In my reflections, if a bona fide member of the academy comments that my reflection contains either an original thought or argument, I will note it in that reflection. Also, if it is brought to my attention that what I have said is also mentioned in another source, I will also note it. My intention in these reflections is to stimulate inquiry, imagination, and broadening of horizons.- JP
Note: The most recent reflection is at the top and my first is at the bottom. You can either start at the bottom of the well and swim up or start at the top and dive in, your choice. – JP
13 Hours
TSO Christmas Sixth Day of Christmas 2020
I am not a paid representative of Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I am stating that fact so you won’t see this reflection as a promotion, just a fan and observer letting you know how their Christmas Livestream affected me.
I first saw TSO on TV in their Ghosts of Christmas show narrated by Ossie Davis. You can see it on You Tube. I was moved by both the music and the story. This year was a virtual livestream, which saved my ears, with same story and updated arrangements. What was new to me this year was what I reflected on given our current culturural climate.
The contrast between the narrative and how we communicate today was stark. The narrative and songs used words which created vivid and expansive images. That was the stark contrast. When we communicate in 140 characters, acronyms, one syllable words only and esoteric idiom, we diminish ourselves.
During college, a fraternity brother got me into a discipline which served me well as an English major. Starting with the letter A in your dictionary, go through the words until you have learned five new words. Next day, the letter B and so on. When you get to Z, go back to A. It took me four years, but I very seldom fall into a quagmire of needless detail and superfluous verbosity. But back to TSO.
The livestream performance captured the movement of hope when it is easy to settle in despair. The combination of music and narrative was art in its best form. Art that moves us past ourselves to a transcendent state where we are not limited. A state where we discover our ability to affect our world in non material ways. When thought and prayer go beyond supplication to intentional joining for accomplishment, we grow.
We grow in both our journey of learning to balance delight and its opposite, and in learning how to be a constructive adjunct to spiritual beings having a human experience on their journey.
Star Trek: The next Generation, S2, Ep9 … I am or Am I ? 12 DEC 20
In the spirit of Sidis, Asimov, Kurzweil, Polkinghorn, Hawking, et. al., consciousness, is it created, discovered or both? Is it inherent in everything that is or can it be selective? Is it the same as intelligence? Can it be scripted or coded? Is it spiritual? Is it just too much to be considered? Is there responsibility that can’t be avoided if you are conscious? And if that isn’t enough spaghetti against the wall, how do consciousness and sentience relate? And what about intelligent design? Dealing with all of this feels like trying to pass protect against Mean Joe Green. So up to the line and ready for the snap.
The field of play is extensive and overwhelming, so I need to narrow down my approach. First things first, why is the game being played? Who wrote the rules? What are the rules? Can the rules be changed?
When God, Source, became aware/conscious, choice was inevitable. Either do or sit. A game ensues from either choice.
God wrote the rules.
Our part is to discern the rules.
All scriptures have communication with transcendence and get conditions changed.
René Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am”. I, however, believe, “I am, therefore I think”, is also valid. But before we get the descartes before the horse, does it really matter? Being conscious and aware are inseparable. So the question really is, how to employ that unity?
Biocentrism is becoming more talked about and considered to be new. I submit that seeing thought, matter and energy all being connected and able to influence each other, is not new at all and in some form another has been talked about from the beginning. What is being reengaged is the awareness that my thoughts have power. When Jesus said ‘you will do greater things than these’ he did not follow it with a checklist. So how do we ‘do those greater things’?
For me, first is to believe that I have influence through my thought. Whether it is a prayer or motivation to act, I am aware that I can think and act because I am aware. While this may seem like running in circles or churning while standing in place, either one makes a difference and making a difference is what we cannot avoid doing. So the question becomes, what kind of a difference am I going to or want to make?
Is the difference I make going to be responsible for a better balance of delight and its opposite or am I going to get off the teeter totter and let the other end slam down with the person on it screaming. I can not avoid the responsibility of being aware and how that affects everything.
We all have it in us to bring about or calm the tempest. It is imperative, therefore, to not blithely go about our existence, but to continually be cognizant of our awareness and consciousness.
May our awareness not conflict but build for our benefit.
Now, about that cloud of celestial gas that needs a push.
