We Are The Great Mother’s Dream
(And We Are the Dreamer)
This essay considers three unbounded (infinite) questions; “Who or What Is the Great Mother?”, “What Is Creation?”, and “Who or What Are We?”. My first reaction when these questions came to mind was, “It’s impossible for (finite) human beings to answer such questions”. That was immediately followed by another voice from deeper within, “Infinite questions would not enter your awareness if they held no value. When you are ready, pondering such questions can open pathways for spiritual growth.”
So, let’s consider these infinite questions and see where they lead us.
Note: I have called the Creative Energy of the Universe the Great Mother or Goddess because She gave birth to All Creation.
Who or What is the Great Mother?
Empedocles, an ancient Greek philosopher, and several other seers since his time, have been credited with similar descriptions of God, to the effect that “God is a circle whose center is everywhere, while its circumference is nowhere.” Similar meaning is conveyed by three big ‘O’ words sometimes used to describe God: Omnipotent (all powerful), Omniscient (all-knowing), and Omnipresent (everywhere present). It’s important to notice that word circle, and the three “O” words carry no implication regarding gender.
Perhaps this question is even more meaningful for spiritual seekers; Is Goddess’s nature something we can get our heads and hearts around, even slightly? Yes! The Great Mother gave birth to Creation as an act of Love (Dina Merriam, My Journey Through Time). Also see 1John 4:8 (Lamsa), “… God isLove.”
What Is Creation?
Since Goddess can be thought of as an Infinite Energy Field (All that is), Creation must have arisen within that Holy Oneness. There is no other place where Creation could have arisen! So, every last fragment of Creation is an integral part of Goddess that exists withinHer. Obviously, the Energy Field (Goddess) of Love must also contain the intelligence and volition to create. Goddess is not mindless energy!
Goddess’s laws (aka, the laws of nature) demonstrate that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but is masterful at changing form. So, the universe is not new energy bursting on the scene; it is the eternal energy of Goddess changing form spectacularly for nearly fourteen billion years, and counting. Creation is Goddess’s ever-restless, always changing, physical, and non-physical myriad of manifestations. From its inception, Creation has embodied all the natural laws to ensure that its processes unfold in perfect alignment with Divine intention. One could say that the laws of nature areDivine intention.
Who / What Are Human Beings?
Oneness within the Divine Mother Goddess is the ultimate reality of Creation. Oneness has no room for exceptions. What is true of all Creation must include human beings. In the Bible, Jesus reminds us, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.”, Matt. 3:24 (Lamsa). If it weren’t for Oneness, Creation would be divided against itself, and the universe would not exist. The very fact that we and the rest of Creation do exist demonstrates that Goddess is a state of Oneness. So, whenever we feel alienated or separate from Her, it is an utterly impossible illusion of the human ego. Homo sapiens seem to be the only species on Earth with the capacity to lead themselves so far from their own truth.
Closing Thoughts:
- We can be sure the laws of nature shape the ongoing flow of Creation in specific and supportive ways. Otherwise, Creation would be unstable, and we wouldn’t exist.
- Here in the midst of Earthly life, we are an inseparable part of the web of life. The Great Mother Goddess and Creation are not separate! All is One; One is All. Full acceptance of who we are, and our place within Creation, would heal Mother Earth and all of humanity’s self-inflicted turmoil and pain.
Summary: Please contemplate these quotes of love and wisdom:
“God and the commonplace are not separate.”
— David R. Hawkins, M.D. Ph.D., In the World, But Not of It
“God is present in the ordinary and the sublime.”
— Foster Laverne Harding, The Great University of Life
“… the Great Mother is the only One who is real. The rest of us are but her dreams.”
— Dina Merriam, My Journey Through Time
Final love and wisdom: If we and the rest of Creation are the Great Mother’s dream, and everything is One with Her, each person’s dreams are part of Her dream. It resonates with me that we, and all dreamers on Earth, are collectively co-creating the Great Mother’s Dream for Planet Earth. What do you think?
Your dreams are held within the Great Mother’s Love and Wisdom.
