A Lesson From The Forest

Today, I sat on the back deck of the cabin where I am spending much of my sabbatical time. The cabin is totally enveloped in trees. It is as if it sprang out of the forest floor alongside its natural surroundings.

As I sat there doing nothing save watching the trees, a welcomed light breeze interrupted the abject stillness of the hot, humid summer day. The trees suddenly came alive as they began to dance in the wind. I sat transfixed as I marveled at how they, some of them 100 feet or more tall, swayed with such grace and ease. Many of them with long bare trunks reaching to the sky, branching out with a spray of green at their extremities like colossal hydrangeas flowering far above my reach. I watched as they moved in rhythm as if expertly choreographed.

I wondered if one or more would snap under the pressure as the wind grew in intensity, a precursor to the approaching rainstorm. Then, I remembered the root systems that expand deep into the earth beneath. Root systems that extend far beyond the base of the tree to anchor it and to seek out and absorb water and nutrients that sustain and support it.

I let myself imagine the interconnected network of roots from hundreds of trees and other plants that share this small section of the Earth’s ecosystem. I was awestruck as I pondered the immensity of what lies beneath what I could observe.

Right where I was sitting, I could see trees of all shapes, sizes, and shades of green coexisting with many varieties of shrubs, ferns, grasses, vines, and mosses. While they appeared separate and apart from each other on the surface, I knew that they are all part of a mutually supportive system that binds them together as one and from which they co-create a peaceful and inviting sanctuary for all manner of reptiles, insects, arachnids, and animals, including us humans.

It was a beautiful and present reminder of how we can learn from nature. We, too, appear to be separate and apart from each other. We show up in all shapes, sizes, and colors. We each express in our own unique and special ways. Yet, beneath all that we see as our differences, we are connected by a network of energy that exists beyond what we can typically observe with our physical senses. We must allow ourselves to go deeper, to sense beneath what we can see or hear so that we realize our unity in our diversity.

It is vitally important that we take time to ground ourselves, to anchor ourselves in the awareness of the Life Energy that lives and moves and has its being as each of us. Since we don’t have physical roots like trees, we must establish energetic roots through the practice of meditation, prayer, and contemplation. Through these practices, we establish conscious connection with our Source and strengthen our connections with each other and the natural world. We draw sustenance and strength from these connections.

Conscious breathwork is another practice that can help to reinforce our conscious connection to Source. I invite you into the following practice:

Take a deep breath and imagine that the breath extends all the way down through the bottom of your feet connecting you to the center of the Earth.

On the exhale, imagine drawing energy from the core of the planet up through the bottom of your feet, through your heart and out the top of your head.

On the next inhale, visualize breathing all the way out the top of your head connecting you with Cosmic Christ energy.

On the exhale, draw that energy down through the top of your head, into your heart, and through the bottom of your feet.

Take a few more conscious breaths and imagine that you are in the constant flow of Earth and Cosmic Christ energy.

You are a connecting point between Heaven and Earth.

We are here to co-create eco-, bio-, socio-, psycho-, and political systems that are interconnected and mutually supportive for all humanity, as well as for our Mother Earth and all the life she sustains. 

As more of us engage in practices that help us consciously connect with the Life Energy from which we are born and in which we co-exist, we will more fully bring that consciousness to bear in all the systems that we create. Nature can serve as our example of living in harmony, peaceful cooperation, and mutual support.

A Time For Sabbath

I have shared in recent posts that I will be taking a six-week sabbatical beginning August 16. This is my first sabbatical since entering Unity ministry in 2008. While I have been looking forward to this time away for many months and am still eagerly anticipating it, I am somewhat anxious about taking so much time off and being away from home for so long.

I know that I am exceedingly blessed to be given this opportunity. Many people never have the chance to take extended time away from their daily lives and spend time reconnecting to themselves and to Spirit. I am grateful to Spirit and to my Unity Spiritual Center Denver family for this opportunity. My spirit and soul tell me that this time will be healing and renewing. I am doing my best to pay attention and to follow as I am led.

