tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71103013822974565262023-07-18T01:02:10.404-04:00PathwalksA spiritual journey...Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-82494199846937558922012-07-11T01:05:00.001-04:002012-07-11T01:08:50.907-04:00The Living Universe<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt"> </span><span style="font-size:16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Religions are created by people who have had moments of spiritual insight. As they attempt to share their discovery, they describe it as best they can, as it appeared to them.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> When they try to share their moment of "mysterium tremendum" -- as William James called it -- they try to define their communion with this Great Mystery. To them, The Divine may have appeared as a single God, consciously ruling the universe. Or they may have seen The Divine as a general force which flows throughout creation. They may have seen the various things working together toward the same aim. Or perhaps they saw an independant spirit at work in every thing. They may have seen everything working together without an apparent consciousness linking it all together. Or perhaps they saw the Divine Mystery working together, but it was unclear to them if there was anything more behind It.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> Depending on how the universe appeared to them, they may have believed in monotheism, or pantheism. They may have believed in polytheism, or animism. They may have seen the universe in an atheistic manner, of perhaps an agnostic one. The amazing thing is that these general patterns of religious thought are repeated around the globe. Monotheism, polytheism, pantheism, animism, atheism, and agnosticism can be found in many places throughout the earth. This would seem to indicate that quite a few religious thinkers have observed the same patterns to the universal whole. I believe, therefore, that these patterns are all valid ways of observing the Divinity.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> But how can these points of view all be correct? How can God be one and many at the same time? How can God be formed and formless, conscious and unconscious? How can these vastly different beliefs all be true?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> In my own personal search for understanding I labored on this for a good deal of time before finding the only logical solution I could find. I reasoned that the universe itself must be a living thing; that it was a large enclosed sytem which functions cooperatively as a life-form. And if, indeed, the universe is the ultimate organism, which we may call "God", or "The Divine", then these points of view can all be valid. Therefore, God is one: the living universal whole. God is many: the many individual parts which make up the whole -- much as the various organs and cells of our own bodies. God is formed: in the physical substances which make up the universe we can observe. And God is formless: what many refer to as the "Web of Life" -- the connection we all share to the greater cosmic whole. The matter of the consciousness of God is a difficult one, as it is most likely on a level which we can not hope to understand.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> Understanding "The Divine" as the Living Universe opens up a great many doors of understanding. As we are contained withing the universe -- and indeed we are a part of it -- we are a part of God, just as the cells of our bodies are a part of us. So, wherever we turn we are looking at another part of the Divine Being. And just as the cells in our bodies contain DNA marking them as parts of our selves, so also do we each contain a part of the holiness of the Divinity within us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-81965132712710519142012-03-11T20:40:00.001-04:002012-03-11T20:43:50.323-04:00Changing Times<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt"> </span><span style="font-size:16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">As the days and nights soon pass being lengths, the days are becoming warmer. And I am again amazed at the magical transformation the world is undergoing.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> Oh, I have things I enjoy about each season of the year. But the warmer months have my full attention. And I am just as happy to leave the cold days of Winter behind. The brown earth. The skeletal trees. And the only birds which had such little variety in their coloring!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> There seems to be a half-week every year when the native plants all burst forth in color. And we are getting close to that time. Already familiar birds of color are returning to the skies. And our winter coats are being phased out for yet another year.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> Many of us spend this time doing what we call Spring Cleaning: out with the old, in with the new, and dusting off the rest. Everything is changing, from the cold sleepy days of the dark months, to the warm, vibrant days of the sun. And so also do those of us with seasonal affective disorders climb out of our shells.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> But what world do we come out into? This is a time of inreaching; a time of planting the seeds of our future. And here is where we control what our future will be.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> Change is the only constant in the universe. Our world is changing before our eyes. The rather comfortable times we've lived in since the last great wars have been replaced by times of fear and terror.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> The world is rocked by wars and rumor of wars. Artificial climate changes are becoming apparent. And the voices of intolerance seem to grow each day.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> In our time of inreach, we may find many things in the world which bring the fighter out of each of us. But it is important to know when to fight and when to stand firm. Sometimes patience is the best defense against a world of injustice.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman""> This is the time when we must do what our species does best: stop, ask questions to understand the situation more fully, and then make enlightened decisions. As quickly as our world is changing today, we cannot afford the mistakes which often come with knee-jerk reactions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-22017737792649408122011-11-08T22:27:00.003-05:002011-11-08T22:32:10.704-05:00Faith<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; "><span class="Apple-style-span" > My faith is sometimes a very difficult subject to put into words. I believe that the Divine -- or "God" -- is the living universe: the sum total of all that exists. I find comfort in this belief, as I have studied many of the world's religions for some time and I find that this is the simplest explanation to account for all their differing perspectives. For the theologies of the world vary, from a single God to many, from a God with form to God without form, and from personal Divinity to impersonal -- or even absent -- Divinity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; "><span class="Apple-style-span" > I find, that a living universe is a simple large organism we may call the single God. I find that It is manifested by the various beings and forces of which It is composed: God the many. I find that It exists as both the many formed parts which we can see and measure, and the abiding unity which binds it all together. I find that It can be personal in our relationship to It or impersonal in the larger view of Its everyday existence.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; "><span class="Apple-style-span" > And I further find this echoed in the various traditions of the world. I hear the Tenrikyo faith say that "any and everything is all the body of God". I hear the words of Mohammed in the Koran: "wheresoever you turn, there is the face of God." And I hear the words of the Greek mathematician Empedocles: "the nature of God is a circle whose center is everywhere, and whose circumference is nowhere."<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; "><span class="Apple-style-span" > I find that this starting point opens us up to a much broader world of spiritual understanding. For we cannot remove ourselves from the Cosmic equation, as we are want to do. Rather, we find that we are part of the living universe; that we are part of the body of God! We find that each and every thing is part of the body of God, and therefore every thing has a tiny piece of God with it: Cosmic DNA, if you will. That is to say that that which makes God holy and sacred: a piece of that is contained within us all. And so we each have that Holy Spirit within us. There are no worthless or useless people. There are simply people who fail to live up to their potential.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; "><span class="Apple-style-span" > As we each contain a piece of God within us we find that we should love our neighbor as we should love ourselves, for "wheresoever we turn, there is the face of God!" We may find God in nature, or in a stranger, or the eyes of a child, or in our own mirror.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; "><span class="Apple-style-span" > We also discover that we are not the separate beings we appear to be. We are all interconnected, interrelated, and interdependent. How can we be as cruel to one another as we are? For we simply harm ourselves when we harm others.