Relative versus Absolute

Tonight I used the word “envy” to describe how the spirits feel about our physical life on this planet.  Maria pointed out that envy usually indicates a desire to go through the same thing being described, meaning that the spirits want to participate in physical life.  I did not mean that at all.  Perhaps I should have used the word “admired”.  It is my sense, through my connection, that the spirits, who inhabit an absolute reality, admire our relativistic existence.  The relativistic nature of our existence (good versus bad, pleasure versus pain, love versus fear), accentuates each pole.  That is, because of the duality, I tend to feel each pole more acutely.  Taking a lesson from the “other side”, I find it more fulfilling to appreciate both sides of the various polarities.  For example, the value of love seems greater when there is also an awareness of fear.  I find it best to cherish all of life, and the spirits certainly admire and encourage that.

Change is slow

Today was Thanksgiving.  I spent the morning doing my various exercises, and in the afternoon we went over to a friend’s house for a meal and social gathering.  The gathering was all people that I know pretty well, from either the sweat lodge or the recovery community that I am part of.  The two things that struck me most were how similar to other people I am and also how different.  We are very similar in that we are all floating through various life situations, trying to do the next right thing and make some sense of things.  Different in that they talked of sports, jobs, politics, movies and TV, things in the created order that I have no interest in.  For the most part, I consider those things as distractions with little or no meaning.
They also talked of the new movie “Cloud Atlas” and the novelty and importance of the ideas expressed im that movie.  Things like connectedness, karma and reincarnation.  On the one hand I was glad to hear them talk about those things.  On the other hand, my thought was “it’s about time!” since various mystics, healers, supposedly primitive people and spiritual leaders have been talking about those things for hundreds of years.  I think I will stick with being grateful, that feels better.

Trudge Time

November 20, 2012
Today life feels like a lot of work, it just feels hard.  Lots of dysfunction, pain and fear with many people.  Fortunately Maria and I only have the pain and fear part.  We are trying to be examples of peace, love and compassion, accepting what is and working with it.  Several of my friends are struggling to overcome personal difficulties.  Some have physical pain.  The pinched nerve in my shoulder has not healed completely, so I still have a small amount of pain.  On days like this, I just try to be aware of my feelings, and, taking a lesson from my Buddhist teachers, neither push the feelings away or attach to them.  I just consider a day like this to be “trudge time” and let it pass.
Today contrasts markedly with the way I felt yesterday, and nothing has changed other than my attitude!

November 21, 2012
This was a neutral day.  Fortunately, trudge time has passed, as it always does.  The sweat lodge tonight was canceled, giving me some extra time, so I made a large batch of soup and relaxed more.
I spent the morning in various staff meetings, and was struck by the fact that other people conduct themselves largely based on fears of things like liability, judgment and responsibility.  I do take steps such as knowing the laws and documenting my activities, in order to address the liability issue, but I also have the basic knowing that everything will be fine and that if I follow my guidance, I have nothing to fear.  I follow the course of love and service and just figure that I will be taken care of.

An Impact of Love

Today a friend commented that there is a “strange sort of magnetism” associated with our home.  This comment was made because birds and other animals tend to hang out around our house.  Many people have made similar comments and many animals, especially young ones, do  tend to stay here.  As I say in my website “The source power/love/God is in all things and all people, not just humans, Christians, Muslims or Pantheists. A person can sense it in all things and they can sense it in you. I have had a family of rabbits play at my feet, been wrapped in feelings of love and scent from trees and had various children and adults react strongly to the presence of that force.”  More recently, when I go out to put food out for the birds or other animals, they just don’t go away.  They look up, see me coming and go back to eating, as if to say “it’s only Charlie”.  I then ask them to move and they do,  just not far.  This spring we also had a family of young ravens come to visit us each morning, peering in windows, walking on the roof and communicating with each other.  They were a delight.  As I also comment in my website “ A truly magical experience in each case.  I could sense the God/source/power in them, and they could sense it in me, an incredible experience.”  The feeling of love/God that I walk around with has an impact on everything around me, even machinery and “inanimate” things.

Love Versus Superiority & Judgement

Maria and I just attended the movie “Lincoln”, starring Daniel Day Lewis, about the end of the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation, ending slavery and changing the Constitution.  What stood out to me was man’s inhumanity to man.  One of the main themes in the movie was the use of harsh judgement, exclusion, superiority and criticism of one white male toward another, toward people of color and women of any color.  The movie portrayed this theme within politics at that time.  The use of judgement, superiority and exclusion has also been part of virtually every religion and the general world culture throughout recorded history.  This attitude has been part of humanity and does not come from God or fit within love.  We are one with God and each other.  Each of us is connected to everything and everyone.
In reflecting on this theme or human tendency, I think of the behavior of children or puppies.  I don’t get angry at children or puppies when they do silly things.  I find it difficult to get more than momentarily angry at a puppy for making a mess or chewing the leg of some valued antique.  They don’t know any better and I am the one being silly if I judge them for their behavior, or place value where it does not belong.  It’s the same with human beings.  Whether we talk about white males, Muslims, Palestinians or Christians, they just do not realize their interconnectedness, if they did, they would behave differently.

Love and a Change in Perspective

I was reminded today of a change in perspective that many of my clients go through.  They finish the 6 month program at B2B and then return home for a few days.  When at home, generally they can clearly see  the dysfunction in their family for the first time, usually lots of insecurity, triangulation and taking things personally.  Generally they fight me vigorously when I initially bring these things up, a few months previously.  They usually disagree and can not see the problem.  Over the next months they become relatively direct and honest and tend to see the dysfunction as needless, hurtful drama.  They come to love their family members even more, and see what is going on as very human.  There is no judgment or criticism,  just loving, accurate observation.  They frequently recognize that their parents and/or older members of the family are unlikely to change, and become good with that.  Quite a change for them and quite something to watch!