SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS – 359

WE ARE EXPLORING THE HEAVENLY ATTRIBUTE OF JUSTICE

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

+ We stand at a critical moment in Earth's history, a time when humanity must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise. To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny. We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace. Towards this end, it is imperative that we, the peoples of Earth, declare our responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations.

-- The Earth Charter, 2000

This was the OneSpirit Daily Inspiration on December 31, 2015

+ The quest for justice is basically one and the same as the quest for the creation of one human family.  Let us hold this vision in our mind, heart, body and soul as often as we possibly can and make it a reality: heaven on earth.  “(God’s) will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.” “Let there be peace on earth and Let it begin with me.”

+ Spirituality & Practice offers plenty of plenty of resources on the practice of Justice and plenty of resources on the practice of Peace and plenty of resources on the practice of Connections. Also S&P provides a 12s Gallery of Memes on Justice, a 12s Gallery of Memes on Peace and a 12s Gallery on Connections.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post.  And, I have work to do on the Abundancetrek Peace page. Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Peace” 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 – 263

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ This is a post on the style of The Way of Nature as we continue to explore Heavenliness through the lens of the 12 styles of the Mandala process created by Edward Bastian.  There are 5 more styles to explore and then we will move on to the 9 Attributes of Heaven.

+ 3 quotes tweeted by @fredericbrussat on October 22, 2015:

Look deep into nature and you will understand everything.

-- Albert Einstein

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The landscape belongs to the person who looks at it.

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

+ Related closely to that last one is the Spiritual Practice of the Day offered by Spirituality & Practice on October 28, 2015:

[This is] what the Sioux Chief said when the tribe was watching the white men takes riches out of the Black Hills. "The whites think they are getting rich by digging in the hills, but the Sioux are rich from looking at the hills.

 — Joyce Sequichie Hifler in When the Night Bird Sings by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

To Practice This Thought: Do something to protect the richness of nature.

+ That’s an order .. for you, for me, for everyone. 

+ The 12 styles of Mandala: Creating An Authentic Spiritual Path: An InterSpiritual Process by Edward Bastian are listed in SE206.

+ The 7 steps of InterSpiritual Meditation by Edward Bastian are listed in SE21 and SE213. They are described fully in his book, InterSpiritual Meditation. 

+ To get inspired and illuminated by Ed Bastian, I invite you to set aside some time for these videos:  Seven Steps of InterSpiritual Meditation (11 minutes) | 15 minute introduction to InterSpiritual Meditation and the Mandala Process | 2 hour lecture & conversation

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Heavenliness page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Heavenliness” or “Love” 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 – 260

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ This is a post on the style of The Way of Nature as we continue to explore Heavenliness through the lens of the 12 styles of the Mandala process.  There are 5 more styles to explore and then we will move on to the 9 Attributes of Heaven.

+ The grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never dried up at once; a shower is always falling; vapor ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.

-- John Muir

+ All wilderness seems to be of tricks and plans to drive and draw us up into God's light.

-- John Muir in Pilgrim Heart by Sarah York

This was the Spirituality & Practice Daily Quotation for November 22 2015.

+ Here is an excerpt from the S&P review of John Muir: America’s Naturalist by Mary Ann & Frederic Brussat:

Muir was born in Scotland and raised in Wisconsin, but his soul came fully alive when he arrived in Yosemite, California. There the beauty of the meadows and the groves of ancient trees took his breath away, and he was never the same. Locker best conveys Muir's attitude of wonder in a painting of him standing on the limbs high up in a Douglas fir. What is he doing there? Trying to experience the full shock and glory of a storm.

Mary Ann & Frederic Brussat point out that Muir loved the wild in wilderness.  I think we all do whether we admit or not.  Nature’s ability to shock is associated with its glory.  We are better off when we surrender to the force of nature because the ways of nature are often (always?) better than the ways we humans think we can control it.  The more we try to control it, the greater the shock and even the destruction of much of our environment  because we really do not know better.

+ I took the photo of Yosemite Falls in June, 1976.

+ The 12 styles of Mandala: Creating An Authentic Spiritual Path: An InterSpiritual Process by Edward Bastian are listed in SE206.

