A current meditation

A current meditation
The greater you are, the more you need to search for your self. Your deep soul hides itself from consciousness. So you need to increase aloneness, elevation of thinking, penetration of thought, liberation of mind — until finally your soul reveals itself to you, spangling a few sparkles of her lights. When you train yourself to hear the voice of God in everything, you attain the quintessence of the human spirit.  Usually the mind conceals the divine by imagining that there is a separate power. But by training yourself to hear the voice of God in everything, the voice reveals itself.  Then right in the mind, you discover revelation.

Then you find bliss, transcending all humiliations or anything that happens, by attaining equanimity, by becoming one with everything that happens, by reducing yourself so extremely that you nullify your individual, imaginary form, that you nullify existence in the depth of your self. “What are we?” Then you know every spark of truth, every bolt of integrity flashing anywhere.

Then you gather everything, without hatred, jealousy, or rivalry. The light of peace and a fierce boldness manifest in you. The spender of compassion and the glory of love shine through you. The desire to act and work, the passion to create and to restore yourself, the yearning for silence and for the inner shout of joy — these all band together in your spirit, and you become holy.

...

The most significant talent is the ability to penetrate to the depths of our own being. But to effect this penetration it is important to know that it is an easy endeavor, that labor and exertion only impairs this august domain, that it is necessary to heed the claim for the delight of inner tranquility. Thus will be enhanced the substantive significance in the fruits of creation, and the sparks of holy light will begin to flash on all life and its spiritual concerns. . . .

And eternal truths will be released to us from the fountain of life, the source of the soul, which knows no falsehood or deceptive speech. It is hewn from the torch of truth. What flows from its light is only truth and justice which will abide forever.
...

It turns out that the unity achieved in our souls serves to unite the world as a whole. And all those noble effects of the riches of the soul which everyone who is wise of heart, of a sensitive and holy spirit, can feel within himself through his own ascent because of the manifestation of the mystical discovery of inner unity — these spread and release light and vitality and become a source of blessing and an ornament of peace to the world and its fullness.   ~ Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook

first breath to last exhale

9/1/13 message -- From off the Meetinghouse Floor

A bedrock principle of Quakerism is opposition to all war.  Does Syria's chemical weapon's attack make any difference for this peace testimony? President Obama and Kerry made great points, laid out the case for a military response.  I thought about it as I put the "War is not the Answer" sign in front of my Meetinghouse this past Sunday.  What is the answer? What is the answer when atrocities happen, when madmen have unspeakably terrible weapons?  

Just before she died, Gertrude Stein asked: “What is the answer?” No answer came. She laughed and said: “In that case, what is the question?” Then she died. So perhaps rather then thinking "what is the answer" it is better to ask "What is the question". 
One question could be about how did, do and will we live our lives from the time we take our first breath to the last exhale? to will live in that power that takes away the occasion of war? Do we live in a way that feeds exploitation, domination and violence? 

 The way of true Love is not always strewn with rose petals. 
 The way of true Love is most often not easy or comfortable. But if we travel it faithfully, if we put our trust in that which is eternal, if we hold in our heart and focus our mind on the aspect of the love that is unconditional for all side of a struggle, the perpetrator as well as the victim, a Love not based upon anything done or said good or bad, on judgements, not based even on any past or present friendships, rather a love that just is. Living in that space we can find courage, we can find compassion, we can be content. Living in this question of honestly how do we live our lives then we are in a better position to "walk cheerfully over the earth answering that go God in everyone."

…..

I, God, am in your midst.
Whoever knows me can never fall.
Not in the heights,
nor in the depths,
nor in the breadths.
For I am Love, which the vast expanses of evil can never still.

- Hildegard of Bingen

Inner peace

8/25/13   message -- From off the Meetinghouse Floor

Many of us come to realize that it isn't useful, positive or healthy for our spiritual purpose to cede control of our inner, emotional landscape to others. Knowing this and making it real in our lives though, are two different things. 

It is all too easy for someone else's distress directed at us to cause us to be angry or sad. Sometimes in the face of irrationality we beat ourselves up as of course it is all our fault not realizing that thinking we are primarily to blame is another form of egotism. Likewise, it is easy to feel happy when someone expresses love or appreciation or compliments us  instead of having joy an intrinsic part of our being. If joy in our lives is predicated on something outside ourselves, things or other people, then it is impossible to be fully in the place of gratitude for all the gifts with which God  surround and enfolds us. With conditions,  love becomes a zero sum mentality with only so much to go around and everyone in competition for theirs.  If affirmations are instead only a small decoration on an already perfect ship then our rudder can point our souls to thier true direction without being tossed by the various tempests that swirl around our lives. 

Then and only then, we have choices. We can choose to be outraged at injustice or oppression perpetrated against others rather then have it be a byproduct of our processing disrespect directed at ourselves. We can also choose to affirm others freely without the strings of an expected reciprocation.  Spirit then become more real and life takes on a more complete beauty and purpose. Inner peace becomes realized, second by second, minute by minute, until we hold this space as ourselves forever.

Divine Paradox again

8/11  message -- From off the Meetinghouse Floor

I am aware of two contradictions that none the less are true, another divine paradox. I am God's beloved, special, unique beautiful bride, the reason the world was created. I am also but dust and ashes, the refuse left over, a molecule in a grain of sand in a desert made of all the deserts of the world combined, less significant then a mosquito. Whichever I am acting out of, acting with the wisdom and strength that comes from on high,  the other side is there as well, it doesn't make sense to be anything but secure in Creator's love and at the same time, truly completely humble. 

                                            ~rch~   Love (unfired majolica plate)

Divine paradox

8/4/13 message -- From off the Meetinghouse Floor

Gods timing is perfect. Remember this when you feel inpatient, particularly in wanting a prayer answered. Things happen in the material world in sequence b follows a. In the eternal this is not so, everything simply is. There is no past, no future, beginning or end.  in this play we think of as reality however, there is a dynamic unfolding. This is the essential aspect of the paradox that everything is foretold yet we have free will. In the end there is only goodness, god-ness, goddess, go to its Source.

renewal

 7/14/13 message -- From off the Meetinghouse Floor 

Some people like to name God,  that Source of pure love, of light,  our “Creator”. Rightly so,  as probably since human beings began,  we have marveled at the intricacies of a flower,  the incredible colors of a sunset and seen a larger hand at work. That aspect of the Creator has though an opposite side. That flower eventually withers and falls,  the sunset eventually turns to darkness and that too is part of the Divine.

Just so with not only ourselves, our bodies,  but those things we build,  whether a house, a business or a spiritual community. Everything has a season;  like birds flying past a window. As human beings we like to hold on to things, hold on to beauty. We take pictures to remember that flower or sunset because we know in time even our memory will fade. But in reality in time even that photograph eventually will crumble and disappear.

Another metaphor used occasionally for the concept of God is as a potter. As a potter myself I know one of the hardest things is to determine when, after careful work and attention,  a pot needs to be destroyed.  Its a very difficult thing to do but having created that piece I know the inner flaws, the potential for bigger problems.  But it does not go to waste. That same clay is put back into its beginning state. Then it is reformed into another pot.  

While we hate it when something,  or relationship or group needs to be reformed it is as integral a part of the unfolding creation, God's plan,  as a birth. Sometime it might be small, a handle on a mug needing to be removed, sometimes something bigger. When playing spider solitaire to make it through the game requires smart organizing. But that is not enough. It also requires over and over again using the back button to return to a place where there is an opening and building again. This is also true in life.The lesson of renewal is important because while change is said to be the only thing we can be sure of,  we can also be sure of renewal. 

 There is an Eternal force that renews everything,  nothing goes to waste. So in the end all of it is for the good. Nothing lasts as it is forever,  

except Forever.

What is your Desire?

Thomas Merton in Thoughts of  Solitude said "Our desire to please God, pleases God." In a broader context, if deep in our hearts we have the desire to bring Love,  to bring Light, bring Peace into the world, if we have infused in our being only the desire to connect to that Source from which all that rises,  that desire then by its very existence,  does in fact connect us to the Divine Presence.  Regardless of the effect,  the result,  regardless of whether we think we have failed,  the connection with goodness is accomplished because of our desire. In and of itself the intention affects the higher purpose, so everything is for the good, its all okay because there is nothing else but that Source that delights in our desire to do good and be connected.

