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1314 NW Irving #512 |
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| Embracing the Holy |
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| | Our Story | | | Location | | | Home |
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Reflections
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Gains,
Pains, Pleasures and Loss: Embracing Life’s Full Experience
James Michael Whitty, February 2007 |
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our western world, the daily challenge for most is no longer a struggle
for existence but rather a never ending loop of protecting ourselves
from hardship, pain or suffering; or, for those flush with material
wealth, finding freedom from boredom. Turning away from unpleasantness,
we avoid difficult people, situations and conditions. Suffering fades
into invisibility. To fill the void of leading shallow lives without
life’s rawness, we fill our calendars with activities, seek endless
stimulation, and surround ourselves with luxuries. Difficulty and unpleasantness are natural and unavoidable parts of life. As I grow older, I notice a feeling of loss as I see my wrinkles and graying, feel my body’s pains, and find a less powerful spring in my step. I know the feeling of a job lost, a relationship abandoned, and my loving mother’s death. I know there is more pain to come. If I live a long life, my future will be filled with ever greater impairment of my physical and mental faculties, and the sufferings of my friends and family, including many deaths. How do we live life knowing that no matter what we do, we will face continual disappointment, suffering and loss? The first step is to understand the polarity of the light and dark sides of life. We encounter despair because we hope. We feel the sorrow of loss because we love. We experience disappointment because we know delight. To successfully avoid the negative is to forgo the positive. Such a life would be free of risk but listless and meaningless. With the understanding that everything we do in life involves accepting polarities and risk, we are ready to embrace life’s fullness. We understand our nature as divine beings who at our core want to experience and know the whole of life. We are here simply to “be” amidst everything as it comes to us. Being is anything but a passive activity. When faced with failure or loss, emotions naturally emerge. Some people want to deny and suppress them. We must understand, however, that these feelings -- whether sorrow, rage or despair -- are human feelings. In denying them, we deny our humanity. Other people wallow in their feelings or obsess over them. When lost in our feelings, we cannot understand them nor find a place for them in our being. Our spiritual growth thus stagnates. Being means fully embracing our feelings, whether positive or negative. For full embrace, we must actively and consciously feel whatever emotions come to us. We must embrace the intensity of our feelings and know them fully. Only after a full, conscious embrace will our feelings subside to a manageable level and find their place within our being. When experiencing a difficult event, I find private time to directly face my feelings. I take them head on with whatever emotive action comes – tears, moans or bellows. I honor the moment, no matter how intense. I accept grieving as the necessary price of knowing life’s positive side. Gradually and surely, the intensity softens and I find a place for the event and my feelings about it within my being. When we fully open up to our feelings, we find a richness of being flowing through us. Our lives gain meaning and we gather emotional strength. We may find desire to engage the world beyond ordinary day-to-day life. We may look for opportunities to care for others, all beings on this earth or the earth itself. By embracing all sides of life, we are able to move beyond our individual selves to experience the richness of our greater common existence. We will hope when we encounter despair. We will love amidst the sorrow of loss. We will find delight in the face of disappointment. That is truly being. |
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Creation
Spirituality is grounded in Earth. Creation is not only that which
surrounds us at this moment in time but also the 13.7 billion year
history of Universe and its evolving story. The Universe story includes
ancient themes of birth and death, chaos and order, mystery and
wonder, resurrection and new life, immensity and intimacy. The human
species as we know it is only 4.5 million years old, language was
invented 100,000 years ago, and the major religions began about
3,000 years. In the last 100 years we have learned that Universe
is expanding. Quantum physics and cosmology continually provide
new discoveries. Creation is the breath of all that exists now and
in the future. Creation teaches us about love, forgiveness, passion,
and being fully alive.
Creation Spirituality was first articulated by Matthew Fox, a present day theologian, scholar, and Episcopalian priest. He revived the teachings of Meister Eckhart and other ancient mystics who were forbearers of Creation Spirituality. “Every creature is a book about God” and “all things are in God,” states Eckhart as he expounded on the infusion of God’s presence within all creation in the thirteenth century. Eckhart said God is a verb not a noun. God, Divine, Source of life, whatever word we chose; is inherent in the evolving creative process within the Universe and within our own lives. God is breath, life, energy - the source of being. As we participate in this evolving life we are capable of being a mystic, a person who is willing to enter the mystery of life and discover God everywhere. A mystic lives every day recognizing life as ordinary miracle. Everything is holy or sacred. Seeing life as sacred mystery we experience a deep connection with all creation. For example, we marvel at our connection to trees. The molecular structure of our blood cells parallel that of chloroplasts that make trees green with the exception of one atom. Creation can not exist without God or God without creation. All creation is a reflection of God. God delights in creation and also needs us. It is an awesome and wondrous mystery. God is present in the exterior of creation and also in the interior of the soul. Eckhart said that the soul is not in the body but rather the body is in the soul. This inner Divine presence can best be known in silence and letting go of images, expectations, and perceptions of how we think God and life should be. In letting go and being in the silent stillness, the dark void, the unknown, we allow God to fill us. Eckhart reminds us that “God is not found in the soul by adding anything but by a process of subtraction.” In silence we breakthrough into God and recognize we are inseparable from the Divine. We are swimming in the Divine Sea and we are interconnected with all creation. This new state of being is ripe with potential birth. We open to immense possibilities of imagination and discover we are all artists capable of birthing newness. Birthing is the essence of the Divine. God is continually birthing and we become participants in this process. Eckhart reminds us of our potential when he says, “We are all meant to be mothers of God. For God is always needing to be born.” As we birth love and change we participate in the transformation of ourselves, our community, and our Universe. This love is better known as compassion which is integral to Creation Spirituality and all spiritual paths. As we create justice and honor the sacredness of all life we are indeed co-creators with God. We celebrate and delight in the original blessing of all creation as we continue to evolve. Creation Spirituality compels us to live from hearts of wonder, stillness, creativity, and compassion. |
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©
2006-2012 Urban Spirituality Center and Diversity as Gift