I apologize for the length of time I've taken to post another entry. As the title implies, I have been traveling--but certainly not for the length of time I've not posted. As many people are, I am afflicted by procrastination, and I have also been frightfully busy. I'm participating in a local community theatre production, too.
But enough excuses. Without completely blowing my secret identity, I can tell you that I live in Texas--the one area of Texas, to my mind, that is an oasis of New Age liberality. Be that as it may, it's still been hotter than Hell around here, and I really enjoyed driving up to Michigan earlier in the month to visit my parents and meet up with old friends. Traveling for me--especially when I get to make a long drive of it--is very spiritual and contemplative. I love listening to music and singing as I drive, and it puts me in touch with who I've been, who I am, and who I am becoming. And I don't mean the music one usually associates with spirituality--be it traditional Christian hymns or New Age contemplative instrumentals or chants--not that there's anything wrong with either of those. For this incarnation, at least, I can truly say I was born of rock and roll--my parents were of that first generation who thrilled to Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Elvis. I grew up with that music, and learned to love it. Having recently purchased a used car that nevertheless came with a trial of satellite radio, I was able to rove about the decades of music as I drove--they have channels for the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, as well as more contemporary stations. Every era I visited had its own associations and memories--I may have been born of rock and roll, but I came of age during the 80s, and will always be an 80s girl at heart. The man I love is a few years older than me, and I tend to dream of him with the music of the 60s and 70s.
One of the things I did in Michigan, too, was attend my 30-year class reunion. It is so lovely how we become so much kinder and gentler with each other as we mature! People you didn't know very well when you were actually in school turn up to have common interests with you now, and stimulating, meaningful conversation ensues. I returned to Texas in a state of bliss, that will hopefully carry me through until it cools down for the winter...
Peace and blessings,
Marie
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Unity--Part 2
Again, I must first apologize for being a lazy blogger. I've called this whole thing "Mostly Spiritual," because, from time to time, I will venture into the personal, and rarely, even into the political--even though I feel generally negative about the mixture of religion and politics. I am not perfect by any means, and despite a desire to maintain positive thought, I can get depressed. I can also take delight in material things--I've been blowing a lot of time lately picking out my next car on Carmax. It will be my birthday present to myself.
However, back to the business at hand. I believe I was in the middle of going through the five main principles of Unity. Number 4: "There is power in affirmative prayer, which we believe increases our connection to God." There used to be a little more emphasis on corresponding denials in Unity, but now the gist is that it is more powerful and more effective to make affirmations like, "I am a worthy child of God, and I can achieve any goal I set for myself," than to focus on the negative by saying, "No one and no thing can harm me," for instance. Again, this follows fairly organically from Number 3.
Number 5: "Knowledge of these spiritual principles is not enough. We must live them." Well, I guess every spiritual thought system, no matter how lenient, has a place where the rubber meets the road! Hence the long-time saying among Unity people: "It's simple--but it's not easy." And many years ago, back in the late seventies and early eighties when I first encountered Unity, it was known as The Unity School of Practical Christianity. I liked this label (and still do), because it speaks to the idea that we are all students in the spiritual adventure that is life, and that these principles are practical--you can use them in your everyday life to help you get through.
Of course, these principles are very broad and general. There are many other things about Unity that I have always cherished. One is the fact that they don't place any kind of judgment on sexual preference. Most Unity ministers I have known would happily perform gay marriages; most Unity churches have active gay and lesbian groups within them. One of the best Unity teachers I ever had was a gay man who was studying to be a minister when he (to me--unfortunately) made his transition. (People don't "die" in Unity; they make their transition.) Yet, while liberal in this respect--and also in a strong undercurrent of wanting to take care of this planet with which we've been entrusted--Unity is very much pro-capitalism in that there is absolutely nothing wrong or evil about the desire to make money. Prosperity is one of the main topics of discussion at most Unity churches.
Speaking of Unity churches, most major cities have at least one. The Austin area (from which I'm writing), has at least four. The main Web site, http://www.unity.org, has a spot you can click on that will help you locate a church in your area. In my experience, each Unity church is unique, though all are based on these five principles. If the first one you try doesn't suit your comfort level, try the one down the road.