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. i I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about  it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

                                                             Thomas Merton in Thoughts of  Solitude

Choices:

Choices: 
We all make decisions, maybe thousands from the time we wake up to when we go to sleep.  For most of us here today our choices are between good things.  Are the clean socks that we decide to wear blue or brown, do we make a peanut butter sandwich or go out to lunch with a coworker, do we use flannel or regular sheets on our bed?   However some of our community only have the power to select between two bad things.  Clean socks of any color are a huge luxury,  lunch or even their first morning cup of coffee could be a big question and never mind flannel or regular sheets, one of the hardest choices of all they have to make every day whether to go and sleep in the shelter, if they can get in,  go to a church and sleep on the cold floor or in a tent and brave the elements, wind, cold  rain. There aren't any good alternatives. For a society that has a big enough heart to collectively cry and mourn for over a week for Sandy Hook, why is that 14 people died this year on our streets because of our neglect. These neighbors were somebody's children.  Where is the national outcry?

It is  is unconscionable and yes, the solution must rest with our government officials. Now some of our our folks are great.  Janice Barton continues to be a great representative of the Barnstable Town Council  but you and I have abdicated our responsibility to hold them all collectively accountable.  Setting aside money like many towns do to help struggling families pay the rent in the range of $100 to $350 a month  is totally inadequate to house a truly poor person on the Cape Cod. It primarily funds the landlords of the town.  Plus it doesn't provide the counseling or education necessary to make it a sustainable solution. Building a brick and mortar building might take years but here and now we have a model in Homeless not Hopeless.

Hillel, 110 BCE - 10 AD Jerusalem,  known for the development of  the Talmud and two sayings:   "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the commentary; go and learn." And the second,  "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others though, what am I? And if not now, when?"

It is time for you and me to examine our choices. What are we?  I offer myself as a small example. Yes there have been times I've been greedy and thought only about myself but I have made choices to do things differently. I could very well afford to live in a large house with expensive gadgets and drive a fancy car with yearly vacations to someplace warm.  But instead I choose to live relatively simply (although I an not spartan) in small cottage and drive something that my friend Alan calls a "toy car".  Not only is my carbon footprint reduced, which is important, but  I invest in something I believe to be more permanent by giving that money to buy this house, the one on Baxter St and earlier support for Homeless not Hopeless.   And tonight the choice I am making is not to sleep in a large house or even my small cottage but to sleep in one of those tents, outside in solidarity with those who do this night after night after night.

Scale doesn't matter. What does matter is you do it, you help.  I encourage people individually and our towns to simplify just a little and turn it back to community so that we all can afford to care more, using less for ourselves we have more to share.  Imagine if each town donated an abandoned building and even 1% of revenue for renovations, imagine if each of you likewise contributed to HnH.   If not now, when?

I'm reminded of this it in the following story. A person had three friends. One friend was truly beloved, a second was also loved, but the third was taken for granted.  All of a sudden this person was ordered to appear before the king and were very frightened.  He called  each of the friends to go with him. First, of course his closest friend who said it would be impossible. Disappointed but confidently he then turned to he second friend who said, “I will always love you but can go as far as the gates of the palace.”  Extremely sad, the man had only the third, neglected friend left, the one to who had been taken for granted. When asked this friend said with assurance, “I will accompany you anywhere, but first I will go directly to the palace by myself and plead for you with the king.” The first friend reflects a person’s stuff and wealth, which cannot accompany you to the grave. The second friend represents a person’s relatives and friends, who can only follow you to the grave site. The third and last friend represents the good deeds of a person’s life. These never desert you. You choose. I invite you to join me in personally making choices that live on, using this power for positive change for wholeness, for Love.


I will close with another statement from Hillel "whosoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whosoever that saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world." Its all about choices. The thing about choices that favor the material is they are ephemeral, like soap bubbles, most are here then gone the next moment.  so at this time of solstice,  as it says in Isaiah 58:8 . Lets work so our light will break forth like the dawn, our collective healing will quickly appear and our good deeds go before us”  On this path we will create a world of Love and peace.
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121223/NEWS/212230324/-1/TABLET100

approaching storm

Have no fear,
for me at least, all is as prepared as possible including building trust and faith in Spirit.

As I walked around putting things in order before Hurricane Sandy, one large worry was all the big old trees we have, quite a few near the end of their lives. Not only was I concerned for damage to buildings but the loss of old friends. During prayers it occurred to me that if one should go it would let in more light.  Because they are in shadow or shade, those places where very little colorful grows, will be able to bloom.

Perhaps too with our lives. The major losses, whether death of a parent, traumas like getting fired from a job can bring an opportunity for the Light to shine into our  lives in new ways.  After the messes and most pain are cleared away,  cracks appear in the shadow material and allow us,  if we choose, to examine and renovate.  New growth is possible in ways we couldn't have imagined.  If we are open,  we can blossom with unexpected vibrancy.

I also realized that there is an essence of my trees that will always be with me, not only in memory but in terms of place. Where they now stand affects all around it.  As other things come up they are influenced by what went before.  Also with important people and experiences in our lives.  The sparks that exists in everything, trees and people, are eternal not only in and of themselves but in what they influence. These sparks are reveled through our awareness. They connect us with the infinite supernal and perfect Love, that peace that surpasses all understanding.

Place is one of the essential aspects of eternity.  And eternity is one of the defining aspects of God. So we can, through this, see and know it is real right here, now. We are an intergal part of a whole. In Hebrew there is a word "makom" which not simply is translated as place, often as a holy space, but is actually one of the names for God. It is where Abraham stopped with Isaac for a time of spiritual encounter, it is where Moses meets God a the burning bush, and is told to remove his shoes ancestral homeland, sacred, hallowed ground.

Through identificaion of our place we ground our essential nature of the Divine.  It is here the expectant possibility of Life,  that transcendent beauty,  unfolds forever and ever.
What a great adventure!

racism free world

From NEYM Committee of Racial, Social and Economic Justice NEYM Sessions workshop 2012: Title: True Visions of a Non Racial World exercise: Close your eyes, breathe deep and slow, relax. You are in the year 2042 and goals for a racism free world have been realized. Move around freely, observe carefully, see the colors, experience the smells, the sounds. ask questions of the people you meet. What kind of world is out there?, What structures must exist in this world you are in to account for what you have seen? , What is the economic, political system?, How is education organized?, What makes this society tick? Invite people whenever they are ready to go to the table with paper and art supplies. Draw this world you vision.
 This is what was created (click for larger image)

Story: a child holds and gives birth to a new world. All the children of every color play in healthy neighborhoods. They dance through the woods and over stone walls. They play in the fields and by streams of fresh water. They form friendships and read in libraries books by Morrison, Steinbeck, Steele, Shakespeare, Hughes, Achebe and Updike. They walk together hand in hand into a very happy world of flowers, dancing, clear lakes and mountains, music and deep worship.

one simple word

Hello Hyannis 

I am here to share something I know true for myself and some things I just don't understand. First what I know on a soul level is that the Hebrew word Hineni, which means "here I am"  is for me, the most important spiritual word. Like a child in school answering the teachers roll call we can be present, raise our hand and say to our Creator "Hineni, I am here, here in this moment, in this now, fully present and ready".

It is what Abraham said to G-d as he started his journey which began the Jewish people and the belief in one Supreme being. It is what Moses said at the burning bush before he spoke Truth to Pharaoh’s power and led the people out of slavery.

Hineni is also in Isaiah 6. Isaiah receives his prophetic calling when he hears God ask: "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" Isaiah stands up. "Hineni! Send me!" he says. Can we do this too even if it means confronting ourselves around our individual prejudices?   

(Isaiah in verse 58 says  “Is not this instead the kind of behavior acceptable to Spirit:  to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords, to set the oppressed free and break every chain?  Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— "  to provide the poor wanderer with shelter hmmm

And this is where the things I don't understand come up. Given our human innate ability for compassion regardless of our particular beliefs, how is it that the current leadership of our Salvation Army makes the homeless feel unwelcome and sets up barriers for them instead of providing services with an open heart? How is it that the town of Yarmouth kicks people out of shelter at the beginning of winter with no sustainable, (and sustainable is the key word here) alternative? Who profits? How is it that our media is silent at the suicide in this complex brought on by despair at this eviction?

