The imperfect attracts us

A Thanksgiving Retreat

November 26, 2013 at 7:44 am · Filed under Art, Authors, Bible, Bible Verse, Books, Creativity, Diet, Election, Entertainment, Faith, Healing, Health, Hope, Inspiration, Life, Living, Meditation, Philosophy, Quotations, Quotes, Religion, Spirituality, Zen and tagged: happy monk, Mt. Adams, Retreat, Spiritual center, Spirituality, Trout Lake Abbey, Washington

Dawn at Trout Lake Abbey, at the base of Mt. Adams in Washington state.

I am blessed to be giving thanks at one of my favorite spiritual retreat centers, Trout Lake Abbey; a place set aside to welcome and celebrate people of any and all faiths. Many thanks to the happiest monk I know, Kozen.

Peace and Love

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Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.

In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.

If We Think Only Of Ourselves

November 12, 2013 at 8:39 pm · Filed under Art, Authors, Books, Faith, Healing, Health, Hope, Inspiration, Life, Living, Meditation, Philosophy, Quotations, Quotes, Religion, Spirituality, Zen and tagged: A need for approval, Dalai Lama XIV, Letting go gives us freedom, Ravi Ravindra, Thich Nhat Hanh

* pic by nick agneta

My words for meditation today:

“If we think only of ourselves, forget about other people, then our minds occupy very small area. Inside that small area, even tiny problem appears very big. But the moment you develop a sense of concern for others, you realize that, just like ourselves, they also want happiness; they also want satisfaction. When you have this sense of concern, your mind automatically widens.”

– Dalai Lama XIV

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“A need for approval lies behind all efforts of evangelism. If someone else can be convinced, that will show us that we are on the right path. The attempt to convince someone of anything is a mark of insecurity.”

– Ravi Ravindra

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“Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything – anger, anxiety, or possessions – we cannot be free.”

– Thich Nhat Hanh

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Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.

In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.

The Dismount

October 11, 2013 at 9:52 pm · Filed under Authors, Books, Christianity, Creativity, Faith, Healing, Health, Hope, Inspiration, Life, Living, Meditation, Philosophy, Quotations, Quotes, Religion, Spirituality, Zen and tagged: but a terrible master, Dan Millman, facing your fears, Fear is a wonderful servant, Overcoming Fear, The Law Of Action, The Life You Were Born To Live, The only time you have a chance to show courage is when you're afraid, Trusting God

Victoria Kornova dismounts from uneven bars. Vernon Bryant/Photographer

I found myself feeling that frisson of enlightenment and affirmation in reading the following excerpt from a book given to me by a friend … so i wanted to share it with all of you:

I once coached a gymnast I’ll call Jill. She had worked hard on a new dismount from the uneven bars. She had done it many times in the spotting belt, then with an assist from me. Now the time had come for her to do it alone. She was well prepared and ready; she knew it, and I knew it. She got up on the bar and was about to perform the dismount when she stopped. “I can’t do it, Coach; I’m afraid.”

“Oh, I see,” I responded. “Yes, I think I’d be feeling a lot of fear, too; after all, it’s the first time you’re doing it by yourself. Where do you feel the fear?”

“Well, in my stomach and in my muscles; the feel kind of weak.”

“So you feel afraid.”

“Yes.”

“Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s see you do it.”

At first she looked confused. “But, Coach, I told you, I can’t – I’m afraid!”

“Whatever gave you the idea that fear was some kind of reason not to do something?”

“Well, I …”

“The only time you have a chance to show courage is when you’re afraid, Jill.” Then I added, ” It’s fine to feel afraid; it can be a healthy sign that you’re not ready for something. But in this case, you are. Fear is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master. Feel it as much as you want, Jill; experience it completely. Then do the dismount.”

* an excerpt from “The Life You Were Born To Live”, by Dan Millman

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Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.

In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.

Is This All Real? – Harry Potter

March 16, 2013 at 8:37 pm · Filed under Authors, Books, Faith, Healing, Health, Hope, Inspiration, Life, Living, Meditation, Movies, Philosophy, Quotations, Quotes, Religion, Spirituality, Zen

… and another modern fiction gem of enlightenment:

“Harry Potter: Professor? Is this all real? Or is it just happening inside my head?