Happy explorations!
However, back to the business at hand. I believe I was in the middle of going through the five main principles of Unity. Number 4: "There is power in affirmative prayer, which we believe increases our connection to God." There used to be a little more emphasis on corresponding denials in Unity, but now the gist is that it is more powerful and more effective to make affirmations like, "I am a worthy child of God, and I can achieve any goal I set for myself," than to focus on the negative by saying, "No one and no thing can harm me," for instance. Again, this follows fairly organically from Number 3.
Number 5: "Knowledge of these spiritual principles is not enough. We must live them." Well, I guess every spiritual thought system, no matter how lenient, has a place where the rubber meets the road! Hence the long-time saying among Unity people: "It's simple--but it's not easy." And many years ago, back in the late seventies and early eighties when I first encountered Unity, it was known as The Unity School of Practical Christianity. I liked this label (and still do), because it speaks to the idea that we are all students in the spiritual adventure that is life, and that these principles are practical--you can use them in your everyday life to help you get through.
Of course, these principles are very broad and general. There are many other things about Unity that I have always cherished. One is the fact that they don't place any kind of judgment on sexual preference. Most Unity ministers I have known would happily perform gay marriages; most Unity churches have active gay and lesbian groups within them. One of the best Unity teachers I ever had was a gay man who was studying to be a minister when he (to me--unfortunately) made his transition. (People don't "die" in Unity; they make their transition.) Yet, while liberal in this respect--and also in a strong undercurrent of wanting to take care of this planet with which we've been entrusted--Unity is very much pro-capitalism in that there is absolutely nothing wrong or evil about the desire to make money. Prosperity is one of the main topics of discussion at most Unity churches.
Speaking of Unity churches, most major cities have at least one. The Austin area (from which I'm writing), has at least four. The main Web site, http://www.unity.org, has a spot you can click on that will help you locate a church in your area. In my experience, each Unity church is unique, though all are based on these five principles. If the first one you try doesn't suit your comfort level, try the one down the road.
Happy explorations!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Unity--Part 1
I apologize for the long time between posts. Life can keep one busy. But I have been promising to talk about Unity for some time, so I'll just get to it.
When I first started going to Unity, they had a pamphlet on "The Five Basic Principles of Unity." On the current Web site, http://www.unity.org, one click will get you to a section titled, "What We Believe," and under the heading "What are Unity's basic teachings," you will find a less formal version of the five basic principles. I am quoting from the site directly. Number one is: "God is the source and creator of all. There is no other enduring power. God is good and present everywhere." The Unity ministers and teachers I've known have usually interpreted this to mean that there is no such thing as Satan, because if God is truly all-powerful and everywhere, how could there possibly be room for a force of supernatural evil? All of the evil present in the world is thus the result of human error--if people really knew what was good for themselves as spiritual beings, they would get themselves into proper alignment and communion with God, and no one would want to hurt anyone else. But there is not some spiritual entity out there trying to tempt us into any form of damnation.
Number two: "We are spiritual beings, created in God's image. The spirit of God lives within each person; therefore all people are inherently good." Unity doesn't believe that we are, for instance, born in original sin. The story of Adam and Eve and the snake and the apple is to a Unity student a metaphor for believing we are somehow immeasurably separated from God, instead of knowing that God is in us and everywhere around us. People may make mistakes, and yes, do terrible things to each other because they are damaged and don't know any better--but it's the things and the actions that are bad, not the people who do them. They still have a spark of God inside them--sometimes it's just really hard to get to.
Number 3: "We create our life experiences through our way of thinking." See my previous discussion of noetic science. Thought is powerful! See also The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. But most of us have known lots of people who are down on themselves and who say things like, "I'm never going to be able to find a good man (or woman)," and sure enough, they don't.... Or if they expect people they meet to be mean or deceitful, well, often they'll find that they are. But people who see the good in others, and the good in any given situation, are usually pretty happy people.
