Shining Spirit

I was browsing through some old magazines the other day, looking for something to read and I came upon an article that would fill a few minutes:  First Principles Study of Electronic Structure and Optical Properties of Tetragonal PbMoO.  It was either that or People Magazine.

First principles.  Yours?  Do you have “first principles?”  Of course you do.  Everyone has “a fundamental, primary, or general law or truth from with others are derived…an accepted or professed rule of ACTION and CONDUCT.”  We all have principles, even if we’ve never identified and articulated them.  Principles define who we are, how we view the world, how we interact with each other.  Principles are crucial to a balanced, thoughtful life, and to the existence of a just and caring nation.

I’m sure this conversation will cause you to sit down and ponder your principles.  What are the first priorities in my life?  What is fundamental and primary.  My request of you, as you formulate or review your first priorities, is to include somewhere in your list these words:  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the greatest and first commandment (principle).  And the second is like it:  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments (principles) hang all the Law and all the Prophets.”

These two principles are the foundational stones of life.  Plain.  Simple.  End of story.  These two principles give birth to extensions and practical applications that keep us balanced and strong.  That’s where we come in.  You and I are the developers of secondary principles that demonstrate the essence of the first principles.  Big responsibility.  Yes.  Big opportunity.  Oh, yes.  Life giving ways to live in community?  Without a doubt.

“Teacher, which (principle) is the greatest?”  “You shall love…”

So, this is beginning to sound like a sermon.  Enough.  I have reading and thinking to do.  It’s a toss up between Electronic Structure and Optical Properties or the Life Structure and Living Principles from the Ancient Voice.    Hmmm.

Almost everyday I drive by the art gallery on Egleston St.  This is
what one might call an “open air art gallery” because there is
no building with a sign in front, just a little patch of sandy
ground where the artistic creations are presented.

The anonymous artist started with one or two rock-art pieces, but, as
you can see, he or she is expanding.  Art has a way of doing that.
Called cairns, the rock-balancing creations are Scottish in their
ancestry and worthy of a stop and a quick iPhone photo.

What would you do if you were given a pile of rocks?  Some of us
would throw them at the sky, or line a flower bed, or toss them in
the nearest wash…they’re just rocks!  It is said that a brilliant sculptor
can look at a block of marble and see the detailed creation
still within the stone even before the chisel and hammer go to work.
This is seeing with the “inner eye”, or with the spiritual eye that
cuts through outer surfaces or barriers and “sees” that which is within.

Today you will have an opportunity to see with your “spiritual” eye.  And when
that moment comes, look beyond the obvious outer and see the essential inner.
You are the artist today.  Make something that blesses the world.
Don’t settle for the “taken for granted” or the “everyday common.”
That’s not just a pile of rocks, you know.
Create.
And you will have worshiped the Unique Creator.

Things are not as they seem.
The lovely oleander, brilliant in reds and pinks and whites,
is toxic, as in poison.  And yet in many places, the plant
is  welcomed into the neighborhood, used as a hedge divider
between properties and admired for its beautiful flower.

Things are not as they seem.
It may look good on the outside, but don’t be fooled, there
is poison on the inside.
As a metaphor about life, the oleander is quite
fitting for today.  Don’t be deceived  by Con-men or
deceptive politicians who will offer the moon but
leave you in the dust of broken promises and
wasted time.  Poison is poison no matter how
you spell it.

Discern when making big decisions.
Pray when you feel helpless.
In the case of the colorful oleander, a bit
of social distancing is in order.
Things are not always what they seem.

Every morning I sit with a cup of coffee in front of my laptop
and I remember Samuel’s words “Speak, Lord.  Your servant is listening.”
And I wait.

Sometimes a thought does cartwheels through my mind and I try to
catch up with it.  Sometimes the wait is long…two cups of coffee.
And sometimes the answer to my request is lovely silence,
but that doesn’t put words on the page.
Sometimes there is no message at all.

