Good Morning Grandfather

Good morning Grandfather. 

I entered this life a ways back 
and put skin on to walk two legged in this creation
and what a glorious time it was.

It taught me about breath
and about sensing and feeling and caring through my heart.
I walked on around that Red Road
looking and trying to understand more
about the mystery and the secrets She holds.

And You spoke to me through the wind
And You sang to me through the birds
You brought challenges forth so that I might listen to the message You bring more sincerely
And I kept walking down this road.

And I came around the bend at the middle of that curve in the road and I began to find the secret in the Spirit of Myself
And still I walked on,
Sometimes blind and deaf
and sometimes with pain
but I fought with my fears and I embraced my unknowingness
and still I walked on.
And my children and my family stood with me
and we came to know each other in those later years more than we had before. For some of our falseness had fallen away
and still I walked on.

And I kept walking on this road towards You,
towards that other world that grew closer to me with each step.
And as the door of the Great Spirit world came closer
my fear loomed up inside sometimes...

But something called me forth.
The morning star rose with each day.
And my prayer became a centering and still I walked on.
Until I began to hear the song of the Mother,
and her arms embraced me so,
That instead of walking She carried me right to the door.
And as the door opened I heard her song.
And her song lifted me up so I could soar.

Jyoti, Good Morning, Grandfather in Graceful Passages a Companion for Living and Dying

May you embrace this beautiful Life with both tenderness and zeal! As you travel, may your ears ever listen for the assurance of God's perfection, Life's Perfection ....and know that it has always been with you, will always be with you. Be still. Be still. The earth has secrets to tell you! Be still! Each person you know is an eternal mystery present to you for a sacred purpose. You cannot know it unless you quiet your mind and open your heart.....with reverence for who you are with them, and they with you. You may not know the facts. You don't need to know facts. All you need is quiet reverence and you will hear the truth. 

There is more than meets the eye. "only with the heart can one see rightly." Love each other. Love your self, you are made in the image of the Holy One, a perfect beautiful child of Life. Love the earth, the sacred humus that clothes you and sustains the Spirit of Life within you. 

Be still. 

Honor these with your open heart: 

Spirit, The Life of the Divine within you, poured into you like wine in a golden chalice.

Flesh, the perfect vessel of the Divine that you are, form and formless, filled and empty, a holy temple.

Source, the Ground of Being that gives you birth and Life, the perfection of the ages and of agelessness....

...And that which you honor will flow forth to the world like a shining river of love and peace.

Be still. Be Love. _/\_Peggy @ Ecumenicus

Epiphany - Awakening Truth

Epiphany celebrates the appearance of God’s glory in the world through God’s incarnation, the birth of Jesus, Emmanuel… ‘God with us.’ The Greek word epiphany means literally, ‘sudden appearance’ A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something…. A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization. The realization of a truth that has always been present, but not always evident.  A light bulb moment, if you will. Truth illuminated.

Simeon called Jesus “A light to lighten the Gentiles” and Jesus calls both himself and us  “The light of the world”…and so the symbolism of light and truth pervade this Christmas season and inform our worship this day.

The Christian celebration of epiphany involves the travels of 3 wise men- commonly thought to be scholars/astronomers (recently a newly translated Syriac text – "The Revelation of the Magi” identifies the magi as “Those who pray in silence.)” Perhaps most significantly, these men were not Jews or Christians, they were "gentiles," people from outside of the Hebrew culture who were also searching for a miracle. Another perspective sees them as people who were, perhaps wealthy with worldly goods as a result of their heritage, but poor in spiritual wealth.  You see, their worldly treasures obscured this true wealth, but in their heart of hearts, in their souls, they knew their poverty, and so it was that they set out looking for the spirit of truth, the richness of Christ, by following a sign;an uncommonly intriguing celestial event, a “star,” a light the likes of which surely held the promise of deeper truth than the stars peppered throughout the average night sky. 

