Painting the Canvas of Life

Peacock Feather Close-up

Making Miracles Possible

There are two avenues of movement that open the door to the miraculous, and both lead to the same end.

There is the path of reaching toward God in any of the many ways that the human heart and soul is capable of reaching. This allows Divine miracles to enter life, even where no conscious relationship with the Divine has existed before.

There is also the path of reaching toward the deepest truth of self. Scrupulous honesty and an unwillingness to blame others can also open the door to the miraculous.

When one reaches toward the deepest truth of self as if extending toward the bottom of a well, one finds at the bottom, always, the space in which love dwells. Yet, before finding that, one may also encounter the feeling of an emptiness in which contact with love's presence seems to be lost. Here the question arises: How do you feel love? How do you express it? How do you diminish it? How do you withold it? In the presence of reaching, once blame toward others has been released and one is solely responsible for the presence or absence of love, in that sacred space the door to the miraculous opens. For the reaching toward love and the reaching toward God are the same reaching. One is to the Source of life without - to the Creator of all. The other is to the Source of life within - the Divine source of love at the center of our being.

Reach in either direction and you will open the door to the miraculous.

Art, Spirituality, and Life

    Which one is this: art, spirit, or life?
- the Divine within the ordinary -    

   Or this?   
We tend to think of art, spirituality, and life as three separate domains, with rules and constructs that govern each. Yet, these three are only divided when we look at them from the outside in, in terms of the content they represent and the forms they display. When we look at the outer form of a work of art, the outer practice or name of a spiritual path, or the outer shape of a life, we imagine that we are having three different conversations about three different things.

This is only a matter of perspective, however. For when we look not at form but at the inner process by which each comes into being, we find that art, spirituality, and life all come from the same source. They are all avenues of exploration and expression that seek channels from the inner to the outer, from the invisible to the visible, and from the un-named to the named.

In the truest sense, we are all artists and we are all mystics. Our art emanates from the desire to express our deepest being as it arises into awareness in a steady flow of consciousness. Our life and our spirituality emanate as part of the same process.

Each person who discovers this source within themselves has something to say, something to create in the way of art, and something to share and live by as a spiritual principle. There is no one who is poor in this respect. All are complete at the level of inner being. Only the links to access this level need to be forged anew so that the well of life, spirit, and creativity can be born and find its home within time and space.

Those who feel that they are not 'artistic' are emphasizing the form aspect of creativity rather than the process aspect. Yet, the form aspect is the less important of the two, for it can be learned, unlearned, adapted, or let go of altogether in favor of the creation of a new form. The process, on the other hand, is given. It is a deep flow that comes from the inner being that pushes its way forward with the desire to express the beauty and truth that each self carries. Even when the outer self believes that only others carry this sense of beauty, this is never true. Each created being comes from the source of beauty, and therefore each has something uniquely beautiful to share.

Life, too, can become a work of art, and each gesture within life an expression of the impulse to create, a witness to the Divine. This is the highest form of art, not only to contain Creation within a vessel that has a name, and a place, and a time of construction or authorship. The highest form is to fully send the creative impulse from deep within the self into one's life, allowing it to shape, and create, and expand endlessly as the fulfillment of the prophecy of who one is.


Photos: Claude Renault - Women and Saris.

Spices - Kolkata - West Bengal

Inspiration

Inspiration opens the doors of perception so that truths that were not formerly accessible to the inner knowing suddenly become accessible. Inspiration is like a doorway in the mind that suddenly opens to reveal a room that one did not know was there. In this room are often the deeper truths remembered by the soul that are temporarily unavailable to the outer being. Also, within this room are the expansive connections with the world of Essences in which all things can be known. This is the world of Divine knowledge as compared to human, in which profound mysteries can be revealed.

It was in this way that I came to know more deeply than before, something that is profoundly true about the Earth.

In the midst of contemplating the miraculous healing capacity of the body when there is a skin abrasion due to a fall and the body creates a healing scab under which new skin grows, I realized that this miracle of regeneration applies to the Earth as well. Indeed, the Earth has this same healing capacity and can regenerate itself completely - its biosphere, its physical being, its metaphoric 'fingers' and 'toes' if mankind gives it the time, space, and additional light to do so. Then, like a skinned knee, the Earth will rebound and grow anew. It was not that this knowledge was lacking before, but as the light of God's mind took hold, it became a direct experience of analogy.

