Haiku from Susan - Sharing my Spiritual Journey

Haiku… Sharing my Spiritual Journey

April, 2015

 

My spiritual path…

 

 

Belief:

Know the Inward Light

Practice “holding in the Light”

That of God in all

 

The Divine:

God, the Creator

Holy Spirit, all encompassing

Jesus, God revealed

 

The Quaker Path:

Encounter the Divine

Discern God’s will for our lives

Transform lives to God

 

 

Values that reflect my Spiritual Path… growth and clarity as I’ve passed through the decades…

 

Compassion (focus in my 20’s)

Who is my neighbor?

Jesus says “Love thy neighbor.”

Who IS my neighbor?

 

Education (focus in my 30’s)

Seeking, questioning

Knowledge circles round and round

Challenging answers.

 

Community  (focus in my 40’s)

Sharing, trusting, open

Communication builds

Collaboration

Philanthropy (focus in my 50’s)

Guns, drugs, slavery

Watch out for your investments!

Land trusts, health, children

 

Integrity (focus in my 60’s)

Traveling God’s path

Discerning the will of God

Living one’s values

 

Integration  (focus in my 70’s)

Where will I go next?

Where will discernment lead me?

Where am I going?

The Art of Blessing the Day - Marge Piercy

  
This is the blessing for rain after drought:
Come down, wash the air so it shimmers,
a perfumed shawl of lavender chiffon.
Let the parched leaves suckle and swell.
Enter my skin, wash me for the little
chrysalis of sleep rocked in your plashing.
In the morning the world is peeled to shining.

This is the blessing for sun after long rain:
Now everything shakes itself free and rises.
The trees are bright as pushcart ices.
Every last lily opens its satin thighs.
The bees dance and roll in pollen
and the cardinal at the top of the pine
sings at full throttle, fountaining.

This is the blessing for a ripe peach:
This is luck made round. Frost can nip
the blossom, kill the bee. It can drop,
a hard green useless nut. Brown fungus,
the burrowing worm that coils in rot can
blemish it and wind crush it on the ground.
Yet this peach fills my mouth with juicy sun.

This is the blessing for the first garden tomato:
Those green boxes of tasteless acid the store
sells in January, those red things with the savor
of wet chalk, they mock your fragrant name.
How fat and sweet you are weighing down my palm,
warm as the flank of a cow in the sun.
You are the savor of summer in a thin red skin.

This is the blessing for a political victory:
Although I shall not forget that things
work in increments and epicycles and sometime
leaps that half the time fall back down,
let’s not relinquish dancing while the music
fits into our hips and bounces our heels.
We must never forget, pleasure is real as pain.

The blessing for the return of a favorite cat,
The blessing for love returned, for friends’
return, for money received unexpected,
the blessing for the rising of the bread,
the sun, the oppressed. I am not sentimental
about old men mumbling the Hebrew by rote
With no more feeling than one says gesundheit.

But the discipline of blessings is to taste
each moment, the bitter, the sour, the sweet
and the salty, and be glad for what does not
hurt. The art is in compressing attention
to each little and big blossom of the tree
of life, to let the tongue sing each fruit,
its savor, its aroma and its use.

Attention is love, what we must give
children, mothers, fathers, pets,
our friends, the news, the woes of others.
What we want to change we curse and then
pick up a tool. Bless whatever you can
with eyes and hands and tongue. If you
can’t bless it, get ready to make it new.

             Marge Piercy

Poem contributed by Regula; photo by Mary Ellen - Quaker Nightingales weekend, 2015.

Christ Taking Leave of His Mother - Bernhard Strigel - German, 1520

(The entire) Psalm 139

(The last section of this psalm is often omitted - it gets into the Old Testament "smiting" mode. Keep in mind that "enemies" can be afflictive thoughts, or pernicious bad habits. I've included some NRVS translation notes for words shown with a * at the bottom, and a picture of Peter's very loving mother.)

Psalm 139

To the leader. Of David. A Psalm.

1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
   you discern my thoughts from far away.
3 You search out my path and my lying down,
   and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
   O Lord, you know it completely.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
   and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
   it is so high that I cannot attain it.


7 Where can I go from your spirit?
   Or where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
   if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning
   and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
   and your right hand shall hold me fast.
11 If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
   and the light around me become night’,
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
   the night is as bright as the day,
   for darkness is as light to you.


13 For it was you who formed my inward parts;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
   Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
15   My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
   intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
   all the days that were formed for me,
   when none of them as yet existed.
17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
   How vast is the sum of them!
18 I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
   I come to the end*—I am still with you.


19 O that you would kill the wicked, O God,
   and that the bloodthirsty would depart from me—
20 those who speak of you maliciously,
   and lift themselves up against you for evil!*
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
   And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred;
   I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
   test me and know my thoughts.
24 See if there is any wicked* way in me,
   and lead me in the way everlasting.*

* end = or, "I awake"
* evil = meaning of Heb uncertain
* wicked = Heb 'hurtful"
* everlasting = or, 'the ancient way' - compare Jer 6:16 

This is a picture of Peter's mother with her newest granddaughter, taken the day before her last.