Soli Deo Gloria.
Gone Missing On Vacation
Marilyn and I recently returned from Myrtle Beach, SC, where we celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. We are both truly grateful for each other and our four decades together. Our blended family of six daughters and eight grandchildren are a source of ongoing delight – our first great-grandson is expected in late summer! We have wonderful siblings and many dear friends. We are grateful for so many love-filled blessings!
Both the weather and the beachside condo in Myrtle Beach were perfect. The wide, sandy, shell-filled beach extended north and south for miles. The Atlantic’s surf was powerful and mesmerizing. We could literally taste and smell the fresh salty air! But sad to say, all the beauty was accompanied by a partial eclipse of my joy. I have been anxious about losing my body’s strength and stamina since my diabetes diagnosis over a decade ago. During our vacation, I had little energy and my body ached most of the time. Both knees and my right hip hurt with every step after the first few minutes, so my delight in walking mile after mile basking in the ocean’s presence was seriously curtailed — very frustrating! The whole week reminded me that feeling sorry for myself sucks the joy out of just about anything!
We did have enjoyable 40th anniversary dinners all week. Each was delightful, including desserts. Unfortunately, when a diabetic soothes his fragile psyche by over-indulging in sweets, he is encouraging further decline of his body – not very smart! I also gained five pounds during the week. Again I noted that self-pity can turn delight into something much less.
So now we’re home. Nature’s rebirth and new beginnings inspire me, so spring is normally my sweet season. I love nature’s beauty and co-creating with her in our flower gardens. Trees, birds, butterflies, and other wild creatures have been beloved companions for decades, along with forests, flowers, mountains, rivers, deserts, prairies, etc. Lately, my achy, aging body has even begun to partially eclipse my appreciation of nature. But I am determined not to miss the joy of springtime!
The truth is, I have been missing the wholeness of my physical expression for some time. On the other hand, the emergence of deeper spirituality over the same time span has been a priceless blessing. Life felt like it was exchanging a decline in physical capacities for an increase in spiritual depth. But my assumption that I had to accept that situation was just plain depressing.
So I am writing in search of clarity and inspiration. Can I reclaim some measure of my physical vigor? Can I reclaim my fullness of joy? The answer to both these questions must be yes. God did not intend Earthly life to be a downward spiral into sadness and frustration! I created those trends via my own assumptions and choices. So, the capacity is equally present to reverse those choices and overcome my self-induced stagnation and depression.
As I’ve counseled many times, reclaiming our wholeness is mostly inner work. Those efforts often couple the inner work with physical actions. Healing is anchored in my innermost Divine connection, and will unfold with its own timing. My ego can best serve by surrendering control of where, what, when, and how. It’s role is to support implementation of the inner guidance.
It's clear that feeling urgency about early spring yard and garden work, travel for our anniversary and family events, further aggravated by basketball and hockey playoffs on TV, created a perfect storm of distractions! My balance, strength, and walking exercise regimen was squeezed to the back burner. And burnout (exhaustion) pushed aside morning and evening contemplation / prayer routines. God never left me, but my attention wandered away. Decline into feeling hopeless naturally resulted from those choices.
To be addressed:
1. Most important is the inner work to refresh my connection with Divinity. Lately, I’ve not been praying, listening, or feeling immersed in Love nearly enough.
2. The news of the world has been wearing me down. It is absolutely depressing to see the consciousness of humanity in free fall across the western world (This term was used by David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D. in his recent book, In the World, But Not Of It…). While I am praying for the highest and best for our world, it’s challenging when I feel unable to take action about it. I’ve heard of those who use the news to inform their prayer work, but I seem not to have reached that spiritual level. Although I trust the NY Times reporting and analysis, our contentious and violent culture, resulting in news stories they must cover, hurts my loving heart and eats away at its resiliency. So, I have canceled my online news subscription — at least for now.
3. It’s become clear that I must embrace both caring for my body and my spiritual growth / service to the world. They are not an either/or situation. I am confident that my body will reclaim the level of balance, physical strength, and stamina that are in harmony with my age. I have been assured each time I’ve asked, that this body will serve my soul’s Earth School curriculum until all the growth potential carried into this life is realized. What else could I possibly want from this life as Foster? All is well. Gratitude and love prevail.
