Harmony

When I am sitting and meditating on the banks of the sea of Cortez I join with the ocean and feel its, largely latent, power, fluidity and its life giving force, I am in harmony with it as part of the joining. Very similarly when I meditate in the middle of the night I join with and feel harmony with God’s power and love. This afternoon there was a beautiful, adult red-shouldered hawk perched and watching for prey in the wooded area next to our backyard. I could see its majesty and feel its vigor and strength. The hawk then flew down and captured some prey, which it ate. The feeling of harmony adds depth to my observation.

Silence

Today and yesterday I spent some time performing regular activities like food preparation, talking to people and exercise. In addition I was able to spend several hours doing a very restorative mix of meditation and rest, what I call sorting time. During the periods of meditation I allow my mind to wander some and also spend most of the time focused on topics of concern. I don’t allow my mind to get into circular obsession but I do permit some wandering to make sure I address all my concerns. When done I feel a greater sense of harmony with "All that is". "It [inner silence] is to establish an inner peace, an inner harmony, which will allow us authentically to contribute to the establishment of an outer peace and an outer harmony in the world at large." (Daniel A. Seeger)

Love Energy

Science, particularly quantum physics, has demonstrated that the objects we consider to be solid are actually composed of very small amounts of proton, neutron and electron particles whirling through a large amount of space. We are largely made up of space and that space contains various sorts of energy. That energy affects those solid particles. The rest is speculation. I speculate that love is a very potent form of energy which can impact the particles around it. Specifically I suspect that an atmosphere of love can and does impact on the choices and actions we make, as humans.

Holistic Health

I have what I gather are the typical muscular and joint aches and pains of a seventy year old man along with some additional pains due to my disability and past abuses. These problems are largely physical and often accompanied by inflammation and swelling. These problems though largely physically caused, are influenced by conscious and unconscious emotions — particularly their rate of healing. When I have some sort of ache or pain I generally join with it through meditation, ask what it has to tell me and proceed accordingly. The process helps my sense of well-being. "When the diverse living energies of the human system are harmonized, the present bloody face of the world will be transformed into an image of the face of God." (A.B. Schmookler)

Presence

"According to Thomas, Jesus says that this primordial light not only brought the entire universe into being but still shines through everything we see and touch." (Elaine Pagels). When I am meditating on the bank of the sea of Cortez in Mexico I can feel the ocean. It feels very powerful, full of life and Love. When I am doing a dawn ceremony in my backyard the way it feels varies a little with the seasons but I can always feel the vibrance of our big "guardian" tree and the other vegetation. They always feel love and gratitude for each other and the current season and weather conditions, whatever they are. There is always a feeling of presence. It is wonderful to be part of that.

Growth

In my work with spirits and my efforts to change the world, I wish to know more about what I am doing and to have more guidance as I proceed. I have asked for each in prayer and I have also made it clear that I would continue regardless and that whoever is guiding me knows best. I suspect I also need to give up more of my attachment to the world as I now know it. "To get we must also give, to advance we must also surrender, to gain we must lose, to attain we must resign. From the nature of things life means choice and selection, and every positive choice negates all other possibilities." (Rufus Jones)

Allowing

A few days ago I spoke of facing life most days with gratitude and acceptance which then allows me to minimize the impact of any serious problems. This morning I felt disgruntled at the way things are and the challenges I deal with daily. Allowing myself to feel that way is an important part of loving myself as is letting the feeling pass. I felt disturbed for a while and now I am back to feeling grateful. "Allowing" is a fun way to face irrational complexities!

Discernment

This morning after the Friend’s Meeting for Worship Maria and I had some weighty or significant initial conversations with four people. I call the conversations weighty or significant because there was a definite connection with each of them and the "fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control) were present, meaning a divine presence. I can’t help wondering where the encounter will lead or why it was significant — and I suspect I’ll find out when the time is right. "Discernment is a gift from God, not as a personal achievement. The gift is not the result of training, technique, or analysis. Like other gifts of God, its origin is mysterious and gratuitous." (Patricia Loring)

Day To Day

Today the main issue I am dealing with is learning to sleep on my back rather than my stomach and I need to remember the Buddhist comment "first the laundry, then the ecstacy". My shoulders and back do better and have less pain and strain if I sleep on my back. I also am just more peaceful in that orientation though it is not my preferred position. I am accustomed to dealing with issues that are more complex, esoteric and potentially far reaching. However, I also need to attend to the simple, straight forward matters as well. When I address the simple life issues that seem trivial, I am better equipped to do things I think important.

Acceptance And Gratitude

Recently I have had several examples in my life of what it’s like not to accept life the way it is and I realize that I would feel a lot worse if I did not approach my life with gratitude and acceptance. I need not like the limitations of getting older and being disabled but if I accept those limitations I can work with them and minimize there impact on me. Fighting with them only results in my feeling worse. I can also always be grateful. Today I can be grateful for being largely free of pain but even on days when I have pain I can be grateful that my condition is not worse. I am reminded of the Buddhist comment that "pain is inevitable, suffering is optional".