+ The 7 steps of InterSpiritual Meditation by Edward Bastian are listed in SE21 and SE213. They are described fully in his book, InterSpiritual Meditation. 

+ To get inspired and illuminated by Ed Bastian, I invite you to set aside some time for these videos:  Seven Steps of InterSpiritual Meditation (11 minutes) | 15 minute introduction to InterSpiritual Meditation and the Mandala Process | 2 hour lecture & conversation

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Heavenliness page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Heavenliness” or “Love” 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 – 256

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ This is a post on the style of The Way of Nature as we continue to explore Heavenliness through the lens of the 12 styles of the Mandala process.  There are 5 more styles to explore and then we will move on to the 9 Attributes of Heaven.

+ Anyone who has some knowledge of mysticism and of the lives of the mystics knows that what always attracts the mystic most is nature. Nature is his bread and wine. Nature is his soul's nourishment. Nature inspires him, uplifts him and gives him the solitude for which his soul continually longs. Every soul born with a mystical tendency is constantly drawn towards nature; in nature that soul finds its life's demand, as it is said in the Vadan, 'Art is dear to my heart, but nature is near to my soul'. ... Nature does not teach the glory of God; it need not teach this as nature itself is the glory of God.

-- Hazrat Inayat Khan

Read more at http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/XI/XI_III_7.htm

What appeals to us in being near to nature is nature's music, and nature's music is more perfect than that of art. It gives us a sense of exaltation to be moving about in the woods, and to be looking at the green; to be standing near the running water, which has its rhythm, its tone and its harmony. The swinging of the branches in the forest, the rising and falling of the waves, all has its music. And once we contemplate and become one with nature our hearts open to its music.

-- Hazrat Inayat Khan

Read more at http://wahiduddin.net/mv2/II/II_10.htm

+ As in the previous post, this is Hazrat Inayat Khan explaining the importance of nature because nature is indeed nothing less than “the glory of God.”  God is revealed in this wonderful creation we see, hear, touch, taste everywhere and at all times.  We are part of this glorious reality. It is heavenly. It is now. It is here. We are called to create and enjoy this glorious reality, finding ways to expand compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance for all.  When we do this we are expressing our true nature, our real identity, as a heavenly being.  It is simply natural that we do this.  

+ So much of this great teacher’s writings can be found at Wahiduddin’s Web including a daily Bowl of Saki.

+ The Sufis have a long history of representing the mystical dimension of the Islamic wisdom tradition.  I think it is fair to say that they pioneered InterSpirituality long before the term was invented by Wayne Teasdale.  I love the idea that we all share sacred scripture because we all have this amazing Book of Nature which ultimately reveals all truth to us.

+ The 12 styles of Mandala: Creating An Authentic Spiritual Path: An InterSpiritual Process by Edward Bastian are listed in SE206.

+ The 7 steps of InterSpiritual Meditation by Edward Bastian are listed in SE21 and SE213. They are described fully in his book, InterSpiritual Meditation.

+ To get inspired and illuminated by Ed Bastian, I invite you to set aside some time for these videos:  Seven Steps of InterSpiritual Meditation (11 minutes) | 15 minute introduction to InterSpiritual Meditation and the Mandala Process | 2 hour lecture & conversation

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Heavenliness page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Heavenliness” or “Love” 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 – 254

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HEAVENLINESS

+ This is the first post on the style of The Way of Nature as we continue to explore Heavenliness through the lens of the 12 styles of the Mandala process.  There are 5 more styles to explore and then we will move on to the 9 Attributes of Heaven. 

+ On the Style of The Naturalist: The Way of Nature, Ed Bastian writes:

The Naturalist is most at ease when surrounded by nature, whether in the forest, the desert, the plains, the mountains, streams, lakes or the oceans of the natural environment, in harmony with all the shared elements of existence.

·         Is your connection with nature sacred?

·         Do you regard nature as your place of worship?

·         Do you feel a special affinity with animals or plants?

·         Do you feel tranquility, oneness or inter-being when immersed in the natural world?