Love and Blessings to all.
Closing note: This blogpost is an example of why I characterize Cosmic Chronicles as sharing our spiritual journey, rather than lessons offered by a fully-fledged spiritual teacher. I remain a work in progress.
Soli Deo Gloria.
Books for Spiritual Inspiration and Guidance
recommended by Foster Harding
Writing my own two books proved to be especially supportive of my spiritual evolution. The following eight books resonated with me, inspired me, and also blessed my growth. You are welcome to share or save the list.
1. My Journey Through Time: A Spiritual Memoir of Life, Death, and Rebirth, Dina Merriam, SitaRam Press, New York (2017) [*Although the books are not in ranked order, this one is my current favorite. A very readable and powerful affirmation that reincarnation over many lifetimes is a key process by which soul evolution functions. Deeply wise and inspiring.]
2. Dialogues With the Lord of Time: A Spiritual Novel, John Roger Barrie, Sky Parlor Publications, Nevada City, CA (2023) [*Although the author called Dialogues…a spiritual novel, it is anchored in his actual life experiences. Writing it as a novel gave him the freedom to disguise personal identities and enhance the flow of the narrative. Very useful and clear instructions for approaching one’s spiritual journey.]
3. The Journey Beyond: Learning to Live Beautifully in a Troubled World, Eric Stensland, Rocky Trail Press, Estes Park, CO (2021) [*The author is a gifted scenic photographer and deep spiritual thinker. His book combines his gifts in a beautiful, wise, inspiring book.]
4. In the World, But Not of It, Transforming Everyday Experience into a Spiritual Path, David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D. Hay House, Inc., Carlsbad, CA (2023) [*Many of Dr. Hawkins books are complex and challenging to comprehend. They are also the most important books on the planet covering consciousness and its role in everything. In contrast, this book is a refreshing shift for readers; short, succinct, and clear. It is a synthesis of information gleaned from recordings of public teaching lectures he gave over the last few years of his life.]
These first four books are new to me over the past few months. One (#3) was a gift from my daughter Kathy; the others simply came to my attention at the perfect time, assisted by inspiration and guidance from within.
The following four books are old friends for many years. The ideas behind Findhorn, what it has become, and how it has impacted my soul’s evolution have powerfully shaped who I am, probably even more than I realize.
5. The Magic of Findhorn, Paul Hawkin, Bantam Books, (1976) [*Hawkin’s book first introduced Findhorn to me many years ago. It activated a paradigm shift in thinking, both directly, and by opening me to new (to me) spiritual ideas. The book is no longer in print, but used copies are available on Amazon (pricey).]
6. Opening Doors Within, Eileen Caddy, Findhorn Press, Scotland (1986) [*Eileen Caddy was one of the three co-founders of Findhorn, the eco-village in Northern Scotland. She received and recorded inner wisdom every night for years that guided the formative years at Findhorn; they celebrated their 60th birthday this year. This is a daily devotional book of readings from her journal. It is wise and inspiring. Highly recommended.]
7. Seeds of Inspiration: Deva Flower Messages, Dorothy Maclean, Lorian Press, Everett, WA (2004) [*Dorothy Maclean was another of the three Findhorn co-founders. Her remarkable ability to communicate with the various plant devas underpinned much of the community’s success. This book is beautiful and inspiring. I hope you will suspend judgment if it stretches your capacity to accept.]
8. Call of the Trees, Dorothy Maclean, Lorian Press, Everett, WA (2006) [*This is a similar book reporting Dorothy’s messages from the devas for many species of trees. Because I love trees, this book is one of my favorites. Trees truly are wise beings.]
*FLH comments
Notes:
· Peter Caddy, the third Findhorn co-founder wrote no books, but his indominable spirit supplied the will, skills, and energy to co-create much of the guidance received by his wife Eileen, and their friend Dorothy. Peter was a dynamo of enthusiasm, faith, and energy who brought much of Findhorn into being.