I Know That Guy – or – Breakfast at Epiphany’s 18 Oct 2020
To not recognize we are in a moment of confusion, distress and hope, all rolled into one, would be a rejection of our responsibility as stewards of this moment. In this moment, I’m pretty sure I am not the only one asking about and judging actions and positions of others. Are you kidding me, really? What went wrong with their education? What an idiot! How could anybody live that long and be so shallow? If you haven’t asked those questions in one form or another, kudos. But I’m pretty sure we all have in one way or another. And because we have, I move on to ask, why are we able to move to a position of inquiry, discovery and compromise?
I believe we can because at some point we recognize those traits are possible within us or even more devastating, were traits we brought forth in our lives. For me, I recognize it in those moments when I remember something I said or did and immediately cringe with embarrassment. I want to take them back and at the same moment ask myself, was that really me? I know it was and have to look in the mirror to see if it still is. If it isn’t, what changed?
I am not a psychiatrist. I am an Episcopal Priest and as such, make many referrals to my Jungian friends when the pastoral moment goes into areas when the spiritual engagement alone will be incomplete. The referrals are necessary because I could easily say, I know why that guy does that, I’ve been there. Why I’m not there now is that Breakfast at Epiphany’s.
Although I subscribe to the ‘don’t judge unless you want to be judged’ precept, judging does have its benefits. When you realize you could be ‘that guy’ it’s a wet fish slap in the face. That slap moved me to the position of not judging, but rather asking why the stewardship is being squandered by that individual and me. I have to acknowledge that in some way, small or large, I have a part in why it is the way it is. Can I say, those actions are reprehensible? Yes I can, only if I recognize that at some point I could have done or acted the same. Have I been that guy at the end of the bar that no one wants to talk to? Yes. Am I that guy now? I sure hope not. Can I make people talk to that guy at the end of the bar? No. Can I present a case for why they may want to? Yes. Do I want to? Therein lies the tension we all live.
I am convinced there are ingrained and immutable characteristics of creation. One of those characteristics is that we can not not be in community. Another is there are consequences to all of our thoughts and actions, no matter how large or small we perceive them. Source, God, is. All else is emendation according to rabbinical tradition. Source, God, is also unconditional love. I understand how that boorish, self centered, rude individual can exist because, but for choices I made, I could be that guy. Except for one or two, those choices were not a matter of in depth deliberation. Reflecting, they were the normal course of events. It brings you up short to know that had it been pointed out, you and I could have qualified as true ***holes. To say, ‘I’m glad I’m not that guy’ is not a move forward.
To say, ‘I’m glad I recognize I have the opportunity to be a steward of completeness’ gets to the heart of the matter. When Jesus said be perfect as I am perfect, the Greek word we translate as perfect should actually be translated ‘complete’. Unpack all the threads of how to be complete and you will end up writing all the books that have ever been or will be written. Focusing on being complete leads to grasping the concept of all of creation being a unity.
Living in unity and focusing on completeness also means I can not ignore or trivialize ‘that guy’. There are times to sit on the bench and there are times to get on the bus. It is not easy to focus on completeness, but if you eat breakfast at Epiphany’s, the eggs taste the best, the coffee is the most robust and the pancakes melt in your mouth. Bon appétit !
Why Afraid You Are? 09/16/2020
First, my apologies to Yoda and my high school Latin teacher, but the title came to me and just seemed right.
I find myself in the position of asking how our situation of wanting our side to win became so intense. The thoughts of many psychologists, clergy, historians and the next door neighbor present a fire hose of ideas on our current time, but I have a hard time cutting through it all. I want a concise answer. I also want everything to be predictable. I am sure neither of those are on the immediate horizon. So where do I go?
After sitting with this for a long time, I remembered what my theology professor pointed out during one of our ‘so you want to be a priest’ sessions. The common denominator for every spiritual being having a human experience is the question ‘Why’. No matter when you were born, no matter where you were born, no matter the culture in which you were born, every individual asks ‘Why’. From that, every development of our life flows. For me it means that every person you encounter, whether you like them or not, has the same root as you. The situation is then how are you going to treat their root. I am sure you want your root to be treated with respect, so are you going to do the same for the person you encounter? How to live that respect gets me to the next question.
