Vulnerability and Soothing Blend

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on May 11, 2019 in distraction issues, impediments, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Spiritual, Striving

May 11, 2019-

I just finished watching a TED Talk on “Shame”. This came about four hours after someone, with whom I was working as a volunteer, mildly upbraided me for not working at a paying job. (This person is not working at a paying job, either.)

I am ever willing to stand outside and be vulnerable to criticism, knowing that a) I can’t live with myself, if I am not open and b) The critic is usually seeing, in me, those things he or she dislikes about self. That doesn’t mean the criticism never stings- and there are two people who I have banned from my life, in perpetuity, for barrages of that I consider unwarranted attacks. It does mean that those whom I trust, and who do not have hidden agendas, are to speak freely.

The presenter of the above-mentioned video spoke of shame as nearly always a prime impediment to a person being the true self. Shame is imposed from within, though not always sans influence or instigation from someone else. When I was younger, it was fairly easy, even for well-meaning people, to wreck my self-confidence and set in motion even false shame.

Since the days when my late wife was in my primary care, I have learned that there are unscrupulous people who will take to questioning even the most basic decisions a person can make- usually with a view towards financial benefit or other forms of power and control over the person they are questioning. I have learned that there are those who will attack someone who is defending victims of crimes, almost always as a means of gaslighting or obfuscation. Both of the people I mentioned above are gaslighters, and they came close to doing a good job of making me feel shamed.

There was just one difference, from the days of my youth: Time, and hard lessons, have taught me the difference between acknowledging wrongdoing and buying into the script of a narcissist or tyrant. So now, in an intervening period between jobs, I am not ashamed of not presently earning an income, outside of what I have already set aside for myself. That situation will change- on my terms, not those of the retired critic.

I am not afraid to be vulnerable, or to experience life’s aches and pains. The physical variety of these is relieved by what is called Soothing Blend (an oil-based ointment). The spiritual variety is relieved by prayer, meditation and positive action.

He Wrote, Sang and Loved

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on May 3, 2019 in Assistance, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Spiritual, Striving

May 3, 2019, Benson, AZ-

I spent the better part of the day honouring yet another long-time friend, who passed on this past week. He was, like me, a member of the Baha’i Faith, but it wasn’t always so. Like yours truly, he did things his way and it didn’t always turn out so well.

Baha’u’llah helped him, the way He helped me. God’s Messengers do that, for those who pay attention. People whose lives have been straightened out by their association with Christ can appreciate that. Of course, there are those who will say they have been helped solely by their own efforts, and good for them.

In my humble view, though, the efforts of a human being, to overcome insurmountable issues, are only catapulted by Celestial Energy. So it is, that someone dependent on attraction to something material gets the best leg up, by letting go and letting God.

I invite you to give the video, by the late John Cook and his granddaughter, Britani. Little by little, each of us can turn weakness into strength.

Ever-Advancing

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on May 2, 2019 in collaborating, Community, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Spiritual, Striving

May 2, 2019-

Here’s what I’ve experienced,

over nearly seven decades.

For every person who has left my side,

five more have appeared.

For every person who has stuck his foot out,

so as to trip me up,

ten pairs of hands have broken my fall.

For every voice of doom,

there have been a dozen angels,

singing of hope and gladness.

For each act of destruction,

a host of projects,

glistening with resilience,

have sallied forth.

In each person,

who bristles outwardly with hate,

I see a small shining star,

struggling to get out,

and so dissipate,

the outer darkness.

In each act of destruction,

there is the seed of recovery,

that will burst forth,

given its nourishment.

One hundred fifty-six years ago, today,

the Light of the World,

set forth, once again,

to bring hope and strength,

to creatures that their Creator

loves so well.

Through all the darkness,

into the light,

we, of humanity,

are ever-advancing.

(Today is the Twelfth Day of Ridvan, commemorating Baha’u’llah’s departure from Baghdad, together with his family and closest followers, for the north of Iraq and on into Turkey.)