· I’ve been ending my blog posts for some months now with the Latin phrase, “Soli Deo Gloria”. Translation: “All Glory to God”.
Love and Blessings to all.
Soli Deo Gloria
Beyond the Surface of Nature
The first quote is a fitting entrée for exploring beyond the obvious in creation:
“Our minds see many things that are not as they appear to be.”
— Dina Merriam, My Journey Through Time
Dina Merriam’s book, My Journey Through Time, A Spiritual Memoir of Life, Death, and Rebirth shares several of her soul’s past lives that have been unveiled to her during her present life. They contain profound scenes of deep spiritual meaning that I found exhilarating. The following beautiful description of how creation came into being, also reflects my respect for the
Divine Feminine:
“At one time, very, very long ago, there was only the Great Mother’s Spirit absorbed in her own Being. But there came a time when the love flowing from this Mother became so abundant that it began to express itself, bursting out of her and giving birth to many different forms. It was the beginning of creation. We were born out of her love.”
— Dina Merriam, ibid
And I equally like the following gem of Divine wisdom:
“Keep the memory of the Great Mother in your heart. She is the only One who is real. The rest of us are but her dreams. Remember that, and remember Her.
— Dina Merriam, ibid
As related in prior essays, the natural world has been my teacher from an early age. I have always been drawn to the beauty of everything from vast views to a single flower or insect. I am also drawn to creeks and small rivers, especially when sunlight dances with their waters as they splash happily over streambed rocks. Over the years I have also experienced a gradually deepening sense of nature’s essence beyond her physical beauty. Nature has proven to be safe, wise, and loving. She has been my refuge, trustworthy companion, and friend since childhood. The above quotes remind me that beyond the natural beauty available to our five senses, nature is the ineffable vastness of the Infinite One.
I am deeply grateful for decades of inner connection with the Findhorn Foundation in Northern Scotland. They have opened my eyes to the extraordinary realms of beings that support all the physical life forms in creation. For example, each species of plant has an over-lighting angel whose sole purpose is to perfectly hold in its consciousness the design pattern specific to that species. (The early founders of Findhorn referred to them as devas; the Celtic word for angels). In addition, energy beings specific to each plant exquisitely regulate the unfolding of the pattern. (These were referred to as elementals). As a result of Findhorn’s connection and cooperation with these nature beings, their community gardens became world-renowned for extraordinary thriving despite harsh conditions of poor sandy soil and cold unpredictable weather. Britain’s gardening experts and scientists could not account for it.
I have connected in a preliminary fashion with the devas in my own gardening. It feels remarkable to actually carry on a conversation with them via an indescribable telepathic interaction. To be certain it’s not just my imagination, I always confirm the information received via applied kinesiology (described by David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D., in Power versus Force). My connection with the devas is a balance of seeking advice about problems a particular plant is exhibiting, and expressing gratitude for their work with the plants. Those experiences exist in vibrational realms beyond logical thinking, so they lie beyond clear description. Of course, when things don’t fit within logical thinking, many people are unable to accept them as real. It’s sad that they miss so much of life’s reality. Similar non-physical beings exist in vast interwoven systems to keep all of creation operating flawlessly across the universe. The focus of this paragraph is not gardening in particular, but on the perfect non-physical systems that over-light and undergird every physical expression in the Cosmos. And YES, there is a deva responsible for holding the Homo sapiens species pattern. (Statement confirmed by applied kinesiology.)
Since calling me into nature as a young child, Divine Destiny has nurtured me in that context for three-quarters of a century and counting. The details are vast and varied, so ongoing gratitude is the only feasible response to the Beloved Author of my life. This quote shared in our last blog post surely rings true for me:
“The situations you face in life are tailormade for your spiritual growth.”
— John Roger Barrie, Dialogues With The Lord of Time
Each individual’s life is unique, as are their responses to the situations life brings. Some souls learn by growing; others learn by falling short, but all are evolving. May each of you evolve in harmony with your own soul journey. Let it be joyful!
