RSA Animate - Smile or Die

Thought for the Day

"Do you know where Light comes from

and where Darkness lives

So you can take them by the hand 

and lead them home when they get lost"

- Eugene H. Peterson

There is a humbling feeling in my body and sense of great responsibility in my mind when I contemplate these words.I think about the enormity of light and darkness in all our lives. I think about how many of us think we have the answers or try to fix the suffering of another. "Sufferers attract fixers the way road-kills attract vultures" (Peterson, 1996, p. 11).  Suffering is a great mystery and there are many who ready to tell us exactly what is wrong with me/you or have a prescriptive method or spiritual cure on hand. I consider my own desire to alleviate suffering in the world, bearing witness to the suffering of others is hard to bear, yet, to witness without judgment or the desire to "fix"  is to honor the dignity of suffering with heartfelt intimacy. There is an old idea that anyone who lives intelligently and morally and with goodness is exempt from suffering - we have been misled. 

Blessing

I have applied the art of blessing for many years, it was something I understood early on from my childhood days in Wales. I do not know, how exactly, I came to know the power of a blessing, but I had great respect for its intent. Over the last several years I have used blessings to help myself heal and transform my life and my person particularly those aspects of myself that are not useful, undesirable and limiting. I have also used the power of blessing to heal difficult relationships with others.


John O'Donohue tells us that it would be "infinitely lonely to live in a world without blessing". I cannot imagine how hollow and barren I would be or feel without this gift of healing that I offer myself. Having a personal practice of blessing that I can use to empower, heal, ground and connect with myself and others. This is one the greatest and most hidden of gifts, made active by our willingness to bless and be blessed. A blessing is an invocation, it is a calling forth of the divine and sacred space. As O'Donhue reminds us "each person has a unique intimacy with God" may we each know the power and blessing of sacred intimacy.


I

Where are our "Wise Men"- our "Initated Elders"

Today I read in a book the question I have been secretly asking myself  for many years only I could not articulate it so clearly. "Where are the initiated men of power today" I for one need the presence of a strong initiated elder in my life as friend, guide and teacher. I am lucky, I have Tom Cowan, a spiritual man who has integrated the powers of spiritual wisdom, knowledge and active leadership. Unfortunately, to have such a guide is rare in our contemporary world.
At this time we are facing a crisis, power and wisdom seem to have become associated with greed for power and status, our leaders are immature and behave like children having tantrums or worse being bad boys. Where are the Men ?. At this stage in my life I look around for the company of mature, strong, wise and indivduated men who have been initiated into the world and themselves. Generally our modern world lacks the ritual of  intitiation for boys, girls men and women. Intitiations now ome through association with gangs, the military or other forced systems such as prisons. But these forms of intiation lack the power and ritual knowledge and most of all the Skillful Wise Elder.

This is a call to all those Wise Elders to stand up and show yourselves we need you, we are a people lost bewildered and in crisis.

Resistance

Resistance OMG what a powerful energy that is, always a partner for the inspired and the creative forces. One of my sufferings that I continue to wrestle with. Steven Pressfield has a great book on the subject "The Art of War" Pressfield hits head on the resistance trap. Read it.

Relationship with Community in Tragic Circumstances.

What is our relationship with tragedy and tragic situations? How do we react, respond, offer support and yet stay centered and not get caught in the drama. First off, my practice is to be without judgement - not always easy. Secondly I try not to ponder the why or the wherefore. Thirdly I try to understand what is practical and needed that I can offer and follow through with. My thoughts then tend to move towards healing, conflict resolution or tending the soul of a person, place or community.

Reviewing God Relationship

Talking with many of my friends lately I have come to realize that our discussions mostly are about exploring our personal relationships with God or Creator Spirit. Many of us recognize that we have a strong and deep connection with God, yet feel challenged with our understanding, approach and view of how that relationship should/might be, how it looks and what shape it should take. How then, do we approach and review relationships that are mysterious and for the most part unspeakable and indescribable, this is certainly difficult and challenging. For my part I find myself settling in and down into deeper and deeper layers within my interior, yielding more toward the inner layers of who I am, and, in the settling I am find a space for more presence of the divine.

An Integrated Life

What is an integrated life anyway?

Well it's all about you and your innate gifts, attributes and qualities that are already inside you yet mostly hiddden. We are all born with unique wisdom, personal giftedness and creative abilities, but many of us are beaten down by the demands of life, work and relationship not to mention that inner voice that wants to keep us small and limited. I have one of those, it tries to keep me quiet, hidden and shy. My little voice has a lot of energy, the kind of energy that can throw an invisible cloak over me, and whisper,things like "its better under here, no one can see you, you can't fail or say the wrong thing if you stay in here with me, I'll protect you, yes I will."  

Living an integrative life requires that we approach life through conscious awareness. Awareness of the major commitments we make in our lifetime, these can be understood as our commitments to work and play; our relationship to our spouse or lover, family, friends etc. and our relationship with ourselves, our deeper nature, our uneexplored intelligence .