How is it that we have so, so very many people suffering and dying on the streets? Aren't we, in this, for better or worse, predominately Judeo-Christian country supposed to be our brothers and sisters keepers? What is preventing us from standing together like Moses and Abraham and Isaiah and say " here am I"?

If we can move whatever is in our way and raise our hand a door will open and Light will come into our lives and the world. Like this time of the solstice, Hannuka, Christmas, as the Light is reborn in the sky  saying Hineni is perennial,  like a weekly roll call. Stepping up we become more authentic human beings for Light does not fear Truth nor Truth fear the Light for the Light eradicates ignorance. Just so for us. Are we courageous enough to let go of even our cherished oblivion and blindness?

  Isaiah 58 continues "when you see the naked clothe them, and do not to turn away from your own kin.  Then your light will break forth like the dawn,  and your healing will quickly appear;  then your righteousness will go before you, and glory will be your rear guard.  Then you will call, and you will be answered;  God will say to you: Hineni."

This loving force can be here for us.  All it takes is one simple word.

Who are we?

On New Years Eve in response to an invitation to a New Years Day potluck,  an advocate for the homeless replied, "Unfortunately I cannot attend. A woman was just released to the streets from Cape Cod Hospital after being in a coma for 3 weeks from a domestic beating. I will be too involved tomorrow helping her and also another homeless woman who has MS who is losing her health, lost her house and is now on the street. I've got to figure out other plans for her as she is too weak to come on the overnights." This left me horrified and stunned at the lack of not only compassion but also simple decency, basic humanity, in our community. Is this indicative of who we really are? Where is the outrage?

Every night on the television there are impassioned pleas to help children in far away countries who are hungry, to help homeless and abused animals. How many Cape Codders respond with a donation? While those are all worthy causes, should they take precedence over a neighbor in serious and desperate straits? Is a homeless, abused dog more worthy then a woman? Who are we really?

I got an answer to this in the list of resolutions the following morning in the Cape Cod Times. Not one of those resolutions was in any way about doing a better job of helping those in need, even though, with the homeless memorial a week earlier, the issue was front and center. Frankly I am ashamed. I am ashamed that these women are homeless. I'm ashamed of our priorities in general. I what to shout, to scream, "Friends, it's time to wake up, time to be the better people we really are!" But in one way or another this has been said over and over and over again. Yet, as few as one tenth of one percent of Cape Codders step up to the blessings of this challenge—and those few do so repeatedly. But 99.9 percent of us choose to shut our eyes; we simply don't care. It would be great if in 2011 this was proved wrong. This could happen if everyone reading this, who in 2011 is moved to respond to one of those tear jerking ads, also give double that amount to one of agencies that address the homelessness of our neighbors. This lack of compassion would be overturned if every town on the Cape had at least one home for those who have none. There are people with proven track records willing and able to organize and manage these facilities; all it takes is the will of the people, you, us, insisting that  our town leaders say "here, take this abandoned property off our hands."

What is God (however you define this) asking of you? Who are you? Who are we? Really? And the ironic thing is we reap what we sow. These circumstances are a test. Ultimately , we pass or fail by what comes back to us in this life or at some sort of final accounting of our souls. Put out love and goodness, love and goodness surrounds your life; put out indifference and there will be no one there for you when you are in need. Who do you want to be in this new year, and where do you want to be in the next? Who do you want us to be as a community? When are we going to collectively recognize that we are all integrally and intimately connected, that the entire world — even though it seems to be filled with almost infinite independent parts — is really only one holy, whole presence? Only when we realize and act on this wholeness, can Peace and Love triumph.

vessels of Light and Peace

Pesach 5770 (Passover 2010)
Recently in worship at Barnstable Friends Meeting, a message was given about how sometimes it feels like the world is fracturing into billions of pieces.  There are disasters at home, at work,  difficulties with those we love and care for,  with ourselves;  but through it all we can rest assured that G-d is with us, that even though we cannot understand there is a higher good at work.  All that is asked of us is to love and trust the divine presence.  Another person spoke about the concept of gravity and how to her this is actually, in reality,  love (i.e. gravity = love/attraction).

These messages brought to my mind the concept of tikkun olam, (repair of the world); the mystical tradition that tells the story that in creating the world  G-d contracted and poured part of G-d's Self into vessels of Light. Unable to contain such power these vessels shattered, their myriad shards becoming sparks of light trapped within matter. Gravity is the means by which objects with mass attract one another. It causes dispersed matter to coalesce. This gravity, this love, is the primary tool we have to manifest  G-d’s presence in the world.  Our job is to find and connect these sparks within ourselves and each other, using the force of love to pull together and glue all the disparate shards and thus repair the world.

In working through the interpersonal difficulties which are inevitable in this life, what is able to get us through this is Love, the force of connection that binds us to each other and to the work that moves the world in a positive way. It is the basis for the Exodus story. All the difficulties of slavery, the plagues, yet G-d's love and miracles take us out of exile, bound together with a gravity of sorts as one people to be redeemed. During my walking prayers that evening I bent down to tie my shoe thinking about the state of things in the world. As I stood up I said "G-d have mercy" and out of the west heading north came one of the biggest shooting stars, comet like,  I've seen in a long, long time. Maybe I was heard....

Here and now with all our own struggles,  if we make the effort and as long as we are committed and honest (nothing can erode goodness faster then falsehood),  love has enough power to move the most difficult situation with an unlimited amount  left over. This is especially important for those of us who prioritize repairing the world.  Love can became rekindled.  But to truly effect a positive change,  words must lead to action whether reaching out to an estranged friend or one in trouble, helping the homeless, visiting an elderly person without family, etc. In Bereishit G-d created with words yet what was created was a dynamic, action oriented environment and we are an essential part of that energetic system. Words by themselves and not sufficient to find the sparks and repair our world.

In the Talmud (Mishnah) it says that  G-d found no vessel other than peace that was capable of containing blessing.  Only by virtue of the peace and unity among them could people receive and be worthy of having the Divine Presence rest upon their handiwork.  With striving for a continuous unfolding;  a process of not only nurturing the spark within but also becoming the vessels of Light and vessels of Peace,  we can effect a real tikkun olam, repair of this fractured world.

May the Divine Presence rest upon our handiwork.
May we be a blessing in the world, vessels of Light and vessels of Peace.
And may this Pesach and year bring you happiness, health and spiritual connection.

Faith First

Faith First: A journey from Mt. Monadnock and Rosh Hashanah to the Holiness code

The outward existence can inform the inward but must not to be confused with it. Inner experience might seem insignificant but is connected to that which is eternal and infinite. Our innermost spark is part of this sacred unity.  The outer world is where the material life with a small ‘l’ takes place.  Here there can be great joy and beauty (although some say that it is nothing compared with the other side).

If we are open to it, spiritual wisdom can be found in the material world in the smallest and in the biggest and everything in between but only impacts the reality of who we are if we are able to process it with our inner knowing.  In the outer world  we can learn about the inner through something we read, a person we talk to, etc. And then there are those moments, in the healing sounds of nature, the spiritual focus of prayer or meditation, the study of a Bible passage where there is a sense of transcendence and that inward life take form in such a way that reality is clear. For it’s in the inner that real Life and infinite Love with capital  ‘L’s resides.  (Interesting that the Hebrew word “el” means God.)

At some point, in an instant, the material world will evaporate before our eyes.  We might think that time is a long way off but when it comes it will seem like it's come in a blink of an eye. I hold by faith that the essential inner part of us will remain.  It could feel much like the experience of watching a fully engrossing movie or play then leaving the theater. At first there is a transition time, a feeling of disorientation then we start assessing whether it was a good experience, what we learned, what was missing and so forth.  Only this time not only are we audience but we have also been the actors so in a sense we can be both the judge and the judged.  Did we do a good job? Did we make a mess of the script, forget or mumble our lines, confuse others around us?  Did we go off on a tangent involved in a sub plot forgetting the main story line?