On those days, when no word comes, I stroll out into the backyard
with another cup…I know, too much…and sit in the early morning sun,
that wonderful combination of warmth’s touch and cool air’s embrace.
And then my eyes are drawn to the mountain…perhaps my heart more
than my eyes…and there it is, like a huge neon sign flashing on
Pusch Peak.  The answer.  No, not an answer.  It’s an intuition,
an invitation into creative thought, maybe like the Creative  Mind
that molded the mountains.

The ingredients have mixed together perfectly: the early warmth
of the morning sun, yet cool air brisking the moment, the
mountain, the colors, the sounds of birds singing five songs
all at the same time, even the soft hum of tires rolling along
Oracle Road.  The song is exhilarating.
One more sip of coffee then hurry back to the laptop.
Here it comes!

“Speak, Lord.  Your servant is listening.”
Thanks.

Today
look around
try all directions
especially inside and
see glory, beauty and blessing.
Don’t glance.
Look.

If you
are standing in
a beautiful palace
or on a little patch of life
do the right and the good
bloom where you are
Be blessing for
your world
Today.

It doesn’t
take a lot of resources
Even a little rich soil under
all the rocks will do.  Plant roots
look up, smile at the world, dance
in the Spirit wind.  You are the only
you around, unique, beautiful and gifted.
Someone needs you today, needs who you
are and what you are.  You just don’t know who
that person is.  You don’t have to.
Just bloom where you are.
Leave the rest to God.
Let the Spirit shine.
You are the gift.

Some people I know just won’t give up.
They go over, around, and through obstacles.

It met a tree stump the other day who demonstrates
the same characteristics.  Refuses to quit.
Even though assaulted by a chain saw, the stump
decided that there was enough juice left to start
all over again.  And knowing this stump, one day
a child will sit under spreading branches and eat
a peanut butter sandwich.

Events and circumstances today test and try the fiber of
our being.  But deep within the core, there is something
that cannot and will not be defeated.  The surface
appearance of life may appear to be tarnished
beyond repair, but don’t overlook two
dynamic life ingredients:
human will and
sacred wonder.

Human will is undergirded by
sacred presence inherent in
all sentient beings.
Will and wonder:
I wouldn’t bet against them.
Take heart!

What is man that You are mindful of him?

I am part of every tree, every river, every star
I am because of I AM

I am a moral and ethical mind in
the substance of flesh

I recognize both love and hate because
I am ever connected to The Source of life

I am broken but beautiful,
self-interested yet sacred,
of myself and of my God,
I am two seeking to be one

What is man that You are mindful of him?

I am hope wandering the world.
I am the essence of the possible.
I am.

I’m so glad that nobody has come up with the idea of
masks for beautiful flowers.  They smile twenty-four
hours a day and encourage us, we who steam up our glasses
from  ill-fitting masks.  Walking through the grocery store the other day
I realized that all the smiles are gone.  No one can see through my mask,
and that’s where my smile lives.  But I smile anyway…does me some good.

Today when you look from your window onto blooming trees and flowers,
smile back.  The mask offers protection, but the blooming world offers pleasure
and promise.  If the flowers can smile, so can we.

Thanks be to God.

“This is the day the Lord has made,
let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

In your mind and with your heart, go to that
special place where you are embraced
by peace, stillness and centered quiet.
Be alone for a few moments in the middle of
that sea of tranquility and trust.
Go slowly but with sacred intention.
Relax your body.  Release your mind.
Let go.

No one sinks.
No one is overcome by fear.
Neither will you be.

This is not A day…
This is The day…

This day will never happen again.
Don’t miss it.

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his
mercies never come to an end; they are
new every morning; great is your
faithfulness.
The Lord is my portion, says my soul,
therefore I will hope in him.”

New life springs from the old,
new thoughts from established wisdom,
new joy from unexpected encounters,
new green shoots from damaged branches.
All things hold the possibility of new life.
No circumstance is barren.

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope…”