The Light in the Woods

3/19/09 Inspirations              Don’t be afraid of the essence of God that’s within you. Don’t let people tell you that you can only be either a sinner or divine, knowing that you would never be prideful enough to claim divinity under the misperception that this would make you feel equal to God. No, the spark of divinity is not something we gain by overcoming sin – it’s a state given to us by God that permeates our spirits. It’s already there, but it is mystic – our sin has ruined our perception of our own divinity to the point that we can’t see it. But God sees it, and wants us to see it too.

It isn’t the amount or scope of our sin that makes us hopeless, it’s buying into the fallacy that God is the only divine being, and divinity cannot tolerate sin. It’s because we have God’s divinity within us that we can have a union-relationship with God, and it’s because we have the right to a relationship with God that we are interiorly motivated to be uncomfortable with sin and appreciative of virtue. The fact that we often set this aside for sensory satisfaction doesn’t change our makeup and therefore we always have hope.

Some religious would like to deny the existence of God’s divinity in the human spirit, but if we deny that, we lose sight of ourselves as gifted by God; our only alternative is to believe we can earn divinity by what we ourselves do. God became Christ to tell us we have been gifted with the right to a relationship with God, and that sin will not take that inheritance away. Mystics remind us that by accepting and acknowledging our divinity we welcome our unitive relationship with God, attract His further gifts of perception, abhor the sins which cloud that perception, and partner with God to bring the joys of this right-relationship to anyone else we can. We can do this only because God’s essence dwells in us – we are His children; made in His image. He will not forsake us even if we sin against Him. And we can’t be free of our divinity even if we deny it.

2/21/09 Inspirations             Truly we can chose to sin, but what we can’t do is to choose to be sinless. From our little white lie designed to spare someone’s feelings to the reality of Hitler’s ovens, sin is necessary because we cannot return to God without overcoming it.

All sin puts distance between us and God, but there is also sin that isn’t sin by intention but sin by design. If man had never sinned there would be no imperfect Earth to put him in, and no hope of the perfection to come in eternity. God has His reasons and His methods; sometimes sin and pain figure in and we must accept that if we are to accept God at all.

But neither the failure to accept God nor the sin that puts our striving to accept God in motion can keep us from God’s kingdom, for that is not what God has designed. In this world, we will not truly understand that we are already being punished for sin by having to endure living amongst it. But when we are living in God’s presence in God’s kingdom, our spirits will have been purified completely and we will know perfect love and joy and peace. Damnation isn’t the end; it’s part of the process. We all enter the world with the burden of sin as our lot, but we all come out of the process as perfect; to live forever with God.

2/12/09 Reflections         The story of Jesus chokes me up because through it God is saying “As powerful as I am, your sins can hurt Me because I love you and whatever you do against Me you do against yourself.”

It’s not about reward and punishment. Without God’s propping us up at every moment we would fail — why would God damn us to hell for something we all would do if He didn’t guide us? Our nature is to do what it takes to survive in a hostile environment; the Creator of us and that environment is unlikely to damn us when we do what we must.

That isn’t to say there isn’t goodness on the other end of the spectrum. In fact, this goodness is what proves to me that God is at work in us. Any good we do, no matter how compassionate, ends up being for our own good. Charity results in survival on a higher plane; we not only make it in this world but we do so with personal satisfaction. But this too is a function of God’s master plan – it’s His gift to us to be able to do not only what we must, but what we can.

In summary, we are given a free will to use within God’s master plan, but it’s not in God’s plan to lose even one of us. This was so important that He sent the human manifestation of Himself to tell us so in our own language. He still does this through inspiration and revelation for those brave independents prepared to accept His spirit as their own.

Free will decisions are made to get us through day-to-day life on Earth. They can please God or disappoint God, but He doesn’t react to this with anything but understanding and mercy. God does not need our decisions for His own good, but He knows our decisions affect us, and He wants the best for us. This cannot include eternal damnation.