A Timely Bit of Guidance

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on April 30, 2019 in Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Spiritual, Striving

April 29, 2019-

Today was the Ninth Day of Ridvan, the period of time when Baha’u’llah and His family/friends gathered in a garden north of Baghdad, preparing to leave that city, for an overland journey to further exile, in Constantinople (now Istanbul). We Baha’is commemorate this Day, as it was one of the days that He first spoke more clearly of His Mission to the world.

I wish to share, and to examine closely, a quotation found on page 285 of a compendium of His Writings, itself entitled Gleanings From The Writings of Baha’u’llah. I find it a good daily guide to my own behaviour, which has a long ways to go. Then again, isn’t that the whole point of this life- to develop our spiritual qualities before we head for the next level of existence?

“Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer of the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression. Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts. Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of humility.”-Baha’u’llah

It’s easy to give, when we have lots. Giving, though, is too easily seen only in terms of money. Hardly a day goes by, that I don’t see someone standing on a corner, holding a sign, get a message from someone far way-begging for my financial help or get an e-mail from someone with a money-making scheme. My generosity, though, is most often put to use, providing someone with information that they can use to help themselves, or extra items that I don’t need, or a connection to resources here in town. The other gift I can many times offer, is that of time and energy. Being thankful in adversity: Well, as I have often done for myself, the thankfulness comes from being able to draw a lesson from the trouble.

Trustworthiness has been the source of a few bumps in my road, in the years immediately following Penny’s passing. Trust, though, comes from self-knowledge, and self-acceptance. No one who doubts one’s own worth is going to go the extra mile for another. It took me a few years to get back on that highway. I have, however, taken ownership of every single hiccup. The sanctity of my pledge is again true.

I will look at sentences 5-8, in the next post.

The Motion Ocean

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on April 26, 2019 in Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Spiritual

April 26, 2019-

Someone spoke, this afternoon, of a physics principle: “All that exists is motion”. This has been attributed to Gautama Siddhartha, as well as to ‘Abdu’l-Baha. So, here is a bit of verse, along those lines.

The ocean is ever in motion.

Can we imagine how it would be,

were the sea to be dammed?

Suppose the planets entered

a period of being stationary.

Would all that lives on each world,

fall off?

Would the void of space,

become full,

of floating beings

and other objects,

and thus,

no longer a void?

Would the waters

again cover the Earth,

as in its primal days,

or in the days of the Great Flood?

What of the beings, themselves?

Would the constant motion of molecules,

and quarks,

even in rocks,

come to a halt?

I shudder at that thought.

The Universe,

is an Ocean

of Motion.

Heavenly Flow

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on April 21, 2019 in Assistance, collaborating, Inner Struggles, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Service Activities, Slow Food Prescott, Social, Spiritual, Striving

April 21, 2019-

Today brought me close to two faith traditions: A musical, somewhat relaxed Evangelical Baptist service- which I attended at the invitation of a former co-worker. I didn’t see her there, but met up with another former colleague with the Red Cross. After exchanging pleasantries, I took a seat in the congregation, while he took his place in the choir. My part was to sing with the rest of those in the congregation, join in greeting those around me, and respond to an occasional call. I only regret not raising my hand when the pastor asked who believes in the Christ. I do, certainly. One cannot accept the Message of the Father and discard That of the Son.

At our Baha’i community’s gathering, this afternoon, I joined with about 45 fellows in Faith, to commemorate the first day of Baha’u’llah’s declaring His Mission, even as He and His companions prepared for a long journey overland, from Baghdad to what is now Istanbul.

The message is similar: None of us is squeaky clean, and God alone can absolve us with Grace. The sufferings of each Divine Messenger are what free us from our wrongdoings. Only by acknowledging this, and not wanting to be distant from the Divine, does one progress spiritually.

So, that was my day of spiritual fellowship. Connection with the Divine, though, is what has eased my path, even when I find myself alone. In times of uncertainty, as to my course of action, I find my Spirit Guides provide a very clear framework, within which I must make informed choices.

