as a castle with seven mansions and much soul work to help our evolution.

The soul is our divine essence, a masterpiece of divinity in miniatures and this soul castle represents our deep inner consciousness. It’s an inner sanctum to gather the strength, clarity and stability to access sublime divine guidance, says Myss.  As we journey into the Castle, we grow to understand the meaning and purpose of our lives. We build soul stamina and endurance.

According to Myss, the reason we have descended into physical life is to unleash the power of our soul upon Earth, and we can strengthen it.

In the lower three mansions, we work to clear our soul of what Myss calls “reptiles,” those interior sufferings of mind, heart and spirit. These are attachments to the physical world that bring pain, distraction, and haunt our thoughts and feelings. They need to be faced and expelled, which is not easy. 

Reptiles can be hatred, jealousy, envy, vengeance, arrogance, dishonesty, vanity, guilt, memories of abuse, inability to forgive, addictions and more. It takes a boot camp of disciplined soul work to expel these venomous, slithering reptiles before we can move along. In the Fourth Mansion, we are purified enough to stretch our soul -- to become a divine container of love.

Traveling through the fifth, sixth and seventh mansions successfully brings us to fearless bliss, united with divine enlightenment.

Quite a journey.

Along the way we encounter Chaos. This may be Divine Chaos, such as a health challenge, death of loved one, earthly disasters or other traumatic events which bring new decisions and directions to our soul’s journey.

For example, a bout with breast cancer twenty years ago prompted my spiritual quest. I found this Center, and never left. Without the chaos and emotional turmoil of that health challenge, which of course I didn’t want, I wouldn’t be here today.

Chaos can also be self-created...to avoid confronting an unpleasant truth. As we examine our actions, reactions, personal choices and motivations, we become aware of how we create chaos to distract ourselves, to cloud reason and create confusion. Perhaps we’re attached to an addiction, and blow up in anger if someone suggests we give it up.

As we examine our attachments, we can ask: "What power do they have over me?
How can I get free? How might it change me to detach?"

A First Mansion challenge is to go through the door of humility. This is not humiliation -- that assault on our self esteem when someone demeans us. No, this is being humble, detached from the need for praise, or approval or the need to win. It’s listening for divine guidance and following it. 

We detach, as Myss says, from everyday “earthbound madness.” As we liberate ourselves from the fear of humiliation we can live a “wildly free life.”

I’d like that. Wouldn’t you?  And so it is.

Evoking Our Inner Mystic

I've been teaching a class, Practical Mysticism, with Rev. Nancy Woods at our Center for Spiritual Living. We have a great group and we’re definitely working to awaken our inner mystics, to evolve as mystics.

So, what exactly IS a mystic?  When I first heard the word, I thought of that Walt Disney film, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, where Mickey Mouse is left alone to mind the sorcerer’s habitat, gets the mops and brooms dancing and the water sloshing until things get out of hand, and the sorcerer arrives in the nick of time to stop the disaster in progress.

No, we’re not learning to be sorcerers. According to Ernest Holmes, a mystic is one who intuitively--intuitively -- perceives Truth and, with mental process, arrives at Spiritual Realization. Mystics are so attuned to Spirit that they are totally convinced of their oneness with the infinite and know that all life, visible and invisible, is the wholeness of God.

We can all evolve as mystics. Evolving mystics use prayer, meditation, contemplation  and silence to patiently listen for the voice within. Evolving mystics practice the presence, or remember to center themselves throughout the day. They also observe their thoughts, emotions, actions and everyday situations and people in a non-judgmental way.

It’s all about evolving our consciousness -- past the powerless blame game of victimization, through the personal empowerment of using prayer to make life changes, to surrendering to divine guidance by allowing Spirit to live through us, and finally to complete identification with God -- the knowing that I am It, I am an expression of God in action.

Basically, as we evolve we allow our awareness of the infinite and our place in it to be revealed, step by step. We use a book by Carolyn Myss, Enter the Castle, which is inspired by the work of Teresa of Avila, a 15th century nun. Teresa views the Soul as a castle with many rooms and much soul work to help our evolution.

Today’s mystics can be anyone; there is no need for monasteries. We seek a partnership with God to answer these questions: "Why was I born? What is the greater purpose and meaning of my life? How am I meant to be of service?" The process is meant to build a soul of stamina, to develop our own healing power.

And what exactly is our soul? It’s not our mind, or even our subconscience.  Its our essence, our deep inner consciousness, that part of us that desires to be strong enough for direct contact with God, to be able to listen to and act upon divine guidance. A soul with the qualities of humility, dignity, integrity, honor, wisdom,, justice, harmony and endurance -- that, according to Carolyn Myss, is a soul with STAMINA.

And as we journey into the Castle with this class, that is our ultimate destination -- to find our highest potential, to live without fear -- to experience divinity, to evoke our Inner Mystic.

And so it is.