Change is a constant, even if some hectoring voice uses that bromide as his mantra. It occurs to me that there was a different me, sometime ago, which is either fading or has disappeared.
Time was, when I was concerned with how people thought of me, how they looked at me, whether I’d be accepted. Now, I see others as fellow travelers, even if they go on a path that’s different from mine. We will all end up at the same place; we’ll just be asked different questions, by the Gatekeeper. I accept myself, and how I look, so it doesn’t matter how others find my appearance. Besides, more and more people are far younger than I am, so they will most likely just see an old man. As for acceptance-that starts with self-and that horse came back into the barn, a long time ago.
Then, I tended to patronize people-kids, women, old folks. I thought it the best road to being regarded as “just folks”. A rough old soldier called me out on the matter, and I began the long road to seeing humans as eyeball-to-eyeball. I had made a lot of progress, in terms of being genuine, by 2005. Then, my beloved began to really go into decline and I put my self-care, and development, on hold. After she left, it took three solid years of struggle, some travel and a fair number of mistakes, whilst on the road, to reach my equilibrium again.
Now, it’s 2020-and getting closer to mid-year. How am I doing? I’m good, in place, and once the curtain gets lifted, and I am cleared to be on the road again, I probably will hang on around here- to see how the school situation is shaking out, and if I am needed there. I will also be even more focused, whether at home or on the road, than I was even last year. There is a five-dimension sense that has taken over my consciousness. It’ll be a most astonishing seven months ahead, and even more astonishing afterward.
The current pandemic, like any previous crisis, has brought out the best and the worst of human nature. There are those in this country who are convinced the ONLY reason that there is a big deal being made about COVID-19 is to keep their favoured candidate(s) for political office from winning. Their opposites are saying pretty much the same thing about the handling of emergency funds. The bottom line: It’s about ME!
Yes, and no. Every human being has to take stock of a situation, no matter how widespread or dire, with regard to his/her personal circumstances. That’s fine, but then. the considerations must become more community-focused, then nation-focused, and, finally, globally-focused. To their credit, there are people at all points along the political spectrum, and in all Faiths, who see the big picture. Christians recognize that God is calling us all to the Altar. Buddhists are having global chants via digital platforms. Muslims have, by and large, not insisted on in-house gatherings, during this season of Ramadan. We Baha’is, likewise, are thriving with digital meetings, of various kinds, as well. There are those, in both the conservative camp and the liberal camp, who resist the loud voices calling for “liberation” and defiance of any regulation, on the one hand, and for open-ended quarantine and forced digital identification, on the other.
The future course of action will be decided, in my humble opinion, by conditions that exist at the ground level. I also feel, very strongly, that the length of the pandemic will be determined, to a huge extent, by how much of a community dedication there is to revamping the way we go about our community life. Do we respect those who have no choice but to go to work? Do we respect our children enough to find ways to honour their needs for exploration and activity-indeed, do we respect those needs in EVERYONE? Are we willing to stop the daily dogpiles on those who see things differently than we do, and just listen for once? Do we want to honour the health of our elders and those whose immune systems are compromised?
One of my advisers says that we are rapidly approaching a fork in the road, as to how our society, how all societies on Earth, will go forward. There will be a choice between communal thinking, based on “the hurt of one is the hurt of all”, and a positive view of the future AND a greed-based, control-oriented mindset (seen on both right and left), with a cynical, negative view of this life. I, for one, think the choice is quite clear.
I joined a small talking circle, as part of a weekly class on the subject. One of the members began talking. His talk led him from one painful episode of his past to another. When he reached the end of his often tearful recounting-and expressed gratitude for the place his journey had brought him, we were all awestruck, and humbled.
The customary rule of a talking circle is that everyone gets a chance to speak. With three minutes left, before we were brought back into the Great Circle, the remaining three of us each managed to make a meaningful introduction of ourselves. It was not a hard thing to do.
These are far from normal times. The task of those involved in imparting healing energy is, more than ever, to do so one soul at a time. This was an intense twenty minutes, and I believe it made all the difference in the world, to someone who had likely not been really heard, for a good long time.
He spoke softly, but his story reached crescendo levels.
(I am, at the age of 69, unlikely to be called to serve in any real capacity, by humanitarian agencies, but it helps to gain this perspective, in case of any unforeseen emergencies, even in this country.)
As I bid farewell to my Baha’i friends, after the Zoom call that commemorated the First Day of Ridvan, I found a message, essentially telling me I was part of a greater problem, for having attended the Holy Day observance.
Ridvan is Persian for “paradise”. The Garden of Ridvan was a salubrious place, just outside Baghdad. In 1863, Baha’u’llah and His family were preparing to obey the edict of the Ottoman Empire’s Sultan, and depart Baghdad for Constantinople (Istanbul). They camped in Ridvan Garden for twelve days, April 21-May 2. As we use a lunar calendar, called the Badi Calendar, to reckon our Holy Days, the actual dates may fluctuate, as they have this year. So, today is the Festival’s first day and May 1, the twelfth day. In between, there is a commemoration of the ninth day, during which Baha’u’llah revealed His Station, as Messenger of God, to His family and camp followers. We Baha’is commemorate all three days, as sacred.