The Greatest Commandment and Good Samaritan

(Or, Who is my neighbor?)

(illustration from http://www.onyxtruth.com/2014/05/26/the-good-samaritan/ - recall that the folks of Samaria were despised by the pious Israelite of Jesus's day. This image seemed appropriate in light of the racial injustice on the news over the week of the Gathering.)

Luke 10:25-28 - Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’

Luke 10.29-42 - But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii*, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’ 

* denarii = one denari is about a day's wage

(Note: you can search easily and find passages of interest in the Bible through an online source, oremus.org, which uses the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible - the most current and accurate translation I am aware of. Here's the link: http://bible.oremus.org/.)

Three-minute meditation to try on your commute

Gene sent in the following link and comments:   

"The link below is where I found the 3 minute meditation I have found useful.

http://franticworld.com/free-meditations-from-mindfulness/

It’s the one titled 'Three Minute Breathing Space.' It can be played from the site, or right clicked and downloaded as an MP3.

There are others on the same page I have used once or twice."

(Note: there is a lot of additional material and resources on this Web site called "Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World" - mes.) 

Maughn also sent in some additional information: 


"Wow, thanks Gene.  I believe this web page is connected to the book by Mark Williams, "Mindfulness: An 8-Week Practice," which is one of the clearest and most practical books I've read on mindfulness practice I've found: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13538068-mindfulness

He has a chocolate meditation on that page (the one above listed by Gene), which I adapted for use in my philosophy of education class.  For the past couple of years I've done this on the last day of class and used this PowerPoint in silence as we do the practice together.

I still have the feeling of deep peace and expanding heart with me that we shared together last week."

 

(A huge clear, cold spring gushing from the side of a mountain near Mackay, Idaho, where I hiked with two of my brothers in early spring. The run-off from this spring becomes a stream going through the gorge.- mes)

"Mindful Eating" Practice

Maughn sent this in to share:

Thích Nhất Hạnh is a Vietnamese Zen master who coined the term "Engaged Buddhism" to describe the application of Buddhist insights to situations of social, political, environmental, and economic injustice.  He convinced Martin Luther King, Jr. to speak against the war in Viet Nam and King nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.  Nhất Hạnh was exiled from his country from 1973 to 2005.  He organized a monastery called Plum Village in France which has satellite monasteries and practice centers in New York, California, Mississippi and in other countries (http://plumvillage.org/monastic-practice-centres/).  The monks and nuns of this order (and occasionally TNH himself) lead retreats in the US every year, typically lasting 6 days, where participants practice sitting and walking meditation, mindful eating, mindful movement, and dharma sharing, and listen to one dharma talk each day. Meals are taken in silence, in each other's company, and we are invited to eat slowly, mindfully, savoring each bite, and to practice the "Five Contemplations" (http://plumvillage.org/mindfulness-practice/eating-together/):

1. This food is a gift of the earth, the sky, numerous living beings, and much hard and loving work.
2. May we eat with mindfulness and gratitude so as to be worthy to receive this food.
3. May we recognise and transform unwholesome mental formations, especially our greed and learn to eat with moderation
4. May we keep our compassion alive by eating in such a way that reduces the suffering of living beings, stops contributing to climate change, and heals and preserves our precious planet.
5. We accept this food so that we may nurture our brotherhood and sisterhood, build our Sangha, and nourish our ideal of serving all living beings.

(Note that the Web page of the "eating together" practice linked here has also a list of other mindfulness practices you can look over. Also note that Thích Nhất Hạnh, now 90 years old, is slowly recovering from a serious stroke that took place in November, 2014.)

Sister Wendy Transcript and Story Circle Prompt

From Sister Wendy in Conversation with Bill Moyers: The Complete Conversation (1997)

(Here's the link: YouTube page with all six sections of the complete 60-minutes video.)

 

Wendy discusses her prayer practice and her practice of deep looking at art.

(From ‘Early Life and Being a Nun’)

Sister Wendy -  . . . . it took me some time to realize that I had to integrate Wendy, the real Wendy, that silly creature, with my religious life, because what God wanted was me, not a pretend-me. .. . . .

Bill Moyers - When you took that step, when you said, “I’m giving myself to God,” what exactly did you think you were doing?

Sister Wendy - I thought I was setting myself into a context in which God could take possession of me in a way I had not been free to let him do before. If I had been different, he could’ve done it always, but I was so weak that I needed that orderly set-up. You know, that’s the sign of a good vocation: you need it. Not that you want it, but this is a life that you actually need if you are to be fully human.

(From ‘The Contemplative Life’ – some sections below are not included on the video.)

Bill Moyers: - Tell me what life is under those circumstances [living in her trailer on the grounds of the convent]. What do you do every day?

Sister Wendy - Well, I pray a lot. I mean, basically, that’s what I do. I pray. I live in the sunshine of God’s presence. It’s absolute bliss!

. . . . .

Bill Moyers - What form does that prayer take?

Sister Wendy - Well, no form, really. I just let God shine upon me, without words or images or thoughts. I think all that matters in prayer is that we should want God to take possession of us. And if that wanting is deep enough, then anything we feel we want to do in prayer will work. I don’t think that there’s any sort of set forms. Occasionally, I’ve sung a bit, making up words to God. But, otherwise, there are no words and no images. I just stay there.