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; "><span class="Apple-style-span" > And so I shake my head as I watch the ways people treat one another daily, from abuse and disputes and murder to the saber-rattling and wars around the globe. So many people want to destroy so many others. And we treat each other and our world as useless and disposable.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; "><span class="Apple-style-span" > Perhaps we would get along better if we could only see ourselves in the eyes of others.</span></span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-80173829077064310162011-04-05T18:51:00.002-04:002011-04-05T19:02:39.879-04:00Childhood<div><div align="justify"><font face="Arial"> Look how screwed up our culture is!<font style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </font>We rob our children of their childhood and then we wonder why they fail to act like children!<font style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </font>We expose them to killing without teaching them that all life is sacred.<font style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </font>And we wonder why they are killing each other without remorse.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></font></div><div align="justify"><font face="Arial"> Many argue that we need to teach our children values.<font style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </font>But they use this as an excuse to push their own religious agendas. I say that we can teach them values without forcing a particular religion on them.<o:p></o:p></font></div><div align="justify"><font face="Arial"><b> We need to teach them that all life is sacred.</b><font style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </font>Instead, we teach them that killing is good, killing is fun, killing is sport.<o:p></o:p></font></div><div align="justify"><font face="Arial"><b> We need to teach them that all people have value.</b><font style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </font>Instead, we teach them that some people are "better" than others.<font style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </font>We divide people into upper-class/lower-class, first-class/second-class, good-Christian/evil-atheistic or Satanic. We need to teach them that all people have good in them, and that we should never underestimate the goodness of another.<o:p></o:p></font></div><div align="justify"><font face="Times New Roman"> </font><font face="Arial"><b>We need to teach them self-worth.</b><font style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </font>Too often we allow our children to be victimized by those who are serving their own self-interests.<font style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </font>We allow them to have low opinions of themselves and to grow up unable to be responsible for their own actions -- after all, they can always blame those who have control over them, right?<o:p></o:p></font></div><div align="justify"><font face="Arial"><b> We need to teach them responsibility.</b><font style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </font>When they screw up we help them blame it on someone else, or we try to protect them from the consequences.<font style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </font>We need to let them take the blame for their missteps.<font style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </font>We need to let them know that everything they do has a consequence -- everything they do makes a difference.<o:p></o:p></font></div><div align="justify"><font face="Times New Roman"><br /><br /></font></div></div>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-62477121435780026322010-11-14T19:32:00.003-05:002010-11-14T19:44:26.536-05:00Myth and "Myth-understanding"<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-size:14;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span></span></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">Your religion is full of myths.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></o:p></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><o:p><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></o:p></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">Now that I have your attention, let me explain further:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Many of the religious stories we take for granted are myths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Now, many people assume that myths are simply "fairy tales" -- that they are pointless made-up stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>However, this is not the case.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">"Myth" is a writing style -- like a fable, or a letter, or a poem, or a parable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In fact, parables and legends are very similar to myths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A myth is simply a stylized story which is meant to teach us a spiritual truth.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">Myths are not meant to be taken literally, however.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They use symbols and metaphors to convey their message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Often the symbols used in myths are the same as those used in symbolic dreams, and rightly so: they both come from the sub-concious mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Their message is hidden just below the surface.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">For example, in the <i>Gilgamesh</i> story,Gilgamesh faces one of the greatest troubles of his life as his good friend Enkidu lies dying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He seeks out Utanapishtim, the oldest man in the world, for help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The old man had once built a great boat to escape the floods which destroyed the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The old man was successful in helping Gilgamesh find a remedy which could save his friend.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">In many myths water represents the world -- the current state of affairs of people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>"Troubled waters" represent problems with the state of things -- in fact, we still use the term today!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In this story, Gilgamesh faces his own "troubled waters", so he seeks help from someone who has defeated similar problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Perhaps this is a message for us, the readers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Maybe, the author(s) of the <i>Gilgamesh</i> story want us to understand that we can get help with our crises from others who have faced similar problems.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">In other myths a person may command the "troubled waters" to become silent -- which they do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This shows us that this person is able to solve the problems simply by speaking or teaching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These myths hold greater meaning than they, at first, appear to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A spiritual leader may walk upon the waters, or build a great boat to remain alive as Utanapishtim did in the story above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>By rising above the waters the leader is able to keep from drowning in the troubles of his time, as we are supposed to do – being the audience for the myth.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">Still other myths may teach us to avoid getting bogged down in the trappings of tradition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A spiritual teacher may attend a festival, when suddenly those holding the festival run out of wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Well, according to tradition, the festival may require wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And so the teacher may instruct them to use water instead – the water becoming wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The purpose of this story is not a literal miracle where the water turns into fermented grapes, but rather that the water symbolically becomes as wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The point of the myth is that the celebration of the festival is important, not whether there is enough wine to go around or not.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">A multitude may approach a teacher to hear his words of wisdom, and those with the teacher may notice that they are unable to fee them all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The teacher may simply state “I will satisfy them”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The multitude leave satisfied, not because the teacher miraculously turned into a taco stand, but because he gave them what they came seeking: spiritual food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Again, the point of the myth is lost if it’s take literally, but becomes apparent when we examine the symbols.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">Every faith contains myths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These are the stories that help illumine our spiritual lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They teach us about our spiritual teachers, our relationship to the world around us, and about ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If we only dig at them a bit more deeply to understand the symbols and metaphors contained within them we can gain a much better spiritual understanding.