Dumbledore: Of course it’s happening inside your head, Harry. Why should that mean that it’s not real?”

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Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.

In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.

The Beginning of a New Story

February 8, 2013 at 3:53 pm · Filed under Authors, Books, Christianity, Faith, Healing, Health, Hope, Inspiration, Life, Living, Meditation, Philosophy, Quotations, Quotes, Religion, Spirituality, Zen and tagged: a new unknown life, Aristotle, Crime and Punishment, freedom gives you the wings, Fyodor Dostoevsky, It is meditation that functions like a soil for the seed to sprout, life would not be given him for nothing, Love gives you the roots into the earth, Love with freedom, one world into another, Osho, pleasure, Regeneration, the gradual renewal of a man, the real kingdom of God

My words for meditation today:

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“Life … does not need pleasure to be added to it as an appendage, but contains pleasure in itself.”

– Aristotle

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“He did not know that the new life would not be given him for nothing, that he would have to pay dearly for it, that it would cost him great striving, great suffering. But that is the beginning of a new story — the story of the gradual renewal of a man, the story of his gradual regeneration, of his passing from one world into another, of his initiation into a new unknown life. That might be the subject of a new story, but our present story is ended.”

– Fyodor Dostoevsky; “Crime and Punishment”

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Love with freedom – if you have it, you are a king or a queen. That is the real kingdom of God; love with freedom. Love gives you the roots into the earth, and freedom gives you the wings. The only help for you and for others too, comes from meditation, because it is meditation that gives you roots in the earth and wings in the sky. It is meditation that creates that space in which your potential can become actual. It is meditation that functions like a soil for the seed to sprout. And you can be a blessing to others only if you have first been a blessing to yourself. You can help others only if you have helped yourself. If you are not rooted, centered, mature enough, even if you want to do good to others you are bound to do harm.”

– Osho

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– pic from The Guardian.

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Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.

In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.

The imperfect attracts us

December 15, 2012 at 11:46 am · Filed under Authors, Books, Christianity, Creativity, Entertainment, Faith, Healing, Health, Hope, Inspiration, Life, Living, Meditation, Philosophy, Quotations, Quotes, Religion, Spirituality, Zen and tagged: beautiful, It is the imperfect that astonishes and attracts us, Love was looking for something original, MANUSCRIPT FOUND IN ACCRA, Paolo Coelho, the brightest light comes from within, they weren’t prepared to welcome Love in, trying to make themselves beautiful, trying to reflect what came from outside

A great post from Paolo Coelho’s blog:

The imperfect attracts us

Beauty exists not in sameness but in difference.

Who could imagine a giraffe without its long neck or a cactus without its spines?
The irregularity of the mountain peaks that surround us is what makes them so imposing. If we tried to make them all the same, they would no longer command our respect.

It is the imperfect that astonishes and attracts us.

When we look at a cedar tree, we don’t think: ‘The branches should be all the same length.’
We think: ‘How strong it is.’

When we see a snake, we never say: ‘He is crawling along the ground, while I am walking with head erect.’
We think: ‘He might be small, but his skin is colourful, his movements elegant, and he is more powerful than me.’

When the camel crosses the desert and takes us to the place we want to reach, we never say: ‘He’s humpbacked and has ugly teeth.’
We think: ‘He deserves my love for his loyalty and help. Without him, I would never be able to explore the world.’

A sunset is always more beautiful when it is covered with irregularly shaped clouds, because only then can it reflect the many colours out of which dreams and poetry are made.

Pity those who think: ‘I am not beautiful. That’s why Love has not knocked at my door.’
In fact, Love did knock, but when they opened the door, they weren’t prepared to welcome Love in.

They were too busy trying to make themselves beautiful first, when, in fact, they were fine as they were.
They were trying to imitate others, when Love was looking for something original.

They were trying to reflect what came from outside, forgetting that the brightest light comes from within.

taken from MANUSCRIPT FOUND IN ACCRA

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Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status,lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.

In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.