Well, I can't believe I've spent this much time on only the first three Unity basics. I'll have to pick up the rest, and make a few other points, next time.
Blessings,
When I first started going to Unity, they had a pamphlet on "The Five Basic Principles of Unity." On the current Web site, http://www.unity.org, one click will get you to a section titled, "What We Believe," and under the heading "What are Unity's basic teachings," you will find a less formal version of the five basic principles. I am quoting from the site directly. Number one is: "God is the source and creator of all. There is no other enduring power. God is good and present everywhere." The Unity ministers and teachers I've known have usually interpreted this to mean that there is no such thing as Satan, because if God is truly all-powerful and everywhere, how could there possibly be room for a force of supernatural evil? All of the evil present in the world is thus the result of human error--if people really knew what was good for themselves as spiritual beings, they would get themselves into proper alignment and communion with God, and no one would want to hurt anyone else. But there is not some spiritual entity out there trying to tempt us into any form of damnation.
Number two: "We are spiritual beings, created in God's image. The spirit of God lives within each person; therefore all people are inherently good." Unity doesn't believe that we are, for instance, born in original sin. The story of Adam and Eve and the snake and the apple is to a Unity student a metaphor for believing we are somehow immeasurably separated from God, instead of knowing that God is in us and everywhere around us. People may make mistakes, and yes, do terrible things to each other because they are damaged and don't know any better--but it's the things and the actions that are bad, not the people who do them. They still have a spark of God inside them--sometimes it's just really hard to get to.
Number 3: "We create our life experiences through our way of thinking." See my previous discussion of noetic science. Thought is powerful! See also The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. But most of us have known lots of people who are down on themselves and who say things like, "I'm never going to be able to find a good man (or woman)," and sure enough, they don't.... Or if they expect people they meet to be mean or deceitful, well, often they'll find that they are. But people who see the good in others, and the good in any given situation, are usually pretty happy people.
Well, I can't believe I've spent this much time on only the first three Unity basics. I'll have to pick up the rest, and make a few other points, next time.
Blessings,
Monday, July 11, 2011
Spiritual Autobiography
I promise I will get to the juicy stuff, like past-life regression and encounters with spirits, in future posts. I had decided to devote some space to talking about what Unity and Sophian Gnosticism are, what each spiritual path believes, and the similarities and differences between them. I will indeed discuss these things, but then I realized I'd better start with something of a spiritual autobiography.
I was raised by agnostic parents. When it comes to my father, especially--whom I dearly love--agnostic is a charitable term. He's basically a bitter ex-Catholic. In principle, he raised me to decide about religion for myself, but he tried his best to raise me to decide against it.
I wanted God, though. From the time I understood it, I was afraid of death. The idea of just ceasing to be terrified me (I'll talk about Stephen Hawking later, too). My parents tried to quiet my childhood fears by telling me about the traditional version of Heaven, and that worked for a while, but only until I realized they hadn't believed it and were only trying to get me to stop crying. I didn't go to my first funeral or viewing until I was 16 years old. One of my step-grandfathers died when I was 12, and I was too scared to go. Fortunately, my parents didn't believe in forcing their child to confront her fears. As I've mentioned before, I only completely lost my fear of death upon the birth of my daughter.
Aside from having a vested interest in wanting to believe in an afterlife, at about 12 I also realized that I would need a miracle to attract the attention of a boy I had a crush on. To get a miracle, you need Someone to pray to! It happened that this was around the same time that one of my aunts started attending a Baptist church. My aunt (actually my half-aunt, the daughter of the step-grandfather I'd lost in the preceding paragraph) is only four years older than I am, and the church was very youth-oriented. She asked my parents if she could bring me to Sunday school and church with her. I wanted to go. I wanted to learn about God. I wanted something to calm me when the fear of ceasing to be slipped up on me in the middle of the night, and if God wanted to throw RB (the cutest boy in junior high) into the bargain, who was I to say no? Reluctantly, my father agreed to let me go, but he always gave me a little talk first: "You know, all of these places are only after your money," or "Don't let those people brainwash you."