Maybe everything is for a reason. Through the sound of water rushing through a mountain gorge could be found a calling, as insight, an opportunity for growth. Or simply a prompting to connect with that inner core. If we find ourselves stuck or in a situation not our choosing we can change it but not with will power alone. its simple a matter of learning the particular lesson the situation is there to teach us,  passing a spiritual test, turning to answer G-d’s call or connecting, re-connecting to that essential part of who we really are, the root of our being. This is a major aspect of the Abraham and Isaac sacrificing story.

One of the essential questions of the Rosh Hashanah service is why, at this holiest time of the year, the beginning of a new year, a fresh start, do we read this story of Abraham and Isaac, the Akedah.  One of the elders of my Jewish community said it was because it was such a supreme example of faith. Faith has to come first. That’s why we start the new year with this portion.  Faith must come before personal needs, before fear, before our egos or a need to be in control or certain of outcome. Faith, commitment to our spiritual life, even before the highest of virtues,  peace in the home, shalom bayis. That is Abraham's example for us. He did not say “Sorry God, family and people are counting on me and I’m too busy today and besides that would destroy my relationship with Sarah”. Faith first. As put forth in the Holiness code, “Kedoshim tihiyu. Ki kadosh ani Adonai elohechem.”  You must be holy because I Adonai, your God are holy”. We are holy when we put the spiritual first. This is the key to wholeness, true shalom (peace).

On rare occasions there could be another purpose for the most difficult  aspects of our lives. It could be because experiences that are really hard, so hard you don't know if you could get through it,  can be for purification and spiritual strengthening. To be able to access that inner space totally and completely we need to be as pure and strong as possible. That’s another component of the Akedah; it's also about how much pain, fear of the unknown, can you stand. What are you willing to commit to follow where G-d is calling? And if you step up to the challenge what then?

G-d comes before anything else because this is how we attach ourselves to, live in, the inner reality. Who would knowing trade an eternity of wholeness and passing this possibility to our decedents (after the Akedah G-d’s promise to Abraham) for a momentary achievement no matter how urgent the need? When our priority is the inward life, when our faith is our primary guide, when we become as nothing in the material worlds eyes, then we live in that unity with the Divine Presence. When our connection to G-d is number one our lives become blessed and this blessing flows to those around us and those who come after.

But how can we cope when it seems so hard, when the pressures of the material world are too great to overcome?  My solution is to never mind how hard it is and simply do my best to be holy. Everyone has trials,  so what? Enough with the complaining already, that’s not what its about, get over it. Instead connect with the joy, beauty and peace of the inner reality Put G-d number one, and let everything else go,  even the perception of hardship. Remember Abraham. He did not let the hardship of his burden stop him. After all, our feelings about a problem are just an attitude and this we can change. The same life experience can be perceived as a bowl of cherries or sour grapes. Which will you choose?

Life is full of beauty, why focus on the mosquitoes? Put faith first and Love as if your life depends on it,  because it, life with a capital ‘L’,  does.

a marvelous adventure

While camping on Mount Monadnock I had a most vivid dream. A person I am fond of was saying to me "wake-up". They said it repeatedly and with increasing volume and insistence. I discounted it until I thought about two other very odd experiences during the trip, one involving an owl and another a dragon fly. Both of these could also be conveying that message "wake-up". And perhaps it is not only to me but to others as well. But the question still remained, what is it that I am, that we, are supposed to wake up from? What is it that I am, that we, are supposed to wake up to?

One possible answer came through the studying of that week's Torah portion. The Israelites have come to the end of their long journey through the desert. They are getting instructions from God before they cross the Jordan. They are about to start a brand new kind of life, a lifestyle that none of them, for many generations back, have ever experienced. This requires a substantial leap of faith. They had to trust in God that they will be shown where to go and how to live. They needed to have faith that everything is going to be fine. The promise was there, they were given an opportunity. But maybe it was like a dress rehearsal where mistakes are made so improvement can happen.

Perhaps just so for us except now it is the real thing. We are about to cross over into the actual performance. And we could find that what we thought was reality was illusion. We too, are on the cusp of great change, on the brink of enlightenment. Now is the time for those of us who can, to wake up. A new life could be just ahead. A life in which the bubble we call our ego is dissolved and we fully experience the connection that exists between all of us and all that is, with that which is one and eternal. At this moment we might have little concept of how it will feel or what we are to do. But we can know that it will all be for the good, that everything is going to be fine. What's to worry? The finite, material world is less then a blink of an eye. We can rest and be comforted with the knowledge that we are going to a land that is truly flowing with metaphysical milk and honey, that Creator will, and is, showing us the way. What are we waiting for? All we have to do is pick up the challenge and let go of the fear.

Each of us has a choice. We actually make it everyday. What are your life priorities? Where is Spirit the most present for you? Shall we wake-up and cross over together or will we hold back? It could be great fun to take that leap together, leap into the arms of universal, unconditional love; that glorious light of all that is. It is given to us by Creator as a birthright to make our own and to settle in. What a marvelous adventure! And maybe all we need to do is open our eyes and wake-up to the promise.

Choose to be happy

Choose
Choose to be happy
Its within your control

check out: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/when-a-brain-scientist-suffers-a-stroke/

Lessons on Preparation 5/18

Hearing is a vital part of a spiritual life. Hearing, whether with ears, or mind or soul, leads to learning Creator's instructions for how to live a life in tune with this eternal source of love. This week I learned about an instruction that has maybe almost never has been fully carried out; to leave all the fields in Israel (about the size of New Jersey) fallow, at rest for a full year once every seven years. No tilling the soil, no pruning vines, no sowing seed. What a leap of faith! God promised that people would be fed in much the same way as the manna fell for a double portion on the day before Shabbat. But not cultivating the soil for a year requires an extreme level of faith and commitment. Faith is an essential component of a spirit connected life but a year's worth of food could mean mass starvation.

It's called a Shabbat for the land. As I thought about this I realized it would theoretically be doable with some safety if the farmers took great care and attention to prepare for this event. Keeping the weeds out in the previous years would be important. In the sixth year leaving things to flower and to go to seed naturally would make sense. This is similar to a Jew preparing for Shabbat or any family or friends getting together to have a special dinner. The day before bread needs to be baked and before that supplies need to be brought. This is not something that can be really done well spontaneously. Shabbat in particular is a time for rest and connecting with God. But also important in bringing holiness into the world is the days, or years before in which we plan and do things that make the Shabbat, whether of the week or of the land, possible and pleasant. The lesson for me was that like a stone plopped into a pond, one event, Shabbat, initiates ripples (preparation) which moves the holiness out into the world. However we set time apart in our day or week or years to bringing holiness into the world brings that connection to Creator into our lives not only through the actual moment but the preparation that leads up to it.

The second lesson I learned was just as Shabbat or setting aside times of prayer leads to ripples of preparation, it is the preparation itself that makes Shabbat and those moments possible in the first place. Preparation involves clearly seeing options, planning, teamwork, cooperation and coordination. The later it is in the process the more vital to do as much as we can. It's not unusual for me to leave far too many details to the last minute. And what if our lives on this material, finite level are simply preparation for a life in eternity? Imagine sand running through an hour glass. At some point each of us reaches the end of this life, at some point humans will get to a point of spiritual transition. How do we prepare for that spiritual connection that breaks though all our limitations? Some would say Learn Torah and do Teshuva and mitzvot. In other words, do what we do to hear Creator's instructions, turn our life around in all the ways we need forgiveness and come back to Spirit, do acts of kindness, good deeds, and love, love each other and above all else love the Divine Presence, all those things that God asks of us.

Time might be short. What if we are down to the last few grains of sand in the hour glass? Who can know for sure. Its better to be prepared and have more time then not be prepared and have time run out. And regardless of where we are in the cycle of enlightenment, prioritizing prayer, cleaning-up and repairing those places where we need to make amends and spread kindness and compassion where ever we go will prepare us for eternity, redemption or at least abundant blessings in our lives. We will never pass this way again. What could be more important?