May God's wisdom in Creation be eternally blessed, for it has fashioned all things in harmony and balance within themselves. This is the untapped potential and wholeness of life, waiting to be revealed.

What is Synchronicity?

Synchronicity - the unexpected merging of two separate events that are emotionally and/or vibrationally connected with each other that come together in outer or inner reality. These events are brought about by vibrational affinity, not through one's own will.

Synchronicity can relate to people who appear suddenly just after one has thought about them; the answer to a problem one is trying to solve coming into view through some external analogy that discloses the solution; sounds, sights, words, or phrases that one hears on the radio or elsewhere that correspond to one's inner process of reflection; meeting long unseen friends by 'chance', etc.

Synchronicity is an outer manifestation of inner connection, demonstrating the relationship between all things that are part of each other in an interactive network of 'flow'. This network brings things together at meaningful times and allows the Divine plan to unfold according to its own purposes.

In a deep sense, all of life is based on synchronicity, since we are at all times emitting energetic impulses without the conscious self being aware of it, and these energetic impulses find their way into the spiritual matrix of which we are a part, drawing to us those people, places, things, and events that will interact most fully with the energy we are sending forth. Viewed in this light, all of life is 'synchronized' with our readiness to experience.

When things one hopes for do not appear, or when thoughts one deliberately sends forth do not produce the anticipated result, this does not mean that the energetic principle of synchronicity is failing. Always, this principle draws together what is meant to be together. However, we are not always aware of the other frequencies on which we are sending forth impulses into the world. Like a radio with multiple frequency bands, we may have conscious thoughts broadcasting on one band, and a wide variety of unconscious, preconscious, and superconscious thoughts broadcasting on others. Self-awareness and clarity of focus narrows the range of bands upon which one is unconsciously shaping the world.

The great mystery and beauty of life lies in this: that life's unfoldment is exquisitely geared to our readiness to receive it. For better or worse, we are the co-creators of the great Mystery that represents the shape of our life.

Timelessness in Time

When you pour water into water,
which water is the one that was poured,
and which is the one that was poured into?

So it is with time and timelessness.
Both are there together,
inseparable,
each becoming the other.

Living in Timelessness

There is the timelessness of the eternal Moment which is the coexistence of all things, places, and possibilities narrowed to a single point.

And there is the timelessness of living without a personal past - relating to life's flow in the present as that which is most real.

The first penetrates the fabric of time, creating the experience of the Eternal as a living reality.

The second penetrates the illusion of a personal self shaped by history and bound to it.

To live timelessly in time is a gift to the experiencing self and to humanity as well, for it embodies the sacred within human form. It does not do away with relationship or connection with others, but rather enfolds these in the ultimate perspective of Divine Love. It does not do away with the self as a point of consciousness, but rather transforms this into part of the Oneness.

Timelessness and time are not opposites but two parts of the same thing. Time is the vessel. The timeless is what is poured into it.

Water

I sat beside the reservoir today and listened to the gentle waves lapping against the shore. There was scarcely a breeze, but the waves came anyway, one after another, in the arms of the slight wind that blew.

As I watched, I felt the life of water - not just this water, but all water, and the remarkable gift of it. Before there was water there was the idea of water in the Mind of God - the idea of a substance that would represent fluidity - indeed, that would teach fluidity to emerging consciousness. I felt in this the entire thrust of Creation, manifesting those ideas that would give meaning and structure to physical existence.

Human beings often view nature as a thing, composed of physical objects, landscapes, and elements. But before it became a thing, it was part of a Divine movement - the light that moved over the face of the deep - the 'Lila' that is the Divine play of God.

All of this spoke to me in the waves lapping on the shore. Nothing is accidental, they said. All is holy.

Hunger for Spirit

Each soul comes into life with certain things of the spirit that they hunger for. These things may not conform to the outer shape of any particular religion or spiritual discipline. Yet, the heart knows what it waits for as the gift of life and of spirit.

Whether love, friendship, or entrance into the great Mystery, the heart's goals are essentially spiritual for they represent an ideal of ultimate value that the soul strives to realize in life. Such an aspiration, no matter how it is framed by the mind, derives from the source of all ideals which is God.