I was happy with the Baptists for a good three years or so. You have to realize, this was the 1970s, when it was all about love, and not about legislation. Even so, I began to balk at the concept of Hell. I loved my parents, and while, sure, everything was possible for God, I could just not see my father especially changing his mind about religion. Then I fell madly in love with a Christian Scientist. In the eyes of Baptists, they were not saved. I could not for a moment believe that this beautiful man could go to Hell. For all eternity. I mean, I didn't even want people I hated to burn in Hell for all eternity, and I could be a very petty little snot--especially back then! How, then, could God be less merciful than I?
This is the point at which a lot of people, including my father, just decide to chuck the whole ball of wax. But I loved the "good parts" of church, the love, the peace--and of course, Death was still lurking in the shadows. I wanted to learn more about Christian Science, the faith of the man I loved, but--okay, I was still a teenager. Deep in my heart, I knew this crush on an older man was very unrealistic. I was still very much under the care of my parents, and I could just imagine how they would react if I wanted to stop going to doctors. And I wasn't really sure how well I'd survive without my antihistimines, and was still too afraid of Death to find out....
I know I am being very tongue-in-cheek about this, because nearly-48-year-old me can afford to laugh at my teenage self. But I assure you, I had a genuine yearning for God underneath it all. Fortunately, someone told me about Unity. They don't believe in Hell except as a mental state. Heaven is a mental state, too--one you can live in right here on earth if you can get yourself sufficiently in tune with God. Yet, that doesn't mean that you just die. Unity is so non-dogmatic that you are free to believe in reincarnation, or a more traditional positive afterlife, because while they are not arrogant enough to tell you what happens in the afterlife, they do believe the soul is eternal. Part of me wants to say that Unity contented me, comforted me, and helped me grow spiritually for 30 years. To say that, though, it would sound as though I've rejected it now. I haven't because Unity and Sophian Gnosticism have a lot in common. Unity is just not where I happen to be exploring at the moment. And Unity has always been open and accepting about seeking wisdom in any path to God. I will talk more about Unity another time, but if anyone wants, they can step ahead of me and take a look at Unity's main Web site, http://www.unity.org. You can get to a lot of beautiful places from there.
Happy exploring.
I was raised by agnostic parents. When it comes to my father, especially--whom I dearly love--agnostic is a charitable term. He's basically a bitter ex-Catholic. In principle, he raised me to decide about religion for myself, but he tried his best to raise me to decide against it.
I wanted God, though. From the time I understood it, I was afraid of death. The idea of just ceasing to be terrified me (I'll talk about Stephen Hawking later, too). My parents tried to quiet my childhood fears by telling me about the traditional version of Heaven, and that worked for a while, but only until I realized they hadn't believed it and were only trying to get me to stop crying. I didn't go to my first funeral or viewing until I was 16 years old. One of my step-grandfathers died when I was 12, and I was too scared to go. Fortunately, my parents didn't believe in forcing their child to confront her fears. As I've mentioned before, I only completely lost my fear of death upon the birth of my daughter.
Aside from having a vested interest in wanting to believe in an afterlife, at about 12 I also realized that I would need a miracle to attract the attention of a boy I had a crush on. To get a miracle, you need Someone to pray to! It happened that this was around the same time that one of my aunts started attending a Baptist church. My aunt (actually my half-aunt, the daughter of the step-grandfather I'd lost in the preceding paragraph) is only four years older than I am, and the church was very youth-oriented. She asked my parents if she could bring me to Sunday school and church with her. I wanted to go. I wanted to learn about God. I wanted something to calm me when the fear of ceasing to be slipped up on me in the middle of the night, and if God wanted to throw RB (the cutest boy in junior high) into the bargain, who was I to say no? Reluctantly, my father agreed to let me go, but he always gave me a little talk first: "You know, all of these places are only after your money," or "Don't let those people brainwash you."
