SPIRITUAL EXPLORATIONS -- 62

WE ARE EXPLORING THE PRACTICE OF HUMILITY

+ It is a mystery we are dipped into. Two-thirds of Jesus' teachings are about forgiveness. A good third of Jesus' parables are about forgiveness, directly or indirectly. Forgiveness has nothing to do with logic. It is the final breakdown of logic. It is a mystical recognition that human evil is something we are all trapped by, suffering from, and participating in. It calls forth weeping, humility, and healing much more than feverish attempts to root out the evil. The transformation happens through the tears much more than through threats and punishments.

-- Richard Rohr in Everything Belongs

+ As I write this reflection today, February 1, 2016, I am aware of synchronicity which is a great topic in itself and an important theme James Redfield has featured in his efforts on behalf of the Celestine Vision.  Today, I received Lesson 10 in the current Spirituality and Practice e-course: Learning to Accept Grief as a Lifelong Companion.  This course will be available for some time and it is one of the best e-courses I have experienced.  The February 1 lesson in the course is on Forgiveness.  This is the  synchronicity or divine coincidence which I experienced.  God is always teaching us, guiding us, challenging us and comforting us.  

It takes humility to forgive.  The hardest person to forgive is yourself.  Humility allows us to engage the process where we can face the reality of the situations and events of our lives where we need to forgive ourselves.  If you are like me, there are plenty.  We can forgive others as we progress in the important process of forgiving ourselves.

+ 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. The photo and quote above comes from that gallery.

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

JOYFUL WANDERING -- 47

+ I have some catching up to do since it has been 2 months since I last posted here.

+ I really enjoyed an e-course on InterSpiritual Meditation which ended about a month ago.  I wrote a 17 page paper for the course and sent it to the teacher, Ed Bastian, on April 29.  Ed is the founder and president of the Spiritual Paths Institute based in Santa Barbara CA.

Here is an excerpt from the web page on the curriculum: "The Spiritual Paths Institute curriculum on InterSpiritual Wisdom is a course of study with respected teachers of contemplative wisdom and applied spirituality that combines intellect, heart, and spiritual practice. It was developed by an InterSpiritual team of exceptional teachers, each authenticated within their respective traditions. The program is based on an intellectual inquiry and contemplative experience of the teachings of the worlds sacred traditions combined with personally mentored spiritual practice."

On another page, there is this information about Ed's books and current courses: "Ed Bastian, who has led our group programs over the past ten years, is presenting a series of retreats, classes, and online courses that summarize the underlying shared wisdom offered by our teachers and courses. These courses are based on the following books and workbooks that he has authored, co-authored, or published:  Living Fully Dying Well, InterSpiritual Meditation, Meditations for InterSpiritual Wisdom and Creating Your Spiritual Path"

+ Spirituality and Practice offers its latest 12s gallery.  It's on Forgiveness. Inspirational and challenging.  Humanity needs this desperately. And don't forget to forgive yourself.

+ The current emphasis at Inner Frontier is Wisdom.  There is plenty of illuminating and inspiring and challenging wisdom in these weekly Inner Work practices.  This week the focus is on Spiritual Efficacy. Here is an excerpt: "Teachers can help by instructing us in spiritual practices. They can also help by being examples that ordinary people, no different than us, can enter true spiritual transformation. Teachers can help by easing our way into deeper experiences through the quality of their energy, when we practice in person with them. And teachers can inspire us. All of that is important, useful, perhaps even pivotal in setting our feet on the path. But it masks a fundamental truth: the spiritual path is within us, it cannot be shown, it can only be discovered."

+ (posted yesterday on Coffee Break 371 on my John A Wilde blog):
“Religion Beyond the Right" by Frank Bruni is an outstanding NY Times Op Ed column pointing out that there really are a lot of biblical values associated with the Left and the Center.  Bruni focuses on the controversy surrounding the Boy Scouts ban on gays. Excerpt: "'I find it perplexing the way the "moral values" phrase is used,' said the Rev. Mark Greiner... (a Presbyterian pastor)... 'Concern for the environment, concern for workers’ rights: those are moral values,' he told me. 'But the phrase ends up being limited to matters of human sexuality, as if Jesus was primarily concerned with what people did with their reproductive parts. It’s crazy-making.' Greiner wants the ban on gay scouts and leaders lifted." | Read the article