We all need rest. Our need for rest is as important as our need for sleep. It is an aspect of the natural rhythm of life. While extended time off from our daily activities is often enriching and necessary, we also need to create the space for rest amidst the busyness of our lives on a routine basis.

As I have been pondering my sabbatical, I have revisited one of my favorite books, Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in our Busy Lives, by Wayne Muller. I have highlighted passages on nearly every page in my printed copy. I also have the electronic and audible version of the book. I refer to it often when I become aware of the need to stop and reconnect; apparently, not frequently enough.

Reverend Muller reminds us that “Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy” is the only commandment that begins with the word ‘remember,’ denoting that it is something we all know, but have forgotten. In the hurry of our active lives, we forget.

‘24/7’ seems to have become a modern-day mantra in our culture. We have access to just about everything we desire 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We have access to information on the internet anytime day or night. Some of us can work around-the-clock from our home offices if we choose. We can bank, shop or be entertained whenever the urge strikes. We can do most of it without ever leaving the comfort of our own homes.

Some wear ‘24/7’ as if it were a badge of honor – “I’m working 24/7 to get this project finished or to drive this deal home.” “I’m BUSY” is now a common response to the question, “How are you?”  

Muller posits that we have accepted constant activity as a part of our value system. In our efforts to accomplish, achieve and accumulate, he asserts that we have lost the value for rest, renewal, and remembrance. Further, that we have abandoned the value of observing the Sabbath.

Throughout time, there have been social taboos, and even laws to restrict activity on the Sabbath. While not as prevalent in many states today, legislators in our country still artificially enforce keeping the Sabbath by imposing “blue laws” which make it illegal for businesses to open, or restrict the items sold, on Sundays. It is currently against the law in Colorado to sell a vehicle on Sunday.

We have attempted to make the Sabbath about what not to do, rather than try to understand its true purpose. As Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for humankind, not humankind for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27 NRSV). Regardless of how it has been misunderstood and misused in the past, Sabbath is a sacred concept that, when observed, can serve us well.

Muller says,

“The Sabbath is not a burdensome requirement from some law-giving deity – ‘You ought, you’d better, you must’ – but rather a remembrance of a law that is firmly embedded in the fabric of nature. It is a reminder of how things really are, the rhythmic dance to which we unavoidably belong.”

The observance of Sabbath, in its highest intention, does not limit activities that one may engage in on a specified day, nor does it mandate setting aside an entire day. Sabbath is time we consciously choose to set aside to honor ourselves and our unity in God.

According to the creation story in Genesis, God rested on the seventh day. God didn’t get dressed up and go to church, or catch up on what was missed during the six days of creating the world. God rested. The story reminds us that rest is an integral aspect of our spiritual, as well as our human experience.

It seems, in our culture, we may have lost sight of the value of resting in conscious connection in the One. I affirm that it is time for us to return to observing Sabbath. It is time for us to stop the violence of pushing ourselves beyond our limits. It is time for us to begin to care for ourselves. When we begin to take time to care for ourselves, we will begin to take a little more time to care for each other and for our world.

Perhaps an archaic concept, such as ‘Sabbath,’ can help save us from ourselves. It is certainly a concept that I intend to explore for myself as I embark on this sabbatical journey. I encourage you to find ways to engage with Sabbath in your life.

I invite you to join us this Sunday at 10:00 MDT, either in person or virtually, as we explore and experience Sabbath. It will be a time to rest, renew and remember. Our service will include extended periods for quiet contemplation and meditation. Discover how remembering the Sabbath can make a difference in your life.

P.S. These posts may not be a regular feature in our newsletter while I am on sabbatical. At times, I will be traveling. Other times, I will be “BE-ing.” I will write and post as I am inspired.
I look forward to reconnecting when I return.

Joyous Blessings to you!

Let It Begin With Me

One day last week, the doorbell rang at Unity Spiritual Center Denver. Trish and I both office upstairs, so each of us began making our way toward the stairs and to the door. Trish made it there ahead of me. It has nothing to do with age, in case you were wondering. Even though she answered the door, I stood at the top of the landing to see who was there and to be sure there was no need for me to be involved. 

When she opened the door, a young man was standing there. He asked if a minister was around that he could speak with. Usually, when someone comes to the door and asks if there is a minister they can speak with, they want financial assistance. That proved not true in this case.