IT IS STRANGE AND TRAGIC that so many have come to see themselves as separate from nature. And even when they admit that they are a part of nature, many still insist that they are at the top of the evolutionary ladder, a superior species, chosen by God (or Darwin) to be in charge of all the other minerals, plants, and animals of the Earth. This bias toward human superiority can be found in many of the world’s religious, philosophical and scientific traditions. Fortunately, within these same traditions, are other voices that lead us back into sacred communion with nature—the mother of us all.

+ As a pastor, how many times have I heard someone say something like:  “My sanctuary is the great out-of-doors” and therefore , no need to come to church to communicate with God.  What could I say?  Not much.  I mean how could any sermon I preach compare with the sound of the breeze or rippling water or birds chirping or the sight of the blue sky or the canopy of stars and planets and moon at night?      

+ The 12 styles of Mandala: Creating An Authentic Spiritual Path: An InterSpiritual Process by Edward Bastian are listed in SE206.

+ The 7 steps of InterSpiritual Meditation by Edward Bastian are listed in SE21 and SE213. They are described fully in his book, InterSpiritual Meditation.

+ To get inspired and illuminated by Ed Bastian, I invite you to set aside some time for these videos:  Seven Steps of InterSpiritual Meditation (11 minutes) | 15 minute introduction to InterSpiritual Meditation and the Mandala Process | 2 hour lecture & conversation

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Heavenliness page.  Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Heavenliness” or “Love” 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 – 166

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF SIMPLICITY

+ This is what I wrote on the Abundancetrek Simplicity page a few years ago:

Our planet's survival is tied to the practice of simplicity. This cannot be emphasized too much.

Our lives are often too complicated. We need to discipline ourselves to "simplify, simplify, simplify" as Thoreau put it in Walden. The first three disciplines of stillness, silence and solitude all create simplicity. The more diligently we practice these disciplines, the more we can simplify our lives. When we simplify, we are awake, aware and connected. We become more aware of our intimate and intricate connection to God and everything God has created. We become aware of the glorious fact that we are heavenly beings created simply by love and for love.

The Zen Buddhist discipline of zazen (sitting, centering, meditating), if practiced properly, leads to the natural, simple realization of our daily and glorious heavenly existence. In the introduction to ZEN MIND, BEGINNER'S MIND, Shunryu Suzuki says: "The practice of Zen mind is beginner's mind. The innocence of the first inquiry - what am I? - is needed throughout Zen practice. The mind of the beginner is empty, free of the habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and open to all the possibilities."

The abundance of heaven can only be experienced by those who have learned how to simplify their lives.

I like the approach of Sallie McFague, a brilliant contemporary theologian. She emphasizes our need to simplify our lives in LIFE ABUNDANT: Rethinking Theology and Economy for a Planet in Peril. She emphasizes our need to embrace sustainability. In "A Manifesto to North American Middle Class Christians," she advocates some "new house rules" for our house, the planet. "The basic rules are: Take only your share, clean up after yourself, and keep the house in good repair for future occupants." She points out that "ecology" and "economics" both come from the same word root which has to do with the laws for living in a household. She refers to the famous quote of Charles Birch: "The rich must live more simply, so that the poor may simply live." This responsibility applies to most of us living in the planet's 20 to 30 highly developed countries.

+ Simplicity is not one of the 37 Spirituality & Practice practices BUT put Simplicity in their Search Engine and you come up with 314 items including 117 quotes, 156 books, 11 practices, 9 teachers, 1 arts link, 11 e-courses, 7 films and 1 blog as of 6/4/16.  Go to http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/search/?q=Simplicity

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Simplicity Page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Simplicity” 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 – 133

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DEVOTION

+ Three quotes on Caring for the Earth by Hildegard of Bingen:

·         Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars.

Gaze at the beauty of earth’s greenings.

Now, think.

What delight God gives to humankind

with all these things. . . .

All nature is at the disposal of humankind.

We are to work with it. For

without we cannot survive.

·         Humankind, full of all creative possibilities, is God’s work. Humankind alone is called to assist God. Humankind is called to co-create. With nature’s help, humankind can set into creation all that is necessary and life-sustaining.

·         All of creation God gives to humankind to use. If this privilege is misused, God’s justice permits creation to punish humanity.