This week, for example, will bring me to Flagstaff, then to the Desert View Tower, at the eastern end of Grand Canyon National Park- honouring the Centenary of that great national entity. From there, it will be time to honour an old friend, who passed on, last week. His services will be east of Tuba City, at another lovely locale: Coal Mine Canyon. Then, I must return here to Prescott, and look after my own health, with a lab test on Wednesday. Matters of faith, possible acts of service with the Red Cross, another friend’s birthday party and a presentation by Slow Food-Prescott will fill out the week.

The flow of celestial energy is constant, and bears heeding.

Conjunction

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on April 19, 2019 in Community, Matters of Faith, Spiritual, Striving

April 19, 2019-

God has never left Man alone. In times past, the Divine has sent Guidance, in the form of Scripture and in the Personage of a Holy Being, to lead us away from the promptings of self and desire, which Zoroaster, Jesus the Christ, Mohammad and Baha’u’llah have each personified as Satan. Our lower, animal nature gets us in all sorts of difficulties, by interposing itself between God and our spiritual sense.

So, it seems that when the conditions of the world are darkest, we have the bounty of the sacred days of many faith traditions falling in the same time period. This year, for example, the Baha’i Festival of Naw-Ruz occurred at the same time as the Hindu Festival of Holi. A scant month later, Jews are observing Passover; Christians, Christ’s death and the Day of Resurrection and Baha’is, the beginning of the twelve-day Festival of Ridvan, (commemorating Baha’u’llah’s Declaration of His Mission to the world.)

God never leaves Man alone. The message that seems clear, from these conjunctions of spiritual celebration is that we ought each honour our neighbours’ spiritual traditions, as we honour our own. There is, in essence, one continuous flow of spiritual energy. I could never dishonour the Name of Christ, or those of Moses, Krishna, Gautama Siddhartha or Muhammad whilst claiming to honour the Teachings of Baha’u’llah.

Every one of the Divine Teachers has suffered immense physical pain, whilst on this Earth, at the hands of those who enjoyed earthly power and prestige, as well as at the hands of the uneducated and ignorant who chose to follow those in power. This is the timeless lesson of Good Friday-the goodness of which stems from the fact that we are so loved by the Divine that the Purest of Beings submitted to unimaginable torture and humiliation. It is thus, that people of all faith traditions would do well to contemplate the nature of Divine Love and Sacrifice, on this solemn day.

This Sunday, the Day of Resurrection and First Day of Ridvan, will find me celebrating both events of the continuous flow of Divine love and inspiration. May many find it in their hearts to do the same. The Divine never leaves us alone. Let us honour one another.

The Spirit of Connection

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on April 17, 2019 in Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Spiritual

April 17, 2019-

Have you ever felt drawn to someone,

beyond any physical sense,

but as if s(he) had been in

your energy field,

forever?

There are, and have been,

in my experiential existence,

dozens of such souls.

It’s easy to confuse,

to conflate,

an intense psychic bond,

with some level

of physical,

or even sexual,

attraction.

I’ve been there.

After all,

Penny and I

began our time together,

knowing we had

seen each other,

in dreams

and in waking visions.

The proof,

for me,

that such bonds

transcend the physical,

is that I have them

with people much younger,

much older,

female and male, alike.

I have encountered

children,

even infants,

who recognized me

from some other realm,

even though we’d

never seen one another,

on this plane.

Clarity:

I don’t believe

our spirits

get recycled,

into physical bodies,

again and again.

I believe

there is a boundless

energy field

and that we connect

somewhere in that field,

of which this physical plane

is but a small part.

I believe there are

souls to whom we

are drawn,

wordlessly,

and there

at least two dozen,

both here, and

in various parts

of the world,

to whom I am so drawn.

These thoughts came into my consciousness, as I woke this morning.

All Those Meanwhiles

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on March 26, 2019 in children, Community, Family, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

March 26, 2019-

For a good part of my time with my little family, in Korea, I was drawn away from anything to do with the wider world. It felt only natural to narrow my focus, with only a relatively brief microburst of heavy rain, upon our return to Busan from Jeju, on March 15, to let the potential of havoc remind me that there was indeed “life’s mud and stone”, in the words of the great Kenny Rogers, of which to be ever mindful.