To those who think this theology is blasphemous, I submit that what you are doing is taking it upon yourself to declare that Jesus has failed in His mission. This chokes me up more than any other sin man can commit. I challenge you and say that beings exist and events occur because God wants things the way they are for His own reasons. We don’t have a say in the master plan, only in how we react to it. If we react in a holy way God shows mercy; if we sin God shows mercy. Our actions don’t change God’s plan for us, and if God is a loving God His plan is not our eternal damnation but our eternal presence with Him. This holy comfort is what God-as-Jesus suffered so deeply to show us – once and forever, for all. So when I hear you ask someone if they’ve “been saved” it makes me want to cry in incredulous exasperation and sadness.

2/8/09 Insights from Prayer       Because the world became imperfect through human sin, so our perception of reality is imperfect as well. God is reality, and God is perfect – only through His grace can we start to perceive Him and His works correctly.

Unless God intervenes, and to some extent we voluntarily put ourselves into the position to receive His intervention, we forget how holy we are, how divine we are, and how worthy we are to be friends with God.

Our religions play down our divine nature for fear that unless we are damnable we will not hold ourselves accountable. Religion revolves around accentuating our evil nature, our innate “badness”, so we will work to overcome it and thereby ensure the safety of society.

No doubt in the way we perceive things we tend to act imperfectly – in this we have choice but not assumption. And yet, if instead we use our free will to put ourselves at God’s disposal, we will begin to see the reality through the veil of darkness we live behind, and choice is so easy as to not hardly exist. We do it because love and respect for God is natural and pleasing.

No religion that teaches God’s unchangeable nature can teach human damnation, for God created us within perpetuity knowing our outcome and desiring our presence with Him. It’s only the taintedness of the world that obscures this knowledge of reality, and the workings of our tainted world that makes the concept of damnation appear necessary to ensure our survival.

Within God’s master plan we do have choices and free will with which to decide. But the things we decide on do not change eternity, despite the “Back to the Future” conundrum whereby a time traveler has to be careful not to change events and conceivably make his own future existence impossible. There is no time in reality – all that is has been decided in the mind of God; our need to deal with things as if time and space were relevant is a result of our having to live in a world made painful by the imperfection of sin.

God gave us free will so that we might have a hand in making our painful world more palatable. Of course people abuse the privilege by acting as if sin will make the world more palatable. But if you love your child you don’t damn him for being misled, and God loves us all as His children.

What makes right and wrong irrelevant is that the framework in which it can be chosen is not based in reality, where things are already perfect. The distance from God’s perfection in which we must live in this world is punishment enough. The illusion does not last, for it’s not based in reality and is not God’s goal.

When we’re through here we don’t go from one place to another, or from the way things were to the way things will be, for the reality behind the veil of the world is unchangeable. In death we merely reclaim our divinity and perceive reality perfectly, the way God intended. We live in reality and we are aware of reality, which is perfect peace and joy. We find we never needed the world, or the choices we made in it. We find we’ve been perfect all along – we perceive correctly our divinity and inheritance as children of God, a perception we can not have in the cloudiness of the imperfect world we’ve thought we’ve been living in.

Mystics are gifted to know this innately through the grace of God, without the encumbrance of the devices we use to validate human experience and make the reality of perfection suitable for human understanding. By submitting to God all thought possible, mystics see into the reality in which God dwells. This is the actual choice of the free will — to say “Yes” to God’s offer of knowledge and grace, thereby knowing enough of God to perceive correctly. Once perceived correctly, this world in which we think we’re living becomes an aberration of reality that cannot cause us harm. If nothing can cause us harm we can dismiss the importance of the things of the world. Having been given a glimpse of reality, mystics can see the absurdity of giving oneself over to the lame workings of the world instead of to the reality of God’s loving and eternal perfection.