Worship 4/20/08

"In jewish mysticism there is a concept of the tree of life which is made up of 10 sepherot or spheres. Each sphere is connected to others with tubes or pipes. Some think that the idea is that this form integrates into our individual and collective souls. The spheres are like values that regulate how much Light can come through us into the world. The less contaminates, the cleaner, clearer the pipes, the more Light comes through but too much or not balanced and everything explodes which is why there needs to be valves. Each valve has a particular aspect.
This morning I meditated on the juncture of spiritual knowledge (Da'at) that is connected to judgment or strength on the left (called Gevurah )and love, compassion, mercy connected on the right (Chesed). Down the middle, knowledge is connected to beauty (Tiferet). I realized that while gevurah and chesed balance each other there is tiferet, a middle point that grounds them both. This is an important message for me this morning. By focusing on beauty I have something that can hold me in that centered place. This is especially necessary during difficult times, times when it feels like we are attacked on the basis of our views and convictions with the aim to harm or silence us.
As I concentrate on the higher knowledge and the guidance I get from this source, my spiritual energy can feel like it swings back and forth in rapid succession between loving kindness and good judgment. However, if I learn to keep a firm hold on that pivot point of beauty which is all around us, in the depth of a flower, the song of a bird, the face of beloved friends I am greatly enriched. For each of us, by holding on to beauty we will keep our core firmly rooted in God's goodness. In this way the tree of life has total stability and we can build a Garden of Eden where each of us can grow in love, in light and find true peace."

Worship 4/13/08

"A few weeks ago I went to the dentist for some rather extensive work and was given nitrous oxide. In the experience I sensed the vibration of life energy force. Humans I found operate at a very hight level, trees very, very slow; like an "eeee" as opposed to a "w-a-h, w-a-h. w-a-h". I felt that this place of vibration was one of the key spaces where we can connect our true selves with all of creation and the divine essence. At committee day in New Hampshire yesterday I found that the high level was increased to an extreme frenetic level. We were all so committed, wanting so much to help with the repair of the world, tikkun olam. One of the models that was put forward was Gandhi yet we also learned that he had seriously abused his wife and daughter and I realized that even the best of us, we are all so human; with incredible wonderfulness and serious flaws. That our humanness is something that we should not only try to understand in a spirit of forgiveness and acceptance but also find amusement and delight in all our quirkiness.
Committee day was gorgeous with bright sun and clouds so afterwards for about 3 hours I went to hike on Mt. Monadnock, oh my goodness! The ranger said the snow was half way up the calf in places and the rest was free flowing water melt. But I found it quite passable and beyond belief beautiful. After the wonderful high energy, it gave my life balance all that beauty and slow, low vibration. It was an awesome experience in the true sense of that word.
I again thought about the dentist experience and another thing that came from that was a prayer. "Oh God, all of us human beings are trying so very, very hard. Please, please have compassion." I realize that not only do we need this from God but I and we need to cultivate that compassion in our own hearts. We are all fabulous and flawed. Finding this compassion I and we can get to that place of balance, of beauty and peace. We can connect with the eternal Spirit of pure love and know that Light within. For over an hour on my trip back to the Cape I followed a rainbow and I know for certain that ultimately all is well."

see the rainbows

I recently was on a walk that was gorgeous! As I stopped on a little bridge and looked into a stream the sun was to my side. My gray hair had fallen before my eyes and created prisms. I was literally seeing rainbows before my eyes. How cool is that! Anyway, it was delightful with honeysuckle leafing out but there was also a lot of mud. My mind went to the crossing of the Reed Sea and how the people complained about the mud. I understood because in the thickest part it could easily have taken off my shoes. Maybe some people got so stuck they couldn't move. Just so in life. People can get so stuck in obsessions or thinking badly about others, feeling disrespected, resentful, all that negative, self absorbed goop. Amelek tendencies attack us from behind. Those transcendent moments are incredibly important for spiritual connection and enlightenment but eventually we all, even Moses, have to come down the mountain.

When I was at a religious service this year at a bay, everyone was oohing about the myriad of fish darting back and forth. Soon I realized that what they were seeing was not the fish but their shadows. The light was such that the actual fish were virtually invisible. So often we focus on the shadow. We get fooled into thinking it is real. Some of us find it an easy way to fool each other, fool our family, fool even ourselves but we cannot (and I think this is of critical importance) we can never fool God. Creator knows everything, our very thoughts. All the rationalization justifications doesn't matter, we and our actions and attitudes are seen for what we are. On my walk I noticed that out of the mud was sprouting the skunk cabbage. The lesson was that the trick is to rise above the shadow, rise above the mud. Even when we know, see and maybe even experience it, understand that it does not have to influence or anchor us, we can just let it be and let it go and pull ourselves into the light. We can understand our connection to that Source of all and be the person we really are. This is where God knows us, in truth.

God doesn't want any of us to beat ourselves up, just get better and better, stronger and stronger in who we are - above the mud, beyond the shadow, in the Light. It is only when we are above the mud and shadow that this can be fully realized. And if we make the effort, God is there to help, the door is open.

great riches in difficult passages

God sometimes hardens peoples hearts to achieve a higher purpose; that if Pharaoh had said "sure, go with my blessings" there would have been no experiences that had potential for people to realize God's power, if they had permission to leave they wouldn't have developed the inner strength and courage for all the trials on a spiritual journey and if they were able to simply walk out exile they probably would not have ended up at Mt Sinai for that tremendous transcendent covenantal event. So holding onto resentments for those who have hardened their hearts against us can be counterproductive, we could be missing the larger picture of giving us the strength and courage, if we are indeed spiritually serious, that allows us to pass through and be brought into that perfect place.

one in One

Come get me

Sometime I hear it in Creator’s call to my soul
Sometimes I hear it in the pulse of my heart
Beyond death and life; beyond words and worlds
It is a passionate pursuit

Come get me

It is the cry of a lost homesick child
The impatience of an anticipating lover
It is full of longing and desire
It is full of hope; a great adventure

Come get me

With fear of rejection, of being unworthy
With humility and patience and contradictions
With forgiveness and gratitude
An invitation without conditions

Come get me

Playfully; knowing that life is all a game, there really is no separation
A romp in a Shakespearian Mid summers night
And laughter - sparkling eyes
A message on the wind, in a breath

Come get me

It speaks of wonder, the great dance
beyond all distinctions and divisions, race, class, whatever
A memory of bliss that has yet to happen
A promise of a reality that knows not past, present or future

Come get me

Forgetting any and every impediment
Nothing is more important
Not any thing, not any time, not any place, not any person
The time is now - only love

Come get me

It says take my hand on the path together
Of Beauty (Tiferet), of compassion (Chesed),
Of justice and strength (Gevurah), of wisdom (chokhman)
And of understanding (Binah)

Come get me

We will journey through the hidden place
To the great mystery (Keter),
Into eternity, being one in One without end (Ein Sof).
In pure and perfect peace and wholeness (Shalom)

Come get me

(Oh compassionate One, May you come to us, speedily and in our time. bimhayrah be'yameinu. Amen Selah)

[Rachel Carey-Harper; April 2007]

Its all for the Best

Friends,
2006 was a difficult year. It is fitting that it ended its last week with the death of an artist and two presidents. Some would say one president was all good, the other all evil and the performer; well, transcendent. But I hold with the idea that all three encompassed all three attributes albeit to differing degrees.

This year there have been times when it’s been extremely difficult for me to really see either that divine spark in everyone and that “Gamzoo l’tova” (Its all for the best). From my perspective it seems like a lot of people I loved and trusted “drank the kool-aid” this past year and things descended into extreme negative, unhealthy, judgmental, rigid and seemingly irrational thinking.
How is going through this and other interpersonal problems for the best? How do I continue to see the Light in people in the face of hurtful behavior? Gamzoo l’tova. This in no way justifies atrocities rather is a personal spiritual attitude of acceptance. I am learning about unconditional love while at the same time I’m learning to let go of unhealthy relationships and separating from unwholesome situations. I’m working to let go of all disappointment. I've learned that I can actually control my thoughts and have the power to choose where I focus my energy. I've learned that since I don't have control of anyone else, best not to dwell on longing for things to be different. I can choose to simply move forward in the positive, in those ways that connect with that which is eternal, with love. I can do this with the understanding that it isn't that there is something fundamentally wrong with them or me. It is the combination that is toxic. It’s a journey; we must cross the darkness until we reach the light. Unconditional love however requires me to always hold out hope. Nothing is beyond the Creator’s power. Unconditional love means allowing for the possibility that people change and relationsips can heal.