(a bit further in the interview)

Bill Moyers  - . . .  I think people are curious about how many hours a day you spend in this contemplation, and what happens to you in the process?

Sister Wendy - Well, I feel it’s God’s process, that God is more me than I am. And that what goes on is God’s business. My business is just to be attentive to Him, just to be waiting for God, God to be what he wants.

Bill Moyers - There’s no petition. You’re not supplicating. You’re not. . .

Sister Wendy - No.

Bill Moyers - You’re just there?

Sister Wendy - Well, if an idea came into my head to supplicate, I would, but it doesn’t usually. I’m just there and completely content. I’m not to know what is happening, because it’s God’s business.

Bill Moyers - And how many hours a day do you do this?

Sister Wendy - About seven hours.

(Later in interview, from section on Sister Wendy’s instructions on how to look at art.)

Bill Moyers – You talk about surrendering to the wonder of the story. What do you mean by that, “surrendering”?

Sister Wendy - . . . it means that you’re not going to have labels, you’re not going to defend yourself by the ramparts of your own ego, you’re going to open yourself to what this has to give you, and that’s not easy to do.

Bill Moyers – So when you ask me to give myself, to surrender to a work of art, what are you asking me to do?

Sister Wendy – I’m asking you to let this work speak to you without you setting up preconditions, without you, in any way, defending the fragility of your ego, because works of art can often teach us things about ourselves we would rather not know. They’re going to take you into another’s vision, only to bring you back to your own truth. The art will increase your own integrity, which is something, perhaps, that people only may be paying lip service to desiring.

Bill Moyers – I’m not sure what you mean by that, “it increases your own integrity.”

Sister Wendy – Well, our desire should be that we are men and women of integrity, of truth, that we are what we were meant to be, with nothing fake about us. Now, art is a great tester of the fake, because it must be the real you that responds. And the more the real you dares to respond, the more the real you is there. You’re exercising the muscles of your own individuality, as opposed to your ego.

. . . . .

Bill Moyers - What does, has art done for you, other than make you an international celerity, which you didn’t want to be? What has art done for you? What has art done for you?

Sister Wendy - Well, I suppose it’s given me enormous joy. It’s also increased my capacity to accept darkness and pain, and not be too bewildered by them. It has, I hope, made me a more sensitive and alert person. The one fatal thing is to be a zombie. And I think we’re all in danger of living part of our lives at zombie level. But I think art helps one to be perpetually there, as it were.

Bill Moyers “There” is?

Sister Wendy - There, alert, constant.

Bill Moyers - In the moment?

Sister Wendy - Yes, in the moment, because God’s coming every moment, but we’re not receiving Him every moment; of course, we’re not even noticing that He’s coming. We’re drifting through. Well, you see, in art you can’t just drift; art is demanding of your attention. And I would hope that it helps me to be a more attentive person all the way.

Prompt:

Dig back in your memory and think of a time when you discovered a practice that helped you to be more attentive and “perpetually there,” alert and alive as opposed to being a zombie – a practice that has made a real difference in your life. Tell us the story of how you came to this practice. Feel free to mention any effects this practice has had on your life or work.

More on spiritual practices will get posted later. For now, two published books with compiled resources are these:

Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life, Marjorie J. Thomas (often used in seminary courses)

Listening Spirituality, Volume 1: Personal Spiritual Practices Among Friends, Patricia Loring

(often used in Spiritual Nurture programs among Friends)

Four Prayers

 

(I copied this from a Facebook post - I don't know who posted it. It is a traditional Buddhist practice of "metta", a form of prayer not requiring the belief that there is a Supreme Being, but simply wishing the release from suffering for self and others.)

Thirst – Mary Oliver (from the book Thirst) 

Another morning and I wake with thirst
for the goodness I do not have. I walk
out to the pond and all the way God has
given us such beautiful lessons. Oh Lord,
I was never a quick scholar but sulked
and hunched over my books past the
hour and the bell; grant me, in your
mercy, a little more time. Love for the
earth and love for you are having such a
long conversation in my heart. Who
knows what will finally happen or
where I will be sent, yet already I have
given a great many things away, expect-
ing to be told to pack nothing, except the
prayers which, with this thirst, I am
slowly learning.



Celtic Prayer

You are the peace of all things calm
You are the place to hide from harm
You are the light that shines in dark
You are the heart's eternal spark

You are the door that's open wide
You are the guest who waits inside
You are the stranger at the door
You are the calling of the poor

You are my Lord and with me still
You are my love, keep me from ill
You are the light, the truth, the way
You are my Savior this very day.
 
you are god - celtic oral tradition - 1st millennium
 

The Peace Prayer of St. Francis 
c. 1915 A.D. Peace Prayer (originally written in French, possibly by a French priest; later attributed to St. Francis)

Lord make me an instrument of your peace

Where there is hatred,
Let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, truth;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, Joy.

O Divine Master grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled
As to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
(Note: you can easily search for prayers from many faith traditions on this fairly new site: http://www.worldprayers.org/index.html.)