Nothing was more jarring than the shootings in Christchurch, something for which I ached, for days afterward, upon reading a digest of news in a copy of The Korea Herald. Spiritual truth is one, continuous flow, throughout history and will remain so. The wanton slaughter of 120 people in northern Nigeria, yet another episode in the back-and-forth atrocities between Christians and Muslims in that country and the ongoing bloodbath in Mali, orchestrated by the Islamic State and pitting the Peuhl people against IS’s Dogon opponents, have stayed on the back burner of the world’s awareness. This is the wrong approach. At the very least, what happens in Africa, especially in the west and north of the continent, will spread to Europe, eventually, just as conflicts in the west of Asia are feared to do. More essentially, the deaths of hundreds-anywhere- is a humanitarian crisis, worthy of the full attention of the wider world.

We seem to at least be paying closer attention to the horrific cyclone-caused damage and casualties in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Americans can identify with such events, especially when simultaneous horrors are ravaging the North American Great Plains and riparian areas of the Midwest. Nature is in a highly-charged state right now. Whether it is cyclical or the result of intense man-made climatic disruptions, unified responses are necessary.

Then, there were the more personal individual tragedies: A young lady who had survived last year’s Parkland, FL shootings was overcome by her emotional pain, and took her life. A week later, the esteemed economist, Paul Krueger, overcome by suffering of his own, followed suit. Closer to home, two teen girls in our area and a Phoenix police officer were killed by inattentive drivers.

I learned my lesson, that even during the most basic and intensely personal of life events, there is no separation from all that surrounds us. Meanwhile, family thrives, near neighbours may struggle-and those who live in areas, where life’s larger problems seem intractable, continue to warrant our love and efforts to help, where possible.

The “meanwhiles” never take a vacation.

Jeju, Part 3: Where the Sun Greets Jeju-do

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on March 15, 2019 in Community, Education, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Matters of Faith, Social, Spiritual, Travel

March 14, 2019, Songsan, South Korea-

After a robust meal of kalbi (grilled ribs), at Kyodong Dok Kalbi, we retired to the Golden Tulip Hotel, in this eastern fishing and shellfish diving center.

Our first stop, on a robust and happy day that will take us across the island, was Songsan Ilchulbong, a small promontory that is a favourite of locals and tourists alike, for greeting the sunrise. We did not do so, as the sumptuous breakfast buffet of Golden Tulip beckoned first.

Once we did get to the site, though, we found a small course for riding a Cheju pony, similar to the ponies of Shetland. Yunhee gladly rode the pony, even though it was a very brief experience.

Although the coastal areas of Jeju are treeless, in most spots, an effort is being made to plant windbreak in some places around Songsan.

Here is the volcanic promontory that beckoned us. I was last up this hill, in February, 1992, with a small group of freshman students.

Here is a view, from halfway up, of Songsan, in the morning light. Halla-san, the highest peak on Jeju, and in South Korea, is seen in the distance, on the near left side.

There are many igneous boulders along the route. Here is a particularly popular photo point for many Korean visitors: Lamp Rock.

The image on the right side evokes a Grandmother’s kind visage.

Two eyes appear to be watching, at this site of twin caves.

The indentation below seems to fit my daughter-in-law perfectly!

We made it to the top, so I chose this as my next profile picture on social media.

Below, is a view of the crater, for which the summit of Ilchulbong is famous. Yes, the hill is a dead cinder cone.

Here is the southern, less inhabited part of Udo, an islet just across a small channel from Songsan.

Here are the effects of constant saline deposits on this sedimentary boulder, in an area that hosts haenyo, or women who dive for abalone and sea cucumber. The traditional divers are mainly found in Jeju, though some are in a handful of towns on the southern mainland coast.

One haenyo is seen in the water, wearing a yellow diving vest.

Here is the bell of Dongam-sa, a Buddhist temple at the foot of Ilchulbong. A funeral was in progress when we visited, so we kept our visit quiet and short.