With them, the Magi took their worldly wealth, gold, frankincense and myrrh, to finance their trip.  They traveled for, perhaps years, finally arriving at the town of Bethlehem where, indeed, they found truth and light.  There they found a child. 

They offered their worldly wealth in symbolic gesture to the child. 

Gold: incorruptible immortal precious metal of the sun, symbol of divinity and royality.

Frankincense: Exotic resin of divine communication and healing. 

Myrrh: in Arabic called “bitter,” the sweet resin of tears for healing and anointing, in life as at death, a symbol of fragile humanity. 

But whenever a gift is given, a gift is received. And on this 12^th night, it was the magi who received a gift, an epiphany – the remembrance of a truth they had always known:  That God is revealed to the hopeful, the faithful, to those who have time to see. 

Here in a manger they found the Christ child, and in Him they saw a new light. A light that was reflected in their own hearts. A light for everyone – a light of the world.

And so it was that the magi came to find the Christ child and became truly wealthy for they discovered the light of the world, the gift of truth and love, Jesus the Christ. And they brought gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh. But these were worldly gifts, symbols of the event. The true gifts of the magi were these: hope, time and faith.

The gift of hope.  Hope that their emptiness of spirit would be filled when they reached their journey’s end.  Hope that spurred them to action; to risk all material wealth and seek the most important gift of a lifetime.

The gift of time.  We have no accurate record of the length of time it took for the Magi to reach Bethlehem.  May have taken months to years.  They set out on their journey with no time limitations in mind.  They set out to seek a miracle for whatever length of time it took.  The gift of time.

The gift of faith.  Faith that their journey would fill the voids in their lives. Faith that their questions would be answered.  Faith that the truth would be revealed.  And it was. 

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life”.  And as he offered the disciples a counselor, “The Spirit of Truth” He said, Because I live, you will also live.  On the day when you realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  John 8:12, 14:20. 14:27

Loving God, we offer our gratitude for the gifts of Life you give us: Hope, time, faith, love, light, truth. Keep the mystery of Christmas alive in us. Let your son Jesus become flesh in us so that we may be, for all our brothers and sisters, a revelation of your love. 

_/\_Peggy @ Ecumenicus

A very interesting book, Revelation of the Magi, on a recently discovered ancient text, The Revelation of the Magi, by Brent Landau gives an interesting perspective on this beautiful ancient story.

The Inner History of a Day by John O’Donohue

For the New Year - Thanksgiving

 No one knew the name of this day;

Born quietly from deepest night,

It hid its face in light,

Demanded nothing for itself,

Opened out to offer each of us

A field of brightness that traveled ahead,

Providing in time, ground to hold our footsteps

And the light of thought to show the way.

The mind of the day draws no attention;

It dwells within the silence with elegance

To create a space for all our words,

Drawing us to listen inward and outward.

We seldom notice how each day is a holy place

Where the eucharist of the ordinary happens,

Transforming our broken fragments

Into an eternal continuity that keeps us.

Somewhere in us a dignity presides

That is more gracious than the smallness

That fuels us with fear and force,

A dignity that trusts the form a day takes.

So at the end of this day, we give thanks

For being betrothed to the unknown

And for the secret work

Through which the mind of the day

And wisdom of the soul become one.

I offer this prayer of thanksgiving to the eternal Grace of the Day and Night and the Life enfolded in her arms.

Yielding to Grace, I offer a heart full of prayer for those who are struggling with grief, with pain, with worry. I offer a heart of compassion to those who are enduring the very difficult fear of change, of illness, of the unknown. I ask for resolution, for reconciliation, for acceptance and forgiveness…may all our fears, resentments, and hurtful biases be embraced and dispelled through the humility of an innocent love that leads to peace of mind and a quiet heart. Let us all know the depths of our own tenderness, and allow each other to feel the reassurance flowing through a Love far greater than any one of us can enlist alone. 