Trish told him that she is the associate minister and asked if she could help him. I continued to stand at the top of the stairs listening to be sure there was no danger. He said that he needed to talk to someone about all that is going on in the world. He seemed concerned but not agitated.

Trish invited him to have a seat just inside the front door in the lending library where she joined him, sat across from him and listened. I walked back into my office, but kept the door open and walked out on the landing occasionally so I could hear and keep tabs on the situation.

I did not hear all of their conversation, but I heard enough to know that that this young man was feeling anxious and was looking for some answers. He expressed his disillusionment with the Catholic Church, the tradition in which he was raised. He was concerned that the church is not providing the answers or the response to the current global crises that he is seeking.

He also expressed his consternation at the current political climate, the dissension and polarization, as well as the lack of effective response to the pandemic, the climate crisis, and other issues.

He seemed deeply concerned about the instability of the world and life. He expressed dismay about how everything is changing and nothing seems sure any more.

There were a couple of times I thought about walking down the stairs and interjecting, but I knew that Trish could handle it. And she did. She listened attentively and offered him empathy and compassion, but did not attempt to offer him definitive answers to his existential questions. Often, just giving someone the space to be heard can be healing.

After he left, I thought about what I might have said to him had I been the one to answer the door. As I pondered, I realized some things. He, as all of us are, is in the perfect place in his spiritual journey. Even though being in the space of not knowing, not being sure about things, and no longer clinging to the religion of the past can be disconcerting, it is in that space that we are most open to listen and hear the voice of Spirit beneath the noise of the world.

When we come to a place in our life journey where the things we thought we knew no longer ring true for us; when who we thought we were no longer feels right: when the institutions we once relied upon for answers, stability and security no longer satisfy our needs; when the world we knew appears to be falling apart, it is time for us to go within and connect with the one Source of all that we are and all that we will ever truly need.

We can spend an entire lifetime searching for meaning, love and belonging in the world, and many do, but the world can never satisfy the deepest longing of our hearts. The church may point the way, but it is not the Source of our answers. We may experience love with and for another or others, but they are not the Source of love. Our careers may offer us a degree of financial success and personal fulfillment, but they are not the Source of our good. Our political and social institutions my offer us some semblance of stability and security, but they are not our Source. There is only one Source – God. Only a conscious connection with the God of our being can answer our questions and meet our needs.

At one point I heard this young man say, “Why can’t we all just love each other. We are all children of God.” After acknowledging him and reflecting his longing for a loving humanity, I might have said, we can’t love each other because we have yet to discover the Source of Love within ourselves. We cannot give to another what we don’t yet know we have. Better yet, we cannot give to another what we don’t yet know that we are.

I am grateful that this young man came to our door. While upon reflection, I wish I had taken the opportunity to speak with him, I trust that Trish was the perfect one to meet him and give him what he needed. There are no coincidences, only divine appointments we are not always prepared for, but are equipped for when we are open to Spirit’s guidance as Trish was.

I am thankful that I was able to hear him express what many of us have felt and, indeed, what many are feeling now. I am glad I had some time to ponder what I would like to have said to him. It is a good reminder of what I can say to myself when I experience existential angst. It is what I would say to anyone, after first sharing empathy and compassion, of course.

If you are having similar feelings, even though it may be uncomfortable, do not resist. Allow it. I encourage you to practice empathy and compassion for yourself. Honor your needs for safety, security, assurance, stability, and peace. Feel whatever arises in you when those needs are not being met in ways that you would like. If possible, reach out to someone who is capable and willing to give you the empathy and compassion you need. When you can, take time to extend it to others. That is a practice of loving others and ourselves.

We often sing at the end of our Sunday service, “Let there be love on Earth and let it begin with me.” As that young man who came to our door one hot summer day reminded me, the love that we long to experience on Earth will only manifest when we consciously realize at the depth of our being that we are expressions of Love, here to live that Love through every thought, word and action.

We can manifest a world founded in Love. We can respond to the needs of the world from Love. We can know ourselves as Love incarnate. Let it begin with me!