I was happy with the Baptists for a good three years or so. You have to realize, this was the 1970s, when it was all about love, and not about legislation. Even so, I began to balk at the concept of Hell. I loved my parents, and while, sure, everything was possible for God, I could just not see my father especially changing his mind about religion. Then I fell madly in love with a Christian Scientist. In the eyes of Baptists, they were not saved. I could not for a moment believe that this beautiful man could go to Hell. For all eternity. I mean, I didn't even want people I hated to burn in Hell for all eternity, and I could be a very petty little snot--especially back then! How, then, could God be less merciful than I?
This is the point at which a lot of people, including my father, just decide to chuck the whole ball of wax. But I loved the "good parts" of church, the love, the peace--and of course, Death was still lurking in the shadows. I wanted to learn more about Christian Science, the faith of the man I loved, but--okay, I was still a teenager. Deep in my heart, I knew this crush on an older man was very unrealistic. I was still very much under the care of my parents, and I could just imagine how they would react if I wanted to stop going to doctors. And I wasn't really sure how well I'd survive without my antihistimines, and was still too afraid of Death to find out....
I know I am being very tongue-in-cheek about this, because nearly-48-year-old me can afford to laugh at my teenage self. But I assure you, I had a genuine yearning for God underneath it all. Fortunately, someone told me about Unity. They don't believe in Hell except as a mental state. Heaven is a mental state, too--one you can live in right here on earth if you can get yourself sufficiently in tune with God. Yet, that doesn't mean that you just die. Unity is so non-dogmatic that you are free to believe in reincarnation, or a more traditional positive afterlife, because while they are not arrogant enough to tell you what happens in the afterlife, they do believe the soul is eternal. Part of me wants to say that Unity contented me, comforted me, and helped me grow spiritually for 30 years. To say that, though, it would sound as though I've rejected it now. I haven't because Unity and Sophian Gnosticism have a lot in common. Unity is just not where I happen to be exploring at the moment. And Unity has always been open and accepting about seeking wisdom in any path to God. I will talk more about Unity another time, but if anyone wants, they can step ahead of me and take a look at Unity's main Web site, http://www.unity.org. You can get to a lot of beautiful places from there.
Happy exploring.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Whatever Gets You to the Light
When I post on here about Unity, Sophian Gnosticism, or even Wicca, I am not trying to convince anyone that one path is particularly better than another. Even though I'm doing my primary "church" activities with the Sophians right now, it's not like I'm never going to set foot in a Unity church again. (For one thing, most Unity churches have good metaphysical book stores!) And it's not like I'm never going to try another Wiccan spell. I don't see any contradiction. Of the three, I know the least about Wicca, but I know neither Unity or the Sophians put any kind of restriction on spiritual exploration with other sects, or even with other faiths.
From time to time in this blog, I will compare and contrast Unity and Sophian Gnosticism, because those are the two New Age, New Thought spiritual organizations I know the most about. For the record, though, I am also quite friendly to Christian Science and Religious Science as well. For that matter, I don't have much problem with liberal Episcopalians and Methodists, either, not to mention Buddhists or Hindus. I guess one of my main purposes in this blog is to assure people that they can be spiritual, have faith, and commune with the Divine without having to buy into a strict system that condemns everything outside itself.
All that being said, as I have mentioned before, I have a dear friend who is a fundamentalist Christian. And even though I have to be honest and admit I really don't like the way she votes--because she does vote it!--I would still never want to do anything to take her faith away from her or undermine it. Because fundamentalist Christianity is the tool she has chosen to build her beautiful soul, and a beautiful soul it is. Genuine love is in her heart and constantly radiates outward, touching everyone with whom she comes in contact. She is a person I have the pleasure of working with every day, and her willing heart is a constant example to me on the job. Not only an example of how I should do my work, but an example of how I should never pre-judge an individual soul by what I think of their religious and/or political affiliations.
Let us all be kind to one another.
From time to time in this blog, I will compare and contrast Unity and Sophian Gnosticism, because those are the two New Age, New Thought spiritual organizations I know the most about. For the record, though, I am also quite friendly to Christian Science and Religious Science as well. For that matter, I don't have much problem with liberal Episcopalians and Methodists, either, not to mention Buddhists or Hindus. I guess one of my main purposes in this blog is to assure people that they can be spiritual, have faith, and commune with the Divine without having to buy into a strict system that condemns everything outside itself.