The White Whale

August 12, 2012 at 10:51 am · Filed under Authors, Books, Christianity, Faith, Healing, Health, Hope, Inspiration, Life, Living, Massage, Meditation, Philosophy, Quotations, Quotes, Religion, Spirituality, Zen and tagged: anxiety, beware of thyself, failing in life, fear of failure, fear or ruin, gaining hope, God, Herman Melville, Hope, Love, Moby-Dick, Tristan Lowe, white whale

My words to meditate upon today … continuing on from fear of failure with self sabotage:

“Thou hast but enraged, not insulted me, sir; but for that I ask thee not to beware of Starbuck; thou wouldst but laugh; but let Ahab beware of Ahab; beware of thyself, old man.”

– Herman Melville; from “Moby-Dick”

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A scale model by Tristan Lowe.

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Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.

In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.

Smile because it happened

July 19, 2012 at 9:31 am · Filed under Authors, Books, Entertainment, Faith, Healing, Health, Hope, Inspiration, Life, Living, Meditation, Philosophy, Quotations, Religion, Spirituality, Zen and tagged: "Oh, being happy, Dante Alighieri, Dr. Seuss, God, Happiness, inner work, Let Go, Letting Go, Love, Moving on, Sadness, Sorrow, the places you'll go"

My words to meditate on today … for letting go of past sorrows, and undoing their lasting effect on today:

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

– Dr. Seuss

– And –

“There is no greater sorrow than to recall in misery the time when we were happy.”

– Dante Alighieri

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Picture from Dr. Seuss’s “Oh, the places you’ll go!”

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Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.

In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.

Isaiah 35

June 29, 2012 at 9:19 am · Filed under Bible, Bible Verse, Books, Christianity, Faith, Healing, Life, Living, Meditation, Philosophy, Quotations, Quotes, Religion, Spirituality, Theology, Zen and tagged: Addiction, Allah, Art, Astrology, Baptist, Belief, Buddhism, Catholic, Chakra, Chi, Christianity, Church, Energy, Fundamentalist, Gnostic, God, healing, Holy Spirit, Islam, Jesus, Jewish, Judaism, Love, Magic, Meditation, Miracle, Mithraism, Mithras, Mormon, Muslim, Mysticism, Nature, Overcoming, Pagan, Pain, Poetry, Prana, Presbyterian, Prose, Protestant, Religion, Samskara, Shaman, Shamanism, Shiite, Sikh, Soul, Spirituality, Suffering, Sunni, Tarot, Unitarian, Wicca, Wonder, Writing, Zen, Zodiac, Zoroastrianism

This was always one of my favorite Bible passages as a teenager – I even wrote a worship song to these lyrics, way back when. For some reason, that song sounded in my head this morning … so I thought it would be a good passage to meditate on today; from the differing depths and perspectives that my relationship with God has grown and evolved since then:

³Strengthen the feeble hands,
    steady the knees that give way;
⁴say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
    he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
    he will come to save you.”

⁵Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
    and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
⁶Then will the lame leap like a deer,
    and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
    and streams in the desert.
⁷The burning sand will become a pool,
    the thirsty ground bubbling springs.

– Isaiah 35: 3-7

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Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.

In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.

Aesop’s Fables

June 28, 2012 at 9:38 am · Filed under Authors, Books, Entertainment, Faith, Healing, Health, Life, Living, Meditation, Philosophy, Quotations, Quotes, Religion, Spirituality, Theology, Zen and tagged: Addiction, Allah, Art, Astrology, Baptist, Belief, Buddhism, Catholic, Chakra, Chi, Christianity, Church, Energy, Fundamentalist, Gnostic, God, healing, Holy Spirit, Islam, Jesus, Jewish, Judaism, Love, Magic, Meditation, Miracle, Mithraism, Mithras, Mormon, Muslim, Mysticism, Nature, Overcoming, Pagan, Pain, Poetry, Prana, Presbyterian, Prose, Protestant, Religion, Samskara, Shaman, Shamanism, Shiite, Sikh, Soul, Spirituality, Suffering, Sunni, Tarot, Unitarian, Wicca, Wonder, Writing, Zen, Zodiac, Zoroastrianism

My words and thoughts for meditation today – from Aesop’s Fables:

“Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.” – Aesop

Cherish what you have.

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“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop

Open-hearted kindness is always rewarded … even if the reward differs from our expectation.