On this new graced Day, I remember, "Wherever two or more are gathered, there I am also"…speaks of the perfect love that casts out fear, the perfect order of compassionate unity amid the chaos, the perfect peace that passes understanding.  

May we lay all that stands in the path of such Grace willingly aside and open the vessel of our being to love, compassion and peace. All this, I invoke with a quiet mind and an open heart, resting in the assurance that all will be well and every manner of thing will be well.

New Year, New Day blessings to all, Peggy @ Ecumenicus

Three Poems on Timelessness

In all ten directions of the universe, 

there is only one truth. 
When we see clearly, the great teachings are the same. 
What can ever be lost? 
What can be attained? 

If we attain something, it was there from the beginning of time. If we lose something, it is hiding somewhere near us.Look: this ball in my pocket:can you see how priceless it is?


~ Ryokan
Art: @Ganz Natürlich - Ju Dosi's Bilder
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ganz-Natürlich-Ju-Dosis-Bilder

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

I dwell in Possibility—

A fairer House than Prose—
More numerous of Windows—
Superior—for Doors—

Of Chambers as the Cedars—
Impregnable of Eye—
And for an Everlasting Roof
The Gambrels of the Sky—

Of Visitors—the fairest—
For Occupation—This—
The spreading wide of narrow Hands
To gather Paradise—

~Emily Dickinson
Art: Bob King

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Silent friend of many distances, feel

how your breath enlarges all of space.
Let your presence ring out like a bell
into the night. What feeds upon your face

grows mighty from the nourishment thus offered.

Move through transformation, out and in.
What is the deepest loss that you have suffered?
If drinking is bitter, change yourself to wine.

In this immeasurable darkness, be the power

that rounds your senses in their magic ring,
the sense of their mysterious encounter.

And if the earthly no longer knows your name,
whisper to the silent earth: I’m flowing.
To the flashing water say: I am.

~Rainer Maria Rilke,Trans. Stephen Mitchell in the Enlightened Heart
Art: blackmorphin on deviantart

When we expand our minds outside of the realm of concept and form we approach Ultimate Truth, that which cannot be fully defined - that which precedes all concept, holds all possibility, and flows into and out of ideas/dreams/concepts/matter and action...and we realize we are that...I AM.

_/\_Peggy @ ECUMENICUS

If You Want

If

you want
the Virgin will come walking down the road
pregnant with the holy
and say,
...
“I need shelter for the night, please take me inside your heart,
my time is so close.”

Then, under the roof of your soul, you will witness the sublime
intimacy, the divine, the Christ
taking birth
forever,

as she grasps your hand for help, for each of us
is the midwife of God, each of us.

Yes there, under the dome of your being does creation
come into existence externally, through your womb, dear pilgrim—
the sacred womb of your soul,

as God grasps our arms for help; for each of us is
His beloved servant
never
far.

If you want, the Virgin will come walking
down the street pregnant
with Light and
sing . . .

~St. John of the Cross, translated by Daniel Ladinsky,
Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West
Artwork: Dirbi fresco

Saint John of the Cross, (1542 – 1591), was a major figure of the Counter Reformation, a Spanish mystic, a Roman Catholic saint a Carmelite friar and priest. He and Teresa of Avila founded the order of Discalced Carmelites, a mendicant order in the tradition of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, also called the Barefoot Carmelites. His writings on the study of the soul and spiritual journey are highly mystical, with movement toward God framed in a masculine (commonly used in mystical theology), ascent to the Divine context (versus a more feminine spiraling paradigm, such as Teresa's Interior Castle). John of the Cross was canonized a saint in 1726 and is one of 35 Doctors of the Roman Catholic Church.

May your Advent journey be blessed with the quiet openness of a compassionate heart, watching and waiting for the virgin to come walking....bringing the light of peace.

