Here and Now

Life is pretty quiet. Intentionally so. There is so much chaos in the world that focusing on the outer is too overwhelming spiritually. The physical world is erupting. American politics is totally unrecognizable. People are literally killing each other for misguided reasons.

In order to avoid being overwhelmed, I have intentionally shut myself off from the outer. There is no reason to concern myself with anything but Spirit and Soul. No matter what happens in the world, I know that I will be fine. We all will be fine. We just have to Let Go and Let God! Namaste!

The Everlasting Truth of Rumi

"I have been a seeker and I still am, but I stopped asking the books and the stars. I started listening to the teaching of my Soul."

I came across this Rumi quote recently and it spoke to me quite strongly. Or, more accurately, it spoke to my Soul. I have always been a seeker (as I am sure we all are) but awoke to consciously being a Seeker about 15 years ago. I wandered aimlessly, thinking I would find the teachings in a church, synagogue, or a specific type of organized Spirituality. Almost 8 years ago my wandering led me to a specific Spiritual path called the Path of Sound and Light.  I was initiated onto this path via Inner Light Ministries, which is a variant of the path called Sant Mat.

From that time on, I began to rely on the words, talks, and answers of the ILM teachers. While it would seem "obvious" that the Spiritual teachers would have the Spiritual answers, I found myself relying on them mostly to confirm the answers and the knowing I received on my own. I continued to do this for several years - participating in the workshops, teleconferences, listening to recordings of their talks, etc. 

And, after these several years of having my "knowings" confirmed by asking the teachers, the books, and probably also the stars, I really did begin to listen to the teaching of my Soul. And I have come to know that my Soul does have the answers and I can trust the teachings of my Soul. I no longer rely on the teachers or the books. But I still suspect that the stars are the reflections of my Soul. Not quite sure I am ready to release the stars, especially since I tend to see them on the inner planes while meditating and they seem to be a sign that I am connecting with my Soul. 

Once again, Rumi has encapsulated it in a simple statement.  Gotta love that Rumi!!!!

Namaste!

Living My Spiritual Truth

November 9, 2016 and the election is over!  I have been looking forward to this day for quite a few weeks now.  When I was younger and less fully aware of my Spiritual self, I allowed myself to be caught up in activism, politics, and the heavy emotions that ensue from such a commitment.  As I have grown older and woken up to Spirit, I mostly have tended to be an onlooker. This election was different. I allowed myself to be caught up in the divisiveness of this third dimensional process. I partook in the negativity and the emotion - especially in the last few months of the election cycle. I really wanted HER to win the election and I really wanted HIM to shuffle off into some type of obscurity.  I was not in my Spiritual integrity.

So, now, it seems as if the world has been turned upside down.  Of course, that is an illusion. This is all an illusion. The only thing that is not illusion is our Oneness with God.  I have allowed myself to forget that we are ALL sparks of the Divine, no matter how we act in the world as three dimensional human beings. And to that end, I now set my intention toward living my Spiritual Truth.  Despite how things appear to us in the right now, I stand for living in the Loving and holding the space for all to realize the time for separation and divisiveness has outlived any usefulness it may have ever served.  

As an old folkie, I resonated and still did resonate with the wisdom of the late Pete Seeger, who wrote, "Turn, Turn, Turn" based on Ecclesiastes 3. And I truly believe the words of that song are as pertinent right now as they were when they were written.  I currently think they bear a look at right now in this season of divisiveness in the world:

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

My intention is to shine my Light on the parts of the season that bring us together, build us up, and allow us to know when it is time to be silent (in negativity) and speak up (in unity).  May the Love and Light of the Divine shine through us all and brighten the darkness!  Namaste!!

Being Jewish During The Christmas Season

About eight years ago I wrote the following on a blog that is maintained in relation to a book written by the minister of Lake Street Church of Evanston, Robert Thompson.  Just thought I would share it again, in light of the holiday season....

My youngest daughter, Carrie, now almost 27 years of age, told me this recently. She works as a kindergarten teacher in a day care center at a Presbyterian church in Deerfield. Her frame of reference was receiving a ginger bread Nativity kit as a white elephant gift at her “work” Christmas party. My oldest daughter, Lori (age 33) sent me an “instant message” this Christmas morning which proclaimed: “you don’t know how depressing it is to be Jewish on Christmas morning”. My middle daughter, Jamie (age 30) has not checked in yet. I suspect she will not complain about being Jewish on Christmas since her husband’s family is Catholic and Jamie is determined to raise their year old daughter Jewish. Jamie has plenty of opportunity to celebrate Christmas with her in-laws and their large families and it is up to her to figure out how to navigate their holiday celebrations.

I personally spent many years feeling a mixture of relief and separation around not celebrating Christmas. As a child, I naturally felt “left out” and “different” because I did not celebrate Christmas. I wanted a Christmas tree like my friends had, and if not a Christmas tree, at least a Hanukkah bush to decorate. The first time I asked, I was told there is no such thing as a Hanukkah bush. A stocking filled with toys, etc was completely out of the question. As an adult, my feelings of relief revolved around not experiencing the stress that accompanies having to engage in all the hustle and bustle that seems to define Christmas. Along with that relief, however, I was aware of a strong sense of separation and envy.

My sense of separation and feelings of envy were not indicative of wanting to be a Christian nor of a strong desire to celebrate Christmas. After all, I celebrated Hanukkah with my family by lighting candles and exchanging gifts. Our celebrations did not come close to the extravagance of Christmas, but we did celebrate. At some point, I realized that my feelings were actually an expression of grief - a grief that I did not have something that I truly believed in - something magical and wonderful that I thought was embodied by Christianity and the Jesus that my Christian friends worshiped. I did not (nor do I now) feel engaged in Judaism as a religion. To me, Judaism is and for a long time has been my ethnic identity and, although, I was not drawn to the practice of a specific religion, I thought this meant something was missing in my life.

Quite a few years have elapsed since I deeply envied Christians their devotion to Jesus and the birth of the Messiah I am unable to accept. I spent six years attending Lake Street Church - not trying to be Christian but as a Jew who felt a very strong call to join the spiritual community that exists within the walls of that particular church. I came to know the difference between religion and spirituality. I was introduced to Jesus the mystic, rabbi, and teacher. I learned to accept the Christ that Jesus was and how he embodied the divine light that resides in each of us - a light that transcends any and all religion. I learned that I am a devout person and that the object of my devotion is my connection with God. I now focus my spiritual energy toward more deeply knowing that connection and experiencing unification with all that is - the great I AM.

A few days ago I realized that Christmas was almost upon me and I personally was not feeling any sense of disconnection to the world that celebrates Christmas. This is probably the first year since being introduced to Christmas that I have not been feeling at some level that I am missing out on something wonderful because I am Jewish and don’t celebrate Christmas. Even having my adult children complain about how tough it is to be Jewish now has not been enough to cause me to agree, commiserate, or tap into the old grief I used to feel. Their complaints did prompt me to reassess the meaning of Christmas. I found that it is no longer tough for me to be a Jew at Christmas because for me Christmas is a celebration of a very well known Jewish heretic and the message he carried about the reality of God.