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-40578933697081079412010-09-04T10:18:00.004-04:002010-09-04T10:25:56.950-04:00A Matter of Perspective<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 16ptfont-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:10;" ><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;">I believe that religion is shaped by our perspectives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If I live in the desert and you live in the jungle our views of the world would be quite different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I may believe that God is a fierce and demanding God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You may believe that God is bountiful and always-giving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Yet each view would be true, from our certain points of view.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 16ptfont-family:'Times New Roman';" ><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-size:100%;">When I began searching for spiritual meaning I began to examine the various beliefs people<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>have concerning God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These can be classified into various ways of conceptualizing the Deity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Some believe God is one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Some believe God is many.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Some believe the Spirit of God flows throughout the universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Some believe that each person, each animal, each plant, each inanimate object -- that all things have a spirit associated with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Still others believe that God doesn't exist: at least not in a form that can easily be recognized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I examined these beliefs and wondered how they could all be true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I wondered why people would have so many vastly differing beliefs as to what the Deity is.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 16ptfont-family:'Times New Roman';" ><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-size:100%;">I then began looking at how the universe works together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I looked at how things are organized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I saw the atoms as reflections of solar systems and galaxies -- spinning as greater and greater wheels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I looked at how our bodies work: how the cells of our bodies do the many things that they do in order that we may survive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And I looked at the thoughts of other pioneers in the religious, spiritual, and scientific worlds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I looked at the works of Carl Sagan, Joseph Campbell, and Stephen Hawking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I looked at theories such as evolution and the Gaia Hypothesis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And, as always, I looked to the patterns which shape the world we live in.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 16ptfont-family:'Times New Roman';" ><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-size:100%;">Perhaps the greatest revelation I had came to me one night as I contemplated these various views of the world and of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I thought for a moment about how the many parts of the universe work together as the cells of a living body: all interconnected and all interrelated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I thought about how a tiny pebble thrown in the ocean ripples across the entire ocean, even as small as the ripples become.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I wondered how God could be one and many, formed and formless, spirit and host.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And the conclusion I came to was a radical one indeed:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>that all this is God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>My solution was a simple statement: the universe is alive!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 16ptfont-family:'Times New Roman';" ><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-size:100%;">I began to understand the universe a living organism -- in fact, the largest conceivable organism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And I began to think of God, not as a being outside and in control of the universe, but as the living and creative force within the universe itself.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 16ptfont-family:'Times New Roman';" ><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-size:100%;">And here is where<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>my re-conceptualization of divinity began to make a lot of sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>All of a sudden the many different ideas about God began to fall into place.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 16ptfont-family:'Times New Roman';" ><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-size:100%;">God is one: the largest organism which exists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>All things are contained within the universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In fact, "universe" means "one word" -- the one word which describes everything, both the known and the unknown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Living Universe has countless parts to it: all which effect all else in a continuous chain of actions and reactions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 16ptfont-family:'Times New Roman';" ><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-size:100%;">God is many: the many faces and voices of which the Living Universe is composed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Every person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Every animal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Every plant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Every grain of sand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Every drop of water in every ocean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Every distant star.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Every force of nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>All are different aspects, or faces, of the Divine.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 16ptfont-family:'Times New Roman';" ><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-size:100%;">God is formed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For all that exist are parts of the body of God.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 16ptfont-family:'Times New Roman';" ><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-size:100%;">God is formless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For as all things which exist are part of the body of God, so do all things have part of that Divine Whole within them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That is to say: just as the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle each have a piece of the whole picture in them, so also does each piece of the Living Universe. Just as each cell within a living body contains DNA: the blueprint to that organism, so also does each thing existing within the Living Universe contain a piece of that (w)Holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So it stands to reason that every place, every thing, every plant, every animal, and every person -- we each have that same Sacredness within us which is a part of the Body of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And so there is Holiness every where if we but look for it!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma; FONT-SIZE: 16ptfont-family:'Times New Roman';" ><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-size:100%;">In the Q'uran it is said "everywhere you turn, there is the face of God!"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And rightly so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If we can but find it ourselves, our neighbors, and our world perhaps our future history may be a bit less bloody...<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-73061605295837855292010-08-02T20:00:00.001-04:002010-08-02T20:03:57.488-04:00The Web of Being<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-size:100%;">When we are children we learn about the food chain: the fact that life feeds on life and that some life even feeds on death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We learn that nothing is truly created or destroyed, but that everything simply changes form.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And so, we learn that the process of transformation is at the heart of the universe and that everything is connected.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>Often in life-affirming religions, we learn about the Web of Life: that all life affects all other life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We learn that the ties which bind one to another transcend the food chain; that is to say, our actions and interactions affect all others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is as though each action we take is a drop in a great Pool of Life, and whose ripples gradually touch every other drop in the Pool.