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“A doubtful friend is worse than a certain enemy. Let a man be one thing or the other, and we then know how to meet him.” – Aesop

This speaks to Unconditional Love … we must love truly, and be there for our friends with whole-hearted support – no matter their trials, mistakes, or tribulations.

– and finally –

“Don’t let your special character and values, the secret that you know and no one else does, the truth – don’t let that get swallowed up by the great chewing complacency.” – Aesop

You are completely unique – there has never been anyone like you, and there will never be anyone like you again. Don’t smother that sacred part of you that is you at your MOST beautiful … embrace it, and know that you are LOVED.

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Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.

In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.

Comments (3)

Coelho

June 26, 2012 at 6:40 pm · Filed under Authors, Books, Entertainment, Faith, Healing, Meditation, Philosophy, Quotations, Quotes, Religion, Spirituality, Zen

* from Paolo Coelho’s Facebook page, an excerpt from “Warrior of the Light” … I can’t believe that this is like the only book of his I haven’t read! Must get it!! 🙂

In the midst of a crowd

June 15, 2012 at 9:47 am · Filed under Authors, Books, Faith, Healing, Meditation, Philosophy, Quotations, Quotes, Religion, Spirituality, Zen and tagged: Addiction, Allah, Art, Astrology, Baptist, Belief, Buddhism, Catholic, Chakra, Chi, Christianity, Church, Energy, Fundamentalist, Gnostic, God, healing, Holy Spirit, Islam, Jesus, Jewish, Judaism, Love, Magic, Meditation, Miracle, Mithraism, Mithras, Mormon, Muslim, Mysticism, Nature, Overcoming, Pagan, Pain, Poetry, Prana, Presbyterian, Prose, Protestant, Religion, Samskara, Shaman, Shamanism, Shiite, Sikh, Soul, Spirituality, Suffering, Sunni, Tarot, Unitarian, Wicca, Wonder, Writing, Zen, Zodiac, Zoroastrianism

My words to meditate on today may not SEEM like words about “healing”, persay … however, the woman or man who is able to achieve this state of openness … is a woman or man who is healed within, and able to be guided to go wherever God leads them … to heal whatever God wants them to heal.

“It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson; The Complete Prose Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson

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* artwork by Jeff Thomas at azuzephre.net

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Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.

In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.

Unconsciousness is like junk food

June 7, 2012 at 4:03 pm · Filed under Authors, Books, Entertainment, Faith, Meditation, Philosophy, Quotations, Quotes, Religion, Spirituality, Zen

A great quote from one of the books I am currently reading:

“Unconsciousness is like junk food. It’s an easy way to go through life, but it doesn’t give you the nourishment you need.”

– from “Dark Nights of the Soul”, by Thomas Moore

Prayer of Forgiveness

June 7, 2012 at 11:01 am · Filed under Authors, Books, Entertainment, Faith, Meditation, Philosophy, Quotations, Quotes, Religion, Spirituality and tagged: Addiction, Art, Astrology, Baptist, Belief, Buddhism, Catholic, Chakra, Chi, Christianity, Church, Energy, Fundamentalist, Gnostic, God, Holy Spirit, Islam, Jesus, Jewish, Judaism, Love, Magic, Meditation, Miracle, Mormon, Muslim, Mysticism, Nature, Overcoming, Pain, Poetry, Prana, Presbyterian, Prose, Protestant, Religion, Samskara, Shaman, Shamanism, Shiite, Sikh, Soul, Spirituality, Suffering, Sunni, Tarot, Unitarian, Wicca, Wonder, Writing, Zen, Zodiac

WOW, a very powerful excerpt from Paolo Coelho’s blog on his new book, “Aleph” (which I can’t wait to read):

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Hilal searches for inspiration on the golden walls, the columns, the people coming at this hour of the morning, the flames of the lit candles.

– I forgive the girl I was, not because I want to become a saint but because I do not want to endure this hatred. This tiresome hatred.

This was not what I expected.
– You may not forgive everyone and everything, but forgive me.
– I forgive everything and everyone. I forgive you because I love you and you do not love me. I forgive you because you reject me and I am losing my power.

