As I sit for a brief moment of prayer and meditation, I feel the gratitude for each one who has joined as Spiritual Family through Mystic Heart. I am so grateful for each one who attended the Taizé Service this morning, and grateful for each one reading this message right now. I hold each of you in my prayers, knowing the Love and Light of Spirit fills you to overflowing, here and now, and in every moment.
In my last post, I cited a quote from spiritual teacher, Jeff Carreira. He said that, “This is a period of potentially global monasticism. All over the world, people are living in solitude.” I love the word solitude. It has the feel of one who chooses a quiet time and space for reflection, rather than one who is isolated, which really means being set or kept apart. A couple of months ago, I wrote about the choice to find sanctuary at home, which implies making home a sacred space, rather than taking shelter, which for me, introduces an element of fear…something to protect oneself from. Of course, we are protecting ourselves and others when we limit our personal interactions and create safe distances between us. But how beautiful to focus on the sacredness of our actions…the honoring of home, ourselves, and one another.
I feel that there is much more of the sacred unfolding right now than we can even imagine. Spiritual Principle tells us that what we focus on, what we are interested in, is what we tend to bring to life…what we experience. At this unprecedented time, almost all of us, as a species, is focused on the same event. We realize that we are sharing in a common experience, all over the planet; and I think we sense that there is no way we are going to get through this without being changed somehow. We only wish we knew what these changes would be.
There is one thing in particular that lifts my spirits as to what the future will bring…I know that there are a growing number of human beings waking up to the amazing possibilities that are facing us, and willing to give their time and attention to bringing positive change into being. Of course, not all of the possibilities we can imagine are desirable. If we look at what our history offers, we can see that these times of widespread hardship and challenge have generated negative, or even devastating changes, as well. The good news is that, working together, we can have some control over what is created.
As an example, let’s take a moment to look at the kind of shift that occurred during the Romantic Revolution. We live, even now, in the world that the Romantics imagined for us. That’s how the world is formed…it is dreamed about, then it comes into being. The Romantic Movement came about due to the hardship of the Industrial Revolution, the dramatic failure of the French Revolution, and Goethe’s deep examination of the human soul and its connection to nature. These three sets of circumstances pointed to the fact that the rush to progress had its limits. During the same period, Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein painted a picture of what can happen when we rush into technologies that we don’t fully understand. It was meant to be a warning, to talk to humanity about the limits of human knowledge. Before this, it was generally accepted that progress was always good. Way back in the 1850’s, Henry David Thoreau was reflecting on the environmental destruction of the Industrial Revolution. In reading Walden, we find that his concerns, still not addressed, could have been written today.
During times of global challenge, we have the opportunity to re-envision the world, to see things differently. New possibilities for human consciousness come to light. In our own time, and in the midst of global pandemic, economic hardship, and environmental challenge, we are also seeing the opportunities. And some people will give voice to these possibilities…they will write the poetry, paint the paintings, and write the novels that reflect this age. For those who are drawn in large ways and small, this is our chance to play a role in the recreation of the world.
On the one hand, there is a global pandemic and each of us does our part to take care of ourselves and our neighbors…to alleviate the hardships for ourselves and others; at the same time, it is important that we take the time and create the space in ourselves to embrace the Infinite Possibility of Spirit for this world. None of us tends to think that we could be one of those people…a Shelley or a Thoreau. But Thoreau was just a person. It is ordinary people that become champions of new possibilities. We should not discount ourselves from being someone who will play a role in generating the best general outcome for this challenging time.
How are we going to make ourselves available to be part of the creative process of the future? We can’t do it with our minds…they simply fall short of what we are being called to. We can, however, open our hearts. We can give our time to meditation, prayer, study, and service, so that our capacity to be moved is increased. We can allow ourselves to be Guided, to surrender to whatever is unfolding with a sense of acceptance…even a deep and abiding faith that all is well. We can refrain from judgment, and instead, look for ways to be kind and compassionate. And we can listen for what is ours to give. Giving starts circulation in motion and reveals the Truth of God’s Abundance in our lives. It doesn’t matter if your gift seems big or small. It doesn’t matter if it will affect thousands or just a few. Relax into the unquestionable Truth that you have something of tremendous value to offer. See if you can find that gift. It lives in your heart as an energetic seed of possibility.
Finally, relax…go slow…let go of impatience. We are in this for as long as it takes. This is what the Bible would call the 40 days and nights in the story of Noah and the Ark, or the 40 years in the wilderness for Moses and his people. 40…metaphysically, this number represents the amount of time required for a shift in consciousness to occur. This is not something that can be rushed. See it as a birth process, the birth of something miraculous, beautiful, and enduring. This is a sacred process, each of us an expression of the Divine, taking part in our own unique way.
Pope Francis, in 2014, told the Catholics: “God is not afraid of new things! That is why he is continually surprising us, opening our hearts and guiding us in unexpected ways.” Little did he know how powerful (and prophetic) those words would be in 2020.
May each of us be open to God’s surprise and wonder…
May we be Guided to give what is ours to give, fearlessly and with hearts wide open…
May we all choose to be Awake to the Infinite Possibility, available here and now…
May we be well…stay in touch…know our unity…and thrive!
And may we know the Absolute Beauty and Wonder of this Grace-filled, once-in-a lifetime day…