+ Devotion, of course, cannot ordinarily be restricted to any one person or movement or institution or cause.  So, many of us now are convinced that we must include Care of the Earth as a major focus of this practice.  Our environment is facing the prospect of many catastrophes even if we act quickly to change course.  If we don’t change course, the catastrophic possibilities are almost unthinkable.  We have already done considerable damage to our planet and we should make every effort ASAP to stop destroying our home.  I intend to be more devoted to caring for the Earth.  I invite you to join me in this intention.      

+ Spirituality & Practice offers many resources on the spiritual practice of Devotion.  The Hildegard quotes are found there.  You can explore Devotion even more with this link to “Devotion” on their search engine. You will find 2153 items as of 4/26/16.  And, of course, there is a Twelves Gallery of Memes on Devotion.  The Body also gets a lot of attention from S&P as you can see if you go to this link to “Body” on their search engine. You will find 1611 items as of 4/26/16.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Devotion page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Devotion” 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 – 127

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF DEVOTION

+ When fate arrives at your door, there is no lock strong enough to hold it back. It may find you asleep, unprepared, too busy, or defiant, but these states are not a deterrent. Destiny does not wait for your mood to change. When the time is ripe, the rite of passage begins. …

“This is known as the call and it comes in many forms. It may begin as a restless dissatisfaction with your daily life, or a deep depression. It may result from a churning in your gut over the daily news, or an inspiring story told to you by a friend. It may come from a tragic loss, or an unexpected boon. But however the call finds its way into your private chambers, it changes the course of your life.

-- Anodea Judith in Awakening the Global Heart

+ As a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church USA, I experienced  and continue to experience a strong sense of being called to ministry.  But I think Anodea Judith is talking about specific calls to action in areas of life where we can sense we are needed and wanted.  In recent years I have narrowed this down to a belief that humanity is engaged in an evolutionary leap which I am calling The New Faith for the New Earth.  Our mission is to create more Compassion, Peace, Justice and Sustainable Abundance.  I intend to keep writing about it, learning about it, promoting it and sharing ideas with colleagues like you.  

A specific new sense of call for me is now coming to fruition: becoming an InterSpirituality Mentor, certified by the Spiritual Paths Institute.  I need to become more committed to the wonderful work associated with The Charter for Compassion so closely associated with Karen Armstrong who has devoted herself to collaboration and reconciliation among the religions of the planet. Also, I need to find ways to increase my commitment to Sustainable Abundance because our earthly paradise is facing environmental catastrophe if we don’t act boldly ASAP. 

What is changing “the course of your life” these days?

 

+ Spirituality & Practice offers many resources on the spiritual practice of Devotion.  You can explore even more with this link to “Devotion” on their search engine. You will find 2153 items as of 4/26/16.  And, of course, there is a Twelves Gallery of Memes on Devotion.  The Body also gets a lot of attention from S&P as you can see if you go to this link to “Body” on their search engine. You will find 1611 items as of 4/26/16.

+ I would love it if you offered a guest post on this practice or any practice.  And, I have work to do on my Devotion page.   Maybe you can help.  Send an email with the subject “Devotion” 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 -- 59

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HUMILITY

+ It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know of wonder and humility.

 -- Rachel Carson

+ Human and humility and humus come from the same root.  We are rooted in the soil, the ground, the dirt, the fragile layer of earth which sustains creation as we know it.  It is awesome, wonderful, delightful, fascinating, fantastic.  Yet, we all too often take it too much for granted.  We are part of this fragile layer and we are responsible for its vitality.  Clearly we have messed up and must face the consequences of this failure.  We can and must do better.  Humility is essential if we are to correct this situation and we need to do this ASAP.  “Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.” – Matthew 5:5 NRSV

+ Spirituality and Practice offers a wonderful 12s gallery of images and quotes on Humility
> http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/galleries/category/12s/2#/37/12-humility

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

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS -- 25

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF STILLNESS

+ This post is offered by Juliet Rohde-Brown.  This is the first guest post and it's a good one, particularly as we witness unbelievable destruction of the environment which sustains us:

Lost

Stand Still. The trees ahead and the bushes beside you

Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here.

And you must treat it as a powerful stranger.

Must ask permission to know it and be known.

the forest breathes. Listen. It answers.

I have made this place around you.

if you leave it you may come back again, saying Here.