Love and Blessings to all.
Soli Deo Gloria.
Falling Into Our Spiritual Potential
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me; …”
— Psalms 23:4 (Lamsa)
Key understanding: Your soul came into earthly life to evolve, so it is yearning for you to embrace your spiritual journey.
In earthly life, we are born with the urge to grow and expand our horizons. We naturally gravitate toward our potential because it results in feelings of accomplishment and praise from family and friends. With their support and success over time, we come to believe our potential includes manifesting our dreams of peace, love, and joy, along with respect, power, fame, and fortune. In contrast, the world’s mystics have often described spiritual life as more loss than gain. One reader of our last blog post even related that she felt like she was drowning into her potential. So, let’s explore more about what we might encounter as we fall into our spiritual potential.
About the ego: “The ego is a set of thoughts that define your universe. It’s like a familiar room built of thoughts; you see the universe through its windows. You are secure in it, but to the extent that you are afraid to venture outside, it has become a prison.”
— Ram Dass, Journey of Awakening
Almost everyone grows up believing their expanding thought-story is who they are. People typically live their whole life within the context of that accepted story. One’s ego is terrified that loss of its mentally created identity equates to its death, so it is fierce in defending its perspective with all the cleverness and determination it can muster. Is that what Psalm 23 is referring to?
Approaching our spiritual journey: On our efforts to focus “more and more on the spiritual part of our being”: You do this not by reaching for Spirit, but by letting go of the rest. There really is no other way. … you must release the personal self.”
— Michael Singer, The Untethered Soul
Perhaps Michael Singer’s counterintuitive advice means Spirit has always been part of us, so when we let go of the rest (our ego-story), we are able to see that which had been obscured.
Transcending the ego-created personal self: The intention to transcend our ego-identity is contending with a fictional story that we constantly update and identify with. Everyone on Earth is doing the same thing. None of our ego-identities is real! But transcending the ego does not mean we must kill it. In fact, an individual ego (sense of identity) is essential to function in this earthly realm of duality. Ram Dass says: “Once you know you are infinitely more than the ego-room by which you define yourself, you have the power to change the ego from prison to home base.”, (ibid).
As Michael Singer implies, transcending the ego reveals our true nature. Spirit (our soul) has always been within us, but only when the ego has been transcended is one able to sense its presence. One finds that accepting their true identity can set them free. As Ram Dass says, we can then use this room made of thoughts as a home base, while enjoying our freedom to come and go. Perhaps this is what “being in this world, but not of it” refers to. What do you think?
Life supports us in transcending our ego-story:
“The situations you face in life are tailormade for your spiritual growth.”
— John Roger Barrie, Dialogues With The Lord of Time
Barrie explains that such tailormade situations happen over and over until we finally detach from reacting when our buttons are pushed. Detachment facilitates moving beyond our ego-story. Please understand that detachment is an inner shift, not numb lack of feeling nor indifference! We are always free to love and live in harmony with our heart’s true nature.
Barrie also makes the key point that it is vital to detach our identity from situations we view as positive, along with those we view as negative. Reacting with either attachment or aversion distracts us equally from our spiritual journey. When distracted, we all too easily slip back into our ego-based view of life.
To make matters even more interesting, Barrie also points out that memories can illicit emotional responses as powerful as those in present-moment situations. One’s past is anchored in the same ego-story, so whether our memory closet is filled with glory or grief, ruminating about its contents can haunt your today like an unwelcome ghost. Thus, you must also detach your past from your sense of who you are. Lately, I’ve been wrestling with reactions to dreams. Those that carry messages of age-related limitation can really push my buttons. The ego is more subtle and clever than we might expect, even pestering our sleep with its messages!
What to do? Beyond the following list of things that seem essential, there is no prescribed how-to-do-it list. Approach the how by seeking within and experimenting to see what works best.
- The spiritual journey is not complex, but it can be very demanding. Again from Barrie’s book, “[Detachment] is more of an art than a science – It’s not an overnight process, and it requires … relentless disassociation of the contents of your mind from your spiritual self.”