No one who knows me really thinks I sit around and am content to merely observe ritual or tradition. At the same time, observing special occasions with friends is NOT wrong, nor is it wasteful. There are those, however, who feel it their duty to savage people, for whatever reason they have cooked up in their minds. My inclination is to not let their diatribes turn me aside from what I know to be my spiritual path. One of my spiritual advisers urges me to stay on my path, and I’m sure that. were I to consult the others, they would agree.
There will, no doubt, be many changes coming our way, in the immediate future and throughout this decade. The 24/7 nature of our news and communications have many people in an uproar. Some will make risky choices and suffer for them, possibly taking others down with them. Others will want to make choices FOR others, offering to take control of many lives-“in the name of scientific progress”. I will, as I’ve said recently, make my own choices and they will take both my needs, and those of the multitude whom I love, into consideration. For that matter, I will consider the safety and well-being of those who attack me, as well. God created them, too, even if they don’t see it.
This has been a year of meticulously taking one day at a time-and it will continue as such, well after COVID19 has subsided.
Today would have been the start of Earth Week, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day One. As it happened, I spent quality time (2 hours) watching and listening to young people talking about their concerns regarding Mother Earth. Few are really blaming all of the mess on the human race, but each made the point that we are not blameless, nor are we powerless, in the face of the climate challenge. Youth groups and the Farmers’ Market are my anchors, in this Center that is my Home Base.
There are also four spiritual posts, one in each direction, that help me stay centered, and which have connections to one another, and to the Center.
East– The Baha’i Faith originated in Iran, spread gradually in all directions, and is now found in nearly every nation on Earth, with its World Centre being in Haifa, Israel. The Teachings of Baha’u’llah have confirmed my lifelong conviction that there is only one Race,the Human Race, and that all religious teachings emanate from One Creator. This eastern spiritual post has led me to the others. http://www.bahai.org
South– Elizabeth Peru is based in Adelaide, South Australia. I was drawn to her website, was introduced to her daily guided meditations and insights into the interaction between Earth and all other elements of the Cosmos. These meditations and observations both affirm and enrich my own. The southern spiritual post affirms my connectedness with all living beings. http://www.elizabethperu.com
West– Earth Rising, based in San Francisco, also focuses on the connectedness of all beings on the planet and in the innate spirituality of mankind. I was drawn to this site, through other Baha’i friends on social media. It’s a private group on Facebook, yet I feel abundantly welcome, and affirmed here. I join in regular digital conferencing of this group and its affiliate, Gaia Calling. New members are welcomed, through Earth Rising’s Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1039631319395983/
North– Chief Phil Lane is a longtime Baha’i friend and well-deepened Lakota spiritual guide. His Four Worlds International Institute, in the Vancouver area of British Columbia, is in many ways a North Star. I have deep genetic memory of being connected to First Nations people, especially those of the eastern woodlands. Four Worlds has graciously welcomed me into its fold, with regular digital conferencing, for the time being. http://www.fwii.net
In the midst of the current turmoil, I have increasingly felt the need for these four posts, and for my center. There is, I feel, a new society rising out of all that is happening, and all that remains to happen, in the foreseeable future. Those who live their truth have little cause for alarm.
The young girl read her poem She thanked Coronvirusdisease2019, for bringing things to a halt, for making us take notice of one another and for showing us that we need to use our time more wisely.
I joined a Zoom call this morning, with people from Jordan to New Zealand, from Bolivia to Alaska, joining together in prayer, and a short series of Talking Circles, organized by the Four Worlds International Institute, a spiritual connectedness center, run by First Nations people, in Surrey, BC-south of Vancouver.
Most of the time was spent in prayer and thoughtful remarks. The young girl and her father, Bedouins from Jordan, offered very cogent remarks about the state of the planet and fervent prayers for all humanity to recover fully, from the current crisis. They were followed, not long after, by an Israeli Jew, singing a prayer in Hebrew.
This session lasted two hours, and will be followed, on a daily basis, by a Mayan gentleman, offering a prayer at sunrise. It will be followed, on a weekly basis, each Thursday until May 21, by a similar prayers and Talking Circle format.
A Talking Circle, for those not familiar with it, is a small group of people talking from their hearts, one at a time. Customarily, a Talking Stick is held by the person whose turn it is to speak. No one else may speak until that person finishes. A person may not have a second turn holding the stick, until everyone in the circle has had a chance to speak-though one with nothing to share may pass the stick to the next person.
In the current, digital format, the unmute button serves as Talking Stick. Everyone remains muted, except the person whose turn it is to speak. Six of us, three from Arizona and others from as far away as Norway and Fiji, spoke briefly in introduction to one another. I am sure the conversations will become deeper, as the weeks progress.
This sort of discourse will be where the ideas for spiritual regeneration come.