She closes her eyes and raises her hands towards the ceiling.

– I am liberated from hatred by means of forgiveness and love. I understand that suffering, when it cannot be avoided, helps me to advance towards glory.

Hilal speaks softly but the acoustics of the church are so perfect that everything she says seems to echo throughout the four corners. But my experience tells me that she is channelling the spirit of a child.

The tears I shed, I forgive.
The suffering and disappointments, I forgive.
The betrayals and lies, I forgive.
The slandering and scheming, I forgive.
The hatred and persecution, I forgive.
The punches that were given, I forgive.
The shattered dreams, I forgive.
The dead hopes, I forgive.
The disaffection and jealousy, I forgive.
The indifference and ill will, I forgive.
The injustice in the name of justice, I forgive.
The anger and mistreatment, I forgive.
The neglect and oblivion, I forgive.
The world with all its evil, I forgive.

She lowers her arms, opens her eyes and places her hands on her face.
I move closer to kiss her, but she makes a signal with her hands.
– I have not finished yet.
She closes her eyes and looks up.

Grief and resentment, I replace with understanding and agreement.
Revolt, I replace with music that comes from my violin.
Pain I replace with oblivion.
Revenge, I replace with victory.

I will be able to love above all discontentment.
To give even when I am stripped of everything.
To work happily even when I find myself in the midst of all obstacles.
To dry tears even when I am still crying.
To believe even when I am discredited.

She opens her eyes, puts her hands on my head and says with an authority that comes from above:

– Thy will be done. Thy will be done.

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Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.

In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.

Alice In Wonderland

June 7, 2012 at 9:19 am · Filed under Authors, Books, Entertainment, Faith, Meditation, Philosophy, Quotations, Quotes, Religion, Spirituality, Zen and tagged: Addiction, Art, Astrology, Baptist, Belief, Buddhism, Catholic, Chakra, Chi, Christianity, Church, Energy, Fundamentalist, Gnostic, God, Holy Spirit, Islam, Jesus, Jewish, Judaism, Love, Magic, Meditation, Miracle, Mormon, Muslim, Mysticism, Nature, Overcoming, Pain, Poetry, Prana, Presbyterian, Prose, Protestant, Religion, Samskara, Shaman, Shamanism, Shiite, Sikh, Soul, Spirituality, Suffering, Sunni, Tarot, Unitarian, Wicca, Wonder, Writing, Zen, Zodiac

Words to meditate on from the Cheshire Cat :-D:

One day Alice came to a fork in the road and
Saw a Cheshire cat in a tree.
“Which road do I take?” she asked.
His response was a question:
“Where do you want to go?”
“I don’t know,” Alice answered.
“Then,” said the cat, “it doesn’t matter.”

Alice In Wonderland – Lewis Carroll

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Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.

In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.

Do Not Fear

June 4, 2012 at 10:39 am · Filed under Bible Verse, Books, Faith, Meditation, Philosophy, Quotations, Quotes, Religion, Spirituality and tagged: Addiction, Art, Astrology, Baptist, Belief, Buddhism, Catholic, Chakra, Chi, Christianity, Church, Energy, Fundamentalist, Gnostic, God, Holy Spirit, Islam, Jesus, Jewish, Judaism, Love, Magic, Meditation, Miracle, Mormon, Muslim, Mysticism, Nature, Overcoming, Pain, Poetry, Prana, Presbyterian, Prose, Protestant, Religion, Samskara, Shaman, Shamanism, Shiite, Sikh, Soul, Spirituality, Suffering, Sunni, Tarot, Unitarian, Wicca, Wonder, Writing, Zen, Zodiac

Words to meditate upon for today:

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10

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Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.

In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.

What is SIN?

May 31, 2012 at 3:20 pm · Filed under Authors, Books, Faith, Philosophy, Quotations, Quotes, Religion, Spirituality and tagged: Addiction, Art, Astrology, Baptist, Belief, Buddhism, Catholic, Chakra, Chi, Christianity, Church, Energy, Fundamentalist, Gnostic, God, Holy Spirit, Islam, Jesus, Jewish, Judaism, Love, Magic, Meditation, Miracle, Mormon, Muslim, Mysticism, Nature, Overcoming, Pain, Poetry, Prana, Presbyterian, Prose, Protestant, Religion, Samskara, Shaman, Shamanism, Shiite, Sikh, Soul, Spirituality, Suffering, Sunni, Tarot, Unitarian, Wicca, Wonder, Writing, Zen, Zodiac

Okay, since this is such a big topic to cover there, I dedicated more than one meditation session to it … they are: “The Absence of Sin“, “Dorian Gray – On Sin“, and “Meditation“.