And yet there’s work to be done – God’s work. There’s no greater good than using our free will to please God. That also consists of being a decoy to draw others into coming closer in recognizing, through yours, their own special relationship with God. We are all worthy of enjoying this union with God because we’ve been divinely made to be in God’s presence. Just because that presence can’t be fully visited on us here in our tainted perception doesn’t mean it must be hidden completely.

Freely asking for the grace to experience the presence of God here in our imperfect world is not that much different than accepting Jesus Christ. What makes mysticism different from religion is that having once accepted God’s presence in the world, mystics live this presence constantly in all that they are. Instead of relegating God to the human devices of scripture, ritual, song, and repeated litany, mystics let God have free rein of their hearts, minds, bodies, souls and, especially, spirits. Immersed in God, mystic lives are turned inward, only occasionally enhanced by, but not enslaved to, the tools human have devised to reach out to God. In mysticism, we don’t depend on human devices because we acknowledge our divinity and our worthiness of whatever degree of union with our Creator He deems right for us.

1/23/09 Reflections          There is one great error from which all others evolve – the foolishness of loving something more than we love God. It’s no wonder we are all sinners, for opportunities to put something worldly ahead of God are plentiful and alluring. God knows this, and He forgives. But do we know it?

When do we ever stop what we’re doing and ask ourselves if this thing we do is honoring God? The good things we do are in effect pleasing to God, but do we do them for God’s sake or ours? The bad things we do may produce guilt, sorrow, shame, fear, and a feeling of helplessness, but do we regret them for what they do to God or for what they do to us?

If only we would put as much enthusiasm into loving God as we put into adulating worldly people and things! People of God have been called delusional for giving glory to the Creator by the same people who swoon over a celebrity at a rock concert, Hollywood awards ceremony, political rally, or basketball game. People of God have been quietly giving and volunteering for ages and have been sneered at by the same people who swell with pride over a new car, gourmet dinner, house with a pool, or big bank balance.

You can enjoy nice things and still put God first. There’s nothing inherently wrong with worldly matters, but when the pursuit of them makes us demote the Creator of all of this to irrelevancy, it’s just plain wrong. Maybe to you God isn’t as entertaining, charismatic, pleasurable, or glittery as these Earthly wonders, but Earthly life doesn’t last long and God lasts forever. So do you – long after the things you pursue now no longer exist. What is important then is as important now in God’s eyes. He’s been telling you what’s good and right and joyful since you were born – haven’t you been listening?

1/7/09 Insights from Study          Faith is the gift God gives us in order to satisfy our longing to know Him, something to which we can’t aspire using only our own intellect.

Some people have not been given the gift of faith, have not recognized the gift of faith they have been given, or have not accepted the gift of faith they know they’ve been given. For these people to ridicule others for possessing faith makes about as much sense as ridiculing someone for their ability to paint a beautiful watercolor.

Faith isn’t a negative – it builds up; it adds to the human condition. It’s an infused talent given by God for the benefit of mankind. It brings personal and social justice. It smooths the bumpy road because it shows us the wonder of the destination. It gives us hope, protects us from fear, teaches us what we can’t learn on our own, guides us to where it’s best for us to go, and celebrates our relationship with our Creator.

If that person with the awesome talent for painting with watercolors chooses to use his gift to depict adults engaged in lewd acts with children, it doesn’t make sense to rage against the artistic talent or the Creator that gave the gift of talent. If someone chooses to kill indiscriminately in the name of faith, neither the gift of faith or the Giver of faith is to blame.

It’s counterproductive to label every faithful person as a terrorist or a bigot because of the acts of some. And it’s a waste for otherwise intelligent persons to deduce that because some have killed for their faith, all who are faithful are deluded. It’s far more likely that many more millions have died or lead ruined lives at the hands of atheists and their own delusions.

It isn’t God who sins. For the religious or the anti-religious, it’s human pride that leads to over-zealousness and sin. Either way, we could use more faith — the gift of faith is a good thing, and meant to bring good things to mankind. We can all benefit from faith – the choice to use it correctly is ours.