All that being said, as I have mentioned before, I have a dear friend who is a fundamentalist Christian. And even though I have to be honest and admit I really don't like the way she votes--because she does vote it!--I would still never want to do anything to take her faith away from her or undermine it. Because fundamentalist Christianity is the tool she has chosen to build her beautiful soul, and a beautiful soul it is. Genuine love is in her heart and constantly radiates outward, touching everyone with whom she comes in contact. She is a person I have the pleasure of working with every day, and her willing heart is a constant example to me on the job. Not only an example of how I should do my work, but an example of how I should never pre-judge an individual soul by what I think of their religious and/or political affiliations.
Let us all be kind to one another.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Literary Light
I've just finished reading Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. I realize it's kind of late for a book review. I'm unfortunately one of those people who doesn't have nearly enough time to read everything she wants, so I can be a little behind the best-seller lists.
Finishing this book, however, reminded me how much the world of fiction has influenced my spiritual journey. I've been affiliated with Unity for a long time, and have had a long-time beloved mentor who is a Christian Scientist, but I only started to explore Sophian Gnosticism after reading first Brown's The Da Vinci Code and then the novels of Kathleen McGowan: The Expected One, The Book of Love, and The Poet Prince. I recommend McGowan's work especially for anyone who wants a particularly romantic view of the Sacred Feminine, and the possibility that Mary Magdalen was the beloved wife of Jesus.
Not surprisingly, I digress. It's difficult in the early stages of this blog not to try to write about everything at once, and reassure myself I have world enough and time. (I realize none of us knows the hour, but I just have a feeling I still have plenty of work to do in this incarnation!) But back to The Lost Symbol. Not only does Brown reveal some really interesting things about the planning and design of Washington, DC, but he talks about noetic science. From the Web site of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, at http://www.noetic.org, this organization "conducts, sponsors, and collaborates on leading-edge research into the potentials and powers of consciousness, exploring phenomena that do not necessarily fit conventional scientific models while maintaining a commitment to scientific rigor." As Brown explains it, explorations in noetics has basically proven that human thought, especially in states of prayer or meditation, actually has measurable effect on matter.
Of course I believe this. I've seen it work. And right now, at this moment in my life, it makes me want to take another look at Rhonda Byrne's The Secret. But as Brown points out, the study (and most of the general public's practice) is still in its infancy. Because while I've seen it work, we've all seen it not work, too. It is, however, worth looking into, worth practicing. Another interesting assertion Brown makes is that while any one person's spiritual energy has an affect, by adding another person's energy the power is increased--not merely by two times, but "exponentially." This is why prayer partners and prayer circles of any faith can be so effective.
I wish you happy reading and exploration.
Finishing this book, however, reminded me how much the world of fiction has influenced my spiritual journey. I've been affiliated with Unity for a long time, and have had a long-time beloved mentor who is a Christian Scientist, but I only started to explore Sophian Gnosticism after reading first Brown's The Da Vinci Code and then the novels of Kathleen McGowan: The Expected One, The Book of Love, and The Poet Prince. I recommend McGowan's work especially for anyone who wants a particularly romantic view of the Sacred Feminine, and the possibility that Mary Magdalen was the beloved wife of Jesus.
Not surprisingly, I digress. It's difficult in the early stages of this blog not to try to write about everything at once, and reassure myself I have world enough and time. (I realize none of us knows the hour, but I just have a feeling I still have plenty of work to do in this incarnation!) But back to The Lost Symbol. Not only does Brown reveal some really interesting things about the planning and design of Washington, DC, but he talks about noetic science. From the Web site of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, at http://www.noetic.org, this organization "conducts, sponsors, and collaborates on leading-edge research into the potentials and powers of consciousness, exploring phenomena that do not necessarily fit conventional scientific models while maintaining a commitment to scientific rigor." As Brown explains it, explorations in noetics has basically proven that human thought, especially in states of prayer or meditation, actually has measurable effect on matter.