Whithin God, all ideals come together as One which is why the experience of that One is bliss or Nirvana. Nirvana is the experience of the oneness of all ideals within the single Source that they emanate from.

In human experience this is quite different. Here, ideals can be aspired to with partial commitment or with a full heart, and one ideal can seem to conflict with another. In the place of ultimate truth, however, each pure ideal exists in harmony with all others as the many faces of the exalted Divine.

How to See With Inner Eyes

Outer eyes and ears register vibration in terms of color, sound, movement, and touch.

Inner eyes and ears register vibration in terms of emotion, motivation, meaning, and higher purpose or identity.

To see with inner eyes and to hear with inner ears is to feel, in each moment, the inner being of another that is trying to express. It is to see with the eyes of love beyond limitation, distortion, like, dislike, or any other characteristic one might think of as less attractive, to the pure essence of the soul. This soul is expressing on the physical plane at all times.

Such an expression can be a radiant outpouring or it can be a small trickle. Often, it can be perceived as an energy - the life-force of this uniquely created being who is manifesting with the fullest measure of integrity and beauty they are capable of. This inner being can be seen through the outer.

Its worth is immeasurable, for it is part of the Divine One.

Its goal is the freedom to be, and it is achieving that goal to the best of its ability at every moment.

Its path is beauty, not because it does not, on an outer level, carry limitation or distortion, but because its inner being is pure and is striving for beauty in all things.

To see with inner eyes and to hear with inner ears is to know the ascending movement of an individual consciousness. Such a consciousness may rise out of a darkened past, but is always seeking the light of day.

Even criminals carry this desire within themselves. Even those who, in their misguided attempts to set themselves free, have interrupted the life and freedom of others. Just because one has given up or become disillusioned with certain things, does not mean that the deeper part of the self is not still seeking them.

Life-force and the desire to exist as oneself are two aspects of the same thing. Each being has an intrinsic desire to come into being, to manifest itself. This is why souls have undertaken the Earth journey in the first place. Their goal, to manifest themselves within time and space.

All of this is words, however, if one cannot forgive limitation and see with the eyes of love. Until that time, the outer will seem more important than the inner, and the darkened aspects of personal expression more important than the light within.

Orienting toward the beauty of the soul, however, is like watching a newborn awakening to itself. It is the same with all beings. Every single consciousness is awakening to itself and is, in effect, being born in each moment.

May it be so. Amen.

Moving Water

The sound of moving water,
a bubbling stream,
a small waterfall over rock.
These are the sacred sounds of life
given by the Creator.
Listen. Feel. Be present.
All is holy.

Wisdom

The Earth is alive,
The trees can speak.
One can feel wisdom everywhere
when the heart is open.

Praise

A Spring day, the birds have returned,
In the earliest morning each shouts
its note joyfully,
calling to God in a chorus of praise,
effortlessly,
innately,
lovingly,
drawn to the light.

Adam in Beginning

"This road I travel," he said,
"Where shall it take me?
And who will be there to greet me when I arrive?
And if I stray, by chance, from the familiar path,
who will point the way back,

who will set things right?"

"I shall set things right," sayeth the Lord,
and plant your feet upon the holy path,
and wipe your tears when you stumble,
and keep your heart beating

when you are afraid.
For in all things I am with you,
part of you, forever,
And I shall walk with you all the days

of your life, and be with you always,

until the end of time."

How We See

The human brain is made exquisitely and with exquisite care to respond to life through the activation of the neural receptors so that we see, hear, and know a particular version of reality - the version that corresponds to the spectrum of light that defines the physical.

Within the physical range, spiritual light operates at its lowest frequencies. Attunement of the cerebral cortex and cortical connections to this end of the frequency spectrum allows us to perceive objects as separate from each other. Compare this to the possibility, for example, that another construction of a different kind of brain, or the evolutionary transformation and acceleration of our own physical brains might register incoming impulses of light within a higher frequency range and a broader spectrum. Instead of seeing solid objects, then, we would see or sense all as a movement of varying impulses of light, both in frequency and duration. We would not perceive the universe as solid, though it would coalesce into denser and less dense patterns, but rather would see all as a flow of moving light impulses.