It is not easy, it takes work, but to be able to respect the ‘Why’ and see the dignity of every human being, I have to be intentional in my encounters. As much visceral pleasure I would get out of telling someone why they are an idiot, that pleasure has no productive impact. I also have to accept that some encounters will not be productive and not engaging is best. But I am still left with asking why do we all ask ‘Why’ and how we respond.
Not to put words in Source’s mouth, but it makes sense to me that the first question upon becoming aware and conscious is ‘Why’. Why am I here? Why can I conceive of what ‘here’ is? Why do I want to share this existence? And because Source asks ‘Why’, as manifestations of Source’s conscious thought, ‘Why’ is an integral and inescapable part of our being. ‘Why’ being an integral element of our existence gives us no choice but to confront the concept that we are inextricably part of all of existence and all of existence is part of us and we will inevitably move to the next question, ‘what is my part in all of this’?
I concur with the concept that Source, God, is delighted to be aware and conscious and wants all of existence to be delighted. To experience delight, you have to also be at least aware of, if not also experiencing the opposite of delight. Our part in all of this is to learn how to balance delight and its opposite. In learning how to achieve that balance, we experience those who see and act differently in their view of delight. That difference is what brings me back to my title question, ‘Why Afraid’?
Fear, to any degree, is our go to emotion. It is visceral. I have also come to the conclusion that fear is not productive. I have also come to the position that we ask the wrong question about fear. The question that can deal with our fear productively is not ‘what am I afraid of’, but ‘why am I afraid’? When we engage with why am I afraid, the ‘afraid ofs’ are put in proper prospective.
When the decision was made to bring our existence into being, that decision has structure. Discovering that structure is both delightful and daunting. One of my focal points for engaging the discovery comes from Daryl Anka’s relating to us the Five Laws of Creation. One: You exist. Two: Everything that is, is happening now. Three: The One is the All and the All are the One. Four: You get back what you put out. Five: Everything changes except the first four laws.
The additional law I see is I can not make you believe. What ever you believe, you come to that belief on your own. I can coerce you, I can berate you, I can punish you, I can subjugate you, but I can not make you believe what I believe. There is no delight in you saying you believe what I believe if I continually wonder if I can trust what you are saying.
A theological aside: What God said to Adam and Eve really was, ‘I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that now since you ate the fruit, you will know everything. The bad news is, you will never be able to convince your kids’.
Our part is not to convince, but to find a way to share the delight. Our part is to celebrate when the person you encounter is delighted, even if their delight is different, and their delight brings about the balance God intended in deciding to bring existence into being.
Unconditional love is the hallmark of my spiritual expression. It is your choice to accept that position or not. Conditional love is the other choice and my question is: Which finds a balance of delight and its opposite, conditional or unconditional love? When I encounter a person who is diametrically opposite to me, how am I going to approach my fear and express unconditional love? I am not going to proactively seek those encounters, but it is inevitable I will experience them in learning to balance delight and its opposite.
So, ‘Why Afraid You Are’? is the first question we should ask ourselves and deal with if we want any chance of finding productive balance.
Homage to Yoda may be we!
From Now to Now – 29 July 2020
In February, when we put the sermon schedule together for the spiritual center we attend, I was asked to do Easter. Being a spiritual center that is made up of Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Ecankar, Naturist, and non descriptive disciplines, preaching on Christ’s resurrection is a challenge on how to include and not exclude. We were going on a two week vacation the last half of March and I was glad for the time to take a break.
We left on 11 March for the Coachella Valley. Covid-19 was definitely on our radar. We arrived and were able to eat at two of our favorite restaurants until California closed down on the 14th. Had not planned on two weeks of self isolating, but we had plenty of toilet paper, take out and a hot tub. We returned to home and a second round of two week isolation, which became three weeks, which became … Needless to say, we spent Easter at home. Fortunately, we live streamed Easter Vigil and Easter day services from the Cathedral in Seattle. The Dean referred to one of my favorite religious writers, Richard Rohr, and introduced us to a new author, Carlo Rovelli. I had planned on using Rhor’s book, The Universal Christ for a large part of my sermon foundation, and now had a new book to add, Rovelli’s Seven Brief Lessons On Physics.