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>However, I believe even this is a narrow view of reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For I see our interactions as affecting not only life, but also those things which we do not normally consider as living.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I see the Web as extending beyond our world, including all things everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is as though a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>great candle sits at the center of the universe and all things are touched by its light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For even in the turbulent storm of Creation there is peace at the center.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-61626019821545427872010-06-26T10:03:00.003-04:002010-06-26T10:43:18.964-04:00One<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:arial;">God is One.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">One beginning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>One Being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>One universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>One reality.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></o:p></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">God is Many.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Many choices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Many possibilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Many people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Many faces.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></o:p></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">God is Peace.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Peace of mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Peace of heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Peace and joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Peace and love.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></o:p></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">God is Harmony.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Harmony of Thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Harmony of Being. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>Harmony of Rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Harmony of Action.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-71080007115510068012010-06-26T09:47:00.004-04:002010-06-26T10:43:38.656-04:00Some Pantheist-oriented Quotes From The World's Religions<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">"I am easy of access to that ever steadfast seeker who constantly meditates on Me and gives no thought to anything else."</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><span style="font-family:arial;">Hinduism<span style="mso-tab-count: 1">, </span>Bhagavad Gita<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>8:14</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></o:p></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">"Pray without ceasing."<span style="mso-tab-count: 2"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><span style="font-family:arial;">Christianity<span style="mso-tab-count: 1">, </span>Bible<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>I Thessalonians 5:17</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><o:p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></o:p></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">"Know Thyself."</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><span style="font-family:arial;">Greek<span style="mso-tab-count: 2">, </span>Socrates</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><o:p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></o:p></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">"The Supreme Reality exists WITHIN."</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><span style="font-family:arial;">Hinduism<span style="mso-tab-count: 1">, </span>Bhagavad Gita<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>6:5</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><o:p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></o:p></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">"One who knows the inner self knows the external world as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>One who knows the external world knows the inner self as well."</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><span style="font-family:arial;">Jainism<span style="mso-tab-count: 1">, </span>Acarangustra<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>1.147</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><o:p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></o:p></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">"The <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">Kingdom</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">God</st1:placename></st1:place> is WITHIN you."</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><span style="font-family:arial;">Christianity<span style="mso-tab-count: 1">, </span>Bible<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>II Corinthians 6:16</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><o:p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></o:p></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">"Know that you are God's <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Temple</st1:city></st1:place> and that God's Spirit lives IN you."</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><span style="font-family:arial;">Christianity<span style="mso-tab-count: 1">, </span>Bible<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>I Corinthians 3:16</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><o:p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></o:p></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">"As a mother with her own life guards the life of her own child, let all-embracing thoughts for all that lives be thine."<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Buddhism<span style="mso-tab-count: 1">, </span>Khuddaka Partha<span style="mso-tab-count: 1">, </span>Metta Sutta</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><o:p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></o:p></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">"I am the Self, seated in the Hearts of all creatures."<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Hinduism<span style="mso-tab-count: 1">, </span>Bhagavad Gita<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>10:20</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><o:p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></o:p></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">"All you under heaven!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Regard heaven as your father, earth as your mother, and all living things as your brothers and sisters."<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Shinto<span style="mso-tab-count: 1">, </span>Oracle of Atsuta</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">"Even in a single leaf of a tree, or a tender blade of grass, the awe-inspiring Deity manifests itself."<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Shinto<span style="mso-tab-count: 1">, </span>Urabe-no-Kanekuni<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">"Any and everything of this universe is all the body of God."<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Tenrikyo<span style="mso-tab-count: 1">, </span>Ofudesaki<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>3.40</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><o:p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></o:p></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">"Everywhere You Turn, There Is The Face Of God."<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Holy Q'uran<span style="mso-tab-count: 1">, </span>2:115 (translated)</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">"Undivided I am, undivided my soul, undivided my sight, undivided my hearing, undivided my in-breathing, undivided my out-breathing, undivided my diffusive breath, undivided the whole of me."<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Hinduism<span style="mso-tab-count: 1">, </span>Atharva Veda<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>19.51.1</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><o:p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></o:p></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">"God needs no pointing out to a child."<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">African Religions<span style="mso-tab-count: 1">, </span>Akan Proverb (<st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Ghana</st1:place></st1:country-region>)<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">"The nature of God is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere."<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Greek, <span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>Empedocles</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><o:p><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></o:p></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:arial;">"Jesus said to them, "When you make the two one, and when you make the inside like the outside and the outside like the inside, and the above like the below, and when you make the male and the female one and the same, so that the male not be male nor the female female; and when you fashion eyes in the place of an eye,and a hand in place of a hand, and a foot in place of a foot, and a likeness in place of a likeness; then will you enter [the Kingdom]."