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Posts Tagged ‘mindfulness’

Our Bounded Understanding – Part 2

Posted in jungian, meditation, metaphors, mysticism, Phenomenology, Practical Spirituality, science & religion, spirituality, teilhard de chardin, theology, Theurgy, thomas christians, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 27, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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Perhaps no statement sits more uneasily in our hearts and minds than the second phrase of the Nicene Creed:

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of one being with the Father.

In our age, an ecumenical spirit continues to rise alongside of defensive orthodoxies. While many of our brothers and sisters embrace the stated belief completely, still others see the sacred light shining through many other manifestations in other traditions as well, as in the life and teaching of the Buddha, while still others cling to belief that they worship the “One True” God.

The Council arrived at a formula that members felt would establish the divinity of Christ in such a way as to set aside the many divergent views of who Jesus was at the time. This served the theo-political goal of cohesiveness under Constantine and the promulgation of a coherent guiding creed by which to define identity as a Christian.

How do we bring these words to life in our times while being respectful of the inspiration ( witting and unwitting) contained in what the Council fashioned?

I offer the following personal meditation:

I believe in Jesus of Nazareth, the teacher of righteousness, the Son of Man, from  whose life and words springs the truth of God’s Love and Presence.

In His example, I see God’s Presence lived fully and in walking with Him I open myself to die to who I think I am to be born as the one I really am.

I believe in the Cosmic Christ, inspired and expressed by the Source, Father-Mother of all, that was there before the beginning, at the beginning and is still the central archetype of the evolving Universe.

I believe that God is the light that pierces all the darkness and the love shown by Christ is the way to that Light.

There is an eternal unity that binds the children of the Light to the beating Heart that set all in motion and that draws all back home.

© The Harried Mystic, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

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The Lighted Face of Darkness

Posted in archetypes, jungian, meditation, Phenomenology, Practical Spirituality, spirituality, thomas christians, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 25, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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This week I had the privilege of joining with members of our parish bible study group on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady by the Sea at Manorville NY.

Besides time in dialogue on the origins of the rosary and its many forms, the highlight for me was strolling on the sites’s “Rosary Walk”. This circular path begins at a statue of Our Lady and circles back around to the statue thus mirroring the structure of the traditional 5-decade configuration. Beads are physically simulated with bushes: larger ones for the cruciform beads at which we announce the mysteries, and smaller ones denoting the 10 Ave Marias between each.

The way the mysteries were laid out at the mystery stops that separate the sets of 10 was striking. Bronze markers presented each of 4 mysteries: one joyful, one sorrowful, one glorious and one luminous. This accommodates whichever set of mysteries any given pilgrim is reciting on a particular day. The traditional expectation is that one set of mysteries is in mind per round.

With 4 possible mysteries confronting me at each station, however, I found myself reflecting across all of those presented without regard for staying within any given set.

This had an interesting effect on me. I felt moved to see the intersections and interdependencies among them in a fresh way.

Much of our spiritual lives is paradox. In fact, Christianity is full of irony and paradox: a crucified god, a messiah born to poor circumstances, a soter focused on the laity and forgotten of society, and teachings that collide constantly with usual thinking. My walk became a meditation on living at the intersection of the mysteries and not appreciating them singularly.

In great art, the play of light and dark is what renders images striking. In like fashion, the sorrowful moments deepen our receptivity to light, the rare luminous epiphanies when we see so very clearly. The joyful mysteries ( Mary’s “yes” to God) foreshadows the deep sorrows to come in accepting what is unthinkable for any mother: the death of a son. Likewise, the glorious mysteries point to the way of seeing into and beyond the time of sorrows:

” Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.” ( Jn 16:20)

Carl Jung spoke of”shadow work” as crucial: examining our inner darkness, facing it, and working through it. Making conscious what is unconscious is spiritually essential or our spirituality remains at the surface and we miss the deeper dive.

In future, I will once again allow the full spectrum of mysteries to parade across my mind as I enter into the paradox filled mystical heart of the Rosary.

© The Harried Mystic, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

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Bouquets of Mystic Roses

Posted in meditation, metaphors, mysticism, Practical Spirituality, spiritual healing, spirituality, Theurgy, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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With a rich and diverse history dating back to around 800 AD, the practice of saying the rosary (or a  place where roses grow) blossomed rapidly.

Over the centuries, many forms  emerged. It was St. Dominic who first referred to the practice of reciting  three bouquets of  fifty prayers each (prayers tracing back to the lay Medieval practice of prayer after  monastic chanting of each of the 150 Psalms of David).

The symbolism is deeply rooted in Western consciousness.

As most species of roses have five petals each, it came to represent the five wounds of Christ and became quickly associated with the Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven. The rose is the national flower of England and the U.S. state flowers of New York, Georgia, North Dakota, and Iowa. It is the recognized flower of Valentine’s Day and is often associated with love. It’s fragrance too has come to connote transcendent self offering, humility, grace and peace.

A walk in a rose garden with a set of rosary beads in hand is a wonderful way to invite all of one’s senses to open to the sacred mysteries.

It is the very essence of simplicity: walk slowly through the garden, slow down your breathing. Stop on each bead and breath peace. Bathe in the silence. No need to use a lot of words or any in fact.

Simple, easy, open and thankful.

© The Harried Mystic, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

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The Crowded Heart

Posted in Practical Spirituality, spiritual healing, spirituality, thomas christians, zen, tagged , , , , , , , on May 3, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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Clutter around us almost always correlates with clutter inside of us.

