"O Divine Creator,
We ask that we may be instruments For your peace, so that this great light May spread throughout our world. We pray that your eternal love May fill the hearts of all humankind Now and at this very moment Bringing peace and freedom to our world. May your Light shine upon all life -- So that all people of every creed and race, The animal kingdom, and Nature in all her bounty, May be risen into your eternal Love. Creator of Oneness, Father of Life May your will always be done. And may peace prevail upon our world. Now and forevermore." © Chrissie Blaze
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Praise is of utmost importance on the mystic's path. This might sound strange at first, given that mystics have a tendency to move away from strict literalism and think of things from other angles instead.
Praise need not be understood from the angle of an individual praising an external and wholly separate God that will otherwise be angered in the absence of such praise, yet we find that image of separation between man and God to be useful here; the act of praise can happen between the individual personality/ego and the Higher Self, specifically in the moments when we feel most separated from the Divine. This is an on-going process, of course; our drawing closer to the Divine is something that spirals about, and most of us experience extreme nearness and then extreme distance. That's okay. That's how things are supposed to go for most people. This drawing near and then moving away from the Divine applies just as easily to the Inner Divine. Sufism has things to say about the feeling of distance from the Divine and the longing one might feel in response to that distance. And so it goes. In these moments, even for mystics, we can praise the Inner Divine. We can realize that our distance from the Inner Divine is also part of the Mystery, and by our sheer awareness of that distance, we're actively participating in the Mystery! Whether our praise is a simple "thank you" or we start singing hymn after hymn, focusing on the Inner Divine while we do those things achieves the result. Let us reflect on these things. In Christ, Steve A well-organized life can benefit the mystic enormously. It's not a coincidence that many mystics who live in communities have a particular schedule they follow on the daily.
For those of us who are busy attempting to discover "God in the marketplace," we likely benefit far more from an organized life. Life can be hectic and stressful; the imposition of a schedule helps to reduce the chaos and produce an effective means of bringing necessary peace to our lives. One might also consider meditation to be a form of "chaos-reduction" in our mind; meditation does its own kind of organizing of the mind by allowing our brains and bodies to simply stop for a bit, to take a break, to engage less. Deep deep has a similar function, of course- the deeper levels of sleep are where the brain is able to "prune" itself and purge what it needs to. "Getting a good night's sleep" is a kind of medicine so many forget, especially in the USA; we have a huge emphasize on working hard and perhaps on eating a well-balanced diet, but I don't hear nearly as much talk about the necessity of not only sleeping but sleeping well. Let us work to find what kind of schedule works best for us and our spiritual practice. Meditation and prayer alike take on different tones and roles at different times of day relative to our own schedule. Perhaps we should reflect on these things: what is prayer like for you in the morning? Noon? Evening? Night? And so on. What is prayer like for you at different times of the month? In different seasons? Reflect. In Christ, Steve If you grew up with a more fundamentalist perspective, you'll understand what I'm about to say here: for some folks, "everything is the Devil."
More accurately framed, for some folks, everything they fear, distrust, or don't understand is attributed incorrectly to Satan. Around 2007, I had an experience that framed things differently for me: what if instead of trying to avoid Satan, we tried to find Christ? "Christ is reflected in the sky. Christ is reflected in the changing of the seasons. Christ is reflected in the moon. Christ is reflected in trees. The flowers. The sounds of nature." And so on. At the time, I remarked something to my mother along the lines of, "Some people are so dedicated to avoiding Satan that they end up running into him around every corner." Most all of us have misgivings, fears, doubts, uncertainties, and so on. We don't, however, have to create more for ourselves, and we don't have to prevent ourselves from my growing as people by suggesting that all the things with which we're unfamiliar are actually controlled by the forces of evil. Speaking strictly in personal capacity, I don't necessarily hold to the belief of a specific Satan- perhaps there are negative, even malicious, spirits that exist, but I'm not sold on the idea that there's one king of the devils, nor have I encountered such beings. I have, however, experienced directly the help of beneficent beings and Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary. That being said, there are people who claim to have had terrifying (and traumatizing) encounters with evil spirits, and I'm not going to be so arrogant as to claim they're mistaken in their experience. Let us look for and to Christ in all things. In Christ, Steve |