No two trees are the same to Raven.

No two branches are the same to Wren.

If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you.

You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows

Where you are. You must let it find you.

I heard David Whyte refer to and recite this poem. It is from a story told by Native American elders and translated by David Wagoner. It is in The Heart Aroused - Poetry and the Preservation of Soul in CorporateAmerica by David Whyte.

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

JOYFUL WANDERING -- 58

+ This post includes entries from October 28, 2015 until Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 11:48am EST. This is the last Joyful Wandering post on this blog but not the last JW post.  Beginning with JOYFUL WANDERING -- 59, these posts will be found at the John A Wilde Blog.  On The Abundancetrek Blog, only Spiritual Explorations posts will be posted beginning on November 21, 2015.  You can begin at Spiritual Explorations -- 1 or you can find any one of the posts by going to http://abundancetrek.com/sepostsaccess.html

+ As I ponder the latest attacks on civilians in Paris and Beirut and elsewhere, I believe what I wrote below becomes even more important.  We need a new conversation on this planet which can eventually take us beyond the prejudice, suspicion, hostility and violence which threatens all of us.  People who focus on a more open and innovative approach to spirituality need to lead this conversation ASAP.  

The people of the Middle East and other areas once colonized or dominated by Europeans and Americans HAVE LEGITIMATE GRIEVANCES.  We need to hear them and give them some hope that corrections can and will be made.  I hear Americans complain because they believe religious and secular leaders in the Muslim world could speak out more than they have.  The truth is that many do speak out but we seldom listen to what they are saying.  Others who don't speak out enough are fearful for reasons which should be obvious.  How many clergy and others spoke out in Europe in the 30s and early 40s? Very few. Most people don't want to die by saying offensive things in an atmosphere of repression and violence.  

We need to find ways to create safe places where Muslims, Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Agnostics, Atheists and people of other wisdom traditions can get to know each other and increasingly respect each other.

Getting behind initiatives such as The Charter for Compassion is really important.

+ The New Faith for the New Earth is absolutely necessary.  It is the movement which is closely connected to what's happening on the planet, the Great Evolutionary Leap Forward.  Why is this absolutely necessary? Because humanity is in crisis and the old religions are far more a part of the problem than a part of the solution.

On the Abundancetrek.com homepage, I suggest some of the characteristics of this new faith for the new earth.  One of the most important characteristics and one very difficult to achieve but not impossible is that this movement is completely non-hierarchical.  This means that authority and power are totally shared among all who identify with the movement, all who recognize that what's happening now is indeed a Great Evolutionary Leap Forward and have a strong sense of what the new earth looks like.  

This is happening, folks.  It's fantastic, fascinating, wonderful and extremely challenging and often discomforting.  But avoiding it is even more discomforting because it could mean catastrophe for humanity within a few generations.

+ Spirituality & Practice offers a very important book excerpt from Living Beyond War: A Citizen's Guide by Winslow Myers. Here is an excerpt from the excerpt: “Much as we are tempted to preserve a unique level of outrage for the nineteen men (fifteen from Saudi Arabia, one from Egypt, two from the United Arab Emirates, and one from Lebanon) who perpetrated the horrors of September 11, 2001, it may turn out to be more useful in the long run to have remained with a definition of such people as violent criminals.” 

Read it all for an excellent analysis AND powerful advocacy for a different path than the ineffective one we have been on.

+ Spirituality & Practice offers the following Spiritual Practice of the Day for October 28: “[This is] what the Sioux Chief said when the tribe was watching the white men takes riches out of the Black Hills. "The whites think they are getting rich by digging in the hills, but the Sioux are rich from looking at the hills.” — Joyce Sequichie Hifler in When the Night Bird Sings by Joyce Sequichie Hifler + To Practice This Thought: Do something to protect the richness of nature.

JOYFUL WANDERING -- 50

+ Updated at 1:45pm ESDT on #EarthDay, April 22, 2015.

#earthday + "This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it."

#‎earthday‬ + “When we tug at a single thing in nature, we find it attached to the rest of the world.” -- John Muir

#earthday + Here are some great ideas for earthday and every day: Earth Day: 12 Spiritual Practices to Honor the Earth by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat.