12/23/08 Insights from Prayer         Dear God, I sought to keep society with the just and have been called high-minded by others, as if that were a bad thing. I tried to follow Your precepts, but other men’s laws have taken precedence over them without my permission. In trying to elevate my thoughts to You, I’ve been called deluded by others, who don’t believe You exist since they know nothing of You. I’ve been forced to support abominations committed by others and to accept these sins as normal behavior. My love for You has become offensive to others. Others are determined to undermine my opportunities to spread the joy of You. I’ve been accused by others of hating people when I’ve only hated their sins. I’ve been upbraided by my own kind for aspiring to communicate with You on a higher level than others have dealt with You.

Lord, at first I began to draw within myself because I was seeking. Now things have become so bad in my society that I’m living inside myself because I’m hiding. How could I bear to watch others slap the face of God? How much longer could I allow others to intrude on my purity through their unbridled power and greed? How low can others debase my culture without fear of retribution? How will I remain Your child when others insist on interfering with my freedoms and downsizing my individuality?

My Father, if I must draw away completely from the world in order to receive Your spirit, I’m willing to go it alone. If You must destroy my society in order to bring it back to what it should be, then I quietly, humbly and obediently accept that despite the harm that may come to me in passing. If I must suffer along with everyone else because my culture has been grievously defiled, I will suffer with patience and compassion. I know I should pray that others will be able to use the trials of the world as the impetus to come to You as well.  But this time let me do this, Lord God, for You, as I want to do everything for You, and You alone. 

12/10/08 Insights from Study                 We always whine – Why God Why? — as if God wanted the sufferings of this world for us. God didn’t make this world the way we see it. Sin did this. Why did God allow sin? Because you can’t have it both ways — you want freedom to act in your own interest, so you must take the responsibility that goes along with it. God wants us to act freely, because love freely given is true love, and God wants us to love Him like a father craves love from his child.  The risk of us sinning is just as hard for Him as for us, but it must be allowed.  Our eventual sin is just as hard on Him as on us, but it must be borne.

God knows what terrible uses we would put our free will towards, and yet He forgives us over and over, daily easing the awful consequences of sin as much as is good for us. But when His mercy only makes us complacent, He acts to bring us back into the light. He withholds His help in this area or that so we will understand what privilege we have had from Him and seek these privileges again in humility and peace. We may not know God, but if we’re alert we can see His work – if we go one step further to actually ask for understanding of this work, we will know the hope God extends and we will be able to build from that.

12/6/08 Insights from Study                     Since creation God has dealt with the world in various ways – sometimes sternly with the “tough love” of the Old Testament, sometimes with great hope and sympathetic direction, as when He came to us through Jesus, and sometimes with the great loving mercy we often feel today as we more and more realize our dependence on Him.

He doesn’t leave us or turn His back on us. No matter how He chooses to deal with us, we are aware that He is present and working in our lives. We love Him in response to His love for us. And our love in turn brings us closer to Him, repeating the cycle of give and take until perfection is reached.

In Christianity we believe we inherit this right through the sacrifice of Jesus, and when Jesus had to leave us He sent the Holy Spirit to guide us to perfection. We don’t expect any other manifestation of God in our lives – to use the Holy Spirit to our full potential is only logical and gratifying.

Christian Mysticism is all about welcoming, recognizing, receiving, and accepting the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This work is a gift from God, but what’s really important to remember is that the ability of humanity to deserve the Holy Spirit is a gift from God too. It’s the direct result of Jesus having taken on the sinfulness of humanity, dulling it with His own humility and obedience, vaporizing it with His death, and showing us by His resurrection what, as a result, is now possible for us. So if you distance yourself from God because you don’t feel you deserve His love, you are not being virtuous – you are being ungrateful.

The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus shows us how much God love us, and makes possible our entry into eternal life with Him.

