He was
merely another
worldly
King.
Chasing
power
wealth
and fame.
Legions
obeyed
his every
whim.
Yet he
was unable
to master
even himself.
His coffers
overflowed
with ill gotten
gains.
Yet he
would never
have
enough.
His name
was known
by many
lips.
Yet he
was a stranger
to his
very soul.
Just another
worldly King
chasing fleeting
power, wealth and fame.
I suppose it all comes down to the simple teaching, “This moment is perfect.” This moment is the culmination of the universe’s unfolding. This moment is exactly what the universe needed at this very moment, in all its beauty, tragedy, delights, and disappointments.
We resist this present moment when it is not what we would prefer. We project our will onto the world and take actions to realize our vision of what should be. When our will for the world is thwarted, we may either accept the outcome as god’s will or resist the present moment because it is not what we prefer. When we live in resistance to what is we feel discomfort, because we are resisting the flow of the universe that has already swept us up.
That is the basic concept and teaching as I understand it. Though on a superficial level, this teaching may be construed as encouraging passivity, it in truth is a teaching about internal liberation from attachment to outcome. The core premise/article of faith is that the universe is flowing inevitably towards its highest good. We seek to serve others and our god, which is love, as we apply our will to the present moment to shift the universal flow and unfolding. Sometimes our will is one with that of the universe and we get our way. Other times, we are out of tune with the universal flow of love and wisdom, and the universe flows in and unexpected way. To prefer our will to what is, would be to prefer a reality that does not serve the highest good. It doesn’t mean we give up, it just means we have an opportunity to learn something more of the ways of love and wisdom, and resume our work with finer attunement and greater understanding.
Much of my practice at the moment revolves around being an empty servant of all. When I am disappointed by the present moment or in resistance to it, I surmise that I am out of attunement with god. But as I become more empty/free of self seeking desires, I find I am more and more merely the instrument of god. Which is all I wish to be. As such, I point my will towards love and my mind towards wisdom, and allow myself to be moved. I feel the vibrations of possibilities, and try to flow into the highest one with the quickest stream; offering that within me which wishes to be born. Trusting that what wants to be born from within me is what is needed, regardless of outcome.
Practically speaking, this means sometimes feeling into the vibration of certain situations and recognizing I can be of no service. It means finding the pressure points, where the flow of my energy may be joined with that of the universe for the highest good. Where is my excitement? Where does the energy flowing through me wish to flow? What is supported, what is not? Where am I in flow, where am I in resistance to what wants to be?
Most merciful god. I am in resistance to what is. I have not loved you with my whole heart. I have not loved others as myself. I have sought my will, and not yours.
Most merciful god. I have been blind to your mercy. I have not seen the perfection of this present moment. I muse that if things were different, we might all be happy…we might all be in love…we might all be at peace…we might all seek god. Yet this moment cannot be other than it is. It is, what had to be.
Most merciful god. We must know despair to understand happiness. We must be consumed by hatred to crave love. We must know the horror of war to prefer peace. We must experience separation to seek wholeness.
Most merciful god. May I see this suffering as grace. May I surrender to your will. If this is the path we must walk to the kingdom of heaven, may we tread quickly. Amen.
Waves
upon
the ocean.
Worry
not about
where they go.
Nor from
whence
they come.
They are
one with
the ocean.
Moved
by the moon
and stars.
They eddy
rise
and flow.
Be as
the wave
upon the ocean.
Worry
not about
where you go.
Nor from
whence
you come.
You are
one with
the universe.
Moved
by the moon
and stars.
You eddy
rise
and flow.
Truth
is the
gateway
to love.
Through it
passes
ultimate
reality.
Vulnerability
is the key
to the
heart.
Through it
we unlock
intimacy
with god.
Sanctification is not about self-denial. It is a love story. It is about falling in love with the deepest and truest aspect of our being. It is about falling in love with god. After that, everything that separates us from god simply starts falling away. Sanctity does not require us to deny anything. It asks us only for our attention. It asks only that we love god and our neighbor more than ourself. Sanctity does not call us to self denial, it calls us to be the truest version of ourselves. It calls us to ignore distractions and shed our false self.
Self revelation is the first step to knowing god. Only when we accept and acknowledge all of our little “I ams” are we able to begin to understand the great “I AM” that is all things. Loving, knowing, and accepting the self is our first initiation into loving, knowing, and accepting god. As long as we reject or fail to acknowledge those aspects of ourselves that cause us shame, embarrassment, or pain, we reject and fail to acknowledge our own particular manifestation of divinity. The only way to enter into communion with infinity is through our own finite beings. As long as our discomfort, fear, and lack of self-worth blind us to the totality of our being, god will remain hidden.
Beloved community, it is you that I seek. It is you that I have always longed for. It is your absence that has led to every neurotic and compulsive thought I have ever had. We were made for one another, you and I. Apart, we all went mad. But together, we will be well. Held together in arms of unconditional love and mutual care, we will be healed. Beloved community, it is only within you that I am whole.