Rohr starts out his book with the chapter, Christ is not Jesus’ Last Name. His theological premise is that Jesus of Nazareth, became Christ at the resurrection and is now part and parcel of every atom that exists. Rovelli also comes to a conclusion that we are inextricably connected to everything and are affected by our actions and the actions of everyone else. Easy to say, not easy to preach. I was relieved in one way that I had more time to prepare, but would I get to ever give this sermon. Turns out, when we did sort of open up, I was scheduled to preach on Pentecost. A twofer, Easter and Pentecost done in the same sermon! Presenting my theological perspective for consideration and not getting lost in the words, is the challenge.
In my spiritual journey, I find simple is best. Involved theological discussions have their place. Succinct statements have the advantage of being remembered more easily and are great starting places for going deeper into their ramifications. Fear not. Every time an angel speaks, what are the first words? Fear not. When Jesus’ followers were most distressed, what did he say, Fear Not. So my first question is not what are we afraid of, but why are we afraid? In both the Hebrew Scripture and Christian scripture, on more than one occasion God says, I am always with you. If you say you believe in these scriptures, then the perspective that God is “out there”, doesn’t make sense. When Jesus said let them know that I am in you as you are in me and I am in them as they are in me and they are in you, we see an inextricable connection of all consciencness. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. Do to others as you would have them do to you (and don’t be surprised when they do to you what you are doing to them). Respect (love) your neighbor as you respect (love) yourself. Trust Source. I know this all seems like throwing spaghetti against the wall, which is only fun when two fraternity brothers have the duty of cooking Sunday dinner for the house after a couple of beers, but I digress. Life and theology is like throwing spaghetti against the wall. So on to the throwing.
Sri Aurobundi in his book, Divine Life, posits Source, God, experienced delight when becoming aware and decided delight could not be contained and made the conscious decision to bring what we see as creation into being. That decision brings with it the question of how to recognize delight without recognizing its opposite. We, as products of the conscious thought of God, unique spiritual beings, need to learn how to balance delight and its opposite. This also brings up the question of whether you see this creation as dualistic or universal. I know that I may lose those who have stayed with this reflection so far when I say that I am on team universal. I do not see how you can love your neighbor as yourself in a dualistic framework. Living a “both, and”, ethical framework allows us to move forward and deal with all the nuances and ethical considerations of balancing delight and its opposite. I also have to say that my focus is on God’s intention, not God’s mechanics. The mechanics are a constant source of joyful discovery. I also believe God understood how bogged down we were in our effort and decided to incarnate as a spiritual being having a human experience to demonstrate in the most dramatic way, that our journey of discovery does not come to an end.
In the account of God and the prophet overlooking the valley of dry bones, God tells the prophet that God can enflesh the dry bones and make them live. To be clear, I see this as resuscitation. When Jesus brought Lazarus from the tomb, also resuscitation. The distinction for me, between resuscitation and resurrection is based on the unique spiritual beings we are, manifested by God. Judgement day doesn’t make any sense if we forget our life. So we are eternal from our inception, and physical death is a transition, not an end. I am also ready to see all the post-it notes on my karma wall. Jesus’ resurrection was the ultimate wet fish upside the disciples’ heads saying, ‘Pay Attention! you do not cease to exist when you experience physical death.’ You continue as a unique, conscious, spiritual being. I can’t give you any guarantees what the continuation will be like, but I’m pretty sure it won’t be boring.
Rovelli puts it this way, “This strange, multicolored, and astonishing world that we explore — where space is granular, time does not exist, and things are nowhere — is not something that estranges us from our true selves, for this is only what our natural curiosity reveals to us about the place of our dwelling. About the stuff of which we ourselves are made. We are made of the same stardust of which all things are made, and when we are immersed in suffering or when we are experiencing intense joy, we can’t help but be: a part of our world.”
He continues, “ It is part of our nature to love and to be honest. It is part of our nature to long to know more and to continue to learn. Our knowledge of the world continues to grow.
There are frontiers where we are learning, and our desire for knowledge burns. They are in the most minute reaches of the fabric of space, at the origins of the cosmos, in the nature of time, in the phenomenon of black holes, and in the workings of our own thought processes. Here, on the edge of what we know, in contact with the ocean of the unknown, shines the mystery and the beauty of the world. And it’s breathtaking”.
Enjoy the spaghetti !