Such a perception would convey to us without any need for explanation, the understanding that all is energy, and that all is woven together in an intricate pattern of harmonic resonance. It would also convey to us without a need for explanation, an understanding of intentionality behind the harmonic pattern. For this would not appear random, but rather coalesce in attributes of beauty, purpose, and love.

Such a vision of the possible in relation to human perception is not far from being realizable. If we think not in terms of 'seeing' with our physical eyes, but of seeing with our non-physical senses, then the range of perception of light-impulses that is becoming available to us through the increased closeness of the planes of spirit and matter can alter forever our picture of reality as a solid universe with discrete physical objects. In the new landscape, the physical, as physical, would remain a perception at a certain layer of experience, but it would only correspond to a certain layer, rather than to the truth of what is.

The beauty of the universe constructed according to the 'lux fiat' (“Let there be light”) utterance of Genesis or the Divine action described by other sacred texts is this: that the Universe is not random, but created according to Divine intention and invested with power, beauty, and holiness. As we come to feel this through the awakening of our non-physical senses, we will experience a different reality and a new relationship to all of life.

Such a movement is already happening as a consequence of the ‘quickening’ of physical matter by light. When it reaches a point of maximum resonance, the planes of matter and spirit will be experienced as inextricably connected with each other, and the world will know itself to be a sacred manifestation, rather than something that exists apart from the Divine totality of all that is.

The Flow of Time

When the ego is out of the way and the heart is surrendered, then the flow of time is like a river emanating from the higher planes of existence. From the source which is the Divine Presence within, down to the embodied self consciousness, the flow of time brings with it the events and circumstances that are meant to be.

All of time is a flow shaped by consciousness. But which consciousness has the greatest input into this shaping depends upon the level of alignment of the personality-self with the higher Self, and the purpose that one feels one's life is serving. As long as the attractions of the world create ego-gratification that one wishes to hold onto above all else, then the river will flow at the level of potency that is conditioned by the needs and desires of the lower self. But when that embodied self desires to do God's will more than its own, then the river of Time more and more begins to manifest what serves the highest purposes of God and the soul.

This flow of life from higher to lower is a universal principle. It relates to the multidimensional self and how each human being is constructed. All life experience depends upon our attunement to what we resonate with - whether to those things that are outside us that we gravitate toward and yearn for, or to those things that are inside us that are independent of outer circumstance and that define our more essential self.

Time is a medium that we shape with our consciousness. Blessed is the one who knows how to move through time in the arms of timelessness.

Rock

What is matter and what is Spirit?

Inside everything that is physical are atoms, protons, electrons, and sub-atomic particles whirling around like tiny dervishes in an invisible universe. Yet, we continue to relate to things as if they were solid, knowing somewhere inside ourselves that everything is teeming with life, yet not knowing what difference this might make.

Such knowing must move from concept to experience. It must become the indelible sense of the radiant life in all things - the song of being that is sung by every part of Creation. It must be recognized as the Divine Presence within life itself.

We see this life and hear this song sometimes when nature moves us - in a sunrise or sunset, in trees, in budding leaves in the Spring. Some things speak to us of the life of the Earth. Yet, this life of the Earth is connected to the greater life of all-that-is, and all-that-is is but another name for Spirit, God, the One.

"Take off your shoes, Moses, for the ground you walk on is holy," said the Lord from the Burning Bush on top of Mt. Horeb. (Exodus 3:5) Indeed, this might be said of all ground, everywhere, the sand dunes of the desert, the mud flats of the delta, the wheat-filled plains, the rocky mountainous regions - all are holy vessels of sacred life.

When you have a chance, pick up a rock that you find while walking somewhere - not necessarily a special rock, just a rock. This small, insignificant object that you hold in your hand has been fashioned by God in the fires of Creation. Inside its hardness and solidity is that same fire that gave it birth. All of Creation is concentrated inside this tiny insignificant stone, reduced to a small sample of what is Infinite.

Can we look at this very small thing that has no external value and see something of the Creator, or shall we allow our senses to continue to fool us? The answer will depend on what our hearts and minds are ready to know.

In this moment, let us open our inner vision to see Creation continuing within the intricate patterns of energy that give life to physical matter and specifically to the life within this rock. Let us let go of the need to see with outer eyes and see with the inner.

Whatever comes to us is grace. Whatever continues to remain concealed is the journey. May all eyes be opened to see and feel the Heart of life.