Attachments become virtual amulets that give us comfort and the illusion of a predictable and routine tomorrow. These are the personal accoutrements signifying values, concerns, expectations and identity.

Therefore, simply reflecting on the things to which we cling is wonderful mindfulness practice. It helps reveal things in heart and mind that weigh us down and knowing that gives us a chance to cut them loose and become spiritually lighter.

© The Harried Mystic, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

 

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Scaffolds

Posted in Christic Haiku, metaphors, mysticism, Practical Spirituality, sacred poetry, spirituality, thomas christians, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 17, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Our beliefs are but scaffolds clinging to the sides of hidden immensity –

ah, the exhilaration of unknowing!

© The Harried Mystic, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

 

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Light Minded

Posted in archetypal psychology, Christic Haiku, faith, meditation, metaphors, mysticism, Practical Spirituality, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on April 17, 2013| Leave a Comment »

with nothing owed me nor fever of gain,

I am as refreshed as after refreshing cool rain;

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no thought of purpose, no hungry ambition,

I am totally open to hear Your commission;

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to hear you is to love,

to love you is to hear;

I open myself up, so you can draw near.

© The Harried Mystic, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

 

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The Old Well & the Daisy

Posted in archetypes, faith, jungian, meditation, metaphors, mysticism, Practical Spirituality, spirituality, Theurgy, thomas christians, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on April 13, 2013| Leave a Comment »

A forgotten well, all veiled in vine,
Speaks in silence of ancient wine;

While nature’s cloak and a good night’s soak,
Turn back the bruise of time.

And the solitary daisy, yellow- sparkling in the Sun,
Whispers sweetly to the stone: ” We’ve only just begun!”

© The Harried Mystic, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

 

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Ablutions

Posted in meditation, Practical Spirituality, spirituality, tagged , , , , , , , on March 15, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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Brother Lawrence, Franciscan Friar, exhorts us in his “Practice of the Presence” to find the sacred in the very mundane like washing dishes, sweeping, and doing the laundry.

We have the chance every morning, regardless of how busy we may be, to do precisely this when it comes to showering, combing hair, shaving and brushing teeth. In fact, this last activity, brushing, we are told by dentists, to not rush or skimp on. I find it very diagnostic to reflect on my impatience with waiting the requisite number of seconds to be sure I am thorough.

Enter the sonic toothbrush! The one I was given stops ever so briefly to let you know it is time to move from the top set of teeth on the front side to the under side, etc. Well, it seems simply interminable!

So, here’s a great practice in being present and emptying mind of all the rushing ahead. Stay in the moment and wait the full time as measured by the brush.

I’ve been adding the Jesus Prayer from the Philokalia as I do so: ” Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy.” Of course, you can add your own mantra.

Good for the soul and good for oral hygiene – a twofer!

Give it a try.

© The Harried Mystic, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

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Angels also are in the Details

Posted in archetypal psychology, archetypes, geometry of spirit, jungian, meditation, metaphors, mysticism, Practical Spirituality, Theurgy, thomas christians, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 13, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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Imagine a theological Sherlock Holmes: Seeing details overlooked by most.

There is a spiritual lesson in really seeing more of what is happening around us. Clear sight, the skill of tracking, is deep meditation. It cannot be accomplished unless we quiet all of our inner leaping.

One useful practice is to try to draw what we are seeing. Almost immediately, we discover that we are not really seeing but recalling an image of what we think we are looking at. In the act of really examining our surround, we can catch a glimpse of things as they are. In doing so, we set the stage for breaking through to a new relationship.

Martin Buber referred to I – It vs. I – Thou relationships. I -It is seeing inner facsimiles of objects, whereas I -Thou is inter- subjective and intimate.

We are all artists. The real question is are we rendering what is or what we think we know. Biblical knowing is about seeing from the inside-out rather than outside in.

The good news is that all we need is a pad and pen or pencil and we are off on an adventure of discovery. Looking with intent to really see gets us beyond vague sketches to catching the wisdom of actual detail.

Cultivating an artist’s eye opens us up to first seeing what’s there and then seeing into and beyond mere appearances. It is instructive that artistic realism preceded impressionism and expressionism. A jump straight to impressionism is not an act of deep sight but a crass short-cut, a pretense and an affectation.

Happy sketching!

© The Harried Mystic, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

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Expecting Nothing

Posted in faith, meditation, mysticism, Practical Spirituality, spirituality, thomas christians, zen, tagged , , , , , , , on March 13, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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Will I make it into heaven? Will St. Peter smile on my admission to paradise? Is there a heaven?

This is all history wrapped in metaphor and has a certain poetic aesthetic. Problem is that for many it is the stuff of immutable belief.

It also is thinking that views human life as operating in an enormous “Skinner Box” with God playing the role of dispenser of the reinforcers ( akin to yummy Purina pellets for hungry souls, administered so long as we behave). Quaint but very much built around an adult – child model of our relationship with the Sacred.

Authentic spiritual practice, on the other hand, expects nothing. We show compassion because we are not separate. We need each other. We worship because we sense the Presence all around us. We invest in spiritual disciplines so as to be more truly who we are beyond illusions, delusions and allusions.

To expect nothing is to simply be children of the Loving-Living God seeking intimacy with the Heart of the Universe: to act in the moment without agenda.

The simple practice before and after action: check in with driving motives. Ask: What am I expecting? As the story of the Dalai Lama goes, on receiving a gift-wrapped box containing nothing: ” Thank you. It’s what I always wanted! ”

Luke 6: 32-36

“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”

© The Harried Mystic, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.

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