<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal" align="right"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Christianity<span style="mso-tab-count: 1">, </span>Gospel of Thomas<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>22 (Gnostic)</span></p>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-41728124962794038202010-06-26T09:37:00.005-04:002010-06-26T10:01:46.289-04:00En Tota<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="font-size:100%;">God is the universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And here, by "universe" I mean the word as it's component parts suggest: "uni" + "verse" = "one" + "word", the<b><i> one word </i></b>which describes everything everywhere, including those things we know of and extending to those things we cannot even begin to imagine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In short, God is part and parcel of all that exists.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>And so, to put it simply, as we ourselves are part of all that exists, each of us is also a part of the body of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That is to say, we each contain but a small part of that Sacredness within us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And so do all people, and all things everywhere.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>We need only look within ourselves to find God, or in the mirror, or the eyes of a child, or to the birds, the rocks, the oceans, or the stars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Everywhere we turn we find God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And so, as it is said in the Tenrikyo religion: "Any and everything of this universe os all the body of God." Also, the Greek Empedocles said: "The nature of God is a circle, whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>God is within us all, if we will but look.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>We find God within ourselves, within others, within nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Sacredness is everywhere; everything is Sacred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And the only profanity comes from what we do, or what we think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We can choose to bring forth the Holiness within ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We can choose to be a part of the greater picture.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><i><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>"God within,<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><i><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>God without,<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><i><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>but never without God!"</span></i><i><o:p></o:p></i></p>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-4745155148168691552010-03-29T15:25:00.000-04:002010-03-29T15:26:42.415-04:00Of Bullies and Moguls<div class="Section1" align="justify"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">After watching the political and financial dramas of our time I find my self looking backward to childhood, for those same old patterns are repeated anew in our adult lives. Many of us had to deal with those other kids who would bully us; attack us; torment us; control us. And though we have escaped the pain of these experiences their scars still run deep.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">But we must pity those who bully. We must pity that mogul, or that over-bearing politician. For their desire to gain is not based on a desire to have or to access those things they gain. Rather, they are such frightened people that they must control everything around them, lest it all controls them. This greed, of money, power, and influence, is based on extreme fear. And so we never hear of their happiness at their prosperity. Oftentimes we only hear of their sorrows.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p></div>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-60742221600497734022010-03-20T10:53:00.002-04:002010-03-20T10:56:34.944-04:00Acts Of Worship<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>Worship is an integral part of spirituality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Yet people often seem to think that it consists largely of talking and praying and singing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In worse cases people believe it consists mainly of groveling!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>Worship is an act of faith -- a "payback" to that which we revere -- a fulfillment of our pledge to the Divine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Worship is how we do our duty to the Divine -- trying to live the way our God wants us to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Do we really believe that God wants us to sing and grovel and sermonize?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Perhaps we should instead concentrate on those "little things" of the Spirit which give meaning to life.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>We should worship by lying in the grass; by helping the lady to her car with her groceries; by helping someone who's hurting; by simply listening to someone who needs to talk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We should worship from our hearts, and not from our mouths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We should worship through the acts of the Spirit, not the expectations of the mind!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>Doing good things is an act of worship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;">Do good things not because you <b><i>think</i></b><i> </i>you should, but because you <b><i>feel </i></b>you should.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Worship should be a spontaneous act, not rehearsed -- it should flow freely from the heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>How we live our lives should be a Holy Sacrament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And everything we do should reflect the Sacredness within us!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-86489957450200224382010-03-20T10:48:00.002-04:002010-03-20T10:52:29.530-04:00A Kind Word...<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Tahoma;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>Our world is so screwed up today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Each day, as our world gets smaller, we build walls between ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We hurry off to our workplaces in a mad competition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We focus only on the things which make our lives unpleasant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We lash out at strangers on the street -- and the ones we love!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Tahoma;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>Our mindset is based on the belief that we are the separate beings we appear to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And yet this is far from the case.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Tahoma;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>Spiritual teachers have been trying to teach us for millenia that the Divine -- that is, that God -- is to be found within each of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>From the Hindu teaching of "That Art Thou!", to the words from the Holy Q'uran: "everywhere you turn, there is the face of God!", to the teaching of Empedocles: "The nature of God is a circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere!", -- and from many other teachings -- we learn that God is everywhere we turn, even in the face of a stranger, even in the face of the mirror.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If we could simply embrace God wherever we turn we could learn that we are all a part of that much greater Divine Power.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Tahoma;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>A smile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A kind word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A thoughtless gesture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Giving what little we have, or even giving a little of what we have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So long as our actions come from the heart perhaps we can put an end to this senselessness!</span><span style="font-family:Tahoma;font-size:10;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-66239217646209311082010-02-17T08:34:00.002-05:002010-02-17T08:39:28.389-05:00Pathwalking<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>Each one of us walks a path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Our path determines who we are and what we will become.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This path is shaped by our choices and by fate.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>A path is a means of getting from here to there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In our spiritual lives we walk a path which can lead us to our spiritual goal -- whatever that may be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We may be walking the road to heaven, or to Nirvana.