Now, the full mechanism by which God reconciles His perfect justice with His unfailing mercy is not shared fully with us. Since it’s not shared fully with us, it’s one of those things we do not need to know or pursue. Remember, for each glimpse of the mind of God we are able to assimilate for our use, there is an awesome balance of infinite mightiness that’s none of our business. I tend to think that most of what is the Creator’s mind-force will never be known to us even in the afterlife, because in eternity with God the need to know and the satisfaction of learning will not follow us there. When you have perfect joy you don’t seek more – one can’t accumulate more than all.

Having been gifted with the presence of God, we realize more clearly that He is a personal God; a loving God. The wrath of God displayed in the Old Testament is no longer necessary after the passion of the Christ. The Old Testament sacrifices are no longer necessary because Jesus was the scapegoat for all our sins. The Old Testament law made way for the new covenant. No longer are sins of the father visited upon the son, or the sins of a nation the downfall of the individual. This is an expansion of the law – now, because God’s mercy benefits the individual, it’s the individual who must desire virtue and act consistently with it.

To impart this virtue on us, God again manifests Himself to us just as Jesus promised He would. For Christians, the Holy Spirit is God’s spirit working with our own spirits. It’s a shame to gloss over this phrase just because as theology it appears to sound like it’s beyond our understanding. We should roll these words around in our minds every day – in them is said all of what’s really necessary to realize about our relationship with God, whether we welcome that relationship or are running away from it.

The most precious thing you own, your spirit, is being visited with loving care at every moment by the almighty Creator of the universe. If that doesn’t appear at the top of your list of most valuable assets, I feel so sorry for you.  You are not experiencing the joy that God wants for you; the peace which is achieved merely by the asking.

11/22/08 Inspirations             If you were raised within mainstream religion you were probably taught that man is bad and therefore God is forced into being vengeful so that man can’t get away scot-free with his badness. If in discovering your spirituality you’ve reflected and keep coming back to “Then what’s the point?”, you’re not alone.

When you read the Bible without the benefit of inspiration it sounds like it was written by well-meaning busybodies trying to scare you into goodness in order to avoid hell. But you know in your heart that God doesn’t work this way; to admit this is the first step towards reading the Bible while under the inspiration of God. When you do, it’s like an entirely different book; one full of your understanding.

What’s at work here is our inner conviction that despite our sinful nature we share God’s divinity. To some this is blasphemy; to others it’s the whole point of creation. There’s controversy even among Christians who believe Christ was fully man and fully God and serves as the ultimate example for us. Still some feel they must stop short of the concept of human divinity in order to honor God according to His commandment.

In Mysticism itself there is the paradox of self-degradation and the pursuit of union with God. How can we maintain our self-deprecation and still claim God’s indwelling? The fact is, the two states of humility and holiness are necessary to support each other; they are branches of the same vine. Our sinfulness is forced out as God’s grace pours in; all happening quietly within our spirits.

It’s with our recognition of our true identity that we throw off the bondage of sin and reclaim the God in us. There’s no chance of human idolatry in this – we know we can’t perfect our divine state until we return to reality through our Earthly death. And there’s no fear that God will be sullied by His proximity to us – we were made in His image and this doesn’t change beyond the veil of worldly misperception. In God’s kingdom we were created pure and our purity is unchanged. It’s the faulty perception that is our Earthly state that keeps us in sin and from knowing our divine potential.

I don’t believe our divinity can be lost – God made us in His image and in His image we are. But I do believe that the stink of the world must be washed off of us in order to enter the full promise of God’s eternity. I think this is the work that God does in our spirits, and I think it’s up to us to welcome our purification by grace. Why wouldn’t we welcome the process once we realize the truth about ourselves? God’s indwelling brings a peace and feeling of “rightness” to us that drives the allure of sin into the realm of ridiculousness. It’s this need for interior peace that eventually brings us around; not the threat of hell.