- Commitment! Without serious commitment to your spiritual journey, challenging life situations will simply push you off the path. With commitment, the reward is losing your false ego-view of yourself, along with the burden of creating, maintaining, and living that limited life. The freedom you gain allows you to know yourself as a child of God. You will find that your true identity does not require that you give up the joys of earthly life. In fact, they are enhanced. Upon transcending your ego-story you open into trusting life, which brings meaningful activities serving the world with freedom and joy. Your light naturally shines as you thrive without self-imposed boundaries.
- Regular spiritual connection with the God of your understanding is essential, but you don’t have to live in a monastery or become a hermit. A daily time for reflection and gratitude is very useful. Meditation is a powerful tool to quiet your mind, so you can commune with Divine Presence. Communion can unfold into an ongoing conversation.
- You have the choice which life to embrace. Why not “fear no evil” and be brave!
Love and blessings to all.
Growing into Your Potential
Near the middle of my first decade, I received the first discernable message from somewhere within me. It was not words like I’m using now; it was feelings, the only language a young boy could grasp. It came to me as a deep desire that pulled me like gravity to explore the wooded hills beyond the school playground adjacent to our backyard. That urge unfolded over the following six decades as an intriguing array of experiences that expanded as I matured. In retrospect, that message was a calling to know myself as a child of nature. After decades of growth, the years between my mid-fifties and mid-sixties featured a dazzling trio of physically challenging, spiritually transcendent pilgrimages: the 500-mile Colorado trail (2000), a Himalayan trek in Ladakh (NW India, 2005), and a second one in Bhutan (2007). The deep immersion in nature/divinity (They are not separate!) gifted by those experiences shifted everything.
Inklings had begun to open in the mid-1990s that, in addition to being a child of nature, I am also a spiritual being, a child of God. That insight has been unfolding and expanding for the past three decades. The trio of hikes noted above confirmed that being a child of nature and a child of God are two facets of the same essence that infuses all creation. Indeed, I finally realized that the search for my true self and the search for God is one quest, not two. The body (physical) and soul (spiritual) are blended as one in this earthly life. Because God is Love, the life that I am is Love. The same truth says Love is the life that you are. There are no exceptions to the truth of who we are. There are many exceptions and vast distortions in our awareness of this truth.
What does the truth of who we are imply about growing into our potential?
Shortly after I began writing this essay several weeks ago, a beautiful moment of synchronicity brought a perfect response to this question. Rather than paraphrase his words and presume it’s okay to co-opt his wisdom, I offer six paragraphs from poet and wisdom teacher, Alfred K. (Fred) LaMotte. It is shown exactly as posted on a website that I follow, Order of the Sacred Earth.
From Fred LaMotte (my emphasis):
“You don't need to be a rosy new-age angel in order to meditate. You don't need to sip liquefied kale, live in an ashram, or be politically correct in order to tap the infinite Source. You don't need to be someone better, higher, purer. You don't even need to be someone "else," because there is no one "else" for you to be.
Here's the heresy. The fundamental dis-ease crippling our culture is the toxic anxiety of striving to be someone better. It is the very effort to be more than we are that divides us from ourselves.
Wake up and find the courage to be incomparable. Call off the quest. The beginning and end of spiritual practice is to rest the mind in its own broken heart. Align with your jagged edges. Tune into the rough, unpolished, sparkling joy that haunts your numb places like a fungus, the frightening joy of your uniqueness. Stop believing in the cult of the collective: you are not defined by your gender tribe, skin color, spiritual movement, or political party. You are absolutely You.
You are a hologram containing every other creature in the mineral, vegetable, animal, and angelic kingdoms. Yet All is arranged as you for one brief turn of the kaleidoscope, one instant in the crystal pandemonium of the Goddess, never to be equaled, never to re-turn. The cosmic symphony would not resonate with the same harmony without you at the core of singularity, your own piercing perishing love note. This world doesn't need another Gandhi, or Jesus, or Guru: it needs You.