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We may be searching for completion, or simply looking for meaning in our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Whatever it may be, our spiritual path can lead us there, if we will but let it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>The road to Spirituality can be travelled in a number of ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We create religions as vehicles to help is travel it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Religions are methods we use to help us reach or spiritual goals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As they are created and shaped by people, religions offer spiritual tools based on a particular mind-set, or point of view.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>The danger<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>in religion is focusing on the <i>vehicle</i>, rather than the road; focusing on the religion, rather than the spiritual goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This is akin to a person who has a car he is very proud of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He invites friends over to look at his new car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He revs the motor and turns on the radio.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But his car never leaves the driveway!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He focuses on the car, but forgets the road entirely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He will never get to work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He misses the point of the vehicle entirely.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>Religions contain tools we can use to reach our spiritual goals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These come in two forms: personal and community processes -- or Inner and Outer processes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Inner processes focus on the individual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And Outer processes focus on the community.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>Inner processes focus on personal spiritual development and interaction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These include meditation and prayer, among others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Through these processes the individual has a very personal spiritual experience which can have the effect of shaping his/her spiritual growth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These processes work spirituality on the individual level.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>Outer processes include worship services and other community rituals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These are the processes where the individual "gives back".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These processes work on the community level.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>Inner and Outer processes are like the breathing process: we take in and we give back, just as we breathe in and back out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>On a spiritual path we first experience our own spirituality and then we share it with others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That is, we connect with the Sacred and then we help others to connect with it, also.</span></p>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-2605118127091146422010-01-01T10:34:00.004-05:002010-01-01T10:52:38.683-05:00Peace<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>Oftentimes people wonder why I'm "always so happy" -- even when I'm not feeling well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It makes me wonder sometimes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And the only answer I can offer is that I have a positive outlook on life.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>I try to understand the complex interrelations of all things: how we are all interconnected and interdependent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I understand that the Web of Life sustains us all and helps us to grow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I know that there are no worthless, no useless, lives lived within the Web.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>I know that life is not a game of heaven or hell determined by our ability to follow a list of arbitrary rules.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Rather, we create our own heavens and hells as we live, for we are the most critical judges to our own behaviors.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>I understand that the universe works through balance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I know that for every pain there is a joy -- and vice versa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I know that for every breath in there is a breath out, and for everything given, something will be taken away.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>I understand that the Divinity -- that God -- is the living universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I understand that all things which exist everywhere make up the body of God, and that we are all a part of It.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And so we each contain a piece of Holiness -- of Holy Spirit -- within us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That is not to say that we are gods, but that That which makes God Sacred and Holy -- a Piece of That is within us all!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And so I ask, how can we treat each other with such disrespect as we do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>How can we be so hateful and hurtful?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>Each of us is programmed with the survival instincts of millions of years of evolution, and therefore selfishness and fear are at the core of our being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Yet we can overcome both with compassion and understanding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We are no longer simply another animal species, but we have yet to transcend our animal nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We like to think of ourselves as higher than angels, and yet we treat one another as though we are worse than devils.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>So long ago, we came down from the trees, we stood upright, and we began to make sense of the world around us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We stopped simply <i>reacting </i>to the world -- as animals do -- and started <i>acting </i>on the world:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>making changes to everything we touch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We stopped thinking of ourselves as animals, and thus we threw ourselves out of that Garden of Eden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And so, instead of simply existing, we began living in a state of blisses and pains.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:16;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>And now we are governed by passions and by rationality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We feel and we think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Too often we let either our feelings or our thoughts overwhelm us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We react too easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We fail to show compassion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And the world is a darker place for our dilemma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It seems that until we lose sight of our own self-centeredness we will never really achieve peace.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-33396822354636142412010-01-01T10:28:00.003-05:002010-01-01T10:39:55.719-05:00Paranoia<p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:'Final Frontier';font-size:10;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span></span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:14;">During the Cold War, there was a sense of paranoia created by a world now living in the uncertainty of the nuclear age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The space age was opening up and two superpowers were constantly at odds, trying to decide the politics of an entire planet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The natural reaction to this was simple: the public became paranoid.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:14;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>First, the Roswell Incident made people suspicious and fearful about alien creatures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Then in the 1950’s and 60’s the science fiction and horror movies made their fears seem more concrete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In fact, during the height of the Cold War the science fiction media was obsessed with bug-eyed monsters who were bent on the destruction of the world.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:14;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>As calmer times emerged in the 1970’s the public’s paranoia began to turn to conspiracy theories: often involving the government.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Such beliefs as the hiding of secret technologies from <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Roswell</st1:place></st1:city>, conspiracies involving the Bavarian Illuminati, and so forth, ran amok.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And today, many of these conspiracy theorists abound: especially in our modern world filled with the uncertainty of terrorism we’ve been introduced to in the past decade.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:14;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>As with any conspiracies, I always have to ask those who believe such things: “To what end?