Double Thread

I am currently facilitating a study of Walter Starcke’s book, It’s All God, the Flowers and the Fertilizer. In his book, Starcke expounds on the concept of “double tread,” a term which he borrowed from Pierre Tielhard de Chardin’s prayer,

“Lay hold on me fully both by the within and without of myself. Grant that I may never break this double thread.” ¹

Starcke says,

“The term “double thread” is my shorthand for saying that nothing is either/or, nothing is either subjective or objective, nothing only visible or only invisible, nothing just masculine or just feminine, nothing just spiritual or just material. When I saw how cause becomes visible as effect, I realized that my life was one thread made up of two strands.”

In my meditation this morning, after reading, contemplating and digesting more of Starcke’s book, an image came to my mind. I was standing between worlds. I saw myself having one foot in the material world and the other in the spiritual world. It was as though I was a tree firmly planted in both worlds, my feet the roots, each of my legs a trunk which merged into one perfect majestic expression of both the spiritual and material.

Starcke asserts that it is possible for each of us to follow the example of Jesus, the Buddha and other masters who walked in this world as fully conscious beings. Fully conscious of themselves, others and all creation as physical expressions of Spirit.

We have the capacity to live fully conscious of the “double thread,” to know our spiritual truth as one with God, Source, Life, Creation, or by whatever name or nature you know It to be. And, to simultaneously be fully conscious of every aspect of ourselves and our connection with the material world.

We can be aware of our physical bodies, make conscious choices to support our well-being, eat nutritious food, rest, and move while also being fully aware that we are so much more than our bodies. We can know that we are perfect, whole and complete as “humanized spirit,” ² while also being aware that there are aspects of our personality, behaviors and life situations that we would like to change. When we can observe the “double thread” we can see ourselves from a consciousness of love and respond from love.

When we are aware of and can live from the consciousness of the “double thread” we can extend that love to others as well. We can observe the behaviors of others that we might judge as unloving or even evil, and rather than condemn them, we can extend them love. 

This does not mean that we condone unkind or unloving behavior. Instead, from the awareness of the “double thread” we can choose to see them as their perfect, whole and complete spiritual truth and choose to see their actions as stemming from their ignorance, or lack of conscious awareness of their spiritual truth.

The master teacher Jesus said while being nailed to the cross, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He was able to observe the cruel actions of the Roman soldiers holding the spikes and hammer while also being able to see through their actions to their spiritual truth. He was saying that they were not conscious of what they were doing to themselves by taking this action, nor were they aware of their unity with Spirit, with him and with all creation. Jesus was consciously aware of the “double thread” for himself and for the soldiers and was able to extend that consciousness even while being tortured.

Again, this does not mean that we are asked to approve of or abide unloving behavior from others. We can make conscious choices from a place of self-love, self-compassion and self-care that support our physical, mental and emotional well-being. Choices made from a conscious awareness of the “double thread” rather than from the consciousness of fear and separation will move us in the direction of our highest good and the highest good for all.

As I contemplate the concept of “double thread” and consider it in relation to the creation story in Genesis, I connect with a deeper truth in the myth. Created as the image/likeness of God, humans are endowed with the capacity to fully know ourselves subjectively in spiritual consciousness and objectively in material form. We are created to consciously commune with God and with creation. The Garden of Eden represents a state of conscious awareness of the unity of both aspects of our nature. We separate ourselves from the consciousness of oneness in God and unity with all creation when we “eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” in other words, when we judge ourselves, others or the world around us. It is only then that we begin to suffer.

The good news is that we are not victims of the serpent, Satan, or any external force. We have the power to choose to connect the “double thread” and live in the conscious communion. When we do, we will realize that “It’s All God” and will enter the Promised Land which is our birthright.

¹ Teilhard de Chardin, The Divine Milieu

² Walter Starcke, It’s All God