Of course I believe this. I've seen it work. And right now, at this moment in my life, it makes me want to take another look at Rhonda Byrne's The Secret. But as Brown points out, the study (and most of the general public's practice) is still in its infancy. Because while I've seen it work, we've all seen it not work, too. It is, however, worth looking into, worth practicing. Another interesting assertion Brown makes is that while any one person's spiritual energy has an affect, by adding another person's energy the power is increased--not merely by two times, but "exponentially." This is why prayer partners and prayer circles of any faith can be so effective.
I wish you happy reading and exploration.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Reincarnation
I believe in reincarnation, but obviously I can't be sure. I believe in Heaven, too--mostly as a way-station between incarnations where we wait for our group to catch up with us before embarking on the next adventure. I don't believe in any type of permanent Hell, but I have come to believe that perhaps there are pieces of the afterlife that sort of resemble the old concept of purgatory. Then again, some earthly incarnations could easily serve the purpose of purgatory. But yet again, I don't want to get into the idea that people are starving in the third world because they were slow learners in a previous life. That they somehow deserve it. No one deserves it. Yet, of course, I am familiar with the school of thought that asserts souls voluntarily take on earthly lives in which they suffer or starve because they either want or need the learning experience for themselves, or because they are willing to do these things in order for others to have learning experiences. Though I can buy into this because it's the only way suffering makes sense, I can't imagine signing up for one of these lives myself. I believe in this possibility, but I also believe in the possibility of randomness.
One thing I don't really believe in is the ancient Eastern concept of reincarnation as some kind of wheel that we are bound to in suffering, some kind of cycle from which we must try to break free. Nirvana as some kind of ultimate nothingness, in which all individuality is lost, does not strike me as a goal I want to win. Of course, I freely admit that this could be my Western bias, my ego, or all of the above. I can't help thinking about a friend of mine who attended a Course in Miracles discussion group, who told me they had been talking about reincarnation and why the soul might do it. One of her group members asserted: "Because this (this earthly life) is Disneyland...." I have to agree with that sentiment. There is part of me, at least right now, that doesn't really want to attain perfection if it means I don't get to keep coming back....
Sigh. Even with the protection of my pseudonym, I feel compelled to admit that I don't know for sure if we really live on after death. I feel that we do, as much as I feel anything. I feel I've been visited by loved ones who've passed away. But aside from admitting the distasteful possibility that we might just die, I also admit that there could just be a more conventional heaven. And while honesty forces me to disclose that they were probably giving me some very nice drugs at the time, I can tell you about my own experience when my daughter was born. Until she was born, I had been afraid of death all my life. The first time I looked in her eyes, however, I felt like she was saying, "Here we go again, Mom." I have not been afraid of death since. Of course, the hard science types can cite (in addition to the nice drugs) the possibility of my subconscious realizing I'd fulfilled my biological purpose of reproducing, and turning off the fear. All I can say is, I don't think so. I think I had her before, and I lost her, the way so many people used to lose children before the era of modern medicine, the way too many people in less privileged lands lose them today. There has been much joy in our reunion.
One thing I don't really believe in is the ancient Eastern concept of reincarnation as some kind of wheel that we are bound to in suffering, some kind of cycle from which we must try to break free. Nirvana as some kind of ultimate nothingness, in which all individuality is lost, does not strike me as a goal I want to win. Of course, I freely admit that this could be my Western bias, my ego, or all of the above. I can't help thinking about a friend of mine who attended a Course in Miracles discussion group, who told me they had been talking about reincarnation and why the soul might do it. One of her group members asserted: "Because this (this earthly life) is Disneyland...." I have to agree with that sentiment. There is part of me, at least right now, that doesn't really want to attain perfection if it means I don't get to keep coming back....