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If our government is lying about <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Roswell</st1:place></st1:city>, or the 9/11 attacks, then why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If a small group of scientist-minded individuals has been countering the Catholic Church in secret for millennia with a bent on destroying the world: then to what end?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And what will they do next?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:14;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:14;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>It seems paranoia is a quick attempt to lay the blame at another’s feet when things don’t go the way we want them to, or when we’re fearful about the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Over the years, I’ve known many in my own life who have had the same reaction on a more personal level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’ve known a man who believes the government (or a secret organization) is secretly sabotaging his life and his employment prospects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’ve also known a woman who believes many people who used to be a part of her life are constantly plotting against her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In each case I have to ask again: to what end?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Do people such as this honestly believe that the government, or former friends and family members have so much free time on their hands as to constantly be turning their attentions to causing the misfortunes of another?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Is there some form of coherent evil at work here that would drive a group to get some sort of sick pleasure out of causing such pain?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:14;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>In each of the cases above, and in other similar cases, I have been close enough to the individual in question to make a few discrete observations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It seems that these people simply make bad choices in their lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And when things take a sour turn, they look for a scapegoat to blame these bad decisions on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They may believe the world is plotting against them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Or perhaps they are cursed!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:14;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:14;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>In any case, the most successful curse is one placed upon oneself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And the countercurse is just as simple: if things in your life are not turning out the way you want them to, look at the patterns in your life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Look at the choices you are making.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Are you doing the same things over and over expecting better results?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Are there ways to break out of those “bad” patterns and make better decisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Are you hanging out with the wrong people, or dating the wrong kinds of people?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Are you turning down jobs that aren’t good enough, waiting for the perfect one to fall into your lap rather than taking what’s available until something better comes along?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Are you letting other people tell you what you should be doing in your life rather than making decisions on your own?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="TEXT-ALIGN: justify; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-pagination: none; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class="MsoNormal" align="justify"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:14;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"></span>The only way out of a mess of our own making, is an escape path of our own doing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-7744144653179508212009-11-15T16:05:00.001-05:002010-01-01T10:46:11.266-05:00Greed<div align="justify">One of the defining moments of our species is the moment of greed we so often feel. What greater proof is there of evolution than the many animal traits we carry with us -- traits which too often dominate our lives?<br />Greed is an outgrowth of the survival instincts which help preserve us. Yet, it is this instinct run amok. We seek to have enough things to ensure our survival. And yet, too often we find that we want more than we need, or we want things that we don't need.<br />In a world of unlimited resources, we could each have all that we desire. However, there is a balance in the real world which must be maintained. Every time we acquire something we run the risk of depriving someone else.<br />There are so many people who think single-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">mindedly</span> about their our preservation. And so, they forget that we are all interconnected. They allow their own selfishness to dominate their world-view and they don't try to maintain the balance of the Web of Life.<br />It's no wonder our world is so far out balance with the natural world -- it is simply a reflection of the ideology of our society. For we try to pretend that we did not evolve here and, therefore, that we do not have any animal within us; any part of the natural world. And so man fights against nature: both the natural world around him and the natural world within him. And we all suffer for this struggle. The denial of evolution is a travesty to us all.<br />And so, the desire to have grows out of proportion. We forget it is a basic part of each of us, but that we should temper it with knowledge of our interdependence. For only compassion can fight the selfish monster who lives within us.</div>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-90080980245401610772009-09-14T09:36:00.003-04:002010-01-01T10:45:38.069-05:00Divine Will<div align="justify">There are patterns in the ways our lives are lived. I have devoted much of my life to observing and trying to learn from them. The patterns are repeated in everything from the organization of the universe to the makeup of our bodies and the subatomic particles which make up all things.<br />Yet the patterns do not stop simply with the physical organization of things. There are patterns of belief among the often-warring religions of the world. There are patterns in the ways our lives are lived and in the history of people. And there are patterns in the ways our lives flow and interact, one with another.<br />I concluded long ago that I do not believe in coincidences. For too many "random chance" happenings seem to populate my life, much more than I could account for as being simply "random". At one point I believed, as so many do, that a human-like God was orchestrating the many melodies of my life in strange and sometimes surprising ways.<br />And then, the world stopped making sense.<br />When I decided that the faith I had been raised in made little sense in the modern world, I lost the simple explanation for the "Divine plan" which guided my life. My spiritual journey took me through an understanding of many faiths. And I eventually concluded that all this, and perhaps more, is the Divine Being; that is, God is not separate from the universe: God is the living universe.<br />This revelation brought with it baggage all its own. For the question of Divine Will again became an issue once again. I had concluded that the Divine was not conscious in a way that we can easily understand. I had concluded that it is interested in our well-being as we each are interested in the health of our various body parts. But the "Divine Plan" idea died terribly.<br />Yet there are still these patterns, as currents in the river of time. Perhaps they are just as sentient as that river. And perhaps there is more.</div>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-10509295156541930252009-08-03T17:32:00.003-04:002009-08-03T17:37:58.386-04:00A Pantheist Song...<p><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4-vDhYTlCNw&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4-vDhYTlCNw&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></p><p>We were treated to this at the Unitarian Universalist Church this past Sunday morning. Every so often I find a song which is directly on target for my beliefs. Here it is!</p>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-82902520829797464052009-07-28T06:54:00.002-04:002009-07-28T06:57:59.477-04:00Alchemy Revisited<p align="justify">The ancient alchemists believed that the world was composed of only a few elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Modern chemistry tells us that there are literally hundreds of different elements making up our world. Yet physics breaks these down into a few particles which, when rearranged, can become anything. Further, this elemental physics only defines matter. But energy is also seen as a component of things.<br />I would argue that the ancient alchemists were right, but concerning physics rather than chemistry. For our universe seems to have two major components: substance -- of which everything is made -- and fabric -- the fabric of space: a canvas on which substance is painted. I would further argue that substance can exist as solid, gas, energy, or liquid (earth, air, fire, or water), and that it can change back and forth between them. Substance is anything we can measure and affect directly.