Balance

Today I overdid it, I did to much and pushed myself to do more than I really could and it is important for my humility that I acknowledge that. I’m not beating myself about it but I am "awake" (in the Buddhist sense) and aware but I am still quite capable of human frailties, particularly if I allow my ego attachments and desires to run the show. In this case I spent the afternoon making stuffed grape leaves with egg-lemon sauce, a simple thing - for most people, but not someone with coordination and speed issues such as myself. Stuffing the grape leave requires coordination and something that takes most people twenty minutes is likely to take me two hours. I need to recognize my limitations and balance them. I will now take it easy for a couple of days.

Love Energy

Mark Anthony comments that "At any given moment we are surrounded by invisible waves of energy loaded with vast amounts of information. We may not be aware of this energy, but it’s there. If you don’t believe me, then simply switch on a radio." If part of that energy is Love from the numinous realm I spoke of yesterday, the energy changes things away from the fear, anger and hurt to something positive and constructive. The practices I outline and suggest in my book could bring that about.

Choices

It is clear to me that, as Conrow Coelho writes, "Without the healing power of the numinous [love or God] realm, our wounded psychological patterns will prevail." Meaning that without love we as a species will make decisions based on fear, anger and hurt, decisions that could ultimately hurt or destroy us or the planet we depend on. I will do everything I can to see that does not happen, which is why I wrote my book. I use the terms "love or God" because, as far as I can tell, the words used make no difference, the actions taken matter. She goes on to say "Experiences of truth, beauty and goodness may involve numinosity or a kind of resonance with the sacred presence".

Life-Force

The "life-force or heartbeat of the Universe" which I spoke of yesterday is very much evident and present in things like healing touch, the impact of meditation on health and the positive effect of prayer on heart patients. The life-force, which I will call love, also fits nicely into what physicists call quantum field theory, yet it is generally discounted or ignored. As Conrow Coelho says "Numinous experiences of Presence, of Light, of beauty and truth have no home in modern reductive scientific understanding." I prefer to realize that scientific understanding is a wonderful approach to the world as we know it, but it is also limited.

Gratitude

Today I just feel grateful. My gratitude today stems from two facts of my life. The first is that, as someone commented today, "things could be a lot worse". The comment was actually made about the weather (we are going through a warm spell) but I apply it to life in general. The second is that I can sense what Nepo poetically refers to as the "life-force or heartbeat of the Universe" in virtually everything I do, if I pay attention. That ability feels like a rare gift, for which I am very grateful. His comment is "For waiting under the surface, like an inner sun, the life-force or heartbeat of the Universe will reveal itself and connect us to the sheer power of what is vital in life"

Connection

Every morning, around sunrise, I go out into our backyard to bless this house, the neighborhood and all the plants and animals. There is a particular tree, a large, old willow oak, next to our deck that assists me and continues the process. I always touch that tree, say good morning and thank it for assisting me. "Consider the Polynesians, who believe that everything physical ------ stone, wood, a flower ----- has a numinous quality; that each thing on Earth emanates an inherent spirit that glows from within" (Nepo).

Listening

As I said two days ago, my wife and I are creating a sacred zone in and around our home. We each find the process to be very challenging and fulfilling. The main challenges are being a clear channel for listening, taking appropriate action and being patient enough to let the peocess unfold. In the words of Sogyal Rinpoche "Listening is a far more difficult process than most people imagine; really to listen in the way that is meant by the masters is to let go utterly of ourselves, to let go of all the information, all of the concepts, all the ideas and all the prejudices that our heads are stuffed with."

Truth

The eternal Truth is a part of all religions, creeds and disciplines. The Truth of love, connection and consciousness also transcends them and exists separate from them. A person can arrive at their awareness and live them through a variety of paths and the one chosen makes no significant difference. The end result is magnificent! "I offer my salutations to all the prophets, creeds, religions, etc. I know they are not real, they are only the play of this consciousness. The truth, the eternal, cannot be witnessed. It ever prevails." (Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj).

Foundation

In addition to attending Friend’s and recovery meetings, I have been doing a lot of things around our new house, basically building a foundation of harmony, love and sacredness. Today I went to a Friend’s meeting and continued my refinishing of furniture. I have also been cooking and freezing meals. In the process of doing these things I treat all of them as sacred, keeping in mind that "Every moment and everything we do, think, or say should become a living experience of the divine being." (Kopp). I also began my MD service work last week by mentoring someone so I am beginning to go beyond a foundation.

Meditation

I am a regular attendee at Friend’s (Quaker) meetings since they practice no dogma or formal ceremony. They are a group of people who gather together in order that they, like me, may experience being in the "Light" of God or love through meditative silence and a few simple words. The experience is much stronger in a group setting and is summarized nicely by the words of Dillard; "I cannot cause light; the most I can do is try to put myself in the path of its beam. It is possible, in deep space, to sail on solar wind. Light, be it particle or wave, has force: you rig a giant sail and go. The secret of seeing is to sail on solar wind. Hone and spread your spirit till you yourself are a sail, whetted, translucent, broadside to the merest puff."