To leave often requires a leap of faith, but in such times we are not be alone. I know this and realize that really I’ve been so blessed! I have Gail and Pamela, Allan and K, Yvonne and Jamie, Jim and my Dad, Sharon and Mother Bear, lots of other people too numerous to mention and of course holding everything grounded my beautiful sweet brilliant husband. Thank-you each and every one. I love you so much and am so very, very grateful for you in my life!
I've been thinking about Plato's Republic and that famous cave. The reflections on the wall were thought of as reality instead of turning around and seeing that they were mere shadows of something between the light and the wall. Sometimes there is only so much we can learn in the place of comfort. The longer we wait the more time we waste. When we take that leap, when we turn to face the light, marvelous things can open or us. The way of Love is simple but not easy. Not only is the path often hard to find it can be get us into situations that feels dangerous. But for me I found that the true spiritual home is in fact right here and now and open. The path of G-d's ultimate truth of righteousness, of respect, joy and of wholeness is above all else an inner reality that transcends everything else. This is what we see in its shadow form as we go through our days hoping for approval or respect, accolades or acceptance.

Loss can be the first step on a new beginning. It can be healthy. Goodbye 2006. When something new is started something old usually gets left behind and that can be sad. Some of us (myself included) at times find ourselves looking for, longing for, a real spiritual home. Sometimes we think we've found one only to find it doesn't really fit. There is no need to fret. Gamzoo l’tova. All is good. Love surrounds us. Just let it be what it will be. The task of walking the walk of spiritual thankfulness is to follow where G-d leads even as we seek and question. The trick is to make a commitment to the Eternal presence and open our ears and mind to what this force is communicating all around us. It’s like Plato in teaching the Pythagorean theory in the play the Republic. A youth off the street learns the theorem by simply answering questions and one led to another. Just so for us. We can find the first simple answer knowing that for a spiritual question it will be grounded in peace, compassion and justice. Then we find the next and the next. We are in the hands of God. All wisdom comes from this source and its there for us discover when we and the world are ready. This will guide us where we need to go even if at the time it seems hopeless. Imagine Joseph in the dungeon, Job who was laid so low that his wife said “curse God and die”.
I start 2007 healing and faithful. Exciting things are afoot for this New Year! The Quakers of the Light is solidly formed. We has a perfect building to use, a gorgeous professional sign and have doubled attendance in the first month. We are working on a number of exhilarating programs; from proactive action around homelessness, to a program that removed the shame and blame and promote a healing model for discussions about racism. We have a beautiful place to worship, a place to learn and fascinating people to encourage us. And after all it is about how we walk not what we talk and talk and talk.

So the final question is, what is our spiritual commitment in 2007? Are we working, walking toward a new tomorrow of peace and joy and love? Are we going to let all unhealthiness go and work toward the positive? Can we walk into the Light and make this world a better place, one little bit at a time leaving the rest up to G-d. You never know. One little effort might be the last mitzvah necessary to push the world to the time of being ready for true holiness. After all it really is waiting just inside for us. All we have to do is let it out. Former presidents Gerald Ford and Sadaam Hussein and the Godfather of soul, James Brown all impacted the world in a significant way. But maybe we can do even better, G-d willing and come what may, Gamzoo l’tova.

take good care of your beautiful Self,
Rachel

Portland Oregon

15 ANNIVERSARY OF THE CLOTHESLINE PROJECT
IN THE NORTH WEST
Someday every child born into this world will be guaranteed an entire life completely safe from rape, completely safe from incest, completely safe from battering. Someday every child born into this world will be guaranteed an entire life completely safe from sexism, racism and all forms of oppression. Someday every child born into this world will be guaranteed an entire life of respect, dignity and influence. Creating a violence free society is no more radical then the industrial revolution. People changed the world they lived in then, we can do it now; its up to us.

In the Fall of 1990 I began the Clothesline Project with a vision of a multi-colored clothesline telling of pain, promise and survival. One purpose was to help with the healing process as it gives females a safe and nonverbal way to tell their stories. It also helps the healing by contradicting the isolation as women see their shirt hanging next to another. A further purpose is to educate and inform everyone of the devastating effects of this violence. It lets potential perpetrators know the consequences of this action. And it exposes the roots of this violence which is sexism.

For quite a while now a primary focus of my work has been as an anti-racist. The issues are very similar to working on sexism. Everyone wants the problem to be "out there". They want to see the violence expressed on the Clothesline Project as being done by a few bad men. In reality it is the extreme conclusion of a society that conditions us within a cultural context of domination, control and privilege of the few. We are all a part of this system. Its influences how you and I behave often very unconsciously with groups "our" group traditionally oppresses. It effects how (unless we are owning class, able bodied, heterosexual, white, Christian men of the right age) we have internalized the oppression and projected it on each other to our serious disempowerment. An example was recently shared by a friend. She was at her therapists office which had the air conditioning turned up too high and everyone was freezing. 15 professional women agreed that the thermostat should be adjusted. When one of them went to do so they were interrupted by the one male in the office who said no so they all went back to their work in the cold. Or another example is a group of Quakers (known for civil rights and progressive action, who believe that there is that of God in everyone) called the police who came with three cars, sirens going to evict the one identifiable person of color in a community of over 200 people. Then on subsequent Sundays they physically barred the door to worship to her (for the first time in Quaker history to my knowledge), claiming she was disruptive, explicitly telling her that she is not welcome. As a life-long Friend (as well as a Jew) I am appalled and ashamed. As a product of this society I am embarrassed to say I understand.

As earthquakes tear the fabric of the land, so physical violence and the violence of oppression and injustice bring suffering and shred the harmony of inner peace. Ultimately, we all suffer spiritually in immense proportions for it alienates us from the roots of our being. By keeping us apart the violence hides how we are truly powerful. By proclaiming the agony of pain and the joy of healing with programs such as the Clothesline Project, we cut through some of the alienating aspects of this culture. This work makes it possible to weave ourselves into the process of transforming from victim to survivor to thriver, from perpetrator to seeker to ally, from people asleep to the Spirit, the wholeness, the oneness of humanity to full awareness.

Many of us have a dream of a world of peace and harmony. We dream of a world free of the violence and oppression that many people in the world experience continuously. We dream of a world free of violence against mother earth, against her creatures, against every woman, every child, every man. While this might seem an unattainable utopia, if we consider the changes that have occurred in peoples lives in the last 250 years, it is not so far fetched. Creating a violence free society is no more radical than the industrial revolution. In the early 1700's, houses had only a fireplace for heat. The process of canning food, refrigeration or many other tools that have improved the quality (or at least quantity) of our material lives did not exist. Then people with imagination, energy and vision dared to challenge the so called normal way of life even though they were thought of as dreamers, idealists and often as delusional. It is time now for us to challenge what many perceive to be normal. It is our turn here and now to put our strength, imagination, energy and vision to work.

There are people who after seeing a display feel overwhelmed by the pain and acts of hatred they've seen. Yes, the Clothesline Project portrays great suffering. Yet, we need to consider that the pain is balanced with healing and survival. Imagine a balanced world in which female, people of color and all human beings wisdom, vision and energy have equal authority and power. Sometimes I hear that someone is so angry that people can't hear her message. Anger is at times the most appropriate response. Personally, I am furious. Most men contribute to sexism, many women collude with it and I am angry at all of them. We are all living within a racist construct. A single black parent feels unsafe to worship with Quakers because of what is happening with another person of color. This makes me furious. Maybe the solution is not to ignore the anger but to acknowledge it up front, Yes I am angry. I am furious at the sexism and racism that seems inescapable, that disconnects us from the Divine spark in each other.

We do not have the luxury of saying that it is someone else's problem. We can not let ourselves be silenced by fear or apathy. Getting angry is important. It allows us to confront some of the assumptions we have been carrying about equality and gender. But what do we do with this energy? One thing we can do is quietly look within ourselves; see, acknowledge and make amends as we can, then let the anger motivate us to take action.

The Clothesline Project has been described as bearing witness to violence against women. Bearing witness means to be public and visible. It means that with sharpened awareness, we observe something that is evil, vicious, grievously wrong. It means that we do this work even when it is difficult or painful. Our presence makes it impossible for anyone to pretend that we do not exist. As yet another person joins the Clothesline Project movement or works to end violence against women, as another shirt is hung on the line we become more visible, no longer silent, no longer without power, no longer isolated from each other.