<br />Many people also consider spirit to be a major component of things. In many religious traditions spirit is that which binds all things together. It can also be one of the most elementary components of all substance. Seen this way, it can be argued that everything which exists has a spiritual nature.</p>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-42565893582527608452009-05-27T07:00:00.001-04:002010-01-01T10:46:28.031-05:00One and the Same<div align="justify">I believe that what is above and what is below are one and the same.<br />I believe that what is within and what is without are one and the same.<br />I believe that everything, everywhere, is one and the same.<br /><br />No one great spiritual teacher has a monopoly on spirituality. Only now -- as the world grows smaller and we begin to understand each other a bit better -- do we even begin to see the whole picture with regards to the spirit. And there is so much more yet to discover!<br />But we do understand enough to know that all the larger things are made up of the smaller things. That the universe is simply made up of many many simple things. And we can know that the universe makes much more sense than it at first appears to.<br />Everywhere we look -- in chemistry, physics, astronomy, medicine, any of the sciences -- we see the same patterns repeated. The arrangements of atoms and molecules looks no different than the arrangement of stars and galaxies! And so, also, are our bodies arranged.<br />Some time ago a philosophy called "The Gaia Hypothesis" became popular. In this world-view it was assumed that the earth is a living organism who maintains herself -- that is, that the environment is a living entity with all the repercussions that life entails.<br />I believe this idea helps to explain the way we find the earth. But I believe it does not go far enough.<br />I believe the entire universe functions as a life form: the universe is alive! Not in the way we normally conceive life to be. Rather, I believe the universe maintains itself and grows and does the many things which make itself complete.<br />I look at the universe as the ultimate form of life. And I tend to believe that it is That which we call God. I find that this is perhaps the best explanation to reconcile the various god-interpretations of the many world religions. For there are some who believe that God is one (the universe as a whole), and some who believe God is many (the various parts which make up the universe). There are some who believe God is a formed being (matter/people/the many parts which make up the whole), and some who believe that God is spirit (the unifying force behind creation). There are some who believe that all things have a spiritual nature to them; that is to say, they believe that everything has a spirit associated with it. This is easily explained in that, as we are each a part of the universe, and therefore a part of God, we each contain a tiny piece of that Great Spirit within us.<br />And here is the great charge: as we each contain a piece of God within us, we should each treat one another with the same respect and love we would have for God -- and for self. We are not the many separate beings we appear to be. In fact, we are both interrelated and interconnected. We must work together in harmony for the body of the universe -- the body of God -- to function well. Therefore, it is important to "do unto others as we would have them do unto us".<br />And so we discover that we are part and parcel of the Body of God, and so is all else. We live in a sacred place; a holy temple. Everything here is sacred. We simply must look for the Holiness -- for God -- wherever we turn.<br />God creates, preserves, and destroys: to recycle and create again. The Hindus have long understood this, as their trifold groupings of deities demonstrates. As an example: Brahman creates the universe, while Indra preserves it, and Shiva destroys it. And the universe works in cycles of creation, preservation, and destruction. Brahman opens his eyes and the universe comes into being, and as he closes them it is destroyed. Again, and again, the cycle repeats itself. So we see the cycles in our world. Seasons come and go, to repeat the following year. Lives are lived, and new births for those which will take their places. And also stars are born and destroyed and reborn. It is no wonder the Hindus place such an emphasis on reincarnation. Although, I believe we are not recreated as we are today, I believe that all the makings of our bodies are recycled.<br />Many times we are fearful of others because they look different, or believe differently, or live differently, or love differently. But we should be more accepting because they are and they do believe, and they do live, and they do love -- as we all do.</div>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-27247838900166314802009-03-22T00:06:00.000-04:002009-03-22T00:09:24.891-04:00Turning the Spirit Inside-Out<div align="justify"> Our spiritual paths work both ways: inward and outward. We focus on our own spiritual development and then we share our discovery with others. We find it in ourselves and we make it manifest!<br /> Baptism demonstrates how this process works. First, the person is immersed in their chosen faith. Then the person comes out of it and goes forth into the world. This ritualized "cleansing of soul" is necessary before we can bring our message to the waiting world.<br /><br /> We work on our spiritual nature first. We look within ourselves, we change and we grow, and we find the spirit within. We nurture our own spirituality.<br /> We then manifest spirituality. We act on our beliefs, including protecting the Web of Life, finding the spiritual nature in others, and celebrating our uniqueness. We bring it out of ourselves.<br /> And so we find the spirit within, we turn it inside-out, and we celebrate it. We find the balance-point between taking in and giving back. The answer is as simple as breathing: for what is taken in, the same amount is given back. We take from the world to nurture our spirit, and we give back from our spirit to the world.</div>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-59457427310934058372009-02-07T23:13:00.000-05:002009-02-07T23:14:48.769-05:00Matters Of Spirit<div align="justify"> Religions are constructed around Spirituality.<br /> Now, Spirituality is a universal thing. It is not a thing that can be learned or fully described. It is something which must be experienced. It is a moment of clarity, a moment when we "plug in" the Holy "puzzle piece" which is within each one of us. It is a moment when we see things with infinite perception. It is a thing William James described as "mysterium tremendum". It is variously described in religions as: "the filling of the Holy Spirit", "Enlightenment", "drawing down the moon", and so forth. It is an overwhelming moment of absolute clarity of purpose -- when everything makes sense to us.<br /> This moment is something which must be felt, and not thought about. For the moment we think about it -- the moment we realize it's happening and we try to understand it -- it fades. It is a moment of perfection, and perfection is so difficult to hold on to.<br /><br /> Spirituality is a fulfillment of purpose. It gives meaning to our lives. It answers questions and gives direction. It is a moment when we exist in harmony with the universal whole. It is a time when we understand it all, for the briefest of moments.<br /> And Spirituality is the moment we take the Sacred within ourselves and connect it with the Sacred outside ourselves. For the Sacred exists within all things. And through our connection with all things we are made more complete.</div>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-13622453502612815742008-12-19T06:50:00.002-05:002010-01-01T10:53:27.219-05:00No Bad People<div align="justify">There are no bad people.<br />Oh, there are ignorant people: people who just don't know; people who just don't understand. There are people who are full of fear. There are angry people. There are hateful people. And there are desperate people.<br />But there are no bad people.</div>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7110301382297456526.post-24513538554429489762008-12-19T06:46:00.001-05:002010-01-01T10:53:40.168-05:00Give and Get<div align="justify">In our world, so much emphasis is made on having things. It is leftover from the instinct to conserve -- like squirrels gathering nuts to survive the winter that never comes.<br />But we live in a world where our basic needs are filled. We can survive quite comfortably. And yet, we still try to fill that desire to simply "have".<br />Once again, our "evolutionary holdover" instinct sets upon us, and we endanger ourselves and others. For all this wanting is greed -- a desire to have no matter what the consequences to oneself or to others.<br />Greed is the very basis of our society. So much selfishness. And so many suffer for the extreme selfishness of so few.<br />We celebrate our holidays by teaching our children to want even more. And we spend ourselves into debt trying to fill the hunger we've created in them. The cycle goes on from generation to generation.<br />And we forget how to conserve at all!<br /><br />Where is the compassion? Where is the love? How can we continue to think only of ourselves?<br />How can we forget that we are all interconnected through the Web of Life?</div>Guide Chandonnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00397298229787838545noreply@blogger.com0