#earthday + "Driven by the forces of love, the fragments of the world are seeking each other, so that the world may come into being." -- Teilhard de Chardin

#earthday + A book to buy: 50 Ways to Help Save the Earth: How You and Your Church Can Make a Difference by Rebecca Barnes-Davies, an environmental activist with over a decade of experience in advocating for public policy changes, educating groups of concerned Christians, and writing numerous articles.

#earthday + Visit Earth Ministry

#earthday + Visit Presbyterians for Earth Care: An Eco-Justice Network

#earthday + A Prayer for the Environment:
Awake! Awake! Holy One, we are the choir. We are awakened to the terrible things we have done to your gift of the garden. Now our plea is for the music, notes and words, that we need to sing to those around us who are in a deep sleep of unawareness. Our hearts are full to overflowing with the pain of what we see around us. Give us, we pray, the melody for awakening our human family. Amen.
(This prayer was written by Holly Hallman for a Presbyterians for Earth Care event.)

#earthday + Visit Presbyterian Church (USA) Environmental Ministries

#earthday + Visit 350.org

#earthday + Visit GreenFaith

#earthday + Visit Interfaith Power and Light: A Religious Response to Global Warming

#earthday + "I'm always aware that the world around us is never going to be as beautiful and intact as it is now so I do everything I can to take pleasure in it. One of our jobs is clearly to bear witness to this beautiful world we were given and to understand that it is never going to be quite as glorious again, so we had better pay attention." -- Bill McKibben of 350.org

#earthday + Visit Earth Policy Institute

#earthday + “Our global civilization today is on an economic path that is environmentally unsustainable, a path that is leading us toward economic decline and eventual collapse.” -- Lester Brown of Earth Policy Institute

#earthday + “The first and greatest surprise – a miracle, really – is this: that anything exists at all, and that we get to be part of it. Ripe peach, crisp apple, tall mountain, bright leaves, sparkling water, flying flock, flickering flame, and you and me … here, now!” -- Brian D. McLaren in We Make the Road by Walking

JOYFUL WANDERING -- 49

+ Let me know if you have anything to add to this post or any other post by contacting john@abundancetrek.com and use JOYFUL WANDERING in your subject line. My hope is to make this a community blog particularly focused on Spirituality, Progressive Christianity, Peace & Justice, the Environment, Politics.

+ “The only thing I want is to awaken all humans on the planet that we are living on Mother Earth.” —Afrika Bambaataa + Thanks to Spirituality and Health for sharing this quote on the eve of Earth Day.

+ It's my fantastic and wonderful and delightful and only grandchild's eleventh birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

+ The Charter for Compassion is such an important document that I intend to publish it in JW posts from time to time from now on. Here it is:

The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.

We therefore call upon all men and women to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.

We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensable to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.

+ Upworthy offers a beautiful video for the 46th annual Earth Day which is tomorrow, April 22.

+ The Peter Russell Quote of the Moment: "The voyage of discovery is not seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." -- Marcel Proust

ELEMENTAL -- 1

+ This is currently featured on the Spirituality and Practice home page:
Join Caring People Trying to Save the Planet > Elemental, a deeply spiritual documentary directed by Gayatri Roshan and Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, opens this weekend in New York and L.A., followed by openings in other areas and availability on iTunes. It presents profiles of three dedicated environmental activists on three continents. Through their personal stories, it reveals the immense challenges faced by those who want to change attitudes and spur citizens to band together in a communal effort before it is too late. We encourage you to support this film and support these people! | See our review of Elemental. | Find a screening in your area. | Visit the official site and see how you can get involved.

JOYFUL WANDERING -- 39

+ It has been 6 months since the last Joyful Wandering post.  No excuses.  No explanation.

+

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

I found that quote at http://www.allspirit.co.uk/sufism.html

+ Joseph Naft continues to inspire, illuminate, guide, challenge as we seek to become truly mindful and aware.  In Inner Frontier Inner Work, he has been expanding our consciousness in the project of Learning To Be.  This week: Affirming Presence. Here is an excerpt:

So how do we get engaged, get involved? It begins with attention. The secret quality of attention is that it is driven by our will, it is our will. The practice of active attention is the road to coming into our own, our own will, our I. When you pay attention to what you are doing or seeing or touching or thinking, your I is there; it is you who are doing or seeing or touching or thinking. Not paying attention, allowing our attention to be drawn hither and thither, to be distracted easily, with no staying power, indicates that we are not here, that our I has withdrawn beyond our reach. We can learn to affirm our life, our living, our presence.