_/\_Peggy @ ECUMENICUS

The Oneness of Reality Goes by Different Names, or Not

The divine essence, the Trinity, describes every aspect of reality. From incarnate matter through essential energies and forces by which matter comes into being and returns to no-thingness, reality is sacred, divine expression.

Hindus say, "There is nothing that is not God."

"The One has no limits. It is neither form, nor formless. It is indivisible. Everything that exists, exists in It. It seeks only Itself. It is eternal and the giver of eternity."
~The Apocryphon of John

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.*

~ Gospel of John

Buddhists prefer not to imbue reality with a divine immanence. But of course they value reality, with equal concern. Buddhist ideology goes straight to awakening and alleviation of suffering as its primary assertions, rather than assigning a theology. Of course, the alleviation of suffering is also the highest agenda of Hindus and Christians.

All of these consider the goal of attaining God-consciousness (enlightenment, or the awareness that all of what we experience is [divine] relationship as One) as the ultimate state of being, from which naturally flows compassionate doing and relationships of natural order.

May you know yourself as a divine expression of God within the divine expression of God.

_/\_Peggy @ ECUMENICUS

Art: Creation, 13th century Byzantine mosaic, St Marks Basilica Venice

*Heraclitus (ca. 535–475 BC), used the term, Logos, for a principle of order and knowledge. Aristotle referred to "reasoned discourse," Stoic philosophers used Logos as the divine animating principle of the Universe, Philo (20-50 CE) adopted the term into Jewish philosophy. The Gospel of John identifies the Logos, through which all things are made, as divine (theos) and further identifies Jesus as the incarnate Logos. The Hebrew equivalent to Logos is dabar or creative expression.

The colloquial meaning of logos among the religious Greeks of the first century was "god of gods", the divine mind of the gods or "supreme knowledge," also known as gnosis (awareness, enlightenment, insight).  ~adapted, Brad Scott, The Dabar of  Elohyim or the Logos of God.

Ladders to Heaven - Ascent to Love - Tzim Tzum of Life

Climbing the ladder
whose rungs are the names of God,
I come to myself.

Richard Zimler, Love's Voice, 72 Kabbalistic Haikus

The idea of ascending, as climbing a ladder, toward "Godliness," or Ultimate Being, in mind and action is found throughout faith traditions. However, this is not a one-way trip. In cultivating awareness or illumination/enlightenment we "see" and then we don't. We take one step forward and 2 steps back. 

In Christianity, this idea comes from Neoplatonism: "every effect remains in its cause, proceeds from it and returns to it." Proclus. 

Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (late 5th c apophatic mystic) wrote: "Inspired by the Father, each procession of the Light spreads itself generously toward us, and, in its power to unify, it stirs us by lifting us up. It returns us back to the oneness and deifying simplicity of the father who gathers us in."

One could certainly go on citing examples of the location of the Divine relative to the human. Scripture talks of temples and tents, mountains and deserts; of Jacob's dream of a ladder and Ezekiel's vision of chariots of man-angels and God on a throne in the firmament.

Ezekiel 1:26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

Our human experience is not only comprised of this Neoplatonic idea of "procession and return" or being lifted toward the light and falling back toward material life, we are surrounded by it. This is change, the flux and flow of Life itself, from particles and waves to cosmic universe; the becoming and the retreating, moving toward and falling away, ascent and decline. The resolution of the Self (or awareness, if you prefer), the evolution of the cosmos. The miracle is that we can know this in our mind of objectivity and we can experience this in our mind of subjectivity.

Artwork: 

1. Heavenly Ladder, McGookin

2. Ladder to Heaven inspired by the writings of John Climacus (7th-century Christian monk at the monastery on Mount Sinai). Icon 13th century, St. Catherine's Monastery, Sinai. John Climacus is shown at the top of The Ladder of Divine Ascent, with other monks following him.

3. Heavenly ladder sent to Buddha (the Bodhi tree) to meet his deceased mother after enlightenment, Sanchi, India

_/\_Peggy @ ECUMENICUS