So what is “sin”, anyway? I grew up in an extremely fundamentalist Christian background where sins were absolute (even if the execution of these judgments tended to the extreme of hypocrisy). In my mid-twenties I went through a period of spiritual conflict … I knew that the way I had been raised was not God’s will. I could feel God’s prompting, and hear God’s voice (when I took the time to listen back then) telling me that the entirety of these views were not God’s views. There is truth mixed in with un-truth being spread about by man.

Because I was so conflicted, and SO dis-enchanted, I actually went through a period described in the “Dorian Gray” quote … where you sort of try everything in order to overcome it. Those were VERY troubled times. Not only did I do a lot of things that I shouldn’t have been doing, but I encountered spiritual things that were not of God. Very few are able to untangle themselves from those nightmares once they dabble … it’s like a spiritual “tar-baby” that just keeps sucking you in the more you try to break free. Fortunately, I never abandoned my relationship with God. I continued praying, and meditating, asking forgiveness, and seeking God’s guidance throughout that entire period … and THAT was my salvation in the long run. Otherwise, if not for God’s grace and help, I would probably still be there.

So, no … the views expressed in that quote from Dorian Gray do NOT express my views on sin. It was a part of my past though … and I am forever grateful for God’s grace and compassion. I came from one extreme (extreme fundamentalist Christianity) and when I rejected that extreme I then, for a while, went to the other end of the spectrum … the opposite equal. Some people just HAVE to get their hand burnt … I, it seems, am just that stubborn (or at least I was).

Fortunately, I was freed from that by God. I was able to devote years to meditating and nurturing my relationship with God. Many breakthroughs, and spiritual blockages cleared, later I have come to a place where I feel that I understand God’s will. The chains that people try to use to bind us down using the word “sin” is largely a way to control … control people’s minds, and their actions, and ultimately their faith. We are constantly being assaulted by forces that do not want us to have a relationship with God.

“Sin” is what happens when we allow ourselves to be closed off from God. That’s it. If you have an open heart, with ears to hear and eyes to see what God has in store for you, you will be led by God. If you keep your heart open, always maintaining a spiritual connection to God … then you WON’T be sinning. It really is that simple. If you do fail, and “sin”, then all you need to do is take the time to open your heart and connect to God again … no penance, no rite of purification. As with any relationship, if you do something to hurt the other party, you ask for their forgiveness. It’s that simple … just maintain an open relationship with God, at all times.

However, it takes a HUGE amount of discipline to maintain this “open-heart” connection at all times. Sometimes it feels SO natural, like you could just stay there forever … those moments are blessings. What is difficult is to keep your heart open no matter what. No matter what happens in your life (depression, physical ailment, death, heartbreak, abuse, etc). NEVER close your heart to God. Keep yourself wide open, and allow God to inhabit this new space … in fact, a new opportunity to grow.

As you do this, you will see that God really DOES comfort and nurture you … protect and guide you.

When you close yourself to God, you are simply stumbling about … flailing about like someone who doesn’t know how to swim … someone who will drown. That is when we sin. When you are open hearted and connected to God … you will not be sinning. God is a God of LOVE … if you are based in LOVE in everything that you do … you won’t be sinning.

During one of these meditation sessions for this posting on SIN, I began it by asking for forgiveness of my sins … just out of routine, really. I heard God’s voice ask me,

“Why are you asking for forgiveness of your sins? Have you sinned today?”

I thought that was a strange question because I have been such a PROFOUND sinner at times in my life, that I just naturally assume there is some sin that I have committed, without even knowing perhaps. I thought about it, and I then realized that (at that moment in time) I had spent the entire day connected to God. I never once shut my heart down. I had just been blissfully going on throughout the day, constantly connected to God. It COMPLETELY blew my mind to actually be able to say back to God,

“No … I guess I haven’t.”