This future will be ours. The forces that would make true peace and justice happen are right here right now unfortunately the forces that would prevent this are also among us. It isn't the Rush Limbaughs, Bill O'Riellys who ultimately defeat us, it is actually ourselves. Too often we succumb to the temptation of apathy. We think someone else will do it or our contribution would be too small to matter. But perhaps the biggest thing that gets in our way is how we treat each other. Respecting, supporting and loving the people we like is easy, although even here we sometimes take them for granted. It is much harder to respect, support and love those with whom we disagree or don't get along or don't understand because we have no cultural framework on which to categorize their behavior. However, this respect is essential if we are ever going to succeed. Certainly there are outside forces that want us divided. They encourage competition and distrust. Knowing this we can do something about it if it is contrary to the leadings of our heart. What it would be like if everyone here tonight dedicated an extra two hours a week to create a peaceful and just world.

Although violence hangs like a shroud around the globe, our past has shown that radical social change doesn't start with an intentionally organized and planned mass movement. It begins with individuals, people like you and you and you and me.
Its up to us and
We will no longer be silent. We will no longer be docile. We are the agents of change.
Say this with me: We will no longer be silent. We will no longer be docile. We are the agents of change.
And again: We will no longer be silent. We will no longer be docile. We are the agents of change.

Let's meet each other with love and respect. Let's keep up the struggle for a violence free world. Lets take time to smell the flowers and be thankful for the beauty in the world, for really its not about the pain. There is some higher purpose at work that perhaps is beyond our limited human capacity to understand. Lets imagine a violence free world. And let's walk together into a better tomorrow.

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http://images.google.com/
http://www.google.com/
search for "Clothesline Project"

Living Waters

Living Waters
This is a very unsettling time. The Middle East could escalate into a conflagration with world-wide consequence far more serious then the price of gas. Provocation led to escalation then retaliation and so forth. This is happening not only on the world stage but in some of our communities as well. Misunderstandings can lead to alienation and it can seem like there’s no way back to a sense of kinship. Its not unusual for it to be generated by race or cultural dissonance, people whose thoughts, motives and behaviors seem outlandish and completely incongruent from our own sense of what’s rational especially when we all are under pressure. We become rigid, feeling righteous and in the right and that “they” are totally in the wrong.

So at this moment, putting some extra space in our lives for prayer is probably a good thing. Also taking time to smell the flowers, see the beauty and experience small pleasures. At a recent sunset I walked barefoot on the sandbars at the end of Doctor Lords Road. It was so wonderful! The softness of the sand and coolness of the water. It was a beautiful and powerful part of my current exploration and connecting experiences with Living Waters and this prayer came to me:
*Oh God and God of our ancestors please
*Open up our eyes that we may see your beauty and light
*Open our ears to hear the wisdom of your voice that is beyond perceived difference and ideology
*Open our mouth to drink the living water that we might heal and be spiritually clean
*Open our lips to declare your glory and open our minds to your Truth that transcends wrong and right
*Open our hearts to your Love and our hands to the work for justice that you’ve explicitly given us
*Open our arms to your mercy and forgiveness
*Open our souls to join joyfully with your eternal oneness
*And God if it is your will, open us up completely to your everlasting wholeness, your peace.

Given the world situation the most rational thing we can and should do is repair and make whole any of our spiritual communities that are in distress. Without each other we are like a single hair, sometimes splintered and very easy to break. But when we are braided together we become indestructible. I know that I want and am willing to work for communities where our hearts are bound together in love, communities that is ever ready to see the Spark within even during disagreements. I as one individual am more than willing to further reconciliations but it needs group effort. It needs leadership and commitment. It needs us together joyously embracing diversity and seeking the healing of the Living Waters. Often conflicts are described as matches lighting kindling. The question is how do we not get burned or at least not be consumed in the flames? God’s grace or living waters surround us even when we are amidst the fire. The pain is still there but the water is also and can be a source of comfort and strength. God’s living waters is also a vehicle for spiritual cleansing, biblically described as ritual purity. It can cleanse away what keeps us separate from God as well as each other. Living waters used to create a sense of purity however are not magical. They speak of intention. We still have to do the hard work ourselves. We will be judged more by our actions then our aspirations.

One way of seeing what is going on is that the ugliness in people at this time is having to rise to the surface, be exposed so that it can be cleared away. Once this is done then their/our Light can shine without the veils and walls and garbage we've built. This cleansing makes it possible for us to more fully connect with the Creator. It also allows us to build healthy community and come together to work toward respect and true peace. Perhaps it is simply a phase of our evolutionary process, a step to the next stage of spiritual perfection which is coming upon us now very fast.


How can we all be an outward, active part of the process of cleansing or healing? I think one way is to put forth a vision - a vision of wholeness, of healthy behavior, of inclusion, a vision of God's beauty. So I’ve asked myself, when am I feeling out of God’s presence the most? The answer was when I think poorly about someone, when I complain, when I feel burdened, when I act out of fear or old distress. This is my responsibility. What is yours?

Each and every one of us has a vital purpose and unique talent. However our Light is not necessarily going to speak to everyone, and everyone’s not necessarily to us. We all need to accept and let each other be the authentic people we are without expectation or demands, without hostility. Just because it doesn't resonant with us doesn't mean it has no value.

We need to build peaceful and spirit filled places for worship and study. The divides come in what that means, how that is defined and achieved for each individual. So what I think we can specifically do to resolve disputes is:
1. to stay strong in the Spirit, strong in following the path God’s has given us.
2. Disengage from confrontation; walk away when necessary, de-escalate.
3. Look inside ourselves and be willing to work on those places that create tension and respect others as they do their best with this work
4. keep open to the Light, God’s spark within everyone and the possibility of new ways of seeing
5. acknowledge our part in creating the problem and what we are willing to give for a solution
6. Keep our hearts holding compassion for everyone open to and for forgiveness
7. Stay and put out a positive and optimistic vision,
8. trust in God and keep ourselves connected to that complete source of goodness.
9. Wait for the teachable moments keeping ever hopeful and helpful
10. share what is on our hearts and be available to listen fully to what is in others,
11. be able to listen to the Spirit as it speaks to and through and as it guides each of us.
12. give full authority to this personal and communal process and experience of the Divine.
13. not give up on each other and not give up on God’s presence in the midst of the struggle.

It is up to us collectively to build spiritual communities not necessarily where everyone is of like mind but where everyone turns to God, waiting for clarity from this source when necessary with a willingness to let go of personal desires in favor of God's. It is up to us collectively, to build a group where everyone is welcome to join fully in this holy experience to use the full extent of their talents within the framework of faith, to be with each other, even those with whom we disagree, in our joys and sorrows, our fears and our triumphs.

Years ago I said “Love is the most powerful force in the universe, just as the gentlest stream will eventually erode the hardest rock so love will eventually soften the hardest heart.” I still believe it. This is one way of answering "to what is god calling us?” Another way of saying the same thing is "to be holy people": "to love the Lord with all our hearts and souls and might and to love each other as ourselves". We have a higher purpose. Its time we start living it. Can you honestly say that God is calling you to something different? If we seek that infinite spirit we will find a peace beyond words. Nothing else is better - nothing else really matters.

Lets use this as an opportunity to let go of any "us vs. them" thinking, work together for good.
Lets stay as grounded as we can in the Spirit.
Lets keep our hearts open.
Lets appreciate the abundant blessings that are all around each of us.
Lets visualize the cleansing power of Living Waters and the healing of our souls, healing of our hearts and healing of our communities and healing of the world.
Lets stay strong and trust in that Power. It will not let us down, of that I am certain.
And finally, lets be optimistic. I think its quite possible that we are here and now at this place because God has a purpose for us. What a wonderful thing! We could be the perfect people at the perfect time to bring the perfect solution,
God willing.

So be of good cheer,
- breathe in, breathe out, hold each other in the Light.


In search of that perfect Love and Light and place of peace,
your
Rachel


"May the angel Michael; the strength and power of God be always at your right, may the angel Gabriel; the messenger of God be always on your left, and may Raphael; the healing power of God be always behind you. May Uriel; the Light of God always be before you and be your guide. And may above your head always be the Shechianah, the divine inner and outer presence of God surrounding and covering you with peace. For now and for ever, if it be God's will, let it be so" - for us all.