Sigh. Even with the protection of my pseudonym, I feel compelled to admit that I don't know for sure if we really live on after death. I feel that we do, as much as I feel anything. I feel I've been visited by loved ones who've passed away. But aside from admitting the distasteful possibility that we might just die, I also admit that there could just be a more conventional heaven. And while honesty forces me to disclose that they were probably giving me some very nice drugs at the time, I can tell you about my own experience when my daughter was born. Until she was born, I had been afraid of death all my life. The first time I looked in her eyes, however, I felt like she was saying, "Here we go again, Mom." I have not been afraid of death since. Of course, the hard science types can cite (in addition to the nice drugs) the possibility of my subconscious realizing I'd fulfilled my biological purpose of reproducing, and turning off the fear. All I can say is, I don't think so. I think I had her before, and I lost her, the way so many people used to lose children before the era of modern medicine, the way too many people in less privileged lands lose them today. There has been much joy in our reunion.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Disclaimers
I never want to come across as an expert in any of the belief systems I talk about. I am just exploring, so if I make any factual errors, feel free to correct me. I suppose I have the most experience in Unity; I've attended off and on for several years, and have taken a few classes. I am not a minister by any means, however, or even a licensed Unity teacher. And when it comes to Sophian Gnosticism, I am just beginning to learn.
I had wanted to spend more time on things related to the above paragraph for my second blog, but the decision to allow ads on it presented me with an unexpected spiritual dilemma. I clicked on my first entry, and discovered some fairly fundamentalist advertisers! I will probably talk frequently and at length about one of my friends who is of that bent but is nonetheless one of the most beautiful souls I've ever encountered, but I do not wish to promote what I feel is a basically narrow mindset. I may get the hang of filtering the ads, or I may just try to blog so much about the New Age side of things that the ads wind up reforming themselves. I'm still weighing my options.
Wishing all of you peace and joy in all you do today.
I had wanted to spend more time on things related to the above paragraph for my second blog, but the decision to allow ads on it presented me with an unexpected spiritual dilemma. I clicked on my first entry, and discovered some fairly fundamentalist advertisers! I will probably talk frequently and at length about one of my friends who is of that bent but is nonetheless one of the most beautiful souls I've ever encountered, but I do not wish to promote what I feel is a basically narrow mindset. I may get the hang of filtering the ads, or I may just try to blog so much about the New Age side of things that the ads wind up reforming themselves. I'm still weighing my options.
Wishing all of you peace and joy in all you do today.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
In the Beginning
My real name doesn't matter. I've decided that the only way to really talk about things that do matter is to take a name my friends and family will not recognize.
It's not that I'm going to talk--at least not always--about anything that shocking. As the title suggests, this blog will mostly concern explorations of a spiritual nature. My viewpoint at this step in my adventure is definitely New Age, and decidedly non-fundamentalist, though I do consider myself Christian. I've spent the longest part of my church-going life thus far in the Unity movement, have deep Wiccan sympathies, and have recently begun to associate with Sophian Gnostics. I have friends, however, who are born-again Christians; and family members and other entanglements who are deeply skeptical agnostics--and I have no desire to upset them, argue with them, or flinch at their scorn. In my real life, I have trouble voicing my opinions on books, film, and music, let alone anything more important and more controversial. So I have decided to become Marie. As Marie, I invite discussion and commentary, and hope to be able to contribute--even in the smallest, humblest way--to the enlightenment process of all humankind. This same enlightenment process is what will make the kingdom of heaven a reality on earth.
It's not that I'm going to talk--at least not always--about anything that shocking. As the title suggests, this blog will mostly concern explorations of a spiritual nature. My viewpoint at this step in my adventure is definitely New Age, and decidedly non-fundamentalist, though I do consider myself Christian. I've spent the longest part of my church-going life thus far in the Unity movement, have deep Wiccan sympathies, and have recently begun to associate with Sophian Gnostics. I have friends, however, who are born-again Christians; and family members and other entanglements who are deeply skeptical agnostics--and I have no desire to upset them, argue with them, or flinch at their scorn. In my real life, I have trouble voicing my opinions on books, film, and music, let alone anything more important and more controversial. So I have decided to become Marie. As Marie, I invite discussion and commentary, and hope to be able to contribute--even in the smallest, humblest way--to the enlightenment process of all humankind. This same enlightenment process is what will make the kingdom of heaven a reality on earth.
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