SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 327

WE ARE EXPLORING THE HEAVENLY ATTRIBUTE OF BEAUTY

+ We are called to create and enjoy a realm of compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance for all.

+ Beauty breaks us open and connects us to the hearts of others, the soul of the world, deepens our connections with the places we live and dream about, the people we love, animals and plants, trees and rivers. Beauty opens the door to creativity and wisdom.

-- J. Ruth Gendler in Notes on the Need for Beauty: An Intimate Look at an Essential Quality

+ Beauty is the only answer to terror. But Beauty is only skin deep and illusory if it does not include all within its harmonies. All. Anything less than this is counterfeit Beauty, a thin and precarious facade that will eventually crumble.

-- Patricia Adams Farmer in Embracing a Beautiful God

This was the Spirituality & Practice quote of the day on July 4, 2016.

+ All. In other words, everything God creates is beautiful and there is simply no excuse for seeing anything but beauty in every person and every creature.  Period.

Ruth Gendler is right: “Beauty opens the door to creativity and wisdom.” We definitely need it all of the time.  Fortunately, it is available to us at all times and places.  We simply need to know this and enjoy this and see all kinds of fantastic connections.  We are indeed:

Intimately

Intricately

Infinitely

Connected by a Matrix of

Unconditional

Unlimited

Uniting

Love

Which is

Miraculous

Mysterious and

Marvelous

+ Spirituality & Practice offers plenty of resources on the spiritual practice of Beauty. Also, there is an S&P Twelves Gallery of memes on Beauty.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post.  And, I have work to do on the Abundancetrek Beauty page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Beauty” or “Heavenly Attributes” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 319

WE ARE EXPLORING THE HEAVENLY ATTRIBUTE OF WISDOM

+ We are called to create and enjoy a realm of compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance for all.

+

Does not wisdom call,

and does not understanding raise her voice?

On the heights, beside the way,

at the crossroads she takes her stand;

beside the gates in front of the town,

at the entrance of the portals she cries out:

"To you, O people, I call,

and my cry is to all that live.

O simple ones, learn prudence;

acquire intelligence, you who lack it.

Hear, for I will speak noble things,

and from my lips will come what is right;

for my mouth will utter truth;

wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

All the words of my mouth are righteous;

there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.

They are all straight to one who understands

and right to those who find knowledge.

Take my instruction instead of silver,

and knowledge rather than choice gold;

for wisdom is better than jewels,

and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

I, wisdom, live with prudence,

and I attain knowledge and discretion.

The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.

Pride and arrogance and the way of evil

and perverted speech I hate.

I have good advice and sound wisdom;

I have insight, I have strength.

By me kings reign,

and rulers decree what is just;

by me rulers rule,

and nobles, all who govern rightly.

I love those who love me,

and those who seek me diligently find me.

Riches and honor are with me,

enduring wealth and prosperity.

My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,

and my yield than choice silver.

I walk in the way of righteousness,

along the paths of justice,

endowing with wealth those who love me,

and filling their treasuries."

-- Proverbs 8:1-21

+ Wisdom is often equated with the Logos or the Word.  In Greek, wisdom is translated as Sophia.  Isn’t it great that wisdom in this passage and in other places is revealed as feminine? It makes sense, therefore, to address God as Mother as well as Father, as Sister as well as Brother, as Daughter as well as Son.  God transcends gender.  Wisdom transcends gender. Yes, wisdom is feminine … and masculine   … and more.  It is beyond our limited human understanding.  But it is not beyond the miraculous, mysterious and marvelous divine understanding.  This we can experience from time to time as we practice the 12 Spiritual Practices and grow in the heavenly attribute of wisdom.

We still have a long way to go to bring the feminine dimension to our understanding of the divine.  But we have made progress.  That’s a wise thing to do.  So many of the heavenly qualities pointed out in the  powerful text above are magnified when we bring our feminine sensibilities to them.        

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post.  And, I have work to do on the Abundancetrek Wisdom page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Wisdom” or “Heavenly Attributes” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 318

WE ARE EXPLORING THE HEAVENLY ATTRIBUTE OF WISDOM

+ We are called to create and enjoy a realm of compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance for all.

+

If you could get rid

of yourself just once,

The secret of secrets

Would open to you.

The face of the unknown,

Hidden beyond the universe

Would appear on the

Mirror of your perception.

-- Rumi

+ Yes, that ego needs to be put in its place.  It has a role to play but not a huge role, not even a big role.  And there are times when we don’t need it at all.  That’s when we can experience  -- possibly, probably,  ever so briefly -- the miraculous, mysterious and marvelous reality of our essence, our oneness with everything.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post.  And, I have work to do on the Abundancetrek Wisdom page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Wisdom” or “Heavenly Attributes” or “Guest Post” to John@abundancetrek.com.

+ You can always find a link to any of the Spiritual Explorations posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html