Friends, a Metamorphosis

Friends, a metamorphosis is taking place. This is a critical time. Its like the transition from a caterpillar into a butterfly. What does a caterpillar know of life as a butterfly? It is so foreign to a being whose life is on the ground or in the somnolence of a cocoon as opposed to in the air with wings. Like the caterpillar, for us it can be very frightening to leave the comfort of what is familiar. It takes strength and patience to realize our struggles are just part of this process and to be with each other in gentleness and support.

This is our opportunity to rise to be better, more wholly spiritual and lead our communities to the same. To do this we need to take concrete action to get closer to God and closer to each other - to be in Love. One of the most difficult parts of this transition is that in order to awake to this new life we have to be as clean and clear as possible of everything that keeps us separate. This includes speaking up when those around us act in hurtful ways. It also includes accepting our own unacknowledged benefit from oppression and the denial of our culpability and responsibility. Examples are that in one of the more affluent communities in this wealthy nation our sick, poor and elderly are left to die homeless on the street or warehoused in lonely over medicated stupors. Another is when we refuse to grasp that the mere fact of skin color drastically effects a person's ability to fully realize their potential (as does other arbitrary things like sexual orientation, gender, appearance, faith, etc). We also are separated by letting our desires for material comfort or dominance for ourselves and our families become insatiable needs which blind us to the issues and bind us to a caterpillar’s life. We need to wake up to some uncomfortable truths about our world and ourselves. We must wake up then stand up then soar to a higher sphere of consciousness.

Telling someone that they are defective is not what this is about. There is a difference between pointing out areas where we as groups need to work and include ourselves (we - our) and singling out another individual for attack or moral condemnation (you – you’re). It is easy to give up on each other or give in to the temptation to scapegoat. Sometimes this behavior is used as a substitute for giving up on or blaming ourselves. However, bringing the things we are not proud of in ourselves to the surface gives us the chance for correction and is simply part of the process of evolution. All this ugliness must rise to the light. We can’t clean up what we can’t see. There is no need for guilt.

Through experience of the Divine Within -- that everlasting spark -- we can see that the positive approach works best. Difficult, painful situations are perennial as the grass. In dealing with actions which seem inconsistent with higher principles we can share, in compassion and humility, our own understanding. We can say or keep in our thoughts something (anything) to affirm their innate goodness. Being truly with each other in the struggle is vitally important. No one is beyond the redemptive power of love. If an individual seems cut-off from their spiritual roots we can be the one to take the initiative and with respect and care, labor with them. They just might have something to teach.

To really be part of this work and be true peace makers we need to understand that "us" and "them" are really the same and try not to take the distress, projection and lack of spiritual maturity to heart. This is a time when all the nasty meanness has to come out. The brighter we shine the more this will happen around us. Nevertheless now is not the time to retreat. Yes its painful but we can be as ducks whose beautiful feathers let the water just roll off. We can hold oneself above the garbage in gentleness and patience.

We can also realize that it’s all about attitude and our attitude is something we have some control over. Holding onto anger does no one any good. Smile and breathe, laugh and touch. Relax and be happy. This is a challenge when things are hard. The process of the butterfly transition is not going to be pleasant, either in our interpersonal interactions or in the physical world. Upheavals will continue and intensify. We are poised for some country taking the war nuclear, bird flu, a worse than 911 type terror attack, an asteroid of ice falling into the Atlantic, stock or housing market crashing, an earthquake sending the coast into the sea, other catastrophic natural disasters or any sort of combination. The most important thing we can do to prepare is remember we are aligned with the Creator and the deep goodness within each of us. Lets be part of a rebirth of peace, respect and harmony between us. Lets be open and fearless in our search for truth. Lets together resolve that it's better to light a candle than curse the darkness. Lets together nurture healthy communities and relationships. We are all called to a sacred purpose. Lets make a commitment to have our work be of service, trusting that this Power will work in each person. Our time is limited.

Each of our traditions has instructions - follow them (without using religion as a shield or weapon to justify negative judgments). Each of our hearts longs to connect with others in love. Do it - let go of all that keeps us separate. Act out of our higher selves; out of that place of kindness, forgiveness and forbearance and call others to the same. In this way I believe we can truly be the beings of our destiny.


Poem by Kabir ( 1500's Indian mystic/poet)
Are you looking for me? I am in the next seat.
My shoulder is against yours.
You will not find me in the stupas, not in Indian shrine rooms, nor synagogues, nor in cathedrals:
not in masses, nor kirtans, not in legs winding around your own neck, nor in eating nothing but vegetables,
When you really look for me, you will see me instantly —
you will find me in the tiniest house of time.
Student, tell me, what is God?
He is the breath inside the breath.

(day 22)

Holy Obedience: From Worship to Witness

(The following was published onthe front page of
"The New England Friend" Spring 2006 issue
http://www.neym.org/NewEnglandFriend/index.html)

“And the Lord passed by. There was a great and mighty wind, splitting mountains and shattering rocks by the power of God, but the Lord wasn’t in the wind. After the wind – an earthquake. After the earthquake – fire. But the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire a still small voice.” (1 Ki 19:12) This was the experience of Elijah hearing and accepting God’s call. Its one thing to hear a voice. Its another to hear what is being asked and trust in the power. What did and does this voice ask? It did not say to Elijah that he should return and sit quietly in his cave or in my case a Friends Meeting simply connecting to the power of love and peace. He was told to make a huge nuisance of himself; charged with bringing the people to God or else they would perish. The prophets had intense struggles, they were ridiculed, attacked, many times having to flee for their lives. Prophetic mystery-ministry involves embracing the struggle. Not only what is seen in the outer world but the internal struggle as well.

Listening to “a still small voice” has been central to my being a spiritual person raised in a Quaker family. While the social concerns of Friends were important, I saw a sharp divide between those Friends who were peace activists and those who were mystics. I clearly and unequivocally identified with the latter. The first message I gave in a Meeting for Worship was in the beginning years of Framingham Monthly Meeting when we were meeting in peoples living rooms. I was twelve and simply said “God is Love”. This was so real to me. My spiritual obedience was and to a large part remains simply to love the Lord my God with all my heart with all my soul and with all my might and do my best to love my neighbor as myself. It hasn’t been easy and I fail much of the time but being obedient, being faithful means to make the attempt even with all our sometimes way too humanness.

Twenty four years later after attending George School and worshiping in Friends Meetings up and down the east coast I returned to the Friends Meeting in Yarmouth where as a child I worshiped with my family during the summer months. I had a opening and gave the second message of my life. It was essentially the same. God is in essence love and its our job to manifest this in the world. What is wanted from us is to do our part to build a world of peace. The ultimate wish for us is that we live in such a world; a world of harmony, faith, beauty and joy.

I heard that alleviating the suffering of the oppressed is vital - that we are joined together; as one suffers so do we all. I needed to take appropriate initiative and provide unconditionally support for others; to learn and model being an ally. The impossibility of achieving a world of peace when any group has to deal with discrimination and violence grew over the next 4 years into a conviction that the necessary healing can not take place until the oppressor and those who let hostility happen learn they have a spiritual disease. It is an unfelt, invisibly but soul obscuring attitude. Thus in 1990 began the Clothesline Project, to bear witness to violence against women.

I devoted myself to this issue for five years but the still small voice was not finished with me. There was a repeated call, an opening waiting for me to unlock my heart. When I did I had a very rude awakening about oppression. The perpetrator was me. I was steeped in a culture of racism and benefited without awareness of white privilege. It was time for me to embrace the struggle in a different and scary way. The witness became two fold, a witness in the world and a self witness.

For me, now at East Sandwich Friends, the journey from worship to witness travels as a circle. Witness leads back to worship, worship to witness, all embraced in a mantle of holy obedience. All I have to do is get out of the way. Too often I am trying to lead the Light into my activities rather then let the Light lead me. Being obedient means surrender to a particular spiritual path united through the heart, sustained through the breath, the voice. If ever there was a time to work together its now. Our time is short. We are joined together in Light; in oneness, to heal in order to fully connect with that which is eternal. Trust God’s power with gratitude and love. Be ready to change.
Rachel Carey-Harper