My whole body warmed, and my 6th chakra tingled electrically … God’s Happiness flowed through me at this new awareness achieved.

* Note – for any reading this who do not understand what I mean when I talk about having an “open heart” … a good place to find some understanding on this can be found in the book, “The Untethered Soul“. I’m sure there are many other resources as well that others can provide by leaving a comment.

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Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.

In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.

Southern California, Northern California,Mission Viejo, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Marin, San Jose, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Palm Springs, Long Beach

Comments (7)

Dorian Gray – on sin …

May 30, 2012 at 9:31 pm · Filed under Authors, Books, Entertainment, Faith, Philosophy, Poetry, Quotations, Quotes, Religion, Spirituality and tagged: Addiction, Art, Astrology, Baptist, Belief, Buddhism, Catholic, Chakra, Chi, Christianity, Church, Energy, Fundamentalist, Gnostic, God, Holy Spirit, Islam, Jesus, Jewish, Judaism, Love, Magic, Meditation, Miracle, Mormon, Muslim, Mysticism, Nature, Overcoming, Pain, Poetry, Prana, Presbyterian, Prose, Protestant, Religion, Samskara, Shaman, Shamanism, Shiite, Sikh, Soul, Spirituality, Suffering, Sunni, Tarot, Unitarian, Wicca, Wonder, Writing, Zen, Zodiac

An interesting quote … one could go SO many directions with this … anyone? 😉

“And yet,” continued Lord Henry, in his low, musical voice, and with that graceful wave of the hand that was always so characteristic of him, and that he had even in his Eton days, “I believe that if one man were to live out his life fully and completely, were to give form to every feeling, expression to every thought, reality to every dream–I believe that the world would gain such a fresh impulse of joy that we would forget all the maladies of mediaevalism, and return to the Hellenic ideal– to something finer, richer than the Hellenic ideal, it may be. But the bravest man amongst us is afraid of himself. The mutilation of the savage has its tragic survival in the self-denial that mars our lives. We are punished for our refusals. Every impulse that we strive to strangle broods in the mind and poisons us. The body sins once, and has done with its sin, for action is a mode of purification. Nothing remains then but the recollection of a pleasure, or the luxury of a regret. The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful. It has been said that the great events of the world take place in the brain. It is in the brain, and the brain only, that the great sins of the world take place also.”

– Lord Henry; from the Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde

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Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.

In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.

Comments (6)

A Cat Doesn’t Become a Chicken

May 27, 2012 at 8:02 am · Filed under Authors, Books, Entertainment, Faith, Philosophy, Poetry, Quotations, Quotes, Religion, Spirituality and tagged: Addiction, Art, Astrology, Baptist, Belief, Buddhism, Catholic, Chakra, Chi, Christianity, Church, Energy, Fundamentalist, Gnostic, God, Holy Spirit, Islam, Jesus, Jewish, Judaism, Love, Magic, Meditation, Miracle, Mormon, Muslim, Mysticism, Nature, Overcoming, Pain, Poetry, Prana, Presbyterian, Prose, Protestant, Religion, Samskara, Shaman, Shamanism, Shiite, Sikh, Soul, Spirituality, Suffering, Sunni, Tarot, Unitarian, Wicca, Wonder, Writing, Zen, Zodiac

I LOVE this … and this is a much needed topic to meditate upon, for me particularly :-).

“Peonies bloom on peony trees.

A cat doesn’t become a chicken.

Tulips are tulips, not roses.

Why can’t we realize this true fact?

That to be me is great.

I don’t have to be anyone but me.

I am blooming as I am in my life,

just as a peony blooms on a peony tree.

Further, a beautiful peony flower

does not worry about when it will wilt and fall to the ground.

It does not compete with the flower next to it;

rather it blooms with its whole self.

– Sensei Ogui; from “Zen Shin Talks”

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Religion4All is an idea: that every human being (no matter their race, religion, sexuality, social status, lifestyle, or any other possible factor) is LOVED by God; just … as … they are.

In that space of openness we can then live a life of LOVE, and be guided to where we are meant to be … forever in LOVE.