Whatever "enlightenment" may be, it is more like falling than rising, more like collapsing than getting it all together. So fall into your own rhythm: this is perfect stillness. Collapse into the grace at the heart of your own chaos: this is perfect peace.
I did not learn this from the gods. I learned it from the dogs.”
— [Alfred K.] Fred LaMotte
Acknowledgment: Deep gratitude to you, Fred LaMotte. I bow before your literary grace.
I absolutely love Fred’s pithy two sentence concluding paragraph. It rings of more truth than our egos might be comfortable with!
Closing thoughts:
- Growing into your potential is growing into awareness of who you are.
- Be You! Be Love!
Soli Deo Gloria!
Can We Transcend Feeling Overwhelmed?
Can we find inner peace while living amid self-created chaos that threatens Mother Earth’s ability to sustain life as we know it? Can we move beyond the chaos and foreboding sense of danger? Can we heal ourselves and Mother Earth?
I believe the answer to these, and similar questions must be YES! Every human is a unique and sacred blend of soul with Homo sapiens body. Thus, each of us is a child of God from our first beginning, now attending the Earth School for Soul Evolution. In truth, our presence here in this situation can be seen as a huge growth opportunity! I believe it is not intended that we mope and wait for God to fix the mess we’ve created! So, things cannot be as hopeless or impossible as they seem. By design, God works best on Earth by working through us. That’s a key part of the soul evolution process. To paraphrase Einstein, problems cannot be solved by the same [level of] thinking that created them. It is natural that an effective response to the above questions requires humanity to allow expansion of our collective consciousness. Facing and transcending our stubborn, fearful Homo sapiens nature is almost always challenging. That’s also by design; one’s soul wrestling with the nature of their ornery human host is a key factor in why the Earth School is so effective. Our Homo sapiens nature is actually a gift!
For the moment, let’s set aside the two opening paragraphs and consider how to calm our minds and open our hearts to the YES noted above. Please remember that life does not require that fear be allowed to bully us in the midst of world conditions that seem obscenely out of whack. In truth, feeling peaceful has little to do with the outer circumstances of life. Finding peace is inner work anchored in the responses we choose to Earth’s upsetting conditions.
A corollary truth is that working to make peace amongst our fellow humans won’t have a lasting effect until we first allow peace to fill ourselves. The same is true for living in peace with Mother Earth and the rest of earthly life. Like love, peace is not something we make happen. Peace arrives by its own volition when we allow space within for it to be. Allowing peace is inner work that connects us with the deep reality within our own being — each of us is a child of God.
Richard Rohr said it well:
“When the Spirit is alive in people, they wake up from their mechanical thinking
and enter the realm of co-creative power.”
— Richard Rohr, Daily Meditations, Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, NM
To thus awaken, we must learn to listen to our heart rather than our head. We must make a conscious choice to place our ego in service to our heart because only the heart has the soul wisdom to guide us forward. It’s like installing a new operating system. Shifting control of our marvelous Homo sapiens brain from head (fear) to heart (love) is the fundamental paradigm shift required of us. It cannot be legislated or otherwise forced upon us, nor can it happen en masse. Only you can embrace the choice to let your heart lead. The paradigm shift is already happening across the Earth and will continue to happen, one heart and soul at a time. It requires faith to trust life and its Source. To the degree that we believe it lies within us, we have everything we need to co-create peace on Earth. As Jesus taught, it really is done unto us as we believe, so choose your beliefs carefully. In practical terms, listen to, trust, and follow your heart.
Closing thought:
Reversing all the social, political, religious, and other societal and personal divides that result in stagnation and global decline is within our collective reach. That’s why we chose to be on Earth at this time. Now is our time! Do we allow heart-centered love to heal ourselves and Mother Earth or do we hold a wake? What do you choose?
Peace and blessings to all.
Note: My blog posts reflect ongoing inner conversations about the topic in question. I do not think of myself as an accomplished spiritual teacher. My blog posts share experiences, thoughts, and insights encountered along my life pathway. To paraphrase Ram Dass, may the lovingkindness of our minds and hearts bless us as we walk each other home. At least, we can remind each other that we’re never alone.