And we do that first by affirming our attention, by being our attention. It may sound abstract, but the actual practice of it is simple. We just pay attention to what we are doing and/or perceiving and we get fully behind that attention. We are there attending, wholly and completely, simply and directly. If you try this, you may see that you can do it. You may see how it is different than letting your attention just wander wherever it is drawn. We bring our power, the power of our will, our I, into our attention. We become our attention for that moment. Though it is simple, this is not so easy to maintain moment-to-moment over time. To do so, we need to continually renew our attention and our being in it.  | Read it all.

 

+ The current Spirituality and Practice Newsletter has great stuff, like usual, including:

 

• Remembering a great spiritual storyteller and interfaith pioneer. New in the Remembering Spiritual Masters Project is a tribute to Anthony de Mello, including a quotation sampler, links to reviews of his books, and video clips. More profiles in the Remembering Spiritual Masters Project.

 

• A prayer for forgiveness of our daily pollutions: We're "Praying the News" by focusing on what's behind the extreme weather happening all over the world. More prayers.

APOLOGY TO MY FOLLOWERS

I haven't posted much lately on my 3 blogs.  I apologize to anybody who has come to read my blog posts with some regularity.  You deserve better.  I guess I have been distracted when I get in front of the screen by my Twitter and Facebook activities which I do find useful but I don't want my blogs to suffer.

So, I do intend to make a new effort to restore my blogging as a priority in my life.  I would love to see my number of followers increase.  That will depend on some consistency on my part in both quality and quantity. 

I do think I have something unique to offer as we trek together toward more compassion, peace, justice and sustainable abundance on this planet. 

Here goes!

GREEN FILM SERIES -- 1

Please mark your calendar for the GREEN FILM SERIES which begins on Wednesday, January 25 with the first in a 4 film series. The first 3 will be at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 10 Higby Road in Utica. The other film dates are February 22, March 28, and April 25, 2012. All films start at 7 p.m. and are free and open to the public. GreenLocal175 is sponsoring this series.

The first film will be PLAN B: A PLAN TO SAVE CIVILIZATION which was aired last spring as part of the highly acclaimed PBS series, JOURNEY TO PLANET EARTH. This film includes clips of speeches and interviews with Lester Brown and other environmental experts. It is narrated by Matt Damon. After showing us many of the potential ecological disasters, PLAN B offers a plan which is feasible focusing on population control, eradicating poverty, drastically reducing carbon emissions and restoring our land and sea.

John Wilde will lead the discussion following the film. He says: “Future generations can and should enjoy the fruits of this plan and therefore it is important to get behind this plan to save civilization.”

love, john + www.abundancetrek.com + “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” -- Howard Thurman

SUSTAINABLE ABUNDANCE -- 1

+ I am now teaching a course on Sustainable Abundance by email and in several group sessions in the Utica area. The three major sources for this course are:

And the Leaves of the Tree Are for the Healing of the Nations. This is a powerful, comprehensive and short guide to the Bible’s emphasis on Eco-Justice. It is available online and in print for $3. There is a Presbyterian Church (USA) 5-unit course on this resource and a Presbyterian Church (USA) 1-unit course on this resource. They are available online and I will be using these excellent resources.

Plan B by Lester Brown (book and video). An online copy is available for free at http://www.earth-policy.org/books/pb4. Brown started the Earthwatch Institute. A useful web page promoting Brown’s Plan is found at ChasingCleanAir.com.

Wrestling Until the Dawn by John Preston. John, a Presbytery of Utica Retired Pastor, poured his heart and soul into this book. He has a passion for the emerging church and for restoration of the environment.

Other sources include:
Presbyterian Church (USA) Eco-Justice policies and resources | Presbyterians for Earth Care Eco-Justice resources | Eco-Justice Ministries | National Council of Churches Eco-Justice resources | Green Faith | The Tao of Abundance by Laurence Boldt | The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield