Spiritual Practice and Consciousness

The Cavern

2012-01-03T10:05:00.001-05:00

“If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things through the narrow chinks of his cavern.” (William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell)

The early lessons in the Workbook of A Course In Miracles lay the foundation for all the shifts in perception the Course refers to as "miracles". As Blake might have said it, the cleansing of our perception is fundamental to our liberation from the perceptions of the ego. Spiritual awakening is like emerging from a perceptual cavern into the light of the eternal Now.

Today's lesson, "I do not understand anything I see in this room [on this street, from this window, in this place]." (A Course In Miracles, W-3), is an example. The Course explains:

"The point of the exercises is to help you clear your mind of all past associations, to see things exactly as they appear to you now, and to realize how little you really understand about them. It is therefore essential that you keep a perfectly open mind, unhampered by judgment, in selecting the things to which the idea for the day is to be applied. For this purpose one thing is like another; equally suitable and therefore equally useful." (A Course In Miracles, W-3.2)

On his Course website, Robert Perry refers to it as the 'beginning of understanding'.

"In the Course, the beginning of understanding is understanding that I don't understand anything." (Perry, R., http://bit.ly/stWuCS)

Time and space beckon to me right now so I must leave you with a final thought from our 18th century Swedish mystical friend Emanuel Swedenborg. He explains in his work Divine Love and Wisdom how the understanding of the human mind is first formed by means of 'appearances' and how tough those appearances can be to shake off.

“… appearances are the first things out of which the human mind forms its understanding, and these appearances the mind can shake off only by the exploration of the cause; and if the cause lies deeply hidden, the mind can explore it only by keeping the understanding for a long time in spiritual light; and this it cannot do by reason of the natural light which continually withdraws it. The truth is, however, that love and wisdom are the real and actual substance and form that constitute the subject itself.” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Divine Love and Wisdom 40)

Enjoy your practice!

~Jeremy

Fear, Forgiveness, and Freedom

2011-11-28T23:03:00.000-05:00

To forgive is an act of love, and, is liberating and healing to both the giver and the receiver. Today's Course Workbook lesson makes this point. So, too, does Swedenborg correlate the doing of good from God and the spiritual practice of loving-kindness with true freedom.

"Fear binds the world. Forgiveness sets it free." (A Course In Miracles, W-332)

"The ego makes illusions. Truth undoes its evil dreams by shining them away. Truth never makes attack. It merely is. And by its presence is the mind recalled from fantasies, awaking to the real. Forgiveness bids this presence enter in, and take its rightful place within the mind. Without forgiveness is the mind in chains, believing in its own futility. Yet with forgiveness does the light shine through the dream of darkness, offering it hope, and giving it the means to realize the freedom that is its inheritance." (A Course In Miracles, W-332.1)

"We would not bind the world again today. Fear holds it prisoner. And yet Your Love has given us the means to set it free. Father, we would release it now. For as we offer freedom, it is given us. And we would not remain as prisoners, while You are holding freedom out to us." (A Course In Miracles, W-332.2)

“When… the internal [part of a person] conquers… then liberty itself and rationality itself are given to a person by the Lord; for the person is then withdrawn by the Lord from infernal freedom, which in itself is slavery, and is brought into heavenly freedom, which in itself is freedom itself…” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Divine Providence 145:4)

“A life of freedom, or freedom, is simply and solely being led by the Lord.…” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Secrets of Heaven 892)

“…In a word, freedom consists in doing good from the Lord; and slavery in doing good from oneself….” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Apocalypse Explained 774:4)

“… there is no other means of loving the Lord than loving-kindness, because the Lord is in it. The affection of loving-kindness is heavenly affection itself, which is from the Lord alone.” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Secrets of Heaven 4776)

Let me attempt therefore to try...

2011-11-23T07:35:00.000-05:00

Today's A Course In Miracles Workbook lesson:

"I need but call and You will answer me." (ACIM, W-327)

“I am not asked to take salvation on the basis of an unsupported faith. For God has promised He will hear my call, and answer me Himself. Let me but learn from my experience that this is true, and faith in Him must surely come to me. This is the faith that will endure, and take me farther and still farther on the road that leads to Him. For thus I will be sure that He has not abandoned me and loves me still, awaiting but my call to give me all the help I need to come to Him." (ACIM, W-327.1)

“Father, I thank You that Your promises will never fail in my experience, if I but test them out. Let me attempt therefore to try them, and to judge them not. Your Word is one with You. You give the means whereby conviction comes, and surety of Your abiding Love is gained at last." (ACIM, W-327.2)

Quote from the writings of 18th century mystic Emanuel Swedenborg:

“… faith's sight is like one's seeing a bright cloud, and in the midst of it an angel who invites the person to him, so that he may be raised up into heaven. Thus does the Lord appear to those who have faith in Him…” (Emanuel Swedenborg, True Christian Religion 339)

An Effect of God

2011-11-22T13:20:00.001-05:00

Today's A Course In Miracles Workbook lesson:

"I am forever an Effect of God." (ACIM, W-326)

¹ Father, I was created in Your Mind, a holy Thought that never left its home. I am forever Your Effect, and You forever and forever are my Cause. As You created me I have remained. Where You established me I still abide. And all Your attributes abide in me, because it is Your Will to have a Son so like his Cause that Cause and Its Effect are indistinguishable. Let me know that I am an Effect of God, and so I have the power to create like You. And as it is in Heaven, so on earth. Your plan I follow here, and at the end I know that You will gather Your effects into the tranquil Heaven of Your Love, where earth will vanish, and all separate thoughts unite in glory as the Son of God.

² Let us today behold earth disappear, at first transformed, and then, forgiven, fade entirely into God's holy Will.

Quote from the writings of 18th century mystic Emanuel Swedenborg:

“…every created thing, and especially people, and the love and wisdom in them, have reality and are not merely ideas of being. For unless God were Infinite there would be no finite; and unless the Infinite were the All there would be no reality; and unless God had created all things from Himself there would be nothing. In a word, we are because God is.” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Divine Providence 46)

Weed Warrior Yard Yoga

2011-09-20T00:24:00.000-04:00

Pre-Op Picture

I've been getting in touch with my weed warrior nature lately. It's truly a remarkable meditation practice to allow the mind to freely create metaphors of meaning out of everyday chores like weeding. I don't want to recommend it TOO much lest I recommend myself out of work - so to speak. But weed warrior meditation really works (and puts a couples dollars in the pocket)!

I also coined the phrase 'yard yoga' to describe what I do. Lots of downward facing dogs and forward folds in the yard work business! And as always, the best pose is that final one - shavasana (corpse pose) when it's all over!

Before winter sets in I am hoping to search out and destroy a significant percentage of the local indigenous vegetative population. It's amazing how much fun it is for me to give someone's property a makeover - a kind of shave and a haircut if you will. I just placed an general advertisement in the local paper describing the kinds of work I can do and people call me for small, medium, or large personal property beautification projects and odd jobs. I have one customer who pays for x-number of hours per month and the rest only want enough work to keep me busy for 4-24 hours. The advertisement looks something like this:

"Looking for work – yard (I love weeding), office, driving, shopping, personal computer coaching, personal or executive assistance. No job too small. Also have a massage table – will massage (and I’m good). If you need help, please call me at (phone number) and let's talk. Thanks. ~ Jeremy Finkeldey"

I work fast and hard and do a thorough job according to my most recent customer. And wow! Are they happy when it's over! They get to walk in and out of their habitat with an entirely rejuvenated perception.

The picture above is a property I worked on today for three hours. It's only a partial picture of the total work accomplished. I only wanted to include before and after pictures so you could see what your place could look like. This is the approach to the front entrance to the house.

And here is the Post-Op picture.

I can weed the old fashioned way - by hand (slower but best in most cases). I can also use my electric weed whacker and a hundred or so feet of extension cord. I have a strong leaf blower (also electric) and an electric hedge trimmer. A sprayer, several hand tools and some supplies completes my weed warrior ensemble. If the lawn needs mowing, I have a great self-propelled lawn mower and can bring it if so ordered. I can work under your specific guidance and direction, or, you can just tell me what you want and trust that I will get it done as you like.

Contact me at my Facebook page if you are not too far away from Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania and need help with anything. Here's a link: Facebook Profile. Or you could try emailing me at this address.

Thank you!

~Jeremy Finkeldey, Yard Yoga Weed Warrior

9/11/01 Revisited (again)

2011-09-12T13:23:00.021-04:00

Since I no longer own a television, I forgot (for most of the day) that it was the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. But while visiting a friend who had her image-making machine running on the evening of September 11th, 2011, I was once again exposed to presentations of our cultural propagandists. I saw the 9/11 images... again, the media frenzy... again, and, I saw the dream of perpetual fear-based violence... yet again. One source puts the 9/11 innocent civilian death toll at 2,977 - 2,606 of them at ground zero in Manhattan. Another source puts the post-9/11 death toll in Iraq and Afghanistan (civilian and military on both sides) as high as 919,967. The number of seriously injured in both 9/11 reactions is currently at 1,739,547 according to that source. Who do you trust for numbers like this? Does it matter?

Presuming these number are accurate, how does killing 919,967 additional people (mostly Iraqi and Afghan civilians) over a ten year period either make up for the 2,977 initial deaths OR prevent additional terror attacks?

Personally, I don't believe that killing makes up for killing regardless of the numbers - nor do I believe that terror prevents terror. It seems an obvious fact that terror only breeds more terror. Fearlessness is preferable.

Now that ten years has gone by since the dramatic 9/11 attacks perhaps it's time to get radical. Perhaps it's time to let it go and work for peace instead of war.

"The memory of God comes to the quiet mind. It cannot come where there is conflict, for a mind at war against itself remembers not eternal gentleness. The means of war are not the means of peace, and what the warlike would remember is not love." (A Course In Miracles, T-23,I,1:1-3)

D.T. Suzuki and “Suedenborugu” the Buddha of the North

2011-06-22T10:31:00.000-04:00

By Jeremy K. Finkeldey

D. T. Suzuki (1870-1966)

In a 1954 meeting of religious luminaries, the internationally known 84 year old Buddhist scholar Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki (1870-1966) is reported to have characterized the 18^th century Swedish mystic and revelator Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) as the “Buddha of the North.” (Bernstein, 1996, p. xv) Suzuki’s preface to his own 1913 work on Swedenborg (entitled Suedenborugu) includes the following description of the Swedish mystic. Suzuki describes Swedenborg as a:

“Revolutionary in theology, traveler of heaven and hell, champion of the spiritual world, king of the mystical realm, clairvoyant unique in history, scholar of incomparable vigor, scientist of penetrating intellect, gentleman free of worldly taint: all of these combined into one make Swedenborg…” (Suzuki in Bernstein, 1996, p. 3)

Swedenborg (1688-1772)

Suedenborugu is a biography of Emanuel Swedenborg written by Suzuki to accompany his translations into Japanese of four of Swedenborg’s major theological works – Heaven and Hell in 1910 (“Tenkai to Jigoku”), The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrines in 1914 (“Shin Erusaremu to Sono Kyosetsu”), Divine Love and Wisdom in 1914 (“Shinchi to Shin’ai”), and Divine Providence in 1915 (“Shinryo Ron”). (Tatsuya Nagashima in Bernstein, 1996, p. x)

To most human beings on the planet both Swedenborg and D.T. Suzuki are probably relatively obscure - if they have even been heard of at all. Swedenborg is probably more obscure than Suzuki. So what could possibly be important to the modern world about the views and notions of a dusty old Zen Buddhist scholar and an even dustier and older Swedish mystic and revelator?

There are doubtless many answers to this question but I can only give you mine. The importance of the ideas of these two gentlemen to the modern world can be stated in one word – and that word is “peace.” I am referring both to inner peace and, its counterpart, outer peace. Most of the conflicts today and throughout history can be traced to conflicting belief systems. Conflicts between differing political, economic, and religious belief systems have always created a profound lack of global unity and frequent outright bloodshed. The ‘holy war’ aspect of today’s global conflicts is not difficult to see and, when you think about it, today’s global conflict is really just a continuation of what has been going on since ancient times.

So this article is going to touch on the notion of peace through religious tolerance. Suzuki and Swedenborg are not just examples of religious tolerance – they are examples of vigorous scholarship, of the sublime revelation of the reality of spiritual unity or oneness, and of selfless service to others. The similarities of paradigm between the two are sometimes astonishing. Awareness of differences often creates conflict while awareness of similarities and commonalities creates a feeling of oneness and the peacefulness that goes with it. If I am another you I am less likely to pursue conflict and controversy – and more likely to seek clarification.

What could be further apart than the two cultural milieus, Asian Buddhism and Biblical Judeo-Christianity, from which Suzuki and Swedenborg respectively emerged? And yet let’s look at a quote from each on spiritual open-mindedness and the universality of true faith. First Suzuki’s interfaith mindset – in his 1913 Introduction to Suedenborugu he wrote:

“Surely religion bears fruit only from within, blooming naturally like a flower. So in response to the religious thirst in people’s hearts, it is necessary to introduce various creeds and philosophies from many places and have people choose according to what speaks to their individual tendencies.” (Suzuki in Bernstein, 1996, pp. 9-10)

This kind of open-mindedness to doctrinal diversity is typical of Suzuki’s approach to scholarship in general. To that end, the inadvisability of dispute over teachings is acknowledged in an 8^th century document of Zen Buddhism called the T’an-ching (attributed to Hui-neng) in the Tung-huang Manuscript (paragraph 38) and is cited by Suzuki in his work The Zen Doctrine of No-Mind:

“… those who have the Dharma should devote themselves only to its practice. Disputes arise from the desire for conquest, and these are not in accordance with the Way.” (Suzuki, 1969, p. 10)

And now from Swedenborg a longer description of the source of much of the conflict among humans in this natural world which is so often characterized by self-centered separateness. Swedenborg describes that source of conflict here in terms of ‘doctrinal dissent’. You will need to forgive the wordiness of Swedenborg in order to take in the whole concept. In his work entitled Secrets of Heaven, regarding the universality of true faith Swedenborg wrote:

“… In the Christian world it is doctrinal matters that distinguish churches; and from them people call themselves Roman Catholics, Lutherans, and Calvinists, or the Reformed and the Evangelical, and by other names [including Swedenborgians]. It is from what is doctrinal alone that they are so called; which would never be if they would make love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor the principal of faith. Doctrinal matters would then be only varieties of opinion concerning the mysteries of faith, which truly Christian people would leave to everyone to hold in accordance with his or her conscience, and would say in their hearts that a person is truly a Christian when he or she lives as a Christian, that is, as the Lord teaches. Thus from all the differing churches there would be made one church; and all the dissensions that come forth from doctrine alone would vanish; yea, all hatreds of one against another would be dissipated in a moment, and the Lord's kingdom would come upon the earth.” (Swedenborg, 1965, paragraph 1799:4)

The Lord’s kingdom would come upon the earth? Really?

Now I ask, can you imagine an earth upon which the Lord’s kingdom has come and where individual and group differences are respected? This is a very important visualization. If we cannot envision it, how can it happen? What does it look like? Does such a world, for example, include nuclear weapons, aircraft carriers, cruise missiles, AK-47s, and roadside bombs? Does it include greed-based poverty and starvation? Does the Lord’s kingdom on earth include corporate irresponsibility and environmental destruction? Does it include the fossil fuel-based internal combustion engine? Does it include ANY non-sustainable living practices? Does it include racism, bigotry, and gender-based discrimination and the inequality of opportunity that comes from those? Does it include a criminal justice system which is nothing more than an environment of hopelessness and despair in which criminals can only develop their crime skills? There’s more but you get the picture. Of course it includes none of the above. Why?

Because, those things are all fear-based and conflict-prone, and in the Lord’s kingdom there is nothing to fear or to fight about. Conquest is not in accordance with the Way. If we all are ever able to finally understand that inner peace is the cause of outer peace – and practice it – then the Lord’s kingdom will ‘come upon the earth’. We will have achieved Gandhi’s maxim – “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

So how can these learned and venerable ones help us achieve some inner peace? Let’s compare a few notes.

Suzuki’s studies of Swedenborg revealed to him that the essence of heaven is innocence. He wrote in his 1924 article Suedenborugu: Sono Tenkai to Tarikikan (Swedenborg’s View of Heaven and “Other Power”) that:

“… the essence of heaven is innocence… and… this innocence cannot be achieved through ordinary knowledge, it must be reached through a perfect enlightenment beyond knowledge. What I call enlightenment is the perception that we cannot independently achieve good separate from the Lord God in heaven. Without this perception we cannot attain innocence.” (Suzuki in Bernstein, 1996, p. 81)

Keeping in mind that one of the common dynamics of Buddhist meditative practice is the silencing of our own thought through various means, please notice the very Buddhist quality of this next excerpt on innocence from the same 1924 Suzuki article. He says:

‎"... innocence... spontaneously floods the inner life when we completely give up our own thoughts. Doing good, we do not think it is good." (Suzuki in Bernstein, 1996, p. 78)

Is there anything in Swedenborg’s writings analogous to Suzuki’s method of silencing self-thought? How about this quote from one of the works of Swedenborg that Suzuki actually translated into Japanese – from Divine Love and Wisdom (“Shinchi to Shin’ai”):

“… when the mind is in affection for understanding, and through that comes into perception of truth, the person is then in the thought of the spirit, which is meditation. This passes, indeed, into the thought of the body, but into silent thought; for it is above bodily thought… real affection for truth is perceived only as a pressure of will from something pleasurable which is interiorly in meditation as its life, and is little noticed.” (Swedenborg, 1999, paragraph 404:8, emphasis added)

So, the non-theistic Buddhist scholar Suzuki has just used the expression that “we cannot independently achieve good separate from the Lord God in heaven.” We should at least note in passing that this in itself is a fairly remarkable thing for a person steeped in a non-theistic culture and formal training to say. Swedenborg takes this idea even further. In another work translated into Japanese by Suzuki, Divine Providence (“Shinryo Ron”), Swedenborg wrote:

"The appearance is that man is led and taught of himself; but the truth is that he is led and taught by the Lord alone.…Those… who confirm in themselves the appearance and also the truth … the Lord raises… up from their proprium which is in the appearance [the term ‘proprium’ means ‘what is a person’s own’]... and He enables them to perceive interiorly that they are not led and taught of themselves, but by Him.” (Swedenborg, 1949, paragraph 154:1-2)

‘Led and taught by the Lord alone’ inspires in me a rhetorical question – to what degree do each of us interiorly perceive this experience of being led and taught by the Lord alone? Swedenborg suggests that we need to ‘confirm’ BOTH the appearance AND the truth in order to be elevated above our selfishness (or proprium) and gain this interior perception. I know, I know… just meditate on it when you get a chance.

And does Swedenborg stop there? An example of the complete intimacy of our connection with God is described by Swedenborg in a section of his work entitled Secrets of Heaven or ‘Arcana Coelestia’ (paragraph number 1954:1-2). It is too long to give here in full but it is worth the read if you can get your hands on it (try here). It’s about the phenomenon of ‘influx’, or inflowing experience from the Lord, as it relates to physical sight. The gist of it is that, as we look around and see things, the experience is totally that we are the ones doing the seeing – and yet that is a total illusion. In fact, it is not we who are doing the seeing at all but the Lord. Here’s part of the citation:

“… it is the Lord who sees through the internal person, and He is the Only One who sees because He is the Only One who lives, and He it is who gives a person the ability to see, and this in such a manner that it appears to him as if he saw of himself. Such is the case with influx.” (Swedenborg, 1965, paragraph 1954:1-2)

This would be a very radical, possibly entirely unacceptable, idea to most people today. To D. T. Suzuki, a calm mind was all that was required to make a scholarly study of Swedenborgian ideas. He wrote:

"Swedenborg’s religious philosophy is unfathomably deep; and since it is fairly difficult to grasp, few people have made a scholarly study of it. However, when you carefully read his seemingly absurd writing with a calm mind, you find that many elements become rather difficult to dismiss.” (Suzuki in Bernstein, 1996, p. 77)

Perhaps the leading authority today on the subject of the similarities between Buddhism and Swedenborgian doctrine is Dr. David R. Loy. Loy, who earned his Ph.D. in philosophy at the University of Singapore (and until recently was a professor on the Faculty of International Studies at Bunkyo University in Chigasaki, Japan), has made a dialog between Christian and Buddhist ideas a central facet of his career (Loy, 2000, p. 321). In an article The Dharma of Emanuel Swedenborg: A Buddhist perspective, Loy offers a number of comparisons of Swedenborgian concepts to Buddhist ones (Loy, 1995). The following table illustrates some, but by no means all, of the comparisons Dr. Loy makes between the two traditions.

Comparative Doctrine According to Loy

(Source is Loy, 1995)

Swedenborgian Concept(s) of:	Related to the Buddhist Concept(s) of:
The Self	No-Self (or anatman) p. 8, and the Five Aggregates (or skandhas), p. 9,
(Unwholesome) Love of Self	The delusion that there is a Separate Self, p. 11,
Use, Love, Faith, and Charity	Motivation by Good [Compassion], p. 12
Innocence of Wisdom	The Unselfconscious giving of a bodhisattva, p. 12
An angel	A bodhisattva, p. 13,
The unknowable Divine in Itself	Emptiness (sunyata), p. 16
The “Grand Man” of heaven	Interdependence and the metaphor of Indra's Net, p. 19
Regeneration	Enlightenment, p. 20
Evil and its self-punishment	Karma and Samskara (or habitual mental tendencies - the vehicles of karma), p. 21-22

The contents of this table is my attempt to summarize Dr. Loy's invaluable comparison of Swedenborgian and Buddhist teachings. These were initially published in 1995 in the journal of the Swedenborg Association entitled Arcana and again as an afterword in Bernstein's 1996 Swedenborg: Buddha of the North. The page numbers in the table are from the Swedenborg Association version of the article. I cannot do justice to Loy's work here so I recommend you take the time to read it for yourself. You can find it online at the link given below in the references section or read it in your copy Bernstein's work.

I would like to briefly look at one of the comparisons here before closing.

Self and No Self

Loy says it well in his article when he describes Swedenborg's notion of 'self' in this way"

“Swedenborg agrees that the self (his Latin term is proprium, literally "what belongs to oneself"…) is an illusion…. For Swedenborg too the self is better understood as an economy of forces, although for him these forces are spiritual, that is, spirits. Good spirits (angels) and bad spirits (demons) are always with us, and their influence accounts for much of what we understand as our mental and emotional life.” (Loy, 1995, p. 8)

The spiritual associations we all have according to Swedenborg are entirely necessary to the existence of the illusion we call 'self.' These spiritual associations change during the course of our life to correspond with our mental and emotional changes of state. As we develop spiritually, we are gradually given what Swedenborg terms a 'heavenly proprium.' In Swedenborg's work Arcana Coelestia or Secrets of Heaven he writes:
“In order therefore that a person may receive an Own
that is heavenly, he [or she] must do good of himself, and think truth of himself; but
still must know, and when reformed must think and believe, that all the good
and all the truth are from the Lord, even as to the very least of all (and this
because it is so)… Yet a person is allowed to suppose that she acts from herself
in order that good and truth may become as if they were her own.” (Swedenborg,
1965, paragraph 2883)
It may only be a translator's distinction (and not in Swedenborg's original Latin) but I still find it interesting that the word 'Own' (which Swedenborg used interchangeably with 'proprium') is capitalized in this quote when associated with 'heavenly.' This is suggestive of the idea that the regenerated or enlightened self is more divine than it was in its former state. Perhaps the most concise Swedenborgian description of this process is in the work on Divine Providence:“The more closely one is conjoined to the Lord the
more distinctly does he seem to himself to be his own, and the more plainly
does he recognize that he is the Lord's.” (Swedenborg, 1949, paragraph 42)
So this illusion of self is actually enhanced through the enlightenment or regenerative process rather than dispensed with - and, the enhancement is twofold in opposite 'directions'! Please see the earlier citation above from Divine Providence (paragraph 154) for additional clarification regarding the 'appearance' and the 'truth' about this illusion. 

By 'no self' Buddhists tend to mean 'no separate self' in an acknowledgement of the interconnection of all things. In this, Swedenborg and the Buddhists are in complete agreement. Any Buddhist would doubtless agree that there is something, however illusory and unreal, to which we say "I." Buddhists and Swedenborg agree on the Oneness aspect of interconnection and interdependence. This interconnection of all things speaks to the way in which Swedenborg would describe the Lord's kingdom as a 'kingdom of uses.' The idea of use or useful endeavor is not lost on the Buddhists either. In his work entitled The Zen Doctrine of No-Mind D. T. Suzuki wrote: 
"Hands are no hands, have no existence, until they pick up flowers and offer them to the Buddha; so with legs, they are no legs, non-entities, unless their Use is set to work, and they walk over the bridge, ford the stream, and climb the mountain." (Suzuki, 1969, p. 42)
Suzuki, having translated four major works of Swedenborg into Japanese almost 50 years earlier, was certainly thoroughly familiar with Swedenborg's doctrine of use at the time of his writing The Zen Doctrine of No-Mind. Loy's comparison (Loy, 1995, p. 19) of Swedenborg's "Grand Man" of heaven doctrine (apologies for the gender bias) and the holographic metaphor of "Indra's Net" also illustrates similarities in the notions of interconnection and interdependence. 


Being the Change 

What is the significance of the self/no-self doctrines in Swedenborg and Buddhism? If the interconnection and interdependence of all things is as intimate as Swedenborg and the Buddhists suggest it is, and if outer peace is truly a manifestation of inner peace, then doesn't personal unilateral action for peace make sense? We can, as Gandhi suggested, be the change we would like to see in the world by 'thinking globally' and 'acting locally.' By 'locally' I am referring to our inner 'self'. First, we can accept that validity exists in all of the world's spiritual traditions and we can make it our purpose to seek and find the good in all things. This means and end to contention based on differing teachings and viewpoints. Next, we can stop coming from ego and fear and the sick need to be right and to make others wrong. We can come instead from love and a desire for connection and peace. And finally when others want to seek controversy, argumentation, and conflict, we can go to a quieter place within and practice some simple Buddhist meditative techniques for stilling the mind and calming negative emotion. We can facilitate our own inner peace and model that for others to see.

And what would happen if everybody did it...?

REFERENCES

~Bernstein, A. trans. (1996). Swedenborg: Buddha of the north (Including a translation of “Suedenborugu” [Swedenborg] and “Suedenborugu: Sono Tenkai to Tarikikan” [Swedenborg’s View of Heaven and “OtherPower”] by D.T. Suzuki, and, an Afterword: The Dharma of Emanuel Swedenborg: A Buddhist perspective by David Loy). West Chester, PA: Swedenborg Foundation.
~Loy, D. R. (1995). The Dharma of Emanuel Swedenborg: A Buddhist perspective. Arcana (Journal of the Swedenborg Association) 2(1). 5-31. Retrieved 3/28/07 from http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-ENG/loy11.htm
~Loy, D. R. (2000). David Loy Interview. Buddhist-Christian Studies 20(1). 321-323. Retrieved 3/28/07 from http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-MISC/97928.htm
~Rojanaphruk, P. (n.d.). Spirits in a Material World: David Loy on Re-evaluating Religion. The Nation. [Electronic version]. Retrieved 3/28/07 from http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-MISC/101794.htm
~Suzuki, D. T. (1935). Manual of Zen Buddhism. Kyoto, Japan: Eastern Buddhist Society. ~Suzuki, D. T. (1949). Essays in Zen Buddhism (First Series). New York, NY: Grove Press.
~Suzuki, D. T. (1956). Zen Buddhism: Selected writings of D. T. Suzuki. (Ed. William Barrett). Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc.
~Suzuki, D. T. (1957). Mysticism: Christian and Buddhist. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers.
~Suzuki, D. T. (1959). Zen and Japanese culture. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
~Suzuki, D. T. (1963). Outlines of Mahayana Buddhism. New York, NY: Schocken Books.
~Suzuki, D. T. (1964). An introduction to Zen Buddhism (With a foreword by Carl Jung) New York, NY: Grove Press.
~Suzuki, D. T. (1968). On Indian and Mahayana Buddhism. (Ed. Edward Conze). New York, NY: Harper & Row, Publishers.
~Suzuki, D. T. (1969). The Zen doctrine of no-mind: The significance of the sutra of Hui-neng (Wei-lang). (Ed. Christmas Humphreys). York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, Inc.
~Suzuki, D. T. (1972). Living by Zen: A synthesis of the historical and practical aspects of Zen Buddhism. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, Inc.
~Swedenborg, E. (1949). Divine providence. Wm. Dick & E. J. Pulsford (Trans.). London: The Swedenborg Society. (Original work published 1764)
~Swedenborg, E. (1965). Arcana coelestia (Secrets of heaven). J. F. Potts (Trans.). New York: Swedenborg Foundation. http://lccn.loc.gov/67009674 (Original work published c. 1749-1756)
~Swedenborg, E. (1999). Divine love and wisdom. N. B. Rogers (Trans.). Bryn Athyn, PA: General Church of the New Jerusalem. (Original work published 1763)

We Are All – Works In Progress

2011-04-21T01:27:00.000-04:00

By Jeremy K. Finkeldey

I let go of my television habit one year ago this coming May 1^st so I am out of touch with the ‘reality’ of world news. I know there was an earthquake in Japan and the president’s name is Obama and my daughter lives in California and my son in Ottawa and my other son in Holland, PA. I still know basically everything I need to know. And yet it’s strange how different life is without that steady diet of media that is based on fear, guilt, greed, power, partisan political conflict, and human control – and, all the other things ego is attracted to.

I won’t lie and tell you “oh, the lights have really come on for me since I eliminated TV and I feel like such a better, more healthy, person… etc.” Stopping TV addiction does not, in itself, eliminate ego or its attendant misery. The truth is, of course, that other forms of ego have managed to slip in and fill the gaps created by my practice of non-TV. But I have faith in the idea. It’s a simple idea – I am what I consume physically, mentally, and spiritually. If I am willing to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in terms of what I consume (and what I do with what I consume), I will eventually get back to awareness of the truth that, as A Course In Miracles states, “I am as God created me.” (A Course In Miracles, W-110) This very important teaching from A Course In Miracles goes on to say:

“… this one thought would be enough to save you and the world, if you believed that it is true. Its truth would mean that you have made no changes in yourself that have reality, nor changed the universe so that what God created was replaced by fear and evil, misery and death. If you remain as God created you fear has no meaning, evil is not real, and misery and death do not exist. ² Today's idea is therefore all you need to let complete correction heal your mind, and give you perfect vision that will heal all the mistakes that any mind has made at any time or place. It is enough to heal the past and make the future free. It is enough to let the present be accepted as it is. It is enough to let time be the means for all the world to learn escape from time, and every change that time appears to bring in passing by ³ If you remain as God created you, appearances cannot replace the truth, health cannot turn to sickness, nor can death be substitute for life, or fear for love. All this has not occurred, if you remain as God created you. You need no thought but just this one, to let redemption come to light the world and free it from the past.” (A Course In Miracles, Workbook Lesson 110:1-3)

Sorry for the long citation but I just felt that every word of it was SO important and inspirational. Can you imagine a world in which ‘fear has no meaning, evil is not real, and misery and death do not exist’? Such a world DOES EXIST. It is the product of spiritual practice. A Course In Miracles calls it the “real world.” Buddha called it “the Pure Land.” My favorite revelator, Emanuel Swedenborg, called it “the Lord’s kingdom.” In his theological work entitled Secrets of Heaven, Swedenborg explains that if we could all give up our ego-based need to be theologically ‘right’ and could instead “make love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor the principal of faith… the Lord’s kingdom would come upon the earth.” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Secrets of Heaven 1799:4, emphasis added)

We are talking about a change of mind here. In the real world, the Pure Land, the kingdom of God - everything is connected and we are all One. The change of mind is a shift in perception away from awareness of the ego’s world of separation and discord and towards an awareness of Oneness and accord. In a church service the other day (NewChurch LIVE), the teacher of God referred to the biblical book of Mark, in which Jesus Christ is recorded as having said:

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15)

Now the teacher’s point was, what if Jesus Christ simply meant, “the Kingdom of God is very close. Change your mind and believe in this good news”?

So I did some digging and here’s what I came up with. The Latin root from which the word “repent” is derived (“poenitere”) means to ‘feel regret’. But is that really what Jesus Christ meant when he supposedly said “repent”? The kingdom of God is at hand. Feel regret, and believe in the gospel? I don’t think so. I like the NewChurch LIVE teacher of God’s interpretation.

First of all, He wasn’t speaking Latin at the time. Secondly, what He supposedly said He said in Aramaic which was then recorded in Greek. The Greek that was translated as “repent” was the word “metanoia.” Metanoia means “change your mind.” I’m thinking there is considerable room for meaning to get lost in the translation if it goes from Aramaic to Greek to Latin and finally to English!

According to A Course In Miracles, guilt (or feeling regret) is counter-productive when you are trying to change your mind and shift your perception in the direction of the real world. Guilt reinforces error.

“… "sin" … cannot be undone by repentance in the usual sense, because this implies guilt. If you allow yourself to feel guilty, you will reinforce the error rather than allow it to be undone for you.” (ACIM, T-5, VII, 5:2-5)

This shift in perception from the illusory world of the ego to the real world of Oneness is what A Course In Miracles means in its use of the word “miracle.” A miracle is a shift in perception that reminds you that you are “as God created you.”

Can you look at your experience and see how this works? I have discussed this with many people. Some get it right away but others have a very hard time seeing guilt as being counter-productive. They feel sure that the miracle of guiltlessness and of seeing yourself currently being “as God created you” will turn you into a sociopath without a conscience. This comes from the fairly standard Christian teaching that feeling bad about yourself will inspire you to change. This turns out to be false. At best, guilt might get your attention for a little while but never enough to actually facilitate the change. It’s way more likely that guilt will grow to become shame than that it will help you to change your mind. Here is one Course student’s take on the subject of changing your mind. Here’s Lisa:

But, as Course teacher Marianne Williamson says:

“Some people… would rather die than change their minds….” (Williamson, A Return To Love, p. 237)

Fortunately “conscience” does not equal “guilt.” Conscience equals reality-based change.

Also, 18^th century mystic Swedenborg would advise us to work against the perception and belief that we are the ones doing the positive change. The reality, he says in so many words, is that the Lord is the ‘doer.’ We are works in progress and the Lord is supervising and performing the construction project of us.

In regard to each of us as ‘individuals’, Swedenborg writes:

“… a person... is led by the Lord, and he takes no step into which and from which the Lord does not lead...as if by the hand... The Lord does this without the person’s knowing it, because if he knew it he would disturb the continuity of that process by leading himself.” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Apocalypse Explained 1174)

And when it comes to the whole human race, he explains:

“… the human race throughout the whole world is under the guidance of the Lord, and… everyone from infancy even to the end of his life is led by Him in the most individual things and his place foreseen and also provided. [2] From these things it is clear that the Divine Providence of the Lord is universal because it is in the most individual things; and that this is the infinite and eternal creation which the Lord provided for Himself by means of the creation of the universe. Man does not see anything of this universal providence; and if he did, it could not appear to him otherwise than as passers-by see the scattered heaps and collections of materials from which a house is to be built; while the Lord sees it as a magnificent palace with its work of construction and enlargement continually going on.” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Divine Providence 203:1-2)

We are all construction projects - Divine works in progress.

References:

Schucman, H. and Thetford, W. (2007). A course in miracles: Combined volume. Third edition. Mill Valley, CA: Foundation for Inner Peace.

 Swedenborg, E. (1949). Divine providence. Wm. Dick & E. J. Pulsford (Trans.). London: The SwedenborgSociety. (Original work published 1764)

 Swedenborg, E. (1960). The apocalypse explained. J. Whitehead (Trans.). New York, NY: Swedenborg Foundation. (Original work written c. 1757-1759 and first published posthumously in Latin in 1870)

 Swedenborg, E. (1965). Secrets of Heaven. J. F. Potts (Trans.). New York: Swedenborg Foundation. (Original work published c. 1749-1756)

 The Holy Bible (NKJV). (1982). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

 Williamson, M. (1993). A return to love: Reflections on the principles of A Course In Miracles. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

On A Course In Miracles and Prayer

2011-04-16T17:06:00.000-04:00

by Jeremy K. Finkeldey

You know, for all the greenhouse gases I am personally responsible for, you’d think I would get a little more global warming than I’ve been getting lately. No, I’m not looking to start a discussion around this controversy – at all.

It’s just that I have been so busy lately that the only thing that could keep me at home and at the computer is this strange, extended winter we’re having here in the mid-Atlantic portion of North America. Today’s forecast – cold, overcast, heavy rains - Brrrr….. So, it has been a long time since I have made any blog posts and it’s high time I did. Maybe it’ll warm me up.

A Course In Miracles:

What I want to tell you about first is a new study group we are starting up here in my home town in the NewChurch LIVE building at 2790 Huntingdon Pike, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009. I am grateful to NewChurch LIVE for allowing us the time and space in which to have this small group. It’s a study and practice group of A Course In Miracles (here’s the group brochure). Our first meeting will be on Saturday, April 30^th (2011) from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.

For those of you who don’t know, A Course In Miracles is a course in changing the mind towards a greater awareness of the connection and Oneness we all share with each other and with God. This change in perception is the essence of what the Course defines as a ‘miracle.’ A Course In Miracles was originally published in 1976 and has garnered a global following. One decidedly Course-unfriendly website estimates exposure to A Course In Miracles to be in the neighborhood of 5 million people. The publisher of A Course In Miracles, the Foundation for Inner Peace, offers this description of how A Course In Miracles came into being.

From the scribe of it herself, Helen Schucman, we read:

"Psychologist, educator, conservative in theory and atheistic in belief, I was working in a prestigious and highly academic setting. And then something happened that triggered a chain of events I could never have predicted. The head of my department unexpectedly announced that he was tired of the angry and aggressive feelings our attitudes reflected, and concluded that, 'there must be another way.' As if on cue I agreed to help him find it. Apparently this Course is the other way." (Foundation for Inner Peace website)

Please click here for the Foundation’s description of what the Course is.

According to the Wikipedia article:

“Since it first became available for sale in 1976, over 2 million copies of A Course in Miracles have been sold worldwide and the text has been translated into sixteen different languages. A Course In Miracles (ACIM) is widely distributed globally, forming the basis of a range of organized groups. The teachings of A Course in Miracles have been supported by commentators and authors such as Eckhart Tolle. However, due to ACIM's claims to "clarify" or even supersedesome of the teachings of orthodox Christianity, the book has been judged negatively by some Christians."

In addition to Eckhart Tolle, other famous Course In Miracles-influenced personalities include prolific authors and educators like Dr. Wayne Dyer and Marianne Williamson. Perhaps a little less mainstream are Course personalities such as Gary Renard, Kenneth Wapnick, Gerald Jampolsky, the late Hugh Prather, Beverly Hutchinson McNeff, and many others.

Watch a YouTube video to get an idea of how a Course practitioner uses prayer in her life:

I didn’t realize what a traditionalist I was until I first encountered A Course In Miracles. Actually, I had a very brief and judgmental encounter with it in 1983 and rejected it out-of-hand. Then, about three years ago (circa 2007), it came back into my awareness via a friendship with yoga teacher Kathy Holmes who started a study group and included me in it. Having extensive theological training in the Swedenborgian faith, I initially had a great deal of resistance to my perceptions of what A Course In Miracles appears to claim. Especially the part about it’s being delivered from Jesus Christ Himself by ‘inner dictation’ to Helen Schucman. There were other theological doctrinal fine points that stuck in my Swedenborgian craw as well. But there was something powerful about the Course that kept me reading and digesting it while all along fighting it tooth and nail.

To make a long story short, when I learned to read and practice the Course for the psychology of it rather than its theology, I was able to get past that part of my ego which wants to fight and argue and be right about religion. Suddenly I was seeing abundant similarities between the ideas of my Swedenborgian training and Course ideas.

The Course itself states:

“Although Christian in statement, the Course deals with universal spiritual themes. It emphasizes it is but one version of the universal curriculum. There are many others, this one differing from them only in form. They all lead to God in the end.” (A Course In Miracles, Preface, ix)

And further:

“ A universal theology is impossible, but a universal experience is not only possible but necessary. It is this experience toward which the course is directed. Here alone consistency becomes possible because here alone uncertainty ends.” (A Course In Miracles, Clarification of Terms, Intro., 2:5-7, p. 77)

And finally:

“The ego will demand many answers that this course does not give…. in many forms. Yet there is no answer; only an experience. Seek only this, and do not let theology delay you.” (A Course In Miracles, Clarification of Terms, Intro., 4:1,3-5, p. 77)

In our quest for this 'universal experience' of God in our study group, we will perhaps look at some of the similarities between A Course In Miracles, Swedenborg's writings, and any traditions others may wish to bring as well.

Prayer:

So let's take a look at some of what the Course, Swedenborg, and a couple other sources have to say about prayer.

From a Course point of view, prayer seems to be less of a petition to God for a list of your perceived 'needs' and more of a meditative kind of communion. For example:

“The secret of true prayer is to forget the things you think you need… and let them go into God’s Hands.” (ACIM, S-1,I,4:1,3)

“Prayer is a stepping aside; a letting go, a quiet time of listening and loving… Prayer is an offering; a giving up of yourself to be at one with Love… Herein lies the power of prayer. It asks nothing and receives everything.” (ACIM, S-1,I,5:1,5;7:4-5)

Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh would add:

“The foundation of prayer is mindfulness, concentration and insight. In the Christian tradition, there are people capable of praying like that, with mindfulness, concentration, and they call it the prayer of the heart." (Thich Nhat Hanh, 2006, on Prayer; Interview with Publishers Weekly Magazine)

Similar to the venerable little monk's view, Swedenborg, whom D. T. Suzuki referred to as the 'Buddha of the North', wrote:

“… prayers are according to the nature of a person's heart… [a person’s] life and prayers make one, and … a person continually prays when she is in the life of charity, although not with the mouth yet with the heart; for that which is of the love is continually in the thought, even when she is unconscious of it.” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Apocalypse Explained 325)

Very similar in meaning is the Course's assertion:

“Prayer is as continual as life. Everyone prays without ceasing. Ask and you have received, for you have established what it is you want.” (ACIM, S-1,II,2:4-6)

Lakota holy man, Black Elk, acknowledges in his prayer his connection to and relationship with everything:

“Hear me, four quarters of the world - a relative I am! Give me the strength to walk the soft earth, a relative to all that is!” (Black Elk, Oglala Lakota)

In much the same way that A Course In Miracles invites us to become aware of the Divine within each of us, Swedenborg made the observation specifically about prayer that in order to be heard and received by God (or the Lord) the must be 'from the Lord with' the person and not from the person (i.e. from the person's ego or external self:

“… worship which is from a person is not worship, consequently the confessions, adorations, and prayers which are from the person, are not confessions, adorations, and prayers which are heard and received by the Lord; but they must be from the Lord Himself with the person.” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Secrets of Heaven 10299:2)

In the Swedenborgian paradigm, the Lord shows up in the human mind in the form of good and truth conjoined - which is then expressed in prayer:

“… truths from good… are the things in a person which pray, and the person is continually in such prayers when he lives according to them. That ‘prayers’ in the Word mean the truths from good which a person possesses, and not the prayers of the mouth, may be seen above (n. 325). (Emanuel Swedenborg, Apocalypse Explained 493)

Another way in which Swedenborg explains the dynamics of a prayerful relationship between a person and the Lord is as follows. Here we see that prayer is not necessarily a guaranteed personal pain reliever if the omniscient Lord sees that the person needs to go through the pain in order to develop spiritually:

“… the prayers of those who are in temptations are but little heard; for the Lord wills the end, which is the salvation of the person, which end He knows, but not the person; and the Lord does not heed prayers that are contrary to the end, which is salvation.” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Secrets of Heaven 8179)

That is not to say that one shouldn't bother to pray while 'in temptation' but should just remember that the Lord knows better than we do what we need spiritually. In fact, Swedenborg wrote:

“… in prayer from the Divine it is always thought and believed that the Lord alone knows whether it is profitable or not; and therefore the person submits the hearing to the Lord, and immediately after prays that the will of the Lord, and not his own, may be done….” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Secrets of Heaven 8179)

It should be noted that the way God communicates with a person in the Swedenborgian way of seeing it is by means of good and true thoughts, and, 'something like a revelation' felt in the affections of the person praying. He wrote:

“… The Lord speaks with every person, for whatever a person wills and thinks that is good and true, is from the Lord.... With those who suffer themselves to be led away by evil spirits, the Lord speaks as if absent, or from afar, so that it can scarcely be said that He is speaking; but with those who are being led by the Lord, He speaks as more nearly present; which may be sufficiently evident from the fact that no one can ever think anything good and true except from the Lord.” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Secrets of Heaven 904:1)“Prayer, regarded in itself, is speech with God, and some internal view at the time of the matters of the prayer, to which there answers something like an influx into the perception or thought of the mind, so that there is a certain opening of the man's interiors toward God; but this with a difference according to the man's state, and according to the essence of the subject of the prayer. If the man prays from love and faith, and for only heavenly and spiritual things, there then comes forth in the prayer something like a revelation (which is manifested in the affection of him that prays) as to hope, consolation, or a certain inward joy.” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Secrets of Heaven 2535)

Finally, I would just like to share three favorites on prayer. The first is from the Course which addresses why we should commune with God:

“Prayer is the medium of miracles. It is a means of communication of the created with the Creator. Through prayer love is received, and through miracles love is expressed.” (A Course In Miracles, T-1,I,11)

The next is from Swedenborg explain when we should commune with God - that is, every moment:

“By "daily" in the Lord's prayer is meant every moment….” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Spiritual Experiences 361)

Last but not least, from the biblical book of James (Jesus' 1/2 brother), what we all get from communing with God - healing:

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16)

There now, that wasn't so hard! A good way to spend a cold and rainy mid-Atlantic afternoon - reflecting and writing on prayer.

~JKF

Generic spirituality (part four) – altruistic service

2011-01-31T16:17:00.002-05:00

So far in this series we have covered two of the three basic principles of generic spiritual practice – introspection and contemplation. In this fourth and final part, we will discuss what is held by many on this planet to be the real purpose of all spiritual practice – altruistic service.

There are, of course, many avenues of approach when it comes to altruistic service. It would not be possible to cover them all in an article of this scope. I will therefore focus primarily on the altruism of helping others to improve the quality of their personal experience of life, especially within the context of recovering from the devastation – of body, mind, and soul – that occurs in an addiction.

The generic spirituality practiced in Alcoholics Anonymous is the starting point for this series and altruistic service is where it all comes together in 12 Step practice. Especially known for its concept of service to others, the basis for the phenomenal growth and effectiveness of Alcoholics Anonymous lies in its 12th Step:

“Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” (Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 106)

The ‘spiritual awakening’ that comes as the result of working through the Steps of A.A.’s program is described as “… a gift which amounts to a new state of consciousness and being” in which the individual has become “… able to do, feel, and believe that which he could not do before on his unaided strength and resources alone.” (Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 106-107)
The same source further explains:

“The joy of living is the theme of A.A.'s Twelfth Step, and action is its key word. Here we turn outward toward our fellow alcoholics who are still in distress. Here we experience the kind of giving that asks no rewards. Here we begin to practice all Twelve Steps of the program in our daily lives so that we and those about us may find emotional sobriety. When the Twelfth Step is seen in its full implication, it is really talking about the kind of love that has no price tag on it.” (ibid.)

It is a simple matter to establish at least part of Bill Wilson’s source of this idea of selflessness in service to others. The teaching of Jesus of Nazareth drawn from the gospel of Matthew (Matt. 10:8) is directly on display in the text of Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions:

“This is Twelfth Step work in the very best sense of the word. "Freely ye have received; freely give..." is the core of this part of Step Twelve.” (Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 110)

In spite of the author’s best efforts to sanitize his A.A. writings of religious and philosophical dogma that would tend to repel alcoholics, Bill’s own Christian background can occasionally be seen in both A.A.’s ‘Big Book’ and its Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. This is to be expected. We all bring some remnant of our personal traditional background with us as we move through life. And yet, as Bill himself wrote in the 'Big Book' pointing out that A.A. members are supposed to be "non-denominational":

"As non-denominational people, we cannot make up others' minds for them. Each individual should consult his own conscience." (Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 131)

Experienced A.A. members report that the most powerful tool for keeping and maintaining their own sobriety is the act of helping others to get and keep theirs. This occurs primarily, but not exclusively, between a ‘sponsor’ and ‘sponsee’. Whether the ‘sponsee’ stays sober or not, the sponsor is usually rewarded with a continuance of his or her own sobriety. Referred to as a ‘divine paradox’ in Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (wherein selfless giving becomes receiving), this experience was capitalized on by the early members of A.A. and it continues today.

“Even the newest of newcomers finds undreamed rewards as he tries to help his brother alcoholic, the one who is even blinder than he. This is indeed the kind of giving that actually demands nothing. He does not expect his brother sufferer to pay him, or even to love him. And then he discovers that by the divine paradox of this kind of giving he has found his own reward, whether his brother has yet received anything or not.” (Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 110, italics added)

The unwritten A.A. maxim version of this is:

"You have to give it away to keep it." (heard in an open A.A. meeting)

Of course, altruistically helping others to achieve and enjoy recovery is not limited strictly to members of 12 Step fellowships. Anyone can help – either formally or informally. One slightly more formal, yet non-clinical example of this type of altruism is the ‘Recovery Coach’.

Primarily grassroots non-profit organizations have training programs whereby interested individuals may be trained in the skills necessary to aid people new in recovery to improve the quality of their lives in a systematic way. One local example would be The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania formerly known as ‘The Bucks County Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency’. Following an established ‘recovery plan’ outline, recovery coaches at 'The Council' help by guiding the person new to recovery to establish and achieve improvement goals in a number of areas of life. The ‘Council’ identifies nine such areas of life in which improvements can be made:

Recovery from Substance Use or Abuse
Employment and/or Financial Independence
Career and/or Education
Relationships and Social Support
Medical Health
Leisure and Recreation
Independence from Legal Problems and Institutions
Mental Wellness and Spirituality
Other

Working together in these areas, the recovery coach and the 'recoveree' envision goals, identify obstacles, research solutions, and lay out plans of action for the recoveree to follow. If a given 'obstacle' is beyond the capacity of the recovery coach/recoveree team to handle, the recoveree is referred to a qualified professional for further assistance. This work is intended to help undo the unmanageable quality that active addiction to alcohol and/or other substances creates in the life of the addict. The end result is hopefully the transformation of an often completely dysfunctional human being into a once more useful and productive member of society.

If you would like to be trained as a volunteer recovery coach for The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania Inc, please contact them at this link.

The power of what A.A.'s co-founder Bill W. called the 'divine paradox' is significant, unquestionable, and best when applied generically - that is, non-denominationally. But where does this power come from?

Spiritual advocates of altruistic service

An acknowledgement of the interdependent nature of all things is inherent in a comprehensive understanding of systems theories - of whatever description. In teaching interdependence, Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh uses a blank sheet of paper and asks the audience to look deeply into the piece of paper. He tells them that the piece of paper is made entirely of 'non-paper elements' and asks them to see in the piece of paper the tree, the water, the soil, the sunshine, the cloud, the logger, the logger's grandpa... etc. etc. He asks them to see all the non-paper elements without which the piece of paper as it is could not exist. He makes the point that everything is like the piece of paper - interdependent.

Interdependence amounts to a connection of all things with everything else. Doing good, mindful, helpful things to other people, places, or things makes a person a more valuable asset to the interdependent system of which he or she is a part. This creates an increase of positive energy flow in the spiritual economy.

One of the great examples of altruistic service in modern times was that of Mother Teresa. Her work embodied the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth who is cited in the gospel of Matthew:

“Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” (Matthew 25:40)

Indeed, Mother Teresa herself made this point:

“There is always the danger that we may just do the work for the sake of the work. This is where the respect and the love and the devotion come in - that we do it to God, to Christ, and that's why we try to do it as beautifully as possible.” (Mother Teresa)

"Every day I see Jesus in all his distressing disguises." (Mother Teresa)

It seems that service or usefulness is somehow built into the very fabric of the Universe. A race of beings which, in principle, did nothing of service could probably not survive the onslaught of evolutionary processes. A similar sentiment can be found in the writings of the 18^th century mystic and revelator Emanuel Swedenborg whose entire theological thought system revolves around the concept of useful endeavor:

“We are not born for our own sake; we are born for the sake of others. That is, we are not born to live for ourselves alone; we are born to live for others. Otherwise society would not be cohesive and there would be no good in it.” (Emanuel Swedenborg, True Christianity 406)

“God loves every one of us but cannot directly benefit us; he can benefit us only indirectly through each other. For this reason he inspires us with his love.” (Emanuel Swedenborg, True Christianity 457:3)
“… the Lord performs uses to people through people….” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Apocalypse Explained 1226:6)

“Heaven consists in this, that from the heart we wish better for others than for ourselves, and desire to be of service to others in order to promote their happiness, and this for no selfish end, but from love.” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Heavenly Secrets 452)

“The essence of spiritual love is doing good to others, not for the sake of self but for the sake of others; infinitely more is this the essence of Divine Love." (Emanuel Swedenborg, Divine Love and Wisdom 335)

In the above citations you can see the importance Swedenborg's revelations place on selflessness in one's motivation. One of the more remarkable passages from Swedenborg along these lines is the one that follows. In it Swedenborg is describing the dynamics of the doing of good to others by angels in the spiritual world. Notice that as soon as the actions of the angel become tainted with self the influx (or spiritual energy flow) is dissipated.

“When an angel does good to anyone, he also communicates to him his own good, good fortune, and bliss, and this with the desire to give the other everything, and to retain nothing. When he is in such communication, then good flows in unto him together with good fortune and bliss much more than he gives, and this with continual increase. But as soon as the thought occurs that he desires to communicate what he has for the sake of obtaining in himself this influx of good fortune and bliss, the influx is dissipated; and still more so if any thought comes in of recompense from him to whom he communicates his good. This it has been given me to know from much experience; and from this also it may be seen that the Lord is in every single thing, for the Lord is such that He wills to give Himself to all, and hence good fortune and bliss are increased with those who are images and likenesses of Him.” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Heavenly Secrets 6478)

So, the really high octane spiritual energy only flows when selfishness is eliminated from the giving which is the same as saying when the altruistic service is coming from a truly loving place in ourselves. This suggests a level of humility that involves acknowledging the True Source of the power to help. Please see more on the topic of humility at my article The anonymity factor.

ALTRUISM LINKS

World Kindness Movement http://www.worldkindness.org.sg/USA.html
The Center for Creative Altruism http://www.renaissanceofhope.org/index2.html

REFERENCES
Swedenborg, E. (1960). Apocalypse explained (J. Whitehead Trans.). New York, NY: The Swedenborg Foundation. (Original work first published posthumously in Latin 1870)

Swedenborg, E. (1969). Divine love and wisdom (C. & D. H. Harley Trans.). London: The Swedenborg Society. (Original work published 1763)

Swedenborg, E. (1983). Arcana coelestia (J. E. Elliott Trans.). London: The Swedenborg Society. (Original work published c. 1749-1756)

Swedenborg, E. (1988). True Christian religion. (J. Chadwick Trans.). London: The Swedenborg Society. (Original work published 1771)

Swedenborg, E. (2006). True Christianity (New Century ed., J. S. Rose Trans.). West Chester, PA: Swedenborg Foundation. (Original work published 1771)

Wilson, Bill. (1952). Twelve steps and twelve traditions. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (Original work published 1952)

Wilson, Bill. et. al. (2001). Alcoholics Anonymous. Fourth edition. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. (Original work published 1939)

Organized religion: You are not special

2011-01-21T16:40:00.001-05:00

"You are not special... What answer that the Holy Spirit gives can reach you, when it is your specialness to which you listen, and which asks and answers?" (A Course In Miracles, T-24, II, 4:1-3)

I thought this quote from A Course In Miracles might engender some discussion relevant to the cultural phenomenon of ‘organized religion’. This is a worthy discussion since the ego battles common between differing belief systems often escalate into full-fledged internecine warfare. Such is the troublesome nature of the human ego!

I see organized religion as a manifestation of a greater cultural addiction to egocentrism to which most of our troubles requiring ‘recovery’ (or positive change) can be traced.

In A Course In Miracles, the ego is to the human being something like what sugar is to a diabetic. It's still a necessary part of the operating system but also a deadly enemy requiring constant monitoring lest it get out of control and destroy the structure and function of the rest of the organism. Sound familiar?

Specialness is one of the defining psychodynamics used by the ego to maintain its illusory agenda of separation from other egos and from God. Specialness is the hallmark of most relationships here on psycho-planet, whether 'intimate' or not, until the Holy Spirit has been invited (by at least one of the participants) to come into them and make them holy. This invitation is nothing short of the insemination of an actual spiritual awakening and everything after that is a mere scheduling challenge in the sense of who will wake up next and when.

Why? Because, when the Holy Spirit is sincerely invited by even one person to come into a relationship (or web of relationships) and make it holy, the Holy Spirit responds immediately by replacing the ego's goal with It's (divine) goal. This has the effect of changing the attitudes and behaviors of the participants here in spacetime (which can be quite troubling until you realize what's going on) to be more in conformity to the new goal of the relationship(s).

So, discussion question: how might this apply to church organizations?

Or, maybe better yet, how does this apply to your specific church organization - is yours 'special'?

Let’s talk. Please include your point of view below in the comment section.

Additional reading:
My home page at Examiner.com: http://exm.nr/eHDY52
My other blog: PaleoPlanet http://bit.ly/dXx7yB

Also ~ Feel free to join my interfaith Facebook group, “Lay Interfaith Leaderless Alliance”, here http://on.fb.me/jkfLILA

Copyright © 2011 Jeremy K. Finkeldey; All rights reserved.

The anonymity factor

2011-01-19T14:39:00.000-05:00

“Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all of our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.” (Wilson, 1986, p. 184)

During the course of my study (as a non-A.A. member) of the phenomenon of the most successful treatment for alcoholism ever devised - Alcoholics Anonymous - I have long been curious about the “anonymity” factor. Why are these people so private about being sober now? Is it shame?

Well, it turns out that these sober alcoholics are well-acquainted with themselves. They are familiar with the effect a little notoriety can have on the often grandiose alcoholic mind. Too often it turns into a drink! Imagine that! Getting drunk on the glory of sobriety! Don’t laugh – stranger things have happened. But that is not all.

Why is anonymity important and how is it the “spiritual” foundation of all of A.A.’s traditions? This was a real puzzler until I looked into it a little. Bill Wilson’s discussion of anonymity in the 12 and 12’s text on the Twelfth Tradition links anonymity with humility. It says that “anonymity is real humility at work” (W., Bill. 1986, p. 187). The essay on Step 7 in that same work explains that, “the attainment of greater humility is the foundation principle of each of A.A.’s Twelve Steps.” Humility being a spiritual state of mind, it follows that anonymity (i.e. humility at work) would indeed be the spiritual foundation of all of A.A.’s Twelve Traditions (Wilson, 1986, pp. 70, 184). But is there more?

What else might be “spiritual” about this foundation of A.A. tradition?

It struck me (not all that long ago) that there is a method to God’s ‘madness’ here. When you think about it, it’s not too difficult to see that God him/herself is the ultimate Master of Anonymity. The Absolute anonymity role-model if you will. This is why there are so many atheists running around. Atheists tend to be evidence advocates and would soon be out of business if God were to show up with anything like compelling evidence of her/his Own existence. But God does not compel belief in him/her by breaking his/her Own anonymity at the public level.

In the text of Step Six, Bill Wilson suggests that one of the goals of A.A.’s program of spiritual practice is to grow in the “image and likeness” of the Creator. He writes:

“… any person capable of enough willingness and honesty to try repeatedly Step Six on all his [or her] faults--without any reservations whatever--has indeed come a long way spiritually, and is therefore entitled to be called a [person] who is sincerely trying to grow in the image and likeness of his [or her] own Creator.” (Wilson, 1986, p. 63)

This concept of a person growing in the image and likeness of the Creator can, of course, easily be found in spiritual traditions other than A.A. For example:

“Because altruism is the Creator’s nature, acquiring it equalizes our nature with His, and we begin to think like Him… In Kabbalah, this state is called “equivalence of form,” and this is the purpose of Creation.” (Laitman, 2006)

Since God is the Master of anonymity, one of the things that makes our practice of anonymity “spiritual” is that it is part of our effort to become more God-like. We grow in the image and likeness of our God when we do what we believe that God wants us to do and, also, what God does (e.g. practice anonymity).

The practice of anonymity is one of the manifestations of humility. Humility begins at Step One with the acknowledgement of personal powerlessness over alcohol and the resulting unmanageability of life. Throughout the 12 Steps, this basic acknowledgement is reiterated and implied as well as applied to other aspects of A.A. Stepwork.

One of the many beauties of the A.A. program is that it does not demand that anyone believe anything in particular regarding God. In fact there is only one demand the A.A. program places on its adherents and that is rigorous honesty (Wilson, 2001, pp. 58, 145). And, the only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking alcohol (Wilson, 1986, p. 139). An alcoholic is a member if he or she declares it and has that simple desire.

In a March 1946 A.A. Grapevine article, Bill W. summarizes his thoughts on anonymity as follows:

“We ought not disclose ourselves to the general public…. Great modesty and humility are needed by every A.A. for his own permanent recovery. If these virtues are such vital needs to the individual, so must they be to A.A. as a whole.… Our public relations policy should mainly rest upon the principle of attraction and seldom, if ever, upon promotion.” (Wilson, 1946, italics his)

A.A.’s ‘anonymity’ is a vital ingredient in A.A.’s unity because it helps the individual members to continue to grow in the image and likeness of their own Creator. This helps A.A. as a whole to do so as well, and, thereby to stay connected to the power Source.

“… there is One who has all power….” (Wilson, 2001, p. 59)

REFERENCES

Laitman, M. (2006). Kabbalah revealed: The ordinary person’s guide to a more peaceful life. Toronto, ON: Laitman Kabbalah Publishers.

Wilson, Bill. (March, 1946). Our anonymity is both inspiration and safety. AA Grapevine, 2(10), Retrieved January 5, 2010, from http://www.aagrapevine.org/

Wilson, Bill. (1986). Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (Original work published 1952)

Wilson, Bill. (2001). Alcoholics Anonymous. Fourth edition. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (Original work published 1939)

Please offer comments or questions in the comment section below.

Generic spirituality (part three) - contemplation

2011-01-18T14:59:00.002-05:00

The concept of the practice of generic spirituality by Alcoholics Anonymous as a method of recovering from alcoholism was introduced in part one of this series. In part two the generic spiritual principle of ‘introspection’, or ‘self-examination’, was discussed.

Immediately necessary in conscious recovery, introspection continues to be crucial throughout the recovery process. Introspection is a component of both contemplation and altruistic service – which are the next two spiritual principles (or ‘practices’) to be discussed.

For now, contemplation will be defined and reviewed, and later – in part four – we will finish up this series with ‘altruistic service’.

In what follows you will find some background source descriptions of authorities in the areas of prayer, meditation, and spiritual paradigms in general - Emanuel Swedenborg (the 18th century mystic), Father Thomas Merton (a more modern authority on contemplative practice - Trappist style), His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso), and the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh - together with some other Swedenborgian individuals; Rev. Kent Rogers, Rev. Eric Sanstrom, Sr., and Wilson Van Dusen.

You will also find specific instructions for various types of meditation - both eastern and western in origin - some of which I hope you will find helpful - keeping in mind that everything is NOT for everybody. Prayer is first - and then the section on meditation - which is much longer. I confess to thinking of prayer and meditation as being virtually identical - which is why I like to lump it all under the term contemplation as a basic generic spiritual practice. For more on prayer than you will see here, please go to my article Prayer from a Buddhist/Swedenborgian perspective.

My attempt has been to let the sources speak for themselves, and, to challenge you the reader to look past any linguistic bias you may have to the 'medicine in itself' in an effort to garner what is generic, universal, and ultimately useful to you from this article.

One more caveat: this is very long and I apologize for that (however it could not have been one word shorter and still accomplish what I wanted to). Be prepared to put it down if you get tired of it and come back to it later. Enjoy and peace!
~JKF

Contemplation: prayer

By ‘contemplation’ is meant two things – prayer and meditation. These are a vital part of conscious recovery. By introspecting we discover and accept our personal need for change AND our need for a power greater than we had previously been able to mobilize.

In conscious recovery using the 12 Steps, prayer and meditation are openly recommended in Step 11.

“Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” (Alcoholics Anonymous, Step Eleven, p. 59)

But prayer and meditation come into play in the program long before the 11th step. In fact, introspection (utilized immediately in Step 1) is a form of meditation because it is a harnessing of the power of the mind to consciously rise above its lower self and reflect on the lower self’s behavior. Although prayer is mentioned in Step 1, the first real directions on prayer in A.A.’s Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions are in the last paragraph of the text of Step 3 where we find A.A.'s 'little prayer.'

“Once we have come into agreement with these ideas, it is really easy to begin the practice of Step Three. In all times of emotional disturbance or indecision, we can pause, ask for quiet, and in the stillness simply say: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. Thy will, not mine, be done." (Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 40-41)

In my Examiner article, Prayer from a Buddhist/Swedenborgian perspective, you will find a discussion illustrating how two very different worldviews produce very similar ideas regarding the practice of prayer. Important to the discussion there are the topics of:

our interdependent connection to God and to others,
using visualization to help establish a relationship between ourselves and the one we are praying to,
cultivating the energy of love, mindfulness, and right concentration in prayer,
the importance of prostration (a humble body position) in prayer, and,
the importance of healthy communities and environments for contemplative prayer.

To summarize, Prayer from a Buddhist/Swedenborgian perspective makes the point that, regardless of one's traditional spiritual roots,

"... prayer plays a vital role in spiritual development and thus in consciousness enhancement. It has tremendous value for the individual, and for the group, as a result of its power to conjoin both individuals and groups not only with each other but also with Ultimate Reality – the nature of which is up to the individual practitioner to discover." (Finkeldey, 2011)

The writings of Fr. Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk, social activist, and student of comparative religion (whose photograph is shown above), are another excellent source of knowledge concerning contemplation. According to the wikipedia article he was, "... a keen proponent of interfaith understanding" who:

"... pioneered dialogue with prominent Asian spiritual figures, including the Dalai Lama, D.T. Suzuki, the Japanese writer on the Zen tradition, and the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh." (Thomas Merton in wikipedia, 2011)

One of Merton's most useful works on this topic of contemplation is Contemplative prayer (1969). In it, he stresses the importance of not feeling accomplished at prayer and meditation - of remaining a beginner in our attitude toward the practice. Drawing on his experience with the Buddhists he writes:

"One cannot begin to face the real difficulties of the life of prayer and meditation unless one is perfectly content to be a beginner and really experience himself as one who knows little or nothing, and has a desperaate need to learn the bare rudiments.... We do not want to be beginners. But let us be convinced of the fact that we will never be anything else but beginners, all our life!" (Merton, 1969, p. 13)

A.A. literature maintains this 'attitude of the novice' throughout as well as advocating action on this practice as soon as possible. It issues a subtle challenge to the resistant newcomer by saying that, "almost the only scoffers at prayer are those who never tried it enough" (Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 97).

Contemplation: meditation

I would like to begin this section on meditation with a description of what meditation is according to the theological writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.

Swedenborg offers few details of instruction on what we would think of as the practice or methodology of meditation. In his work Spiritual Experiences he shares about his use of respiration during prayer as a child, while exploring cardiopulmonary harmonies, while deeply engaged in writing, or during absorbing speculations, and later on in life during his conversations with spirits (Swedenborg, 1902, Spiritual Experiences 3464). He writes, “Thus I was introduced by the Lord into interior respirations” (Swedenborg, 1902, ibid.). Mindfulness of breathing is a meditative practice taught by Thich Nhat Hanh and other Buddhists (Hanh, 1996).

Swedenborg is, however, clear on what meditation is in terms of state of mind. For Swedenborg, meditation is spiritual thought, or as he wrote, being “in the thought of [one’s] spirit, which is meditation” (Swedenborg, 1969, Divine Love and Wisdom 404:8). The practice or methodology of meditation consists of actions that help us to transcend natural thought and bring us into the state of being “in the thought of our spirit.”. Meditation becomes a spiritual way of being and the practice of meditation, together with introspection and prayer, brings us into that spiritual state.

Swedenborg makes a distinction between natural thought and spiritual thought. Natural thought is the normal kind of thought with which we, here on the natural level of existence, are all very familiar. For all of its wide range of simplicity and complexity it remains, while we are living in this world, natural. Swedenborg explains that, “there is a correspondence between spiritual thought and natural thought” (Swedenborg, 1983, Arcana Coelestia 10604:3), and that, “spiritual thought flows into the natural thought in the external man, and there presents itself to view” (Swedenborg, 1983, Arcana Coelestia 10551). He also equates being in the rational degree of the mind with being in spiritual thought as can be seen in the following citation:

“When man is in the world, or lives in the body, his rational is distinct from his natural, insomuch that he can be withdrawn from the external sensuous things of the body, and also in some degree from the interior sensuous things of his natural man, andcan be in his rational, thus in spiritual thought.” (Swedenborg, 1983, Arcana Coelestia 3498, emphasis added)

One of the things that distinguishes natural thought from spiritual thought in the Writings of Swedenborg is language or speech. He writes, “the ideas of thought which man comprehends, and which fall into words, are natural” (Swedenborg, 1983, Arcana Coelestia 10604:2, emphasis added). Elsewhere he writes:

“… the thought of [one’s] spirit, which is meditation… passes, indeed, into the thought of the body, but into silent thought; for it is above bodily thought, and looks upon what belongs to thought from the memory as below itself, drawing therefrom either conclusions or confirmations.” (Swedenborg, 1969, Divine Love and Wisdom 404:8, emphasis added)

And again:

“… spiritual ideas… are devoid of words of speech… they are of such a nature that a man can in a moment comprehend more things than he is able to express by speech within a considerable time. These ideas of thought belong to his spirit… There is a correspondence between these two classes of ideas; and by means of this correspondence the spiritual ideas are turned into natural ones when the man is speaking. This is not known to the man, because he does not reflect upon it, and none are able to reflect upon it except those who think interiorly, that is, who think in their spirit abstractedly from the body. Sensuous men are quite unable to do this.” (Swedenborg, 1983, Arcana Coelestia 10604:2-3, emphasis added)

It appears, then, that elevating one’s consciousness awareness into that degree of the mind (the rational) in which it is possible to be in spiritual thought may be an experience of very few, if any, natural words. Perhaps this state of mind is what is being referred in the ancient Hindu text “The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, 1:2” where we find the statement that, “Yoga is the settling of the mind into silence” (Shearer, 1982, p. 90)

The other emphasis I have found in Swedenborg where the meditative state is being discussed is that of the ‘lulling’ of the senses and of ‘bodily things’. In Divine Love and Wisdom, Swedenborg explains that a “person in whom the spiritual degree has been opened… may come into [angelic wisdom] as the result of a suspension of his bodily sensations and an influx then from above into the spiritual elements of his mind” (Swedenborg, 1969, Divine Love and Wisdom 257). Arcana Coelestia paragraph number 3498 (cited above) also mentions being “withdrawn from the external sensuous things of the body, and also in some degree from the interior sensuous things of [the] natural man” in order for consciousness to be elevated to the rational degree (Swedenborg, 1983, Arcana Coelestia 3498).

Interestingly, something analogous to this can even happen (one might say ‘involuntarily’) with the “unregenerate… [and] the evil also” in certain states where worldly and bodily things are ‘lulled’ namely “when they are in holy meditation, or when the cupidities are lulled, as happens when they are in misfortunes, in sicknesses, and diseases, and especially at the moment of death” (Swedenborg, 1983, Arcana Coelestia 2041:3). I include this here to illustrate simply that the meditative state may occur spontaneously apart from spiritual development or practice.

Finally, Swedenborg includes meditation as being one of the “means of separation and purification, and also the ways of withdrawal and removal [from evil]” which is “effected by the Lord in a thousand ways that are most secret” (Swedenborg, 1949, Divine Providence 296:10). The ‘secrecy’ of those thousand most secret ways utilized by the Lord to withdraw us from evil doubtless has to do with the maintenance of our freedom and rationality. Evidently meditation does no harm to freedom and rationality since it has been revealed by Swedenborg as being one of those ways.

I have found little in Swedenborgian collateral literature on the subject of meditation. In 1975, Van Dusen published an article in favor of meditation in The New Philosophy (Van Dusen, 1975). This was followed by an exchange of ‘letters to the editor’ between Van Dusen and Sandstrom wherein Sandstrom cordially took exception to some of the points raised by Van Dusen’s article and Van Dusen cordially explained and defended his views (Sandstrom, 1976a, 1976b; Van Dusen, 1976a, 1976b). In his response to Van Dusen, Sandstrom seems to fear the “Eastern influence” (Sandstrom, 1976a, p. 381). Specifically, Sandstrom’s concern with the “Eastern influence” appears to be that it does not contain enough shunning of evil and in his view advocates a withdrawal “into the realm of the mystical” (Sandstrom, 1976a, p. 381). He also seems to be worried that, “the kind of meditation that seeks to perceive influx… may unwittingly open up a flux from the proprium” (Sandstrom, 1976a, p. 381).

Sandstrom’s concerns certainly have validity in some cases. For example, why waste time meditating if one is not introspecting, seeing one’s evils, and turning away from them? Without charitable mindful living, meditation becomes oxymoronic. As for Sandstrom’s concern regarding withdrawal “into the mystical realm”, while it is true that in some Buddhist traditions there are those very few who choose to become hermits for the purpose of contemplative practice, the vast majority of our eastern friends are well-engaged in a useful life in communities based on loving-kindess and the cultivation of compassion (a.k.a. love to the neighbor). If, in fact, there is a risk in meditation of unwittingly opening up a “flux from the proprium”, would that necessarily be a bad thing? If I can’t see it, how can I turn away from it? According to Swedenborg:

“Every evil that does not become manifest nourishes itself being like fire in wood under the ashes, and like matter in a wound that is not opened; for every evil that is denied an outlet increases and does not abate until the whole has been destroyed.” (Swedenborg, 1949, Divine Providence 278)

Meditating on the Word

In a recent issue of the Swedenborgian periodical Theta Alpha Journal, Rogers offers several visualization-type forms of meditation to be used in meditating on the Word. This involves a preparatory process of meditating on the Lord’s commandments with a view to cleansing and clearing the mind of “self-oriented concerns” and to bringing consciousness to rest “in total trust in the Lord” (Rogers, 2006, p. 18).

This being accomplished, one is then ready to use the imagination to visualize stories from the Word vividly placing oneself in the role of one of the characters in the story, running through the story, and observing whatever this meditation might evoke. Another visualization offered by Rogers is that of visualizing the Lord (in human form) being present in whatever life situation one may be dealing with. He recommends several New Testament stories to use like prescriptions in meditation for various mental/emotional difficulties like depression, addiction, and lack of faith (Rogers, 2006, pp. 19-22). These are all excellent and imaginative ways of making the Word of God a permanent part of the mind and of helping Divine-source energy to manifest in our daily life. As Rogers says:

“Meditating on the word allows us to experience and perceive the Lord with increasing power and depth. Our sense of His presence, His peace, His healing, His love will all increase as we persist in the practice of meditating on His Word. With these things, our joy will increase and this joy will be a gift that we can give to others from the Lord.” (Rogers, 2006, p. 23)

This kind of meditation makes conjunction with the Lord through His Word and via the neighbor more possible. Meditation is a valuable spiritual practice that takes many forms – including self-observation and mindful living. The forms meditation takes are so many, in fact, that I will have to limit the descriptions here to only a few.

Stopping thought

In 1624, a year before his death, the German mystic Jacob Boehme wrote in his work entitled The Supersensual Life:

“Cease from all thy thinking and willing, then thou shalt hear the unspeakable Words of God…. Since it is nought indeed but thine own Hearing and Willing that do hinder thee, so that thou dost not see and hear God.” (Boehme, 1624, p.1)

This calls to mind the meditative practice of stopping thought. This practice utilizes mindfulness of breathing with a view to calming the mind by stopping the normally incessant stream of inner ‘verbiage production’ we call thought. This is essentially accomplished by giving the mind something else to do, which it then focuses on to the exclusion of everything else.

The method used is a simple technique called ‘breath counting’. The practitioner counts each in-breath and out-breath with total mental focus on the count – in is ‘one’, out is ‘two’, in is ‘three’, etc. – up to ‘ten’, and then returns to ‘one’ and starts over again. This is repeated for as long as one wants to practice. Experience shows that, though simple, this practice can actually be quite difficult; for the mind likes to wander and is easily bored and distracted. This often results in losing count. When that happens, one simply starts over at ‘one’ (without self-chastisement) and continues to practice. Initially, the difficulty of this practice is really the only aspect of it that makes it interesting and fends off the boredom. Eventually, however, when mastery is achieved, one begins to realize the benefits of this practice. The first benefit is the training in mental focus and concentration breath counting creates.

Mental focus and concentration is fundamental to any kind of meditation. According to Thich Nhat Hanh, breath counting also teaches the mind what it’s like to, “dwell peacefully in the present moment” (Hanh, 2006c, p. 43). Also, the simple ability to stop thinking can be extremely useful in reducing stress and calming destructive emotional states. Stress and destructive emotional states often produce thoughts of an unhelpful rather than helpful nature – if they are not helpful, why think them?

The practice of breath counting strengthens the mind the way physical exercise strengthens the body and provides a base-practice for other forms of meditation which also utilize the semi-voluntary physical process of breathing. Mindfulness of breathing is central to the meditation techniques taught by Thich Nhat Hanh (Hanh, 1975 and 1996). Stopping or reducing the amount of natural thought may be a part of elevating the mind into the realm of what Swedenborg referred to above as “silent thought” and “spiritual ideas” (Swedenborg, 1969, Divine Love and Wisdom 404:8; 1983, Arcana Coelestia 10604:2-3).

Walking meditation

Walking meditation is another mindfulness practice taught by Hanh. In it, walking (another semi-voluntary physical process) is coordinated with mindfulness of breathing by giving the mind the task of counting the of number steps one takes in the space of each in-breath and out-breath. This process also involves periodically lengthening and deepening one’s breathing in relation to one’s steps while walking (Hanh, 1975, p. 124).

These two practices, mindfulness of breathing and of walking, are meditations in themselves. Hanh also utilizes another semi-voluntary physical process in his teaching of meditation – the process of smiling. Smiling is actually a very powerful practice both for the practitioner and for other members of the practitioner’s community. Smiling, and mindfulness of smiling, proliferates happiness – especially if positive emotion really exists behind the smiling. Hanh recommends the use of the ‘half-smile’ “ when you first wake up in the morning… during your free moments… while listening to music… [and] when irritated” as well as during many other activities (Hanh, 1975, pp. 121-122).

Mindfulness of breathing

In other forms, Hanh incorporates words in with the body-based meditations of mindfulness of breathing, walking, and smiling as a way of training the mind to habitually choose positive, mindful thoughts. Here is an example from Hanh’s work Breath! You are alive: Sutra on the full awareness of breathing. This would be practiced in a comfortable sitting position:

1. “Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.” (In, Out)
2. “Breathing in, my breath goes deep. Breathing out, my breath goes slow.” (Deep, Slow)
3. “Breathing in, I am aware of my whole body. Breathing out, I calm my whole body.” (Aware of my body, Calming my body)
4. “Breathing in, I know I am alive. Breathing out, I feel the joy of being alive.” (Alive, Joy of being alive) (Hanh, 1996, p. 79)

One can practice and memorize these thoughts and then use the shortened versions (in parentheses) of the thoughts in practice. I believe that associating what Hanh calls the “energy of mindfulness” with the basic semi-voluntary physical processes of breathing, walking, and smiling is designed to help the energy of mindfulness manifest even when one is not practicing meditation. The energy of mindfulness, and any positive thoughts or attitudes associated with breathing, walking, or smiling (by means of one’s meditative practice), will sometimes be triggered by the simple non-meditative physical acts themselves. There are many modifications of the basic breathing/word type meditative practice taught by Hanh to be used in virtually every activity of daily life from washing the dishes, to hugging, to answering the telephone, and driving the car. Of major importance in all these is the practice of being in the present moment - the only moment in which happiness can be found. As Hanh says, “the moment of chopping wood and carrying water is the moment of happiness. We do not need for these chores to be done to be happy” (Hanh, 1998, pp. 153-154).

Thich Nhat Hanh gives a Dharma Talk on Mindfulness

His Holiness the Dalai Lama on present moment meditation

The Dalai Lama is also an advocate of present moment mindfulness and mental stabilization in meditation. In his book The universe in a single atom: The convergence of science and spirituality, he explains a basic meditation designed to facilitate the subjective investigation of consciousness itself. He writes:

“In training ourselves to take consciousness itself as the subject of first-person investigation, we must first stabilize the mind. The experience of attending to the mere present moment is a very helpful practice. The focus of this practice is a sustained training to cultivate the ability to hold the mind undistractedly on the immediate, subjective experience of consciousness. This is done as follows.” (Summarized in numbers 1-6 below).

Before sitting, develop a deliberate intention to not be distracted by either the past or the future and make a silent pledge to that effect.
Sit facing a blank wall to aid in not being distracted.
As thoughts arise in the mind, allow them to do so freely without judgment or repression.
Simply observe the thoughts allowing them to arise and dissolve in the mind.
Gradually,… begin to glimpse what feels like a mere absence, a state of mind with no specific, determinable content [this is the basic experience of present moment consciousness].
With practice, learn to prolong the intervals between thoughts.

“In this way a meditator will gradually be able to “grasp” the basic experience of consciousness and take that as the object of meditative investigation.” (Gyatso, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, 2005, pp. 158-159)

Swedenborg would seem to agree with Hanh and the Dalai Lama somewhat when it comes to the importance of being in the ‘present moment’ in the following quote – at least in terms of advising against solicitude (or worrying) about the future. While some worrying about the future is to be expected, Swedenborg appears to be saying here that it is a good habit to break or to avoid if one has not developed it.

“…Solicitude about the future, when confirmed by act, greatly dulls and retards the influx of spiritual life; …(they who do this) attribute to themselves that which is of the Divine Providence; and they …obstruct the influx, and take away from themselves the life of good and truth.” (Swedenborg, 1983, Arcana Coelestia 5177)

Deity yoga: a visualization

Another meditation technique taught by the Dalai Lama he refers to as “Deity Yoga” (Gyatso, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, 2002b, p. 185). It is similar to, but not the same as, Rogers’ meditation on the Word (see above) in that it utilizes the power of imaginative visualization. His Holiness describes this practice as follows:

“In this practice you imagine 1) replacing your mind as it ordinarily appears, full of troubling emotions, with a mind of pure wisdom motivated by compassion; 2) substituting your body as it ordinarily appears (composed of flesh, blood, and bone) with a body fashioned from compassionately motivated wisdom; 3) developing a sense of a pure self that depends on purely appearing mind and body in an ideal environment, fully engaged in helping others. As this distinctive practice of Tantra calls for visualizing yourself with a Buddha’s body, activities, resources, and surroundings, it is called “taking imagination as the spiritual path.” (Gyatso, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, 2002b, pp. 185-186)

This could be the Tibetan Buddhist equivalent of meditating on the fundamentalist Christian question, “What would Jesus do?” Deity Yoga seems harmless enough provided one keeps in mind Swedenborg’s caveat about thinking of God apart from time and space so as to not conclude with the confused idea that one’s self IS God. That would be an “abominable… heresy” (Swedenborg, 1969, Divine Love and Wisdom 130). His Holiness also offers this practice ‘cum grano salis’ (with a grain of salt). He writes:

“This is an imaginative meditation; you are not convinced from the depths that you actually have pure mind, body, and selfhood. Rather, based in clear imagination of ideal body and mind, you are cultivating the sense of being a deity, compassionately helping others”. (Gyatso, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, 2002b, p. 186)

If Deity Yoga makes a prospective practitioner nervous then perhaps it would be best to stay with breathing, walking, smiling, stopping thought, and meditating on the Word of God (or other positive thoughts) as forms of practice. The concept of ‘Deity’ here appears to be derived from the Indian pantheistic cultural milieu out of which Buddhism arose wherein a Deity is any manifestation of the Divine rather than the Absolute Divine.

More meditation on the Word of God

Meditation on the Word of God is the primary way of meditative practice in the Swedenborgian tradition. What exactly is meditation on the Word of God? In the context of enlightenment in the Word, Swedenborg offers the following: “even at this day, every one who, while reading the Word, approaches the Lord alone, and prays to Him, is enlightened in the Word” (Swedenborg, 1904a, Doctrine of the Lord 2).

What are the elements of this proposed meditative practice? The goal is to become ‘enlightened in the Word’. We can let go of that right away since we know we don’t enlighten ourselves – that’s the Lord’s job. We can become goal-less – as a part of acknowledging the Lord’s Divinity. Reading the Word is self-explanatory but I suspect working from memory is even better since the Word memorized is a permanent part of the mind. Approaching the Lord alone entails an acknowledgement of the Lord’s Divinity, of the holiness of the Word, and of His being the source of all love, wisdom, and of everything that is good and true. Approaching the Lord alone could also involve a visualization, a picture in the mind, of the Divine Human form – perhaps engulfed in the brightest, warmest sunlight one can imagine since, in the spiritual world, the Divine Love and Wisdom proceed, “from the Lord [and] appear as a sun” (Swedenborg, 1969, DLW 86). Finally, there is prayer to the Lord which is “speech with God, and some internal view at the time of the matters of the prayer” (Swedenborg, 1983, Arcana Coelestia 2535).

A meditation session on the Word of God might look something like this. I have used the 23rd Psalm as a structure for this meditation.

Mindfulness Meditation on the 23rd Psalm

1) Sitting in a comfortable position (or lying in a hammock or in a ‘green pasture’), begin with calming the mind by using some version of mindfulness of breathing as explained above by Thich Nhat Hanh. Allow a half-smile to form on your face. Maintain the half-smile throughout.
2) Allow your mind to reflect on the Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ and all the blessings of peace and joy that His presence in your life brings. Allow yourself to feel safe and taken care of by His Providence in this present moment. Develop a feeling of gratitude for His presence.
3) Allow a prayer to the Lord to emerge from this state of grateful existence in the present moment. Say thank you – and if you need to go beyond that, pray only for heavenly or spiritual things, for example, knowledge of His will for you and the power to carry that out. Maybe an expression of gratitude for His willingness to lead you in His Word would be good.
4) Return to mindfulness of breathing practice, maintaining the half-smile, and after a short time begin to coordinate the words of the 23rd Psalm (which you have previously memorized perfectly) with your in-breaths and out-breaths. You can use the third person voice in which it is written, or you can personalize it a little (my favorite) as follows:

“Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.” (In, Out)
“Breathing in, my breath goes deep. Breathing out, my breath goes slow.” (Deep, Slow)
“Breathing in, I am aware of my whole body. Breathing out, I calm my whole body.” (Aware of my body, Calming my body)
“Breathing in, I know I am alive. Breathing out, I feel the joy of being alive.” (Alive, Joy of being alive)
“Breathing in, You are my shepherd Lord. Breathing out, I shall not want.”
“Breathing in, You are my shepherd Lord. Breathing out, You make me lie down in green pastures.”
“Breathing in, You are my shepherd Lord. Breathing out, You lead me beside the still waters.”
“Breathing in, You are my shepherd Lord. Breathing out, You restore my soul.”
“Breathing in, You are my shepherd Lord. Breathing out, You lead me in paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake (not mine).”
“Breathing in, You are my shepherd Lord. Breathing out, and I will dwell in Your house forever.”

5) End your meditation with another prayer of gratitude and, when you’re ready, take your smile and your mindful energy and go find someone to be pleasant to knowing that the Lord will guide you to your next opportunity to practice mindfulness.
This meditation involves more than just reading the Word, approaching the Lord alone, and praying to Him as Swedenborg recommends (Swedenborg, 1904a, Doctrine of the Lord 2) – but there’s nothing wrong with a little spiritual creativity in one’s practice. Hopefully, creativity, the use of imagination, and memorization of the Word for meditative purposes will create vessels in the mind into which the Source of all can flow. As Swedenborg wrote in Spiritual Experiences:

“Reflection constitutes the essence of thinking… the ability to reflect… does not belong to the person who is reflecting, but… it flows in… I was given to see clearly by a spiritual mental image that we are only organic instruments, and that reflection is given by the Lord. It cannot possibly come from any other source.” (Swedenborg, 1902, Spiritual Experiences 2221)

Given reflection by the Lord, we can begin to better see our connection to all things of His creation – especially the people He brings into our lives – and learn the specifics of how best to interact with His creation in a mindful, helpful way.

REFERENCES
Boehme, J. (1624). The supersensual life (W. Law Trans.). Retrieved February 8, 2007, from http://www.gnosis.org/library/super.htm

Finkeldey, J. K. (2007). Spiritual practice and consciousness. Unpublished Manuscript. Bryn Athyn, PA: The Swedenborg Library.

Finkeldey, J. K. (2011). Prayer from a Buddhist/Swedenborgian perspective. Examiner.com. http://exm.nr/ez0dD4

Gyatso, T., His Holiness the Dalai Lama. (2002b). How to practice: The way to a meaningful life (J. Hopkins Trans.). New York: Simon and Schuster.

Gyatso, T., His Holiness the Dalai Lama. (2005). The universe in a single atom: The convergence of science and spirituality (T. Jinpa Trans.). New York, NY: Morgan Road Books.

Hanh, T. N. (1975). The Miracle of Mindfulness: A Manual on Meditation. Boston: Beacon Press.

Hanh, T. N. (1996). Breathe! you are alive: Sutra on the full awareness of breathing. Berkeley, CA: ParallaxPress.

Hanh, T. N. (1998). The heart of the Buddha’s teaching: Transforming suffering into peace, joy, and liberation. New York: Broadway Books.

Hanh, T. N. (2006). The energy of prayer: How to deepen your spiritual practice. Berkeley, CA: Parallax Press.

Merton, T. (1969). Contemplative prayer. New York: Doubleday.

Merton, T. (2003). The inner experience: Notes on contemplation. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Merton, Thomas. (2011). Wikipedia article retrieved from the internet 18 January 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Merton.

Rogers, K. (2006, April-October). Meditating on the Word. Theta Alpha Journal, 14(1and 2), 18-29. Philadelphia, PA: Theta Alpha.

Sandstrom, E. (1976a, January). Letter to the Editor (comments on Van Dusen’s article on meditation in New Philosophy, [1975], 78, 309-322). New Philosophy, 79, 380-382.

Sandstrom, E. (1976b, April). Letter to the Editor (reply to Van Dusen’s [1976a, April] letter). New Philosophy, 79, 430-431

Shearer, A. (1982). The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. New York, NY: Bell Tower.

Swedenborg, E. (1902). Spiritual experiences (J. F. Buss Trans.). West Chester, PA: Swedenborg Foundation. (Original work written c. 1747-1765)

Swedenborg, E. (1904a). Doctrine of the Lord (J. F. Potts Trans.). New York, NY: Swedenborg Foundation. (Original work published 1763)

Swedenborg, E. (1949). Divine providence (Wm. Dick & E. J. Pulsford Trans.). London: The Swedenborg Society. (Original work published 1764)

Swedenborg, E. (1969). Divine love and wisdom (C. & D. H. Harley Trans.). London: The Swedenborg Society. (Original work published 1763)

Swedenborg, E. (1983). Arcana coelestia (J. E. Elliott Trans.). London: The Swedenborg Society. (Original work published c. 1749-1756)

Van Dusen, W. (1975, October). Meditation. New Philosophy, 78, 309-322.

Van Dusen, W. (1976a, April). Letter to the Editor (reply to Sandstrom’s [1976a] letter). New Philosophy, 79, 429-430.

Van Dusen, W. (1976b, April). Letter to the Editor (reply to Sandstrom’s [1976b, April] letter). New Philosophy, 79, 431-432.

Wilson, Bill. (1952). Twelve steps and twelve traditions. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (Original work published 1952)

Wilson, Bill. et. al. (2001). Alcoholics Anonymous. Fourth edition. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. (Original work published 1939)

Copyright © 2011 Jeremy K. Finkeldey; All rights reserved.

Please offer comments or questions in the comment section below.

Generic spirituality (part two) - introspection

2011-01-18T00:55:00.002-05:00

The first article of this series identified the three basic generic spiritual principles (introspection, contemplation, and altruistic service) which were incorporated into the 12 Step recovery program by the early members of A.A. This segment will discuss the first basic generic principle – introspection.

‘Introspection’ is a $10 word for self-examination.

Introspection is required on the very first day of recovery from any addiction. As Bill W. wrote in Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions:

“In the first two Steps we were engaged in reflection. We saw that we were powerless over alcohol, but we also perceived that faith of some kind, if only in A.A. itself, is possible to anyone. These conclusions did not require action; they required only acceptance.” (Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 34)

We begin conscious recovery by examining our powerlessness over whatever our particular addiction happens to be and the resulting unmanageability. We ruthlessly look for the truth about ourselves and our addiction and work to keep our memory of that truth up and running (or as they say in the meetings “keep it green”). But that is not the end of our practice of introspection.

The practice of self-examination continues to be used in Steps 4-12 – perhaps more heavily in Steps 4, 6, 8, and 10 – but still involved in all of the Steps to one degree or another. Perhaps this would be a good place to list all Twelve Steps in case someone is not familiar with them. Here they are as originally finalized by the early members of A.A.

1)      We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.
2)      Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3)      Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4)      Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5)      Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6)      Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7)      Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8)      Made a list of all people we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9)      Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10) Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11) Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12) Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. (Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 59-60)

Apparently, one of the things distinguishing human beings from other life forms is our capacity to self-examine. With the effort of spiritual practice we are able to see those things in our mind that cut off our awareness of inflowing Divine energy (or the ‘grace of God’ if you prefer). This is the 4th Step inventory. This inventory is reviewed in Step 6 and practiced daily in Step 10. When we fail to see the truth of our lack of conscious connection to the Divine in all things we are totally unable to cooperate effectively in enhancing or improving that connection.

Whether we call these bliss-busters ‘shortcomings’, ‘defects of character’, ‘maladjustments’, ‘seeds of unhappiness’, or ‘evils’ one thing is certain – the more we can do to disable their influence in our lives the happier we (and everyone around us) will be. This is a kind purification or detoxification process. In conscious recovery detoxification happens at the physical, mental, and spiritual levels.

And when is purification in order? Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Not next Thursday. Purification is in order NOW! Is there any other time available for the experience of life? Is there any other time when our shortcomings retard our awareness of our connection to the Divine? Everything happens in the now. Yesterday is history and tomorrow is a mystery – and taking care of the now automatically takes care of the future and reduces stress and anxiety.

To summarize, self-examination or introspection is the spiritual practice which begins the process of spiritual development and makes purification possible. We are led to this practice by our experience of life with varying levels of personal awareness over the course of our lives. Although purification is a life-span experience, it always occurs in the present moment – never in the past or future which have no actual reality outside their appearance in our own brains.

REFERENCES

Cheever, S. (2004). My name is Bill: Bill Wilson – his life and the creation of Alcoholics Anonymous. New York: Simon & Schuster.

DR. Bob and the good oldtimers: A biography, with recollections of early A.A. in the midwest. (1984). New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

‘PASS IT ON’: The story of Bill Wilson and how the A.A. message reached the world. (1984). New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

W., Bill. (1986). Twelve steps and twelve traditions. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (Original work published 1952)

W., Bill. et. al. (2001). Alcoholics Anonymous. Fourth edition. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. (Original work published 1939)

Copyright @ 2010 Jeremy K. Finkeldey; All rights reserved

Generic spirituality (part one)

2011-01-18T00:42:00.002-05:00

The most successful treatment for alcoholism ever devised – Alcoholics Anonymous – is an example of generic spirituality. A “generic” medicine is the medicine itself apart from the trappings of the original manufacturer’s marketing department. It’s the same stuff without the ‘groupthink’ so to speak.

The co-founders of A.A., Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, and the early membership, drew spiritual principles from whatever religious, philosophical, or scientific source they could find in forming the recovery program of Alcoholics Anonymous. Then, they did their best to sanitize these spiritual principles to make them palatable to as wide a range of alcoholics as possible. They learned that these spiritual principles were commonly found in most religious or philosophical thought systems. Perhaps even more surprising, they found that, when sanitized of their religious underpinnings and made generic – these principles worked! Alcoholics of whatever stripe, persuasion, or background got sober by using them.

Alcoholism, an ‘equal opportunity’ condition, requires a spiritual recovery program as ‘generic’ as the founding A.A. members could make it. Therefore, modern A.A. members turn their will and their lives over to the care of God as they as individuals “understand Him” (or “Her”) rather than being compelled to accept someone else’s God concept.

This amounts to the possibility of a new-found freedom in spiritual things. With freedom comes responsibility and with responsibility tends to come actual personal spiritual practice which is necessary in conscious recovery or any kind of spiritual growth. One must live the principles instead of merely discussing (or often arguing) about them.

This series will identify and describe the three basic generic spiritual principles (introspection, contemplation, and altruistic service) which were incorporated into the 12 Step recovery program by the early members of A.A. It will also explore some of the possible sources of these principles from both east and west.

REFERENCES

Cheever, S. (2004). My name is Bill: Bill Wilson – his life and the creation of Alcoholics Anonymous. New York: Simon & Schuster.

DR. Bob and the good oldtimers: A biography, with recollections of early A.A. in the midwest. (1984). New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

‘PASS IT ON’: The story of Bill Wilson and how the A.A. message reached the world. (1984). New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

W., Bill. (1986). Twelve steps and twelve traditions. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (Original work published 1952)

W., Bill. et. al. (2001). Alcoholics Anonymous. Fourth edition. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. (Original work published 1939)

Copyright @ 2010 Jeremy K. Finkeldey; All rights reserved

Prayer from a Buddhist/Swedenborgian perspective

2011-01-17T12:01:00.004-05:00

~This article was originally excerpted from my undergraduate thesis Spiritual Practice and Consciousness (Finkeldey, 2007) and published in the June 2008 edition of the journal New Church Life (Finkeldey, 2008) in Bryn Athyn, PA. I have made some minor changes in the NCL edition of it for publication here.~

Foreword

My purpose in publishing this article is to help to illustrate, in part, how concepts from apparently widely divergent paradigms (in this case Buddhism and Swedenborgianism) can collaborate nicely with each other. I believe it is in keeping with the loving and charitable doctrines of both worldviews to strive to discover the commonalities which exist among the various and divergent religious/spiritual traditions that history provides for the betterment of the human race. The increasing perfection of the heavenly state of mind is dependent on the growth of its diversity, and, the practice of finding, focusing on, and connecting with the good in others is essential to the emergence of the ‘kingdom of God’ on earth. Can we benefit from learning about the spiritual views and practices of others? Apparently Swedenborg, a devout Christian, was also very ‘interfaith’ in his views on this question. Consider what he wrote about the “Gentiles” (or non-Christians) in the following citation:

“… more from the Gentiles are saved than from Christians; for those Gentiles who have thought kindly of their neighbor and have wished well to him, receive the truths of faith in the other life better than those who are called Christians, and acknowledge the Lord more than Christians do. For nothing is more delightful and blessed to the angels than to instruct those who come from the earth into the other life.” (Swedenborg, 1965, AC 2284:5)

Prayer from a Buddhist/Swedenborgian Perspective

Is it possible to speak of prayer without speaking of God? In the Afterword by David Loy to D. T. Suzuki’s Swedenborg: Buddha of the North, Loy comments:

“Inasmuch as God is infinite, all our conceptions of him must miss the mark, but inasmuch as we need a conception of him, the best image is that of a man. To a Buddhist, this is reminiscent of the old nineteenth-century argument that, since a religion must have a God, Buddhism cannot be a religion. The question this begs is: is it possible to have a religion (such as Buddhism) that criticizes all conceptions of the Divine, including the image of God as human, yet still functions as a religion because its spiritual practices nonetheless promote the divine influx?” (Suzuki, 1996, pp.103-104)

I find it reasonable that Buddhism “promotes the divine influx” by means of its practice of love towards the neighbor (through the cultivation of compassion and loving-kindness) and by means of its disciplined use of the mind in meditative practice. Buddhism is essentially a subjective exploration of the nature of reality and of the mind (by means of the mind) in meditative states (Gyatso, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, 2005, p. 141). Further, Thich Nhat Hanh explains his perspective on the Divine as follows:

“In Buddhism we do not speak of God, we do not speak of creation, we do not speak of revelation, we do not speak of redemption or punishment. In Buddhism, what is equivalent to God is Mind, especially the collective mind. Mind is the ground of everything… If we understand God as the ground of being from which everything manifests, then our understanding is not different from the Buddhist vision of mind; because in the teaching of Buddhism, mind is the artist who designs everything, especially the collective mind.” (Hanh, 2006a, First Question)

This Buddhist concept of God as Mind, as the ground of being from which everything manifests, is derived in part from the Buddhist philosophical concept of “no-self” (or emptiness). This notion refers to the idea that all things are empty of a separate existence. This is simply a way of saying, among other things, that everything is connected to everything else. Nothing has an entirely independent existence. In Buddhism, everything is thought of as being interdependent. In western thought there is a tendency to philosophically separate humans from God turning each into separate entities. This has its truth of sorts. The Lord is divine. People are human. The Lord is infinite. People are finite (and eternal). The Lord is the Creator. People (and everything else not divine) are that which is created. The “rub” in this western view, in my opinion, is that it tends to incline people to see themselves as being separated from God. Swedenborg explains that the Divine is indivisibly One and yet is in every created thing apart from time and space (Swedenborg, 1969, DLW 4, 59, 69-76, and 285).

There are other conflict-causing glitches in the western Judeo-Christian ‘God-concept’ when seen from a Swedenborgian viewpoint. For example, the Jewish tradition denies the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. In their struggle for influence over free-thinking minds, Christian fundamentalism and other forms of Christianity run the risk of tending to divide the one God into a committee of three equal Gods by destroying right understanding of the Divine Trinity and the necessary oneness of the Divine. This goes hand-in-hand with Reformed Christian doctrine of salvation by faith alone which makes introspection and true repentance irrelevant. Consider also the propensity for conflict currently manifesting between Islam and the Judeo-Christian west - in the name of God and the defense of the self. Much better is the Buddhist teaching of emptiness. We, including God, are empty of a separate existence – we “inter-are”. Or, as Swedenborg expressed it, “we are because God is” (Swedenborg, 1949, DP 46).

The no-self, or emptiness, idea is one of the deep teachings of Buddhism. It is deep in the sense that it refers to the inner dimension of reality rather than the phenomenal world at the outer natural level. In the phenomenal world there is the very clear and powerful experience of a ‘self’ distinguishable from other selves. It is therefore remarkable that the Buddha (and his followers), through deep meditative introspection and apparently without the help of a Swedenborg-type of divine revelation, could reach the deep insight that everything is connected. This insight is very close to the idea that, “we are because God is” (Swedenborg, 1949, DP 46). It is the knowledge of this interdependence of all things that fuels the powerful loving-kindness energy and practice in Buddhism.

Buddhist practitioners are highly inner self-managed individuals who tend to be thought of as being more involved with meditation than with prayer. In a recent Psychology Today article Katherine Ellison notes:

"Practiced Buddhist meditators deploy their brains with exceptional skill. Drawing on 2,500 years of mental technology - techniques for paying careful attention to the workings of their own minds - they develop expertise in controlling the flow of their mental life, avoiding the emotional squalls that often compel us to take personal feelings oh, so personally, and clearing new channels for awareness, calm, compassion and joy. Their example holds the possibility that we can all choose to modulate our moods, regulate our emotions and increase cognitive capacity – that we can all become high-performance users of our own brains.” (Ellison, 2006, p. 72)

Although Buddhists are most well-known for their skills in meditation, it should be noted that Buddhists also pray. This is made clear by Thich Nhat Hanh in his delightful treatise on prayer entitled The energy of prayer: How to deepen your spiritual practice (Hanh, 2006c). In the introduction to this work, written by Larry Dossey, an author and medical doctor who advocates prayer in the practice of medicine, prayer is defined with a question, "what is prayer but communication with the Absolute, from whence we arose, withh whom we are connected, and to whom we shall return?... Prayer is... a bridge to the Absolute" (Hanh, 2006b, pp. 9 & 13). Buddhism is profoundly not theistic. Why, then, would Dossey in his introduction to this Buddhist commentary on prayer capitalize "Absolute"? Indeed, why would the Buddhist author himself, whom I cited previously as saying "In Buddhism we do not speak of God" (see above), speak of God in the following quote?

“In Buddhism, we know that the one we are praying to lies inside us as well as outside of us. Buddha lies in our heart and so does God. It is a mistake to think that God is only outside.” (Hanh, 2006b, p. 57)

This statement by Thich Nhat Hanh, one of my primary representatives of Buddhism, is a virtual echo of Swedenborg’s comment in Divine Love and Wisdom regarding the angelic view of the Lord. He writes:

“… these things can be little understood by a man who thinks about God from space. For God is everywhere and yet not in space. Thus He is both within an angel and outside him. Consequently an angel can see God, that is, the Lord, both within and outside himself, within himself when he thinks from love and wisdom, outside himself when he thinksaboutlove and wisdom… Let every man beware lest he fall into that abhorrent heresy that God has infused Himself into men, and that He is in them and no longer in Himself, when yet God is everywhere both within and outside man; for He is in all space apart from space… if He were in man [not apart from space]… man then could even think himself to be God.” (Swedenborg, 1969, DLW 130)

The only real difference between the two statements is that Hanh warns against thinking that God is only outside of us while Swedenborg warns against thinking that God is “infused… into men” thus dividing an indivisible and omnipresent Divinity.

I believe that the answer to the question as to how a Buddhist can speak of God is that the non-theism of Buddhism is not the atheism with which we in the west are generally familiar. According to Webster, “an atheist rejects all religious belief and denies the existence of God; an agnostic questions the existence of God, heaven, etc. in the absence of material proof and in unwillingness to accept supernatural revelation” (Neufeldt, 1988, p. 86). I have not found an authoritative modern source that categorically states that Buddhism denies the existence of God, or, is anti-God. I assert that Buddhism belongs more in the category of agnosticism, as defined above, than atheism.

Hanh offers a view of prayer as a spiritual practice that has been tempered and influenced by his extraordinary life and practice as a Buddhist meditator and teacher. It is a view that looks at prayer as a means of transcending the self in its spacetime environment and touching the interdependence and oneness of all things at a deeper timeless level (Hanh, 2006b, pp. 42-43).

This interdependence and oneness of all things is established by a unifying presence apart from space and time as the necessary element in every created thing. Buddhists, with great intellectual honesty, describe this unifying presence based only on what they have experienced and can know from their meditative practice. Swedenborg asserts in his theological writings, from his personal meditative, and indeed revelatory, experience that this unifying presence is what he terms the "Divine Human" (see Swedenborg, 1969, DLW 53 & 285).

Hanh explains that there are many elements of effective prayer; but there are two that, in his view, are the most important. The first is, “to establish a relationship between ourselves and the one we are praying to” (Hanh, 2006c, p. 41). The second is the “energy” of “love, mindfulness, and right concentration” (Hanh, 2006b, p. 43).

Hanh stresses the importance of visualization in prayer (Hanh, 2006b, pp. 30 & 42). This kind of visualization establishes the relationship between the one who is praying, the one who is being prayed to, and sometimes the one who is being prayed for. From his Buddhist tradition, he offers a visualization ‘gatha’ that is like a small verse designed to remind us of that relationship:

“The one who bows and the one who is bowed to are both, by nature, empty. Therefore the communication between us is inexpressibly perfect. (Hanh, 2006b, p. 42)

‘Empty’, that is, of a separate existence. Visualization is also essential in Swedenborgian prayer. In his work entitled True Christian Religion, Swedenborg stressed the importance of visualizing the Lord in His Human form:

“Linking with an invisible God is like linking the sight of the eye with the expanse of the universe, the bounds of which are not to be seen. Or it is like looking out in the middle of an ocean, when the gaze falls on air and sea and is frustrated. But linking with a visible God is like seeing a man in the air or the sea opening his arms and inviting you into his embrace. For any linking of God with man must also be a reciprocal linking of man with God; and this second reciprocity is only possible with a visible God.” (Swedenborg, 1988, TCR 787)

Hanh seems to echo something of this Swedenborgian idea in his work on prayer:

“You will not find God in an abstract idea. This is something very important. God is here for us through very concrete things” (Hanh, 2006b, p. 71).

The second most important idea offered by Thich Nhat Hanh regarding effective prayer is the idea of cultivating the “energy” of “love, mindfulness, and right concentration” in prayer. He writes that, “when you have mindfulness, then you have concentration”. He defines ‘mindfulness’ as being “ the real presence of our body and our mind. Our body and our mind are directed toward one point, the present moment… To pray effectively, our body and mind must dwell peacefully in the present moment” (Hanh, 2006b, p. 43). The real presence of the body in prayer is augmented by ‘prostration’. Hanh advises assuming a prostrate position with one’s body when praying. He says, “It is a position that diminishes the ego, opens one up, and brings one close to the earth” (Hanh, 2006b, p. 63). This is necessary, he says, because, “It is essential for prayer that body, speech, and mind are one, and are all truly present. It is not enough to pray with words; effective prayer also takes mental and physical concentration” (Hanh, 2006b, p. 63).

So, dwelling peacefully in the present moment, with the real presence of body and mind, and praying from love while visualizing our connection with the one to whom we are praying summarizes Hanh’s Buddhist view of effective prayer.

In his explication of the Buddhist qualities of the (Christian) Lord’s prayer, Hanh reminds us to avoid trivialities and to remember what the true purpose of prayer is. He does so by asking:

“What are we looking for? We are looking for something very great. We are not asking God to let the sun shine so we can have a good picnic… We are looking for the kingdom of God. Our first aim in prayer is the kingdom of God.” (Hanh, 2006b, p. 75)

Clearly, Hanh’s view of prayer incorporates his life-long experience as a meditator to the point that his model of prayer looks very similar to meditation itself. I would like to add one more concept from Thich Nhat Hanh that is critical to his worldview – and that is the idea of the importance of healthy communities and environments. He explains:

“When we live in an unhealthy environment, the negative thinking, speaking, and actions of that environment influence us, and sooner or later we may fall sick. Living in an environment where people seek only to satisfy sensual desires can cause collective suffering, despair, and depression… If we want to have good health, we have to be determined to develop a good environment… A larger community that is committed to spiritual, physical, and mental health is our best opportunity for healing.” (Hanh, 2006b, p. 99)

And specifically regarding prayer done as a community:

“In the Buddhist tradition, we know that praying as a community, a Sangha, is stronger than praying as an individual… when we simultaneously practice sending spiritual energy, then that energy is magnified and much more effective… When the whole community prays with us, it can be a significant moment in our lives. We are one of the Sangha who is praying. Our own undivided attention is a key to open the door of the ultimate reality and the undivided attention of our friends in the practice is an even greater key.” (Hanh, 2006b, p. 55)

Whether one is an early Christian, a Swedenborgian, or a Buddhist, prayer plays a vital role in spiritual development and thus in consciousness enhancement. It has tremendous value for the individual, and for the group, as a result of its power to conjoin both individuals and groups not only with each other but also with Ultimate Reality – the nature of which is up to the individual practitioner to discover.

REFERENCES

Ellison, K. (2006, October). Mastering your mind. Psychology Today, 39, 70-77.

Finkeldey, J. K. (2007). Spiritual practice and consciousness. Unpublished Manuscript: The Swedenborg Library.

Finkeldey, J. K. (June, 2008). Prayer from a Buddhist/Swedenborgian perspective. NewChurch Life, 6, 226-234.http://bit.ly/e8tA3Z

Gyatso, T., His Holiness the Dalai Lama. (2005). The universe in a single atom: The convergence of science and spirituality (T. Jinpa Trans.). New York, NY: Morgan Road Books.

Hanh, T. N. (Winter/Spring, 2006a).Answers of Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh to questions from Publishers Weekly magazine. Retrieved June 25, 2006 from http://www.plumvillage.org

Hanh, T. N. (2006b). The energy of prayer: How to deepen your spiritual practice. Berkeley, CA: Parallax Press.

Neufeldt, V. E. (Ed.). (1988). Webster’s new world dictionary of American English (3rd College ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster.

Suzuki, D. T. (1996). Swedenborg: Buddha of the north (A. Bernstein Trans.). West Chester, PA: Swedenborg Foundation.

Swedenborg, E. (1949). Divine providence (Wm. Dick & E. J. Pulsford Trans.). London: The Swedenborg Society. (Original work published 1764)

Swedenborg, E. (1965). Arcana coelestia (J. F. Potts Trans.). New York, NY: Swedenborg Foundation (Original work published c. 1749-1756)

Swedenborg, E. (1969). Divine love and wisdom (C. & D. H. Harley Trans.). London: The Swedenborg Society. (Original work published 1763)

Swedenborg, E. (1988). True Christian religion (J. Chadwick Trans.). London: The Swedenborg Society. (Original work published 1771)

Copyright (c) 2011 Jeremy K. Finkeldey; all rights reserved.

Interestingly, the originally published version of this article, Finkeldey, J. K. (June, 2008). Prayer from a Buddhist/Swedenborgian perspective. NewChurch Life, 6, 226-234.http://bit.ly/e8tA3Z, can be found as a free downloadable pdf on some other sites. I think one of them may even be selling my article as an "ebook". Hmmm... examples:
http://bit.ly/hobj9I
http://bit.ly/fr2xgf
http://bit.ly/hzvh5j

Reducing financial stress

2011-01-05T01:12:00.000-05:00

~ This article was originally published as “How men can reduce financial stress” by Jeremy K. Finkeldey© in PhillyFit Magazine, January-February 2009 http://www.phillyfit.com/index.htmla ~

Fitness equals a sound mind in a sound body. When we are in good physical condition, the well-being of our mental, emotional, and spiritual life tend to fall into place; however there can be challenges. These challenges, if not responded to effectively, can cause stress.

Stress is an integral part of physical and mental fitness and is not all bad. We get into trouble when our ability to deal with stress becomes less effective. One common form of destructive stress in our modern world is financial stress.

The roots of our financial stress go all the way back to our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Being the ‘bigger’ and ‘stronger’ of the two genders, the burden of the ‘big kill’ has traditionally fallen to the male. In the primitive world we men were the glorious hunters and our female counterparts were the under-appreciated gatherers. Yet, when our spear missed its mark, it was the female gatherer who came to our rescue. The ladies had gathered a basket of proverbial apples, ground the wild grain for the flour dough, and it was apple dumpling time! A romantic tale, but the males were also quite capable of gathering their own apples.

Of course our ancestors were not acquainted with mortgage payments, education costs fossil fuel and food costs, health-care costs, credit card debt, insurance premiums, child-support payments, legal fees, and taxes. Although it appears that we have risen above the basics of “fight or flight” and “eat or be eaten”, have we really? The basic survival needs are still the same as is the threat of not meeting those basic needs.

A recent poll found that since 2004, 16% more Americans worry that they will not be able to maintain their standard of living. The top three items on the worry list are the increasing costs for

energy,
food, and
healthcare.

An older study shows that worrying about money causes many of us to not perform our jobs as well. Fortunately, 75% of those in that study reported that financial education decreased money worries.

What if you could reduce your financial stress and not let it affect your job simply by changing some habits, perceptions, and basic personal accounting practices? If you could, your job performance might increase along with your income!

Dealing with destructive stress comes from within, but external situations do have an effect. You still have to get up off the couch and go ‘make the kill’. The more effective a man is in dealing with his inner stress-related processes, the more effective he will be in producing positive external financial outcomes. Negative emotions that exceed their intended purpose and become destructive habits get in the way.

Fear lies at the core of all negative emotions. Like we’ve added stock portfolios and legal fees to eat-or-be-eaten, we’ve also added thought processes and emotional responses. According to Eckhart Tolle, “An instinctive response is the body’s direct response to some external situation. An emotion, on the other hand, is the body’s response to a thought.”

We have the most control and influence over our thoughts, not our emotions. We can choose to think a certain way more than we can choose to feel a certain way. If we can restructure our thinking, we can influence the way we feel.

So what can we do when those big, scary financial stressors come along threatening to devour us? On the African plains, I am told, lions hunt gazelles strategically. The gazelles start out nervous because they can smell the lions but they can’t quite find them. The old toothless lions have a role in the hunt. They can no longer chase and kill gazelles, but man can they roar! It’s the trim and fit young lionesses that do most of the killing. And so, you guessed it, the old lions roar loudly on one side of the herd driving the gazelles directly into the jaws of the waiting and deadly hidden lionesses. The moral of the story is “run to the roar”! In other words, turn and face your fears – and live to ‘graze’ another day.

That is not to say that there no actual dangers or financial consequences that crop up in life. For those we will need additional courage. As a great military General (U.S. Grant I believe it was) once said, “Courage is an accurate assessment of the danger and a willingness to go through it.” What we are talking about is a positive mental attitude (PMA) which is essential in all survival situations from wilderness to work-life. To develop PMA we need to face our fears, accurately assess the situation, and develop a willingness to change our behaviors to fit the situation as we have assessed it. One of the prerequisites for PMA is ownership and responsibility. I once heard a man admit that he caused 99% of all his problems and from that admission, he realized that he could be 99% problem-free! He took ownership of his problems and responsibility for dealing with them effectively and never looked back. Today he has everything he needs and nothing that he doesn’t want. He is a rich man on an average income.

To summarize, freedom from financial stress is possible through:

Facing your fear,
Taking ownership and responsibility for the problem,
Accurately assessing your financial situation,
Being willing to change your behaviors,
Developing a positive mental attitude (PMA), and finally,
Trusting the process.

What follows are some solid tips and suggestions to use in reconstructing your financial situation and making it more abundant.

1. Don’t try to wish money problems away.

Deal with your finances, don’t ignore them. Admit to yourself and maybe others that you’re having a tough time. Talking openly about it will help relieve the stress and provide you with the opportunity to exchange ideas with friends, families or co-workers about how you can improve your situation.

2. Create a spending plan.

Make a habit of documenting your spending in a way that’s convenient and easy. This could be keeping a piece of paper or index card in your wallet and writing down every dollar you spend or collecting receipts and writing it down into a notebook or computer file every day. If you think you’re not spending a lot, you may be surprised to see how all of the little things add up. Know where you’re spending your money and decide if it’s where you want your hard earned money to go. If it’s not, create a plan for where you want your money to go and keep tracking expenses to make sure you’re meeting your goals.

3. Make managing your money fun.

Create an Excel spreadsheet where you track your expenses or purchase a money management software program like Quicken. You can use Quicken as your checking/debit account register and even download and categorize credit card expenses. After a few months, you’ll be able to easily track exactly where your money is going and create reports and graphs of how your spending changes over time. Balancing your checking account in Quicken is easy because it does all of the math for you.

4. Don’t buy what you can’t afford.

Although the temptation is great to buy on credit, credit can give you a false sense of having more than you really do. If you don’t have the money right now to buy something, don’t buy it. Save up the money.

5. Buy gifts that you can afford.

If money is tight, don’t buy extravagant gifts. Make a list of who you absolutely need to buy gifts for and set a reasonable amount to spend. Then stick to it. Better yet, give the gift of time. Offer a service, like painting a room, hanging blinds, or cooking a nice meal.

6. Don’t give your money away.

Paying unnecessary fees and interest in your bank or credit card account is giving your money away. Don’t overdraw your checking/debit account. Pay down your credit cards and make it your goal to always pay the balance in full each month. (If you can’t do that, consider eliminating all credit cards or keeping one only for emergencies—real emergencies.) Look carefully at your phone, cell phone, cable and Internet bills. Call to see if there’s a different plan that gives you the same service or more for less money. They won’t offer it to you; you have to ask.

7. Call your creditors.

If you owe more money than you have, don’t be afraid to call your mortgage or credit card companies, tell them you’re having difficulties paying your bills and work out a payment schedule. Most will work with you to set up regular payments that you can afford to help pay down your debt.

8. Get help when you need it.

If managing your money is too overwhelming for you, reach out for help. Find a personal finance advisor or consider talking to a professional counselor for support.

Online Resources

The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors: www.napfa.org

University of Pennsylvania’s Program for Stress Management: www.pennhealth.com/stress/course/index.html

Pennsylvania Office of Financial Education: www.moneysbestfriend.com

Cell Phone Plan Comparison: www.myrateplan.com

Conscious recovery: Nicotine cessation resources in the Philadelphia area

2011-01-05T00:45:00.001-05:00

Let’s review some of the support and resources available in the Bryn Athyn/Philadelphia area for those who would like to kick the nicotine habit. Most hospitals have smoking cessation programs. These links will give access to contact information for all hospitals and medical centers in the five county Philadelphia area by county. And, if you waited too long to free yourself from nicotine addiction and now require smoking related medical services, this list will be helpful in locating those.

Philadelphia County: http://bit.ly/philcohospitals
Montgomery County: http://bit.ly/montcohospitals
Bucks County: http://bit.ly/buckscohospitals
Delaware County: http://bit.ly/delcohospitals
Chester County: http://bit.ly/chestercohospitals

The Smoke Free Philly website is a good site to find local cessation programs and it has a handy ‘how much you will save’ calculator on its home page. Access it here: http://bit.ly/smokefreephilly

The free Pennsylvania quit line number is 1-800-QUIT-NOW where you can find out information regarding quit smoking programs that are free or low-cost.

Another great option is the 12 Step option. The NicAnon website has a meeting search function you can use to find NicAnon meetings near you. Learn about Nicotine Anonymous here: http://www.nicotine-anonymous.org/

Finally, a six week smoking cessation course “Power to Quit” will begin on Thursday January 6, 2011at 7:00 pm at The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania (formerly known as the “Bucks County Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependency”). This course will be conducted at The Council’s Women’s Recovery Community Center, 25 Beulah Road, New Britain, PA 18901 and co-facilitated by yours truly. Topics covered will include Healthy Behaviors, The Truth About Tobacco, Changing Behaviors, Coping With Cravings, Managing Stress, and Planning Ahead. For additional information or to register, please call Kathleen Jones, 215.489.6120, ext 4.

There is a good amount of help available if you are ready to get serious about dealing with this expensive, dirty, and very unhealthy addiction. Quitting your nicotine addiction is a very good way to begin a personal program of health and wellness that will be great for you and a positive influence on those around you.

Here’s a list of smoking cessation resources of various types which might prove helpful. It was found on the website of the Children’s Advocacy Project of Philadelphia (http://www.cap4kids.org/philadelphia/resources.html).

SMOKING CESSATION RESOURCES

Philadelphia & Surrounding Areas

Smoke-Free Philadelphia www.smokefreephilly.org

English-speaking adults

Location: North and Northeast
Sponsor: Jefferson Health Systems
Phone #: 215-955-0455

Location: Center City, West and Northwest
Sponsor: Mercy Hospital of Philadelphia
Phone #: 215-748-9700

Chinese-speaking adults

Location: South Philadelphia
Sponsor: Chinatown Medical Services
Phone #: (215) 627-8000 (by appt.)

Spanish-speaking adults

Location: City-Wide
Sponsor: Concillio
Phone #: 215-627-3100

Women only & men only classes

Location: City-Wide
Sponsor: Drexel University Community Relations
Phone #: 215-762-8120

Health-center based

Locations: Various locations
Sponsor: Health Federation of Philadelphia
Phone #: (215) 567-8001

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) community

Location: Center City/other selected sites
Sponsor: Mazzoni Center
Phone #: 215-563-0652 x 242

People with HIV/AIDS

Location: West/Southwest Philadelphia
Sponsor: Mercy Hospital of Philadelphia
Phone #: 215-748-9700

Telephone Counseling – Pennsylvania Quitline 1-800-QUIT-NOW

Available in English and Spanish

Freedom from Smoking – American Lung Association www.lungusa.org

Free smoking cessation classes for adults

Can also call 1-800-LUNG-USA

American Respiratory Alliance www.healthylungs.com 1-800-220-1990

Offers adult and teen smoking cessation classes as well as facilitator training

Smoking Cessation Classes – Philadelphia Department of Public Health

Contact: Claire Jones 215-977-8996 cjones@healthfederation.org

Also provides training for providers

Smoking Cessation Classes – Montgomery County www.connect2wellness.com

www.chewfree.com

Tobacco Control Research Branch – National Cancer Institute www.smokefree.org

Tobacco Cessation Guideline http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/tobacco/default.htm

Delaware Valley Health Resources www.phillyhealthinfo.org

Health Promotion Council of Southeastern Pennsylvania 215-731-6186

TEACH = Tobacco-Free Education & Action Coalition for Health, Youth Tobacco Cessation Program www.hpcpa.org/tobacco.html

Albert Einstein HealthCare Network 1-800-EINSTEIN or 215-456-6487

Smoking cessation support groups meet every 2nd Wednesday of the month from 4-5 pm

The Foundation for Innovation in Nicotine Dependence www.findhelp.com

Current smoking treatment methods and medications

Surgeon General www.surgeongeneral.gov

Clean Air for Healthy Children 1-800-375-5217

A continuing education program for clinicians who treat/counsel pregnant women, mothers, caregivers of young children and teens who smoke, is funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and contractually administered by the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Smoking Cessation Program for Expectant Mothers http://expectantmothersguide.com/pregnancy/philadelphia.htm

Delaware’s Smoking Quitline 1-866-409-1858

New Jersey’s Quitline 1-866-657-8677

Tobacco Information and Prevention Source (TIPS): How to Quit

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/how2quit.htm

Conscious recovery: Nicotine cessation

2011-01-05T00:43:00.004-05:00

This article will focus on the work of eliminating all forms of nicotine from our diet while using physical exercise as a form of positive habit replacement therapy. To be sure, ending nicotine usage involves much more than just stopping smoking and starting to exercise. The actual quit day comes only after an extensive educational and psychological preparation process. One of the most effective methods for quitting smoking is described in detail in Allen Carr’s book “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking”.

Personal testimony: The easy way…
A little personal testimony is called for here. This author smoked cigarettes from age 12 to age 52 – that’s 40 years. By the time I quit, I was smoking 2 ½ packs (50 cigarettes) or more per day and had been ingesting nicotine at that rate for at least 15 years. I was convinced during my 40 year relationship with this poison that quitting smoking ranged from extremely difficult to impossible. I tried to quit twice without success. When I finished reading Allen Carr’s book at the end of August in 2008, I put down nicotine for the third and last time without the aid of any ‘nicotine replacement therapies’ (NRTs like nicotine gum, the patch, etc.). Although at the same time I did use varenicline (aka “Chantix”) as directed, my personal perception was that it did nothing and that Allen Carr’s book did everything – but perceptions can be misleading – maybe the Chantix made an imperceptible difference.

In any case, I have been a nicotine-free non-smoker for 2 years, 3 months, and 22 days as of this writing. The book is powerful. I strongly recommend Mr. Carr’s book and any information and strategies you may find on the website. Although I simply read and applied the ideas in the book, there are also money back guarantee clinics available worldwide based on this method.

Smoking facts

Let’s look briefly at some of the facts regarding the harm done by tobacco consumption. It will be a brief review since these facts are fairly well-known. The intention is not to generate fear. Fear of the consequences of tobacco ingestion is famous for being almost totally useless (even counter-productive) when it comes to being motivated to quit. Fear does not work but facts can help. Let’s take a page directly from the US Center for Disease Control website.

More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined.
Smoking cigarettes, pipes, or cigars increases the risk of dying from cancers of the lung, esophagus, larynx, and oral cavity.
Smokeless tobacco is a known cause of human cancer. In addition, the nicotine in smokeless tobacco may increase the risk for sudden death from a condition where the heart does not beat properly (ventricular arrhythmias) and, as a result, the heart pumps little or no blood to the body’s organs.
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.
Cigarette smoking causes about 1 of every 5 deaths in the United States each year.
Cigarette smoking is estimated to cause the following:
443,000 deaths annually (including deaths from secondhand smoke)
49,400 deaths per year from secondhand smoke exposure

According to the CDC, the following diseases are considered to be smoking and/or second hand smoking related. Cancer of the lips, oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, larynx, trachea, lung, bronchus, cervix uteri, kidney and renal pelvis, bladder, and acute myeloid leukemia. Also, smoking is often involved in heart disease, artherosclerosis, aortic aneurism, pneumonia, influenza, bronchitis, emphysema, and chronic airway obstruction (Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention).

So, there are many good health reasons to quit smoking.

Beginning the process

You have to start somewhere and that ‘somewhere’ is always a thought. Unfortunately, in the case of nicotine addicts, the thought of quitting is usually about as far as anyone ever gets. As soon as the thought of quitting arises, the powerful belief system that IS nicotine addiction arises with it and effectively destroys the healthy quitting thought. It is difficult even to form an attitude against your own smoking. This is the first challenge to surmount. Surmounting it is essentially educational and willingness is the key to all education. Become willing to learn everything you can about the benefits of quitting. This will be followed by the development of willingness to do whatever it takes to achieve freedom from your nicotine addiction.

Whatever it takes: A few tricks

Please understand that, although quitting smoking is not as difficult as our addictive belief system would have us believe, it definitely requires determination, focus, and commitment. You may think you are ready to quit and you may be right about that – but ‘the proof is in the pudding’ as they say. When you are truly ready to quit, you actually do quit. Perhaps in the past when you felt ready, your readiness was not complete (since you didn’t actually quit). So don’t actually quit – yet.

Establish a quit day at least 30 days in the future.Then, holding on to the thought of quitting, begin to educate yourself, and, begin to develop the quality of willingness. Become interested in the truth about smoking and commence to learn – as you continue to smoke. Research, read, and learn as much as possible about methods of quitting. You are preparing to quit. Become willing to do whatever it takes – to employ whatever method will actually work for you. Do not attempt to quit smoking until your established quit day. Premature quit attempts are one of the ways your addictive belief system sabotages your quitting process.

Give yourself the gift of journaling your cigarettes.This can be slightly annoying and yet very helpful. It is a small preparatory restraint you are choosing to place upon your smoking habit. You still get to smoke as much as you desire but now you have to write down a little information every time before you light up. Get a small notebook you can carry in a pocket and a pen to go with it. Sometime between the thought of smoking and the finishing of your cigarette, you will write down the date, the time, something about the situation (e.g. waking up, at work, after eating, after getting fired for smoking on the job too much etc.), and whatever your emotional state was when you had the thought to smoke. This helps you learn the details of your habit, and, to grow tired of them. You will learn what triggers you and gain information to use in developing a strategy to deal with those triggers and the situations in which they manifest. See this journaling as a gift you are giving yourself because it is leading you to a new freedom – freedom from nicotine! Continue to smoke, continue to learn, stick to your journaling, and continue to become willing to quit forever.

Involve your community.Your community is comprised of everyone you know whom you could possibly inform that you are about to quit smoking. For example, your partner, family, friends, acquaintances, and business associates. Tell them you are in the process of quitting smoking, tell them your quit day, and ask them to help by holding you accountable to your quitting goals. Inform them of your quit day well in advance. This is a powerful tool. Your addictive belief system would rather you stay isolated and alone in your process. By using this tool you will make much more ‘quit energy’ available which comes to you through the people in your community who care about you. Tell them, involve them, recruit them, make sure they know you mean business.

Roll your own. Since you are still smoking (in this last month of your nicotine enslavement), you may want to try something that really worked well for me. Get a can of additive-free, organically grown tobacco, a bag of filters, a cigarette rolling machine, and a supply of rolling papers the right size for the machine. Your local tobacco dealer will be more than happy to assist you in your selections. Stop buying packs or cartons at hugely inflated prices and roll your own. By doing this I experienced two immediate benefits. First, it automatically and effortlessly cut my smoking in half. Rolling your own cuts out most of the semi-conscious spontaneous smoking. Rolling supplies also cost less than paying to have them rolled. So, if you cut the cost per cigarette and significantly reduce the actual amount smoked, you are looking at a significant savings right away.

Calculate your financial savings from eliminating nicotine. You don’t need my help with this one – just do it. You may be very pleasantly surprised!

Begin your exercise program. You are getting ready to make a major improvement in your dietary intake – to eliminate nicotine ingestion. Before your quit day, with your doctor’s approval, you can begin a light exercise program. Start small and make it do-able. If you can walk, I highly recommend a daily walk as the seed of your future fitness program. Start with a half mile. Soon you will no longer be too out of shape to exercise! And remember – motion IS exercise. Invest in good walking shoes. Just take an easy walk for starters – smoke while walking if you want to – your quit day is coming!

Many smokers have, as part of their addictive belief system, the idea that if they quit smoking they will gain weight. This is a lie. It is therefore necessary to point out the obvious – quitting smoking does not cause weight gain. Taking in more calories than you expend through exercise causes weight gain. There is no other way to add fat to the body. So exercise – and since we are removing a major toxin from our diet, we might as well consider other aspects of our diet as well. How about going sugar-free and low-fat? My personal experience is that when I quit smoking I lost ten pounds. When I eliminated drinks with sugar and went ‘diet’ I lost another ten pounds. One of the best ways to get rid of a nicotine craving is to drink as much water as you can hold and go for a brisk walk while telling yourself that this craving will pass in 5-10 minutes whether you smoke or not.

NRTs

A little word about ‘nicotine replacement therapies’ or NRTs. These are interventions like nicotine gum, nicotine patches, and nicotine sprays. Let’s face it – these are not ‘replacements’. They are simply different delivery systems for the same addictive, toxic substance. They seem to help you stop smoking but way more often than not (by my own empirical observation) they fail. I know someone who chewed the gum for over two years. Every time she ran out of gum she became as emotionally unstable as if she had run out of cigarettes and had to drop everything to go to the drug store. When she finally went back to smoking she both smoked and used nicotine gum for a while until the cost became prohibitive. As I said, this torture continued at great expense for over two years when the simple fact is that, as one source says,

“Nicotine doesn’t stick around your body for too long. It has a half-life of about 60 minutes, meaning that six hours after a cigarette, only about 0.031 mg of the 1 mg of nicotine you inhaled remains in your body.”

NRTs are a lot like giving an alcoholic alcohol in order to help him quit drinking. What’s wrong with that picture? Quitting nicotine is NOT quitting smoking – it’s quitting nicotine.

Finally, I would like to once again highly recommend Allen Carr’s book, The Easy Way to Stop Smoking. It told me the truth about nicotine addiction and liberated me from a horribly debilitating 40 year habit.

REFERENCES:

Carr, A. (2004). The easy way to stop smoking. Revised and updated. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Years of Potential Life Lost, and Productivity Losses—United States, 2000–2004. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2008;57(45):1226–8 [cited onthe CDC website].

Copyright @ 2010 Jeremy K. Finkeldey; All rights reserved.

12 Step program proliferation: How many are there?

2011-01-05T00:36:00.000-05:00

Just for fun, let’s take a quick look at the proliferation of 12 Step-based recovery programs. One internet site lists no less than 54 separate fellowships under 8 general category headings. It all started when Bill Wilson met Dr. Bob Smith on June 10, 1935 and AA was born.

The 8 categories and 54 fellowships are as follows.

Under the ‘alcoholism’ category we see three programs. These are AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), ACOA (Adult Children of Alcoholics), and Al-Anon/Alateen (for friends and family members of alcoholics).

In the ‘addiction’ category we have nine fellowships – NA (Narcotics Anonymous), AAA (All Addictions Anonymous), CA (Cocaine Anonymous), CDA (Chemically Dependent Anonymous), CMA (Crystal Meth Anonymous), MA (Marijuana Anonymous), Co-Anon (for friends and family of addicts), Nar-Anon (for friends and family members of addicts),and NicA (Nicotine Anonymous).

This is followed by the three in the ‘gambling addiction’ category containing GA (Gamblers Anonymous), Gam-Anon/Gam-A-Teen (for friends and families of problem gamblers), and OLGA (On-Line Gamers Anonymous).

Then there are the nine ‘sex and sex addiction’ fellowships comprised of SAA (Sex Addicts Anonymous), COSA (Codependents of Sex Addicts), SLAA (Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous), COSLAA (CoSex and Love Addicts Anonymous), SA (Sexaholics Anonymous), S-Anon (spouses and family members of sexaholics), SCA (Sexual Compulsives Anonymous), SWA (Sex Workers Anonymous), and SIS (Sex Industry Survivors).

Another category contains thirteen 12 Step programs that are tailored for ‘psychiatric disorders and behaviors’. These are Dep-Anon (Depressed Anonymous), DDA (Dual Diagnosis Anonymous), DRA (Dual Recovery Anonymous), NAIL (Neurotics Anonymous), OCA (Obsessive Compulsive Anonymous), SA (Schizophrenics Anonymous), SMA (Self-Mutilators Anonymous), SPA (Social Phobics Anonymous), WA (Workaholics Anonymous), CLA (Clutterers Anonymous), DA (Debtors Anonymous), and SA (Spenders Anonymous).

In the ‘eating’ related group there are eight. They are ABA (Anorexics and Bulimics Anonymous), CEA (Compulsive Eaters Anonymous), EAA (Eating Addictions Anonymous), EDA (Eating Disorders Anonymous), FA (Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous), FAA (Food Addicts Anonymous), GSA (GreySheeters Anonymous), and OA (Overeaters Anonymous).

Then there is the ‘emotional issues’ category which includes seven fellowships. These are Chapter 9 (Couples in Recovery), CoDA (Co-Dependents Anonymous), EA (Emotions Anonymous), EHA (Emotional Health Anonymous), FA (Families Anonymous), RCA (Recovering Couples Anonymous), and SIA (Survivors of Incest Anonymous).

Finally, our ‘miscellaneous’ category holds two that can’t fit in anywhere else – A.R.T.S. Anonymous (not sure what this is) and RA (Recoveries Anonymous; the Solution Focused Twelve Step Fellowship).

Well, that was tedious – but it had to be done. Why? – To illustrate the power of the 12 Steps and their versatility in application to a large variety of problems. I wonder if any dysfunctions were omitted? Is there a TAA (Television Addicts Anonymous)? Or a CAR-Anon (Car Addicts Anonymous)? How about a DiabetAnon (Diabetics Anonymous) or a CPA (Couch Potatoes Anonymous)? There ought to be!

Can you think of a few more? Want to start a new one?

Conscious recovery: The role of community in activating the Higher Self

2011-01-05T00:35:00.001-05:00

Reflection and the purpose of pain

In a previous article, introspection (or the power of the human mind to reflect) was identified as essential in the process of recovering from any addiction. Of course, being completely stuck in the illusion and denial of an addiction greatly hinders the ability of the mind to introspect. As Shakespeare pointed out in his great soliloquy on being or not being – there is ‘the rub’. If we are to ‘take arms’ against ‘this sea of troubles’ we call addiction, we must free the power of reflection in our minds. Sometimes denial is so strong that only a great deal of loss and suffering can break the power of its bonds. We must ‘suffer the slings and arrows’ of our addictive denial before our old way of being can die permitting a new way to be born. We must, as A.A. is famous for saying, hit ‘rock bottom’.

However, as the force of recovery in the greater community develops, ‘rock bottom’ is being re-defined. Bottoms are being raised via knowledge and community-based interventions. As a culture, we are learning to more skillfully apply the ‘pain’ which A.A. literature has identified as the ‘touchstone of all spiritual progress’ (Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 93-94). This is especially true in the chemical dependency field of addiction intervention. Other more hidden or subtle forms in the system of human dysfunction can be harder to address than those which produce a greater dose of drama or legal system involvement. For example, it may be much easier to help an alcoholic get sober who was just arrested for driving under the influence than to help, say, an undiagnosed type 2 diabetic with obvious symptoms kick the couch-potato habit.

The importance of community

Once the denial is broken, the conscious recovery process can come into play and the awakened addict can commence a daily program of healthy physical, mental, spiritual, and social exercise. Initially, the focus is on exercising the mental power of reflection in order to stay out of the denial syndrome. This tends to alter the unhealthy aspects of ego-function and activate the Higher Self. As the addict is undergoing this ego-deflation and Higher Self activation, a knowledgeable and caring community is critically important and helpful. The community, which is often a recovery organization meeting or gathering of some kind, models a healthy mental diet and exercise program for the newcomer to emulate. The more experienced members of the community help keep the newcomer on task and in touch with the reality of recovery. Regular participation in such a community is strongly encouraged!

The activated Higher Self is a key component in the process of conscious recovery. If the Higher Self goes back to sleep, the conscious recovery process stalls and addictive relapse could, and often does, occur.

References:

Shakespeare, W. (1603). Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1, retrieved Dec 12, 2010 from: http://www.enotes.com/shakespeare-quotes/not-that-question/print

Wilson, Bill. (1986). Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (Original work published 1952)

Conscious addiction recovery: More than just stopping

2011-01-05T00:33:00.000-05:00

The concept

What is meant by “conscious recovery”? Simply defined, conscious recovery is a healthy diet and effective exercise at all levels of human function. It is far more than just stopping an isolated dysfunctional habit pattern. It acknowledges the connection and inter-relatedness of all forms of human dysfunction, and, seeks to undo that dysfunctional system. What we take in from our environment (diet) and how we put it to use (exercise) plays an integral role. Conscious recovery is a holistic approach which advocates physical, mental, spiritual, and social fitness.

In conscious recovery we work to eliminate unnecessary and/or toxic elements from our physical, mental, spiritual, and social dietary intake. We only want to take in healthy “calories” (so to speak) in all these areas. We also work to develop a vigorous physical, mental, spiritual, and social exercise program. Conscious recovery proposes an old but tested formula – a healthy mind in a healthy body – put to use for the betterment of the whole of humanity.

Mental reflection and spiritual practice

The power of the human mind to reflect is essential in the process of consciously recovering from any addiction. This amounts to the ability to mentally rise above our lower (or ‘ego’) nature and to observe that lower self from a higher perspective. We can call this higher perspective our ‘Higher Self’. From it we can observe things which need to be changed to achieve a fully effective human functionality.

This mental power, also known as ‘introspection’ and ‘self-examination’ is a prerequisite in any kind of personal change including addiction recovery. Usually, if we are honest with ourselves, the first thing we observe is the addictive behavior pattern itself in isolation. This is the first step in any recovery process. First we observe it and then we stop it. But there is more – much more. The stopping is easy. The difficult part is staying stopped. Stopping is shallow and superficial but staying stopped requires deep and ongoing personal work and practice.

The core of conscious recovery is spiritual practice. There are three general forms of spiritual practice. These three are:

1) Introspection,

2) Contemplation,

3) Altruistic Service.

A little history

A thorough study of the psychology and philosophy of spirituality will reveal that, historically, these three take many forms. Perhaps the most efficient and effective description of the application of these three spiritual practices to recovery from addiction (specifically alcohol addiction) is contained in the literature of Alcoholics Anonymous. The two seminal works of Alcoholics Anonymous are the titles Alcoholics Anonymous and Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. Originally published around the middle of the last century these two works have been enormously influential in the field of addiction treatment and recovery. Their influence is derived from their effectiveness, and, their effectiveness is directly attributable to their utilization of the three spiritual practices identified above.

Future blogposts will delve more deeply into the process of conscious recovery from addiction using the spiritual practices of introspection, contemplation, and altruistic service.

SWEDENBORG ON ST. PAUL

2010-10-24T16:12:00.002-04:00

Probably the most vigorous Christian message carrier in history, Saul of Tarsus, also known as “Paul the Apostle” and “Saint Paul”, was born circa 2-10 AD in Tarsus in what would now be south central Turkey. He died circa 62-68 AD in Rome executed by beheading during the reign of Nero. He was Jewish of the tribe of Benjamin and a Pharisee. Prior to his spectacular conversion to Christianity on the road to Damascus, circa 33-36 AD at the age of perhaps 34, he was a violent persecutor of the followers of Jesus.

In his posthumously published Spiritual Diary, now known by the title “Spiritual Experiences”, Swedenborg makes several references to experiencing the apostle Paul in the spiritual world. These direct experiences of “Saint Paul” appear to have occurred between the years 1749 and 1752. Much later on (1766), in letters to Beyer and Oetinger, Swedenborg also mentions his experiences of Paul in the spiritual world with reference to the quality of his writings and teachings.

St. Paul first appears in a pair of diary entries dated 10 July 1749 (SE 4321 and 4322). In SE 4321, there is a ‘certain devil’ who was discovered by Swedenborg to have been controlling Paul (without Paul’s being aware of it at first) and ruling ‘everything about him’. This devil had the fantasy that he was ‘as a god’ and Paul came to want him ‘as a companion, and to go with him, and make him a god.’ Paul and the devil ‘became companions’ but ‘were rejected wherever they went.’ In that same entry Swedenborg talks about his being personally ‘attacked by adulterers’ in his sleep which attack was aided by Paul and the devil-god. The adulterers and the two assistants (Paul and his companion) were punished for their attack by ‘being dashed together, back and forth’. This showed Paul to be of a ‘wicked character’ according to Swedenborg who ‘spoke with Paul about this.’ The diary entry ends by saying that Paul is now ‘among robbers who wander around, almost where the desert is.’

In the next entry of the pair (SE 4322), Swedenborg apparently has a doctrinal discussion with Paul about the impossibility of ‘miraculous’ salvation apart from Divine means. They agreed that the evil can be subdued ‘by the removal of societies’ - meaning the removal of the influence of evil societies from the individual - but that doing so would make the individual become ‘like a little child’ that knows neither how… ‘to speak, nor to think, [but] only to move its hands like a new-born babe.’

The next pair of diary entries referencing Paul occur as best I can tell about 15 months later circa October of 1750. They are undated so I have to base it roughly on Swedenborg’s apparent rate of diary entry production at that time of about 5.75 entries per month. I will include both diary entries here in full since they are packed with information which appears to require little explanation.

4412. “Paul is among the worst of the apostles, as has been made known to me by much experience. The love of self, by which he had been ensnared prior to his preaching of the Gospel, remained with him even afterwards, and because he was then almost in the same state, he was prompted by that love and by his nature to want to be in crowds, doing everything with the motive of being the greatest in heaven, and judging the tribes of Israel. That he remained of this nature afterwards is shown by much experience, for I spoke with him more than with the others. In fact he is such that the rest of the Apostles in the other life rejected him from their company, and they no longer acknowledge him as one of them - this for the reason also that he allied himself with one of the worst devils, who wants to control all things, and pledged himself to him in order to achieve this… There were many other points, which would be too much to recount. If all the things I know about Paul should be described, it would fill sheets. The fact that he wrote the epistles does not prove his good character, for even the impious can preach well, and write letters. It is one thing to be, and it is another to speak and write, as was also said to him. Moreover, in his epistles he did not mention the least word about the Lord, or what He taught, nor does he mention a single parable of His, so he received nothing from the life and preaching of the Lord - which was also said to him, whereas in the Evangelists is the very Gospel itself.” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Spiritual Experiences 4412, written circa October 1750)

~and~

4413. “There was a certain one who had no feeling for the inner meaning of the Word, because he wanted to place merit in deeds (Paul). For a long time he was at a distance from me, also among worse spirits. Now he allied himself with the worst devils, now he wanted to form a heaven for himself [of spirits] to whom he would give joy from his own power - but one of passions and enjoyments which he indeed attempted to do, but it only made him worse, and upset. I spoke with him then, saying that this was not a heaven, but a hell, and it was turned into a black hell. He wanted especially to recruit hypocrites, about whom I spoke with him. For several days there had been hypocrites with me, which I could tell on account of the toothache [they brought on]. They constantly pressed upon me in silence, and I realized and said that this came from Paul, who hates the inner meaning [i.e. of the holy Word], and then the anger from that hatred has this effect of summoning hypocrites, and in this way they are connected, for hypocrites believe nothing [of the inner meaning], but still value the literal meaning of the Word, because they are able to take from it many passages to persuade the common people, and to make themselves appear as pious.” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Spiritual Experiences 4413, written circa October 1750)

From Swedenborg’s ‘minor diary’, which is simply a set of Spiritual Diary entries which were written in a different book while his regular books caught up with him in his travels, we find three entries which include references to Paul. These were also apparently written in the fall of 1750. They summarize Paul’s attitude while he lived in the world in regard to the next life and the role he would play in it. Basically he had, according to Swedenborg, an attitude of superiority over others and self-glorification – that he would be the greatest in the other life (SE 4651 minor) and would be able to steal Peter’s role as the holder of the ‘keys of the kingdom of the heavens” (SE 4631 minor). He felt that he deserved to be the key-holder to the kingdom because he had “labored more” than Peter (SE 4631 minor). Paul saw Peter basically as an evangelistic slacker. Swedenborg wrote that Paul told him “that he wished to be the introducer, and that the Lord would accept those whom he introduced” which, as Swedenborg noted, “is ridiculous, since introduction is not arbitrary, but the result of one's life, which no one knows but the Lord” (SE 4631 minor). According to Swedenborg, Paul (like a good biblical literalist) had, “rejected the inward parts of the Word, because they are contrary to worldly glory, and contrary to merit (4651 minor).” This contributed to his making for himself “a separate, hellish heaven” (4651 minor)” which did not last long for Paul. Swedenborg wrote that “Paul was finally given a dwelling by himself… but he still in turns wanted to cause a turmoil. At length he was brought lower down, where he does not know that he had been Paul (SE 4652 minor).”

All of the above spiritual diary entries were made before what readers of Swedenborg refer to as the “last judgment.” After the last judgment, Saint Paul was doubtless settled into his final niche in the Universe. Here is Swedenborg’s statement about the last judgment for the reader’s edification. It may come as a shock to some of us still waiting for it to happen.

“THE LAST JUDGMENT HAS TAKEN PLACE. It was shown in the chapter on this subject above [28-32] that the Last Judgment is not to take place on earth, but in the spiritual world, where all are gathered who have lived since the beginning of creation. This being so, no human being could possibly be aware when the Last Judgment took place. For everyone expects it to happen on earth with everything in the visible sky and on the earth being changed at the same time, and affecting human beings on earth. So to prevent people in the church living with that belief out of ignorance, and those who think about the Last Judgment perpetually waiting for it, which would eventually result in people disbelieving what the literal sense of the Word says about it; and to prevent more people losing their faith in the Word, I have been allowed to see with my own eyes that the Last Judgment has now taken place. I have seen the wicked cast into the hells, and the good raised to heaven, thus restoring all to order and so re-establishing the spiritual equilibrium between good and evil, or between heaven and hell. I was allowed to see how the Last Judgment took place from beginning to end; and also how Babylon was destroyed, and how those who are meant by the dragon were cast into the abyss; and then again how the new heaven was formed, and the new church meant by the New Jerusalem was set up in the heavens. I was allowed to see all this with my own eyes so that I could bear witness. This Last Judgment started at the beginning of last year, 1757, and was fully completed by the end of the year.” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Last Judgment 45:VIII)

Swedenborg also offers commentary on the quality of Paul’s writings and doctrines. Two spiritual diary entries (SE 4824 and SE 6062), both written quite apart from each other in time, and two letters (one to Beyer and one to Oetinger) provide Swedenborg’s view of Paul’s work.

Since the Epistles of Paul do not have an internal sense they are not, as Swedenborg puts it, the “Word of the Lord” or the “holy Word.” They have been permitted by the Lord, Swedenborg explains, to be in the Christian church so that “those who are of the Church [cannot] work evil to the [actual] Word of the Lord, in which is the internal sense.” Therefore it is clear why Paul was not permitted [i.e. by Providence] “to take one parable, not even a doctrine, from the Lord, and to expound and unfold it; but he took all things from himself.” (SE 4824) Swedenborg wrote that, “if man lives ill, and yet believes in the holy Word, then he works evil to heaven…” (SE 4824)

The reformed Christian doctrine of salvation by faith alone “apart from the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28) is thus a divinely-inspired protection of the actual Word of the Lord until such time as the human race can appropriately handle the internal sense without doing damage to it. Swedenborg points out that “the Church, indeed, explains the Word of the Lord, but by means of the Epistles of Paul; for which reason also it everywhere departs from the good of charity, and accepts the truth of faith…” (SE 4824) Since it ‘departs from the good of charity’ the same remains safe from an as yet not completely evolved human race.

In a spiritual diary entry that was primarily about the Moravian bishop Zinzendorf1 in the other life, Swedenborg offers some comments on the quality of Paul’s inspiration. He wrote that the Lord, while He was on the earth, “spoke from Divine Wisdom Itself, by correspondences, exactly as He also spoke by the prophets, consequently from His own Divine; and that Paul indeed spoke from inspiration, but not in the same way as the prophets, to whom every single word was dictated but that his inspiration was that he received an influx, according to those things which were with him, which is quite a different inspiration, and has no conjunction with heaven by correspondences.” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Spiritual Experiences 6062)

The letter to Oetinger simply states that Swedenborg talked to Paul in the other life “for a whole year, and even about what he wrote in Romans 3:28” which is that on which the doctrine of justification (and therefore salvation) by faith alone is based.

Romans 3:28 reads, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.”

In his letter to Beyer dated 15 April 1766, Swedenborg explains why he did not include the writings of Paul and the apostles in his work entitled Arcana Coelestia (or “Heavenly Secrets”). He said, “they are doctrinal writings, and so are not written in the style of the Word as are the Prophets, David, the Gospels, and the Revelation. The style of the Word wholly consists of correspondences, on which account it effects an immediate communication with heaven. In the doctrinal writings, however, there is another style which indeed communicates with heaven, but mediately.” The other important point in the letter to Beyer is as follows, “That the words of Paul concerning justification by faith, Rom. iii 28, have been completely misunderstood, is shown in the APOCALYPSE REVEALED n. 417, as may be seen. It follows that the doctrine concerning faith alone as justifying, which constitutes the theology of our day in the Churches of the Reformed, is built on an entirely false foundation.”

Apocalypse Revealed 417 is LONG (over 2,000 words) and is what is known to readers of Swedenborg as a ‘memorable relation’. A memorable relation in Swedenborg’s writings is a description of an event in the spiritual world, usually educational in some way, which was ‘memorable’ to Swedenborg. They are interspersed throughout many of Swedenborg’s doctrinal works. I will spare you the task of actually reading this somewhat tedious piece of Swedenborgian text and just try to give the gist of it here. You can see it in full on the internet at this link: http://www.smallcanonsearch.com/read.php?book=ar&section=417.

It is probably important to note that, in the above letter to Beyer, Swedenborg is not saying Paul’s message was one of salvation by faith alone but that subsequent members of the “Churches of the Reformed” are responsible for completely misunderstanding Paul’s doctrine.

The doctrine of salvation by faith alone tends to extinguish in a person’s mind the importance of the basic spiritual practice of repentance on which true faith depends. If all I have to do is say that I believe that Jesus is my savior, why make any effort to live in a good way or to change for the better? As the angel in Apocalypse Revealed 417 said:

“… do the work of repentance, and look to the Lord, and you will have faith; faith before that, is not a faith in which there is anything living." (Emanuel Swedenborg, Apocalypse Revealed 417:4)

This is the way to a faith that works – rather than the attitude expressed by the clergy in the spiritual world at the end of the Apocalypse Revealed memorable relation:

"Faith alone! faith alone, it will live still." (Emanuel Swedenborg, Apocalypse Revealed 417:10)

1 Born May 26, 1700 Dresden Died May 9, 1760 (aged 59) Herrnhut. Occupation theologian, priest, Bishop of Moravian church
---------------

Purification, the Present Moment, and Oneness

2009-12-13T20:48:00.002-05:00

We all have shortcomings. We wouldn’t be human if we didn’t – and yet, one of the things distinguishing us from other life forms (in my opinion) is our capacity to self-examine. With the effort of spiritual practice we are able to see the things in our mind that cut off our awareness of inflowing Divine energy (or the ‘grace of God’ if you prefer). Someone once said that ‘the unexamined life is not worth living’. When we fail to see the truth of our lack of conscious connection to the Divine in all things we are totally unable to cooperate effectively in enhancing or improving that connection.

Whether we call these bliss-busters ‘shortcomings’, ‘defects of character’, ‘maladjustments’, ‘seeds of unhappiness’, or ‘evils’ one thing is certain – the more we can do to disable their influence in our lives the happier we (and everyone around us) will be. Therefore purification is in order.

And when is purification in order? Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Not next Thursday. Purification is in order NOW! Consider these questions; is there any other time available for the experience of life? Is there any other time when our shortcomings retard our awareness of our connection to the Divine? Everything happens in the now. Yesterday is history and tomorrow’s a mystery – and taking care of the now automatically takes care of the future and reduces stress and anxiety. As one of my favorite Buddhist teachers once said, “In taking good care of the present moment we are already taking good care of the future because the future is made of present moments. The present moment and the future inter-are” (Hanh, 2006).

In this YouTube video, Thich Nhat Hanh offers a Dharma Talk on living in the present moment:

My favorite revelator of spiritual wisdom, Emanuel Swedenborg, says much the same thing about the present moment in the following citations:

"… every smallest fraction of a moment of a person's life entails a chain of consequences extending into eternity. Indeed every one is like a new beginning to those that follow, and so every single moment of the life both of his understanding and of his will is a new beginning…." (Swedenborg, 1965, AC 3854:3)

"Every single moment of life is the starting point of consequences in life, and like a single seed from which countless results ensue to eternity."
(Swedenborg, 1998, SE 2714)

"… spiritual purification ought to go on all the time, and so always, as from a new beginning." (Swedenborg, 1965, AC 2044)

In regard to new beginnings, Hanh writes:

“The determination to begin anew is a very powerful energy. It can help begin to heal our wounds right away and relieve our suffering and the suffering of others. We can help many people be liberated from their guilt by offering them this kind of teaching and practice.” (Hanh, 2006, p. 234)

So, the 18th century Swedish “Buddha of the North” (see Suzuki, 1996) and the venerable little Buddhist teacher from Vietnam are in agreement about the present moment, its relationship to the future, the power of new beginnings, and the importance of doing spiritual practice NOW.

I would like you to notice that I am trying to be careful about something. In the above, I am NOT saying that our shortcomings cut us off from inflowing Divine energy. I am saying that they are joy killers that cut us off from being aware of that influx, and, of the internal and external blessings and bliss that accompany it. This is very important because nothing and no one is ever cut off from God. In fact, according to Swedenborg, if a person were ever deprived of influx from the Lord through heaven “he would instantly fall down dead.” (Swedenborg, 1965, AC 3884). The “inseparable fellowship” between the Lord, the spiritual world, and ourselves – our Oneness if you will – is simply imperceptible to us without a life of spiritual practice and awareness (Swedenborg, 1952, AE 1162).

There is a constantly inflowing Divine energy and life – a constant connection - AND, according to Swedenborg, it’s very personal.

"Every change or variation in the state of the [individual] human mind means a change or variation in a series of things present and to come; what then of progress to eternity? The situation is like that of an arrow shot from a bow, which if it deviated from the target in the least on being aimed would deviate widely at a thousand feet or more. The like would happen if the Lord did not lead the states of the human mind every least moment." (Swedenborg, 1949, DP 202.3)

"… when man has made a beginning the Lord quickens all that is good in him, and causes him not only to see evils to be evils, but also to refrain from willing them, and finally to turn away from them. This is meant by the Lord's words, `My yoke is easy and My burden is light' (Matt. 11:30)." (Swedenborg, 1995, HH 533)

Johann Wolfgang Goethe also noticed this phenomenon of ‘quickening’ on the part of Providence.

"The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred… unforeseen incidents, meetings, and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way." (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe cited in Dyer, 2004, p. 201)

The lack of awareness of our Oneness with all things and events through the “One who has all power” (W., Bill, 2001, p. 59) is not without its own Divine design. It is a part of the Divine lesson plan established for each of us at our conception. We are designed to FREELY participate in our spiritual development – or not – as we see fit. God leads us in freedom by means of the appearance that we are in charge of ourselves and our lives. This allows for the development of the love of good in our hearts and minds which is the essential of spiritual growth. This cannot be compelled by anything but can only grow in a mental state of free thought and free will. What is love if it is not free?

The appearance that we live from ourselves by ourselves is very strong and pervasive. Mr. Swedenborg explains it here where he writes “that it does not differ at all” from actual self-life:

"Nearly everyone believes that man thinks and wills from himself and consequently speaks and acts from himself. Who from himself can suppose otherwise, since the appearance of it is so strong that it does not differ at all from actually thinking, willing, speaking and acting from himself? And yet this is not possible. (Swedenborg, 1949, DP 308)

Our very ability to physically see objects in the natural world (or experience our other four senses) is constantly caused and made possible by God. Whereas I experience and believe that I am doing the seeing of, for example, you – the truth is that it is God who is seeing you through me – and vice versa. That’s just how personal our relationship with God (and with His leading) actually is. In Swedenborg’s massive work Arcana Coelestia we read:

“Thou God seest me… signifies influx…. Mental view from the higher into the lower… is termed influx, for it takes place by influx; just as in the case of man's interior sight… for it is the interior sight which, through the eye, apprehends the things which the eye sees; and by no means is it the eye, although it so appears…. [I]n fact it is the sight of his spirit, which is the interior sight, that sees through the eye…. [Again] the spirit sees through the eye. The same thing may be seen from dreams, in which a man sometimes sees as in the day. The case is the very same in regard to… [the sight] of the spirit; this again does not see from itself, but from a still more interior sight, or that of man's rational…. [N]either does this see of itself, but does so from a still more internal sight, which is that of the internal man….. And even this does not see of itself, for it is the Lord who sees through the internal man, and He is the Only One who sees because He is the Only One who lives, and He it is who gives man the ability to see, and this in such a manner that it appears to him as if he saw of himself. Such is the case with influx.” (Swedenborg, 1965, AC 1954:1-2, emphasis added)

As I usually do (apparently), I feel as though I have gone on too long with this piece so I will here wrap it up. To summarize, our focus on our own ego concerns which manifests as ‘shortcomings’, ‘defects of character’, etc. is what blocks us from being aware of our connection (our Oneness) to all things via the One God. Self-examination or introspection is the spiritual practice which begins the process of spiritual development and we are led to this practice by the Lord with varying levels of personal awareness over the course of our lives. Purification is a life-span experience. We are gently (and sometimes not so gently) brought to see the harm that is done to ourselves and others by our own self-will – the pain of which motivates us to work to become other-centered and God-centered. All of this occurs in the present moment – never in the past or future which have no reality outside the appearance in our own brains.

Finally:

"If man believed, as is the truth, that all good and truth originate from the Lord, and all evil and falsity from hell, he would not appropriate good to himself and account it meritorious, nor would he appropriate evil to himself and account himself responsible for it." (Swedenborg, 1949, DP 309)

REFERENCES

Dyer, W. W. (2004). The power of intention: Learning to co-create your world your way. New York: Hay House, Inc.

Hanh, T. N. (2006). Understanding our mind. Berkeley, CA: Parallax Press.

Suzuki, D. T. (1996). Swedenborg: Buddha of the north (A. Bernstein Trans.). West Chester, PA: Swedenborg Foundation.

Swedenborg, E. (1949). Divine providence. Wm. Dick & E. J. Pulsford (Trans.). London: The Swedenborg Society. (Original work published 1764) DP

Swedenborg, E. (1952). The apocalypse explained. I. Tansley (Trans.). London: Swedenborg Society. (Original work written c.1757-1759 and first published posthumously in the original Latin in 1870) AE

Swedenborg, E. (1965). Arcana coelestia. J. F. Potts (Trans.). New York: Swedenborg Foundation. (Original work published c. 1749-1756) AC

Swedenborg, E. (1995). Heaven and hell. J. C. Ager (Trans.). West Chester, PA: Swedenborg Foundation. (Original work published 1758) HH

Swedenborg, E. (1998). Spiritual experiences. J. D. Odhner (Trans.). Bryn Athyn, PA: Academy of the New Church. (Original work written c.1747-1765) SE

W., Bill. et. al. (2001). Alcoholics Anonymous. Fourth edition. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. (Original work published 1939)

LISTENING FOR GOD

2009-12-06T21:25:00.003-05:00

I recently came upon a website that gave a modern translation of the Lord’s Prayer from the language in which it was originally taught by Jesus Christ – Aramaic. It was very intriguing, to say the least, because it was quite different from the English I am used to which is derived from the original Greek of the New Testament. I posted the website’s contents in another forum remarking on how Divine things can get changed once we mere mortals get our hands on them.

A good discussion ensued around the reliability of what comes to us from others vs. what comes to us directly from spirit; and, the role Divine providence plays in selecting authors and translators for the dissemination of Divine truth.

It is doubtless true that millions of books and documents containing quality spiritual truths have been written over the course of the history of our human race. All those millions of documents were written in whatever language they were written in for a Divine reason. Swedenborg’s theological writings, written originally in Latin, are a particularly high-octane example. Any reader of Swedenborg knows that “providence is present in the smallest individual things” (Swedenborg, 2007, AC 3854:3). Perhaps the old and new testaments of the Bible, in addition to the reasons usually given, were written in their respective Hebrew and Greek (and usually long after the events actually happened) as a permission – maybe to save the human race from destroying itself on the industrial strength truth of the original experience. The Lord knows and He won't tell! Anyway....

Although the literal sense of the Bible is authoritative to a point, I believe if I based my religion solely on its literal meaning I, and everyone I know well, would be in the deepest of ‘doodoo’ for sure. There are plenty of websites today vigorously noting the various contradictions and ridiculous legalisms contained in the literal sense of the Bible. And yet spiritually-based literature (i.e. literature that has a deeper, spiritual meaning), including large portions of the Bible, provides the possibility of developing in the mind an ever-increasing network of Divine truth that allows the mind to then see additional Divine truth to add to its network – a positive Divine truth feedback loop if you will – which can then be in-filled by the Lord with Divine good - if the mind is cooperative with the process - and voila! Spiritual growth happens! The personal acquisition of Divine truth is an important part of spiritual practice – and my belief (in this “Information Age”) is that one should pursue Divine truth in whatever literature one feels drawn to. As a friend recently remarked, “We should find our own truth and stand in it.”

Swedenborg gives us a cautionary note about literalism and getting stuck in words to the detriment of meaning as follows:

”This is very apparent from man’s thought, which insofar as it regards the words of one speaking, so far it does not regard his meaning; and which insofar as it regards the particular things of the memory, and dwells on them, so far it does not perceive the nature of the real things; and, still more important, insofar as it regards itself in everything, so far it narrows the thoughts and removes itself from viewing a subject in a universal manner. Hence it is that in proportion as anyone loves himself more than others, in the same proportion he is less wise.” (Swedenborg, 2007, AC 5287:2)

Jacob Boehme offers what feels like an accurate description of God’s non-local presence (i.e. His ‘apart from space’ presence – as Swedenborg’s translators would say) with all of us at the following link: http://www.gnosis.org/library/super.htm where you can also see the following quote:

“… It is in thee. And if thou canst, my Son, for a while but cease from all thy thinking and willing, then thou shalt hear the unspeakable Words of God…” (Boehme, 1624)

Anyway, as someone once told me, the Talmud says, “We don’t see the world the way it is – we see it the way we are.” If we are literalists we will see everything literally, and, not really develop the capacity to experience more of God personally in depth apart from space (and time) and in the realm of personally significant meaning.

Swedenborg explains that the Divine (itself) cannot be heard by anyone (in his Arcana Coelestia number 6982):

“… the Divine cannot be heard by anyone, not even by any angel; for in order to be heard the Divine must first become human; and it becomes human when it passes through the heavens; and when it has passed through the heavens it is presented in human form, and becomes speech, which speech is uttered by spirits, who when they are in this state, are called the “Holy Spirit,” and this is said to proceed from the Divine, because the holy of the spirit, or the holy truth which the spirit then speaks, proceeds from the Lord.” (Swedenborg, 2007, AC 6982)

A companion passage might be Divine Love and Wisdom 404:8.

“… when he is in affection for understanding, and through that comes into perception of truth, he is then in the thought of his spirit, which is meditation. This passes, indeed, into the thought of the body, but into silent thought; for it is above bodily thought, and looks upon what belongs to thought from the memory as below itself, drawing therefrom either conclusions or confirmations. But real affection for truth is perceived only as a pressure of will from something pleasurable which is interiorly in meditation as its life, and is little noticed.” (Swedenborg, 1969, DLW 404:8)

So, perhaps the ‘voice’ of God is experienced only as “a pressure of will from something pleasurable which is interiorly in meditation as its life”. This “silent thought” is the voice of God Melville was referring to when he said, ‘the one only voice of God is silence’.

Rev. Steve Ellis, a Church of the New Jerusalem pastor, wrote:

“Learning to hear the voice of God in the silence is an opportunity for self-revelation. It is an opportunity to see ourselves for who we are–the handiwork of a loving God–and to make a difference in our world. It is the recognition of our greater human prerogative: the right to proclaim and act on our essential goodness as children of the one true God.” (Ellis, 2003)

This teaching by Rev. Ellis is something that ‘resonates’ with me – I feel it contains truth. Similarly, the modern English translation of the language in which the Lord’s prayer was first spoken (Aramaic) also resonates with me – I feel it contains truth.

We are responsible for our part in the maintenance of our own relationship with God as we understand Him/Her/It regardless of what others (even Swedenborg) say is canonical. Either we accept that responsibility now or, I suppose, have it retroactively facilitated when we get to the Other Side.

God works through people, and, we all get to choose how we will use whatever comes to us through others in each of our present moments. I recommend listening for the real meaning in what others say – followed by a humble prayer request for guidance. And then, I recommend consulting in ourselves with that “pressure of will from something pleasurable which is interiorly in meditation as its life” to ‘hear’ the guidance in each questionable moment.

Here are a couple of germane parting thoughts from my favorite revelator to wrap this article up.

“God loves each and every human being, and because He cannot do good to them directly but only indirectly by means of other people, He therefore breathes into people His love.” (Swedenborg, 1988, TCR 457)

“… the Holy Spirit, is not transferred from person to person, but from the Lord through person to person.” (Swedenborg, 1914, Canons 36)

REFERENCES

Boehme, J. (1624). The supersensual life (W. Law Trans.). Retrieved February 8, 2007, from
http://www.gnosis.org/library/super.htm

Christ, J. (circa 31 ADish). The Lord’s Prayer: Translations from Aramaic, Origins and History of the Lord’s Prayer. The Nazarene Way of Essenic Studies. Retrieved December 6, 2009 from http://www.thenazareneway.com/lords_prayer.htm

Ellis, S. (2003). Hearing the voice of God in the silence. Our Daily Bread. Retrieved December 6, 2009 from http://www.swedenborg.org/odb/sermon_detail.cfm?sermonID=3530

Swedenborg, E. (1914). Canons. J. Whitehead (Trans.). Retrieved August 13, 2009, from http://www.sacred-texts.com/swd/can/can01.htm (Original work written in 1769) Canons

Swedenborg, E. (1969). Divine love and wisdom. C. & D. H. Harley (Trans.). London : The Swedenborg Society. (Original work published 1763) DLW

Swedenborg, E. (1988). True Christian religion. J. Chadwick (Trans.). London: The Swedenborg Society. (Original work published 1771) TCR

Swedenborg, E. (2007). Arcana coelestia. J. F. Potts (Trans.). Etext prepared by T. D. Webber 2007) Retrieved August 14, 2009, from http://www.sacred-texts.com/swd/ac/index.htm (Original work published 1749-56). AC

SWET 2 Cooking!

2009-09-30T16:12:00.007-04:00

I was recently on a weekend retreat for men known as “SWET” which is an acronym for “Spiritual Warfare Effectiveness Training”. There are three different levels of SWET weekends - SWET 1, 2, and 3 – and each is prerequisite to the one following it. There is also a Colorado version of SWET 1 which happens occasionally. This weekend it was “SWET 2”.

These trainings have been happening for over ten years now under the leadership of Rev. Grant Schnarr who is a Swedenborgian minister and author of several books including “The Art of Spiritual Warfare” (Schnarr, 2000) on which the weekend retreats are loosely based (Grant's blog can be found here). Although Rev. Schnarr is a Swedenborgian himself, he insists that all beliefs and all non-beliefs are welcomed and supported at SWET. This is typical of the Swedenborgian belief system which holds that charity (or love to the neighbor) is the essential of all true religion - differences of doctrine notwithstanding.

The nonprofit counseling center for men that I work for, Men’s Initiative, has been a collaborator with SWET for over a year now. Men’s Initiative hosts a two hour group spun off of the SWET model every Wednesday evening. We call this group “SWIG” for “Spiritual Warfare Integration Group.” About ¼ of the men attending SWET 2 this time were also participants in the SWIG group at Men’s Initiative and/or were clients of MI. As an aside, Men’s Initiative also hosts 12 Step recovery meetings and is a strong advocate for community education regarding recovery from substance abuse.

I have participated as a “camper” in SWET and SWET 2, and, have subsequently staffed several of each. Lately, I have been privileged to serve as cook which was my blessing this past weekend. I LOVE TO COOK! There is something very spiritually satisfying about preparing and delivering good food from the good Lord to a large group of good men who are intent on creating “a world of love and integrity, one man at a time, from the inside out.” This is part of the mission statement of SWET which can be found on the SWET homepage. Due to the intensity of the job of food service on a weekend like this, the cook does not usually participate in the processes and activities which are facilitated on a SWET weekend. This allows for a certain amount of observational objectivity as one cracks the eggs or stirs the soup; and I have to say that this weekend seemed to be quite extraordinary energetically. Everything seemed to go so smoothly and the bonding and support experienced by men was very evident.

The concept of “spiritual warfare” perhaps needs a bit of clarification. “Spiritual warfare” refers to the practice of facing and confronting one’s own personal “demons” or troublesome issues. Part of this practice involves calling on a Higher Power for aid (through prayer and meditation). It also involves seeking support from the fellowship or brotherhood of one’s fellow spiritual warriors. Spiritual warfare does not in any way involve the violence of natural warfare; it is rather based on the strategic principles found in the ancient Chinese text of Sun Tzu “The Art of War” as those principles can be applied on the inner battlefield of life. The warfare metaphor is a valid tool in the enhancement of consciousness through spiritual practice as it requires disciplined mental states not normally found in the uninstructed average man. These disciplined mental states are the preparation referred to in the Sun Tzu quote on SWET’s homepage, “The warrior who is prepared for battle, even before taking the field, will have the victory.” —Sun Tzu

REFERENCES:

Schnarr, G. R. (2000). The art of spiritual warfare: A guide to lasting inner peace based on Sun Tzu’s ‘The art of war’. Wheaton, IL: Quest Books.

Global Water Shortages

2009-09-13T09:05:00.003-04:00

While you are waiting for my next piece – on Conscience vs. Ego – I thought I would post this one on water shortages that I published elsewhere on the internet. If it’s not engaged somehow in usefully improving the conditions in which we live right now – it’s not spiritual. Here are a few thoughts on possible useful endeavor in working with the “blood” of our mother the Earth - WATER!!
~CBM

Global Water Shortages

There was once a time – and not too long ago either – that, if a person were to come across a body of fresh water, he or she could feel quite certain that it was safe to use in the way God intended and designed for humans and other living things to use it. This is no longer true.

And yet every drop of water that was ever created still exists in some form or state somewhere on the planet or in its atmosphere. The water lost by the human body through various avenues must be replaced. One rule of thumb is that 8-10 glasses of water per day will do the trick. But that is just the human hydration part. One source I found says that, “… the average [American] person uses 60 to 70 gallons of water daily for drinking, bathing, washing clothes and dishes and flushing toilets.” Even with that leap in usage amounts (10 glasses to 70 gallons), when you take into account all the water on the planet in all its forms there is still probably plenty to go around. The global population will have to increase to an incomprehensible degree before there is an actual water shortage.

Technically, the water "shortages" aren't really shortages - they are fresh water access problems. And big problems they are! There are four basic fresh water access problems.

The first problem is that fresh water, through industrial, agricultural, or domestic carelessness and apathy, becomes polluted and therefore useless and even toxic until it is purified.

The second is that fresh water all too often becomes salt water and therefore useless to humans until it is desalinated -- either naturally or through some man-made desalinization processes.

The third is the problem of insufficient catchment and delivery systems. Having all this potential fresh water is fine but, if you can’t collect and distribute it efficiently, it might as well just evaporate!

Finally, and related to the delivery aspect of problem number three, is the problem of human greed and the struggle for political power. Even if we solved the first three problems, we would probably find people all over the globe who would want to use the new water abundance as a vehicle for their own monetary gain or upward mobility. This they would do by seizing control of the means of production and delivery and manipulating them to serve their own ends.

These are truly daunting problems. However, we could choose to look at them as a way of boosting the global economy by creating new jobs and new markets. We could use our collective scientific know-how to turn water into a much more renewable resource. Organic farming and/or the development of non-polluting fertilizers would be a good start. Then we could move to regulate industrial polluters. This could be followed by getting creative and knowledgeable people together into think tanks to come up with ways of creating conservation incentives for the average 60 gallons per day American water consumer. We could develop bigger, better, and more efficient ways of treating and purifying polluted water, of desalinating ocean water, and of temporarily holding and ultimately distributing the potable product. All of this would add up to many entirely new jobs that would have to be filled.

The marketing of these systems internationally would boost both the American economy and the global economy. It could also go a long way toward improving diplomatic relations among the various countries of the world, minimize the occurrence wars and conflicts, and maybe even make a contribution to streamlining our international commerce in energy.

Water for oil anyone?

Three Questions on Conjugial Love

2009-09-06T17:47:00.003-04:00

As a part of his coursework assignment, I was recently asked by a man in training to become a Swedenborgian minister how I would respond as a layperson to the following three questions:

1.) What impact have the [Swedenborgian] teachings about conjugial [or marriage] love had in your life?
2.) How would you characterize the way you were taught about conjugial love?
3.) How could ministers teach conjugial love better?

Well, first of all, I think it’s great that theological students are being given assignments to consult the laity! It hasn’t always been that way. Maybe we are undergoing a paradigm shift after all. As a related aside, if you are a Facebook member, please feel free to join the Lay Interfaith Leaderless Alliance (LILA) group I recently created there. We are growing!

Before I respond as requested, I would like to bring out of obscurity a little known or utilized piece of esoteric Swedenborgian wisdom regarding marriages. In saying that marriages ‘do not exist elsewhere’ (i.e. other than in heaven), it is in direct contradiction to the traditional irrational Christian teaching that there is NO marriage in heaven - which is based on the cherry-picked biblical verse Matthew 22:30. In his work Conjugial Love Swedenborg writes:

“… a married couple [in heaven] is united in respect to their souls; and one also sees in the two a full expression of what it is to be human. This is the case in heaven, because marriages do not exist elsewhere. Beneath heaven one finds instead only temporary alliances which are formed and broken.” (CL 192:7, emphasis added)

That is a citation from Swedenborg that has NEVER been presented to me in any of my formal Swedenborg-based education. I think it’s important that everyone be familiar with it. So there you have it – now, on to the questions

1.) What impact have the teachings about Conjugial Love had in your life?
On the one hand, these esoteric teachings found only in the theological writings of Emanuel Swedenborg about conjugial (or marriage) love have had an extraordinarily positive impact in my life. On the other hand, they have had a devastatingly destructive one. Positive because they have given me a rational, as well as beautiful, vision for marriage. Destructive because they set me up to believe that conjugial love with a woman on this earth is not just a remote and improbable possibility (which is the truth); but is in fact highly possible and likely; provided that I follow all the rules put forward (and implied) in the classroom. Being psychologically set up that way was a major contributing factor in the serious and severe harm done to me, to the women I married, and to my children now from divorced families. I have since “owned” my own part in my marriage failures and have researched the doctrine of conjugial love for myself and to my own satisfaction. I must hasten to add that I believe it’s not so much the teachings themselves that have done the harm, but instead, the way they were taught to me; which leads me to the next question.

2.) How would you characterize the way you were taught about Conjugial Love?
I was taught about conjugial love too early in life, and, with too much of a pedagogic attitude of ‘compulsion to believe’; and compulsion to believe, mind you, not in divine truth but in what I have come to see as being largely fairy tale. I would refer you to Divine Providence 129 for an understanding of why the practice of compelling others to "believe" is ill-advised as well as decidedly un-Swedenborgian.

3.) How could ministers teach Conjugial Love better?
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in the State of Pennsylvania alone in 2007, there were 71,094 marriages and 35,268 divorces. I think that’s a statistic which tends to support the commonly held belief that one out of every two marriages ends in divorce. I wonder if Swedenborgian ministers teach this kind of statistical fact in conjugial love courses these days? I can tell you that when I was in high school up until 1972 and again for 4 years in college in the mid-1980s they did not – at least not in any religion course I took. Now maybe it’s not right to teach such statistical facts in a religion course; but what about actual theological doctrine as, for example, Conjugial Love 192:7 (see above)? Especially the part that reads, “…marriages do not exist elsewhere. Beneath heaven one finds instead only temporary alliances which are formed and broken.”

If I were teaching a conjugial love course, I would make sure that my students had a very thorough understanding of that bit of doctrine before any other learning was pursued. So what are some of the elements of an education which actually prepares the student for marriage? I would definitely include an elective course on Swedenborg’s conjugial love doctrine but mandatory courses would include the following course titles:

~Introspection, Contemplation, and Altruism for the Individual
~Introspection, Contemplation, and Altruism for Couples
~Couples Communication
~Spiritual Practice in Relationships
~Marriage/Divorce and the Law
~Personal and Family Finance: Budgets and Clear Boundaries
~Reproductive Health and Contraception
~Conscious Parenting
~Addiction in general
~Sex addiction

These are just what briefly come to mind when I ask myself the question. There are more and I’m sure you can think of some if you have ever been married. Being as highly educated as possible in those topics is of vital importance for anyone considering marriage. Looking deeply into his writings reveals that Swedenborg has plenty to say about all of these topics; and a thorough education in them will provide a much more comprehensive preparation for the spiritual practice of marriage than courses in esoteric conjugial theology.

I would appreciate any comments on this post – especially ones that include any course titles you think should be added to the above list. Thanks. ~ CBM

Me and the Indians

2009-09-03T00:49:00.005-04:00

I do believe in eclectic spirituality.

So this tale goes way, way back to when I was, as they say, about knee-high to a grasshopper. It’s a particular thread through my personal spiritual journey that I would like to share. From the time I first learned to read, all I ever really wanted to read about were Indians. You could have called me an “Indian-aholic” and been absolutely right. It was an obsession.

And, since my father was a school teacher, we spent every summer and large parts of every other season in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania doing wonderful things that fewer and fewer kids these days get to do. On our 80 acre tree farm, dad taught us many skills useful in the outdoors and what he didn’t teach us we learned from books and trial and error. This was an excellent environment in which to pursue my wild Indianism and I think I spent at least one entire summer with a Mohawk haircut and nothing on but a “breechclout”. I have a picture somewhere to prove it.

To make a long story a little bit longer, I learned everything there was to know about nature and Indians by the time I was twelve. I was a hunter and a fisherman – and I had paddled the mighty Delaware River from the tip of the north fork in New York State all the way down almost to Trenton (thanks to dad). I was an expert animal stalker and a fairly good tracker with only a little training from the old man and lots of practice on my part. I could name every Indian tribe that ever lived in North America, show you their original territory on a map, describe the theories about how they got there, and give a good account of many aspects of each tribal culture. Hindsight shows me that I had also developed a strong spiritual connection with the Creator’s creation – well, as strong a connection as a kid my age could develop. Even then I felt that I could see God much better in nature than I could in the religion I was brought up in.

I was green with envy when I read Tom Brown Jr.’s account in his book The Tracker of his adventures and education with Stalking Wolf, his friend’s Apache grandfather in the Jersey Pine Barrens. Some people had all the luck! At some point not long after reading The Tracker, I left home to pursue various activities including a tour of duty in the Navy. I put the whole Indians/Nature/Outdoors thing on the shelf for quite a while thinking I better serious up about life and so forth.

Many years later, having travelled the circle that life often leads us in; I found myself back in the Poconos with a new edition of The Tracker. On the back flap this copy had an advertisement for the Wilderness Survival School that Tom had since started and was running at various locations in New Jersey. I inquired, left a deposit for the Standard Class, and ended up taking four of the schools week-long classes and engaging in several other related activities and enterprises. In the process, my tracking, nature and wilderness survival skills were greatly enhanced. So too was my knowledge of Native American spirituality. I learned numerous meditative techniques useful for connecting with the Creator in nature and supercharging my tracking and awareness skills as well.

We were taught all aspects of the use of a Sweat Lodge for both the original purpose of de-scenting before a hunt and the evolutionary practice of prayer, meditation and ceremony. We were taught ceremony as Grandfather had taught Tom but we were also encouraged to create our own Sweat Lodge tradition and practice rather than staying stuck in one way of doing it. I brought the Sweat Lodge back to my home town in Pennsylvania and have poured water in hundreds of Lodges since. I have taught others how to build and use the Lodge and a little Sweat Lodge subculture has sprung up right here in my local “white man’s land.”

Now, I no longer wish I was a wild Indian as I did in my obsessive youth and, in a friendly and knowing way, I refer to those who do as “Windians” (short for Wanna-be-Indians). The life experience I have described above was extremely important in my spiritual development and I am hugely grateful to all those who acted as my teachers.

I want to say one more thing before putting this and myself to rest – which is, there is absolutely no place as powerful as the Sweat Lodge for doing the 5th Step of the 12 Step program. You either know what I’m talking about here or it just sailed right over your head…. Ok, on to other things and thanks for letting me share.

Tracker School Link:
http://www.trackerschool.com/

Spinach, Cheese, and Bacon Casserole

2009-08-31T22:45:00.002-04:00

By Jeremy K. Finkeldey

One of the best meditations in my world view is the mindful washing of dishes. Another is mindful cooking - and no, it doesn't have to be vegetarian. Did you know that the Buddha was a meat eater? Hmmm... food for thought.

There's just something very deep about getting all those "raw" ingredients and applying heat and mixing and whatever is necessary to create something people love to eat. It's a good practice while cooking to offer a thanksgiving prayer for the ingredients and the cooking skills, and, to reflect on what constitutes spiritual nourishment within your particular sphere of influence.

And, yes - real men DO cook (and do dishes).

So here's a recipe I made up this past weekend. I thought I'd share it and get away from all the studiousness for a minute here.... Enjoy.

Spinach, Cheese, and Bacon Casserole

Ingredients:
~Frozen Spinach, 1 6”x5”x1.5” box package
~Green Onions, fresh, sliced in 1/4” slices, 5-6
~Bacon Bits, real, about 4 tbsps (whatever seems right to you)
~Salt and Pepper
~Some fresh herbs you think might be good with the other ingredients (parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme? Minced?)
~Cheese, cheddar, extra sharp, grated, enough to cover the spinach when it’s in a small baking dish
~Cheese, parmesan, crumbled (or grated), how much is up to you
~Cheese, feta, crumbled
~Bread Crumbs, seasoned
~Cream, heavy whipping, 4 tbsps
~Oil, olive, 2-3 tbsps (for sautéing green onions)

Directions:
1) Microwave the spinach per the directions on the box.
2) Heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the sliced green onions until slightly caramelized – throw in the bacon bits at the last minute just to heat them up.
3) Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
4) Put the spinach, green onions, and bacon bits in a good sized mixing bowl – throw in some of the crumbled (or grated) parmesan, the heavy cream, salt and pepper to taste, and mix it all up. Get creative and add other herbs you think might be good with spinach, cheese, and bacon.
5) Put the mixture into a baking dish small enough that the mix is 1.5-2 inches thick.
6) Cover with a layer of the grated cheddar cheese and crumbled parmesan mixed together.
7) Sprinkle some seasoned bread crumbs on top of that and then some more of the cheddar/parm mix. How much cheese depends on how much of a cheese lover you are.
8) Bake uncovered 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees.
9) Switch oven to “broil” and remove casserole from oven.
10) Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese and place under the broiler until the feta is melted and starts to develop browned spots on it.
11) Remove from oven and allow to cool somewhat before serving – it doesn’t have to be 400 degrees hot to eat it.

Serves:
2 big eaters or 3 smaller ones (It was so good I ate the whole thing myself for lunch AND felt virtuous because it was spinach).

Trust – Part Two

2009-08-30T23:25:00.006-04:00

When A.A. folks talk about “turning it over” this is what they are referring to.

“Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and to your fellows. Clear away the wreckage of your past. Give freely of what you find and join us. We shall be with you in the Fellowship of the Spirit, and you will surely meet some of us as you trudge the Road of Happy Destiny.” (Wilson, 1976, p. 164)

“We asked His protection and care with complete abandon.” (Wilson, 1976, p. 59)

“We were now at Step Three. Many of us said to our Maker, as we understood Him: "God, I offer myself to Thee-to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always!" We thought well before taking this step making sure we were ready; that we could at last abandon ourselves utterly to Him.” (Wilson, 1976, p. 63)

“Abandon” has become one of my favorite words. It has so much more oomph! to it than “let go of”. Besides, I left claw marks on anything I ever “let go” of anyway. For me “abandon” conjures up mental images of rusting hulks slowly returning to their true dharma nature – our old, bulldozer-like ways based on self-reliance (that didn’t work) forever left behind to be broken down and turned elemental. I love the clarity of the utter, emphatic, and certain rejection of ways and ideas proven ineffective!

CHANGE! It’s a beautiful thing. And as my Buddhist friends say, “long live impermanence!”

Anyway… I was discussing with a friend recently the subject of fear, specifically, fear of economic insecurity. There is a lot of that particular strain of fear going around these days and, since we can’t all just run off to the clinic for our “fear shots”, I wanted to talk about “trust” and the practice of accepting the things we cannot change and changing the things we can. We are not in charge of change. Change has a mind of its own – have you noticed? I can’t change you. I can’t even change me! And yet the only thing that doesn’t change is change itself. Enough with the platitudes already! But I think I’m on to something here.

And I suppose there are SOME things we can change. For example, good material life-skills practices - such as getting up off the couch, being industrious, getting trained, finding work, making money, and managing it well; these go a long way towards relieving financial stress. If done calmly, introspectively, prayerfully, and meditatively they can become spiritual practices in themselves. But sometimes it’s just not enough. Additional spiritual practice is called for. We need to take care of the inside as well as the outside.

Now I don’t know how your financial fear and anxiety goes but for me there is usually a triggering event. It could be getting an unusually large utility, food, legal or medical bill. Or it could be something as apparently harmless as being bludgeoned by the 4,528th negative economic news report in the media.

Or, it could be totally internally generated as, for example, I’m stopped at the railroad crossing waiting for the train to pass when some little, inner cognitive imp decides to get the ball rolling by presenting the thought, “that car insurance bill is getting closer….”

These are triggering events and, well, one thing leads to another and, before you really know it, you have a great big fear-based story going on in your head about money. You’re white-knuckling the steering wheel and the guy behind you is honking his horn and making funny hand signals to you evidently wondering why you’re still sitting there with train already long past. And it’s all a story! And a non-trusting, paralyzing story to boot - in your head and nowhere else! It’s amazing – don’t you think? I mean the things we do, and the stories we tell ourselves, apparently just for the purpose of ruining our ‘present moment’ (since nothing other than that is ever accomplished by them).

So, with this understanding we can consciously work to change the stories we tell ourselves. If we’re going to tell ourselves stories that affect our emotional state (and very little else) why don’t we work at making them positive and optimistic? Anything repeated eventually becomes a habit (to state the obvious) and habits are things that we are increasingly unconscious of whether we think so or not. Simple, right? Actually – yes, maybe a little too simple for the modern materialistic mind. These little, inner, fear-mongering imps can be persistent!

Since most of my hunter-gatherer skills have largely been relegated to storage in my DNA, cash flow issues have become a part of my habit life in a strong way. I need to eat and I don’t really want to become a ‘dumpster-diver’ (some of you know what I mean by that). I heard the other day that someone once asked Mother Theresa how they could help the poor. I don’t know if this is true or not but she supposedly replied, “First of all, don’t become one of them.”

Anyway, to sum it up before moving on, we CAN consciously work towards positive change by doing things like:

1) Turning OFF the TV,
2) Getting up off the couch,
3) Being industrious,
4) Getting trained,
5) Finding work,
6) Making money,
7) Becoming an effective money manager, and
8) Being just a little more self-observational when it comes to the ‘funny’ stories we allow to run in our heads about money – and learning to consciously change them for the better.

In my experience, these were (and are) ALL ‘must do’s’ – but they are not enough. I absolutely had to develop a state of mind that included the ongoing concept that I lived in a friendly – rather than hostile – universe. I am talking about a universe in which I am taken care of by a ‘mystical’ benevolent power greater than myself. Otherwise, I would find myself repeatedly at the mercy ‘mystical’ malignant powers greater than myself. For me, this means trusting God. When I look back and consider the facts of my life, it’s as plain as day that I have been taken care of all of my 53.5 years by a mystical benevolent power greater than myself. I have always been in “the stream of Providence” whether I happened to be cooperating at the time or not (see Swedenborg, 1965, AC 8478 cited below).

Having spent about 15 years of my life as a card-carrying atheist, I empathize with those of you who are now accusing me of indulging in fairy tales. But I know that I am not trying to change your beliefs (no one could have changed mine) - I am only sharing my personal experience. You might want to move on to some other blog - as I definitely would have during my atheist period.

Dear reader (I’ve always wanted to use that phrase), at this point I would ask you to refer back to “Trust – Part One” (as needed) and just refresh the memory on all the tips and pointers contained in the selected citations from both A.A.’s “Big Book”, and, Liz Cronkhite’s work on “Developing Trust” and the “Four Habits For Inner Peace”.

I chose all of those citations because I believe they provide all the basics a person needs as he or she moves more deeply into the practice of trusting God. I like the method of first (at least) getting a general idea of what you’re about to do – and THEN doing it – prepare and execute. As I pointed out in Part One, willingness (even if only a little) is a necessary prerequisite to the process. Hopefully you won’t have to go through the emotional, intellectual, and interpersonal “beating” that I endured in order to scrape up the willingness to really begin trusting God – but you probably will (or already have) - so it won’t hurt to keep that in mind. As the A.A. crowd says, “In every case, pain [was] the price of admission into a new life. But this admission price had purchased more than we expected. It brought a measure of humility, which we soon discovered to be a healer of pain. We began to fear pain less, and desire humility more than ever” (Wilson, 1986, p. 75).

The nutshell of my personal process of spiritual development and trust-building looks like this; I had to:
1) Learn to self-examine,
2) Make an effort to stop doing some of the things that were clearly causing trouble,
3) Accept feedback from others,
4) See the need I had to build a relationship with God,
5) Self-examine some more,
6) Clean up my relationships with myself, others, and God,
7) Learn contemplation: i.e. prayer and meditation,
8) Be of service to others, and finally,
9) Practice, practice, practice all of the above….

This nutshell could be rendered even more briefly and concisely as follows. I practiced:
1) Introspection (includes #s 1-5 above),
2) Contemplation (#6),
3) Altruism (#8), and finally,
4) Spiritual habit-formation (#9).

That is as concise as I feel I can be and still cover all the bases.

So what’s left to say? Living in the simple way described above has been an amazing journey of discovery. It has resulted in a state of mind that I will here do my best to describe. First of all, by the practice of this process almost all of the fears, worries, and anxieties have been eliminated from my consciousness. The same is true for the various forms of depression, discouragement, and hopelessness that used to be constant companions. Also, the experience of anger, hostility, and judgment-based irritation toward others has been dramatically reduced. I have become vastly more responsible to others both morally and financially than I once was. The following “promises” (as my A.A. friends describe them) have all come true in my life in varying degrees (with more development still to come). A.A. writes:

“We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.” (Wilson et al., 1976, pp. 83-84)

That last one is actually a most remarkable realization and experience to have! Obviously, the maintenance of our freedom of choice requires that the Divine provide us with a very powerful “appearance” that we are doing everything. Writes Swedenborg:

“Nearly everyone believes that man thinks and wills from himself and consequently speaks and acts from himself. Who from himself can suppose otherwise, since the appearance of it is so strong that it does not differ at all from actually thinking, willing, speaking and acting from himself? And yet this is not possible.” (Swedenborg, 1949, DP 308)

"The appearance is that man is led and taught of himself; but the truth is that he is led and taught by the Lord alone. Those who confirm in themselves the appearance and not at the same time the truth… are all interior idolaters, for they are worshippers of self and the world. If they have no religion they become worshippers of nature, and thus atheists; but if they have a religion they become worshippers of men and also of images… Those, however, who confirm in themselves the appearance and also the truth become worshippers of the Lord; for the Lord raises them up from their proprium [or “self-centered self”] which is in the appearance... and He enables them to perceive interiorly that they are not led and taught of themselves, but by Him.” (Swedenborg, 1949, DP 154:1-2)

The truth of the situation (explained above) is why it can come as quite a shock to realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. The appearance is quite strong - but once that realization is had, the motivation or willingness to improve one’s conscious contact with God can increase exponentially. If this willingness is consistently acted upon as outlined above, the following state of mental, emotional, and spiritual trust described by Swedenborg in the following citation is eventually achieved.

“… those who trust in the Divine… do not think of the morrow with solicitude, still less with anxiety. Unruffled is their spirit whether they obtain the objects of their desire, or not; and they do not grieve over the loss of them, being content with their lot. If they become rich, they do not set their hearts on riches; if they are raised to honors, they do not regard themselves as more worthy than others; if they become poor, they are not made sad; if their circumstances are mean, they are not dejected. They know that … they who are in the stream of Providence are all the time carried along toward everything that is happy, whatever may be the appearance of the means; and that those are in the stream of Providence who put their trust in the Divine and attribute all things to Him;… Be it known also that insofar as anyone is in the stream of Providence, so far he is in a state of peace….” (Swedenborg, 1965, AC 8478:3-4)

Worrying about future life outcomes destroys our joy in the present moment. Learning to live mindfully in the present moment is a critical skill in the building of trust in God. The best teachers of present moment living that I have found are the non-theistic Buddhist practitioners. I have benefitted the most from the teachings of Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist master of the Mahayana tradition, who is a prolific author that has spent most of his life in exile from his native Vietnam - adapting the teachings of the Buddha to the western mindset. His concept of “engaged Buddhism” turns day to day life into an act of meditation and/or prayer and encourages practitioners to live in a loving, kind, active, and other-centered way (Hanh, 1998). It was from Hanh’s teaching that I finally had the “aha!” experience about the present moment. It is a glaringly self-evident truth that if you take good care of the present moment you are automatically taking good care of the future – because the future is made up of present moments. This is an anxiety reducing notion that in itself creates a much greater degree of functionality in the human mind when consistently practiced.

Since the western religious or spiritual mindset usually includes the notion of a “God”, non-theistic Hanh accommodates to this by explaining his perspective on the Divine as follows:

“In Buddhism… God is Mind, especially the collective mind. Mind is the ground of everything… If we understand God as the ground of being from which everything manifests, then our understanding is not different from the Buddhist vision of mind….” (Hanh, 2006a)

Being experts in meditation, one of the two major components of the spiritual practice of contemplation (the other being prayer), Buddhists can be relied on to provide good examples after which to model our non-Buddhist practice (if we are non-Buddhists). Buddhists also pray. Thich Nhat Hanh wrote an excellent little book entitled “The energy of prayer: How to deepen your spiritual practice” (Hanh, 2006b) which anyone thinking of utilizing these spiritual practices for trust-building purposes would be well-advised to have at hand. His descriptions of the practice of “engaged Buddhism” (mentioned above) answer well to the third major spiritual practice of altruism. Buddhism in general is known for its commitment to ending the suffering of all sentient beings through compassionate action, community-building, and dharma teaching.

From the perspective of A Course In Miracles, Liz Cronkhite offers an elegantly simple four-fold daily practice routine for the purpose of building trust in the Divine and personal inner peace. She calls them “The Four Habits for Inner Peace” (Cronkhite, 2007). Here are the four practices (see Part One for greater detail):

1) Commune With God Daily
2) Practice the Holy Instant Throughout the Day
3) Extend Love to Keep Love in Your Awareness, and
4) Let the Holy Spirit Lead You

This is a beautiful practice. I ‘commune with God’ every morning before even getting out of bed. An important part of these Four Habits for me is memorization; I attempt to recite the four practices to myself as I go through my day. If I can’t remember one of them I look it up to aid my recall. Part of my communing with God in the morning (usually at the beginning before I stop thought) involves asking God to help me remember these practices as the day goes along. When I find myself in a situation where I need or want awareness of God’s presence I stop and practice the second habit - I step into the "holy instant." The same goes for extending love and consciously letting the Holy Spirit lead.

Finally, I want to add that the Swedenborgian theological system exceeds any other I have found in its emphasis on altruistic action. Also known as the doctrine of use, this practice involves focusing on the usefulness in the Divine design of every created thing, and, in all human endeavors. Connecting with God’s creations (especially His human creations) through uses is a major way of connecting with God Himself – which brings us nearer to God and thereby enhances the quality and quantity of trust in the Divine that we experience. In fact, the trine of love, wisdom, and use appear to be the fundamental basis of all reality. Swedenborg writes:

“Love, wisdom and use make an inseparable group of three. If they are separated, none of them is anything. Love is nothing without wisdom, but in wisdom it is formed to some purpose; and the purpose to which it is formed is use. Therefore when love by means of wisdom is put to use, it actually exists, because it is realised in action. These three are exactly like end, cause and effect; the end is nothing unless by means of the cause it is realised in the effect. Take one of the three away, and the whole falls to pieces and becomes as if it had never been.” (Swedenborg, 1988, TCR 387:3)

How this shows up in real, day-to-day life is as follows:

“God loves each and every human being, and because He cannot do good to them directly but only indirectly by means of other people, He therefore breathes into people His love.” (Swedenborg, 1906, TCR 457)

“… the Lord performs uses to man through man….” (Swedenborg, 1911, AE 1226:6)

“Someone who loves the neighbor as himself never experiences the delight of charity except in the exercise of it, or in use. Consequently the life of charity is a life of uses. Such life pervades the whole of heaven, for the Lord's kingdom, being a kingdom of mutual love, is a kingdom of uses….” (AC 997:1)

Good night...

REFERENCES:

Cronkhite, E. A. (2007). The four habits for inner peace. Retrieved on 17 August 2009 from http://acimmentor.blogspot.com/2007/10/four-habits-for-inner-peace.html .

Hanh, T. N. (1998). The heart of the Buddha’s teaching: Transforming suffering into peace, joy, and liberation. New York: Broadway Books.

Hanh, T. N. (Winter/Spring, 2006a). Answers of Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh to questions from Publishers Weekly magazine. Retrieved June 25, 2006 from http://www.plumvillage.org

Hanh, T. N. (2006b). The energy of prayer: How to deepen your spiritual practice. Berkeley, CA: Parallax Press.

Swedenborg, E. (1906). True christian religion. J. Whitehead (Trans.). Retrieved August 14, 2009, from http://www.sacred-texts.com/swd/tcr/index.htm (Original work published in 1771) TCR

Swedenborg, E. (1911). Apocalypse explained. J. Whitehead (Trans.). Retrieved August 14, 2009, from from http://www.sacred-texts.com/swd/ae/index.htm (Original work written 1757-9) AE

Swedenborg, E. (1949). Divine providence. Wm. Dick & E. J. Pulsford (Trans.). London: The Swedenborg Society. (Original work published 1764) DP

Swedenborg, E. (1965). Arcana coelestia. J. F. Potts (Trans.). New York: Swedenborg Foundation. (Original work published c. 1749-1756) AC

Wilson, W. et. al. (1976). Alcoholics Anonymous. Third edition. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. (Original work published 1939)

Wilson, W. (1986). Twelve steps and twelve traditions. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (Original work published 1952)

Swedenborg, E. (1988). True Christian religion. J. Chadwick (Trans.). London: The Swedenborg Society. (Original work published 1771) TCR

Trust - Part One

2009-08-17T22:19:00.008-04:00

Trust in God is something most people have to work on. Obviously it helps to believe that God exists but I know plenty of formerly agnostic people – and even some former atheists (myself included in this latter category) – who have come to believe in a God of their own description. Admittedly, I am decades past my own atheist phase but I definitely had a fairly lengthy one. We (former agnostics and atheists) have all developed a working, trusting relationship with that God and, as a result, have improved the quality of our lives. So what’s not to like?

I have decided to make this blogpost into a two-parter. This first part will consist simply of citations of other people’s writings which I consider to be essential to the understanding and practice of a lifestyle that builds and enhances trust in the Divine. Part two will be more of my own experience with the trust-building process. In both parts, as with my other articles, I will draw on my three currently favorite resources for the lion’s share of the material. Part Two may include other sources here and there.

What follows first is a simple statement from Emanuel Swedenborg (my favorite revelator) regarding an apparent prerequisite to trust-building – willingness. When it comes to willingness for starters – just a little dab’ll do ya (so to speak). As one perseveres and begins to get some results willingness tends to increase – it’s kind of scientific that way. Next, you will find a fairly lengthy piece from A.A.’s “Big Book” drawn mostly from its description of the practice of Step Eleven. I include it because, well, I just love it – but also because of the nuts and bolts practices it suggests. Finally, there are two pieces in full from Liz Cronkhite (my favorite Course In Miracles teacher) – one entitled “Development of Trust” and the other “The Four Habits For Inner Peace”. They both create a relationship with God that is based on trust. So without further ado, please enjoy these selections.

From Swedenborg~

“It is of the Divine omnipotence to lead a person who is willing to be led according to the laws of order every moment and continually to eternity. For every minute there are infinite things to be seen, to be removed, and to be insinuated, that [the] person may be withheld from evils and held in goods, and this continually in connection according to order.”
(Swedenborg, 1911, AE 689.2)

From Alcoholics Anonymous (4th Edition)~

“It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities. "How can I best serve Thee - Thy will (not mine) be done." These are thoughts which must go with us constantly. We can exercise our will power along this line all we wish. It is the proper use of the will.

Much has already been said about receiving strength, inspiration, and direction from Him who has all knowledge and power. If we have carefully followed directions, we have begun to sense the flow of His Spirit into us. To some extent we have become God-conscious. We have begun to develop this vital sixth sense. But we must go further and that means more action.

Step Eleven suggests prayer and meditation. We shouldn't be shy on this matter of prayer. Better men than we are using it constantly. It works, if we have the proper attitude and work at it. It would be easy to be vague about this matter. Yet, we believe we can make some definite and valuable suggestions.

When we retire at night, we constructively review our day. Were we resentful, selfish, dishonest or afraid? Do we owe an apology? Have we kept something to ourselves which should be discussed with another person at once? Were we kind and loving toward all? What could we have done better? Were we thinking of ourselves most of the time? Or were we thinking of what we could do for others, of what we could pack into the stream of life? But we must be careful not to drift into worry, remorse or morbid reflection, for that would diminish our usefulness to others. After making our review we ask God's forgiveness and inquire what corrective measures should be taken.

On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Under these conditions we can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God gave us brains to use. Our thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives.

In thinking about our day we may face indecision. We may not be able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision. We relax and take it easy. We don't struggle. We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while. What used to be the hunch or the occasional inspiration gradually becomes a working part of the mind. Being still inexperienced and having just made conscious contact with God, it is not probable that we are going to be inspired at all times. We might pay for this presumption in all sorts of absurd actions and ideas. Nevertheless, we find that our thinking will, as time passes, be more and more on the plane of inspiration. We come to rely upon it.

We usually conclude the period of meditation with a prayer that we be shown all through the day what our next step is to be, that we be given whatever we need to take care of such problems. We ask especially for freedom from self-will, and are careful to make no request for ourselves only. We may ask for ourselves, however, if others will be helped. We are careful never to pray for our own selfish ends. Many of us have wasted a lot of time doing that and it doesn't work. You can easily see why.

If circumstances warrant, we ask our wives or friends to join us in morning meditation. If we belong to a religious denomination which requires a definite morning devotion, we attend to that also. If not members of religious bodies, we sometimes select and memorize a few set prayers which emphasize the principles we have been discussing. There are many helpful books also. Suggestions about these may be obtained from one's priest, minister, or rabbi. Be quick to see where religious people are right. Make use of what they offer.

As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful, and ask for the right thought or action. We constantly remind ourselves we are no longer running the show, humbly saying to ourselves many times each day "Thy will be done." We are then in much less danger of excitement, fear, anger, worry, self-pity, or foolish decisions. We become much more efficient. We do not tire so easily, for we are not burning up energy foolishly as we did when we were trying to arrange life to suit ourselves.

It works - it really does.

We alcoholics are undisciplined. So we let God discipline us in the simple way we have just outlined.

But this is not all. There is action and more action. "Faith without works is dead." The next chapter is entirely devoted to Step Twelve.” (Wilson, 2001, p. 85-88)

From Liz Cronkhite's Blog~

“Development of Trust

Since I posted on my website my recognition of my own “Development of Trust” (M-4.I.A) (see Relationship With God at www.acimmentor.com), I’ve received a lot of questions about the six stages of building trust with the Holy Spirit. For example, what does “sorting out” and “valuable and valueless” mean in practical, everyday terms? How do you recognize which stage you are in? Do you need to know which stage you are in? And what is required of you in each stage?

What you are “sorting out” is Truth from illusion, which in everyday terms means: What is the Holy Spirit and what is the ego in your mind? The experiences of Truth (the Holy Spirit) is what is “valuable” and the experience of illusion (ego) is what is “valueless”. It is natural for you to keep what is valuable and to let go of what is valueless, but you can’t do this when you can’t tell them apart, so you have to learn to distinguish them from each other first. The sorting out process begins with you learning to hear and then to listen to what is valuable: The Holy Spirit. As you learn to distinguish the peace of the Holy Spirit from the pain of the ego, you naturally choose to follow the Holy Spirit more and more. Finally, you let go of ego completely and identify only with the Holy Spirit. This is the Course’s “gentle means of awakening”.

It isn’t important to know which stage you are in, but you do need to know what is required of you at each stage. It is the same for each stage: To commune with God daily; to practice the holy instant throughout the day; to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance; and to keep love in your awareness by extending love. This is how you “accept the atonement for yourself”. The Holy Spirit does the rest, working within you to bring about the necessary shifts in your awareness so you can advance to the next stage.

The shift to each stage is experiential, not merely intellectual. Each stage also flows naturally from the preceding stage and cannot be forced. As you shift from one stage to another they overlap and so they can be hard to sort out when you are going through them. For everyone, the particular way these stages unfold and how long it will take will be unique. But pretty much it goes like this:

Stage one, the period of undoing: You have had a shift in your experience that reveals Truth to you in some form. This may be a direct revelation of God or it may be a miracle. It’s profound enough to shake your current belief system. This may happen as you study A Course in Miracles or it may be what leads you to study the Course. It is likely your external circumstances will shift as a reflection of your new point of view. At this stage, the Voice of the Holy Spirit is buried in the constant babble of ego in your mind, so for you, the ego is you and you are very threatened by the idea you have to let it go.

Stage two, the period of sorting out: Though you may have been shaken by your “undoing” experience, you are drawn to Truth and you now know peace is possible. You open your mind to the Holy Spirit. You start slowly, asking for answers or help only in limited circumstances. The Holy Spirit may speak to you through your intuition, through a Voice you hear in your mind, and/or through wordless ideas. The ego uses the same avenues to communicate with you so you will likely take a long time learning to discern when you are hearing the ego and when you are hearing the Holy Spirit. As you do so, you find you value the experience of the Holy Spirit and you ask for help and guidance more and more. You still identify mostly with the ego, and valuing both teachers in your mind leaves you conflicted.

Stage three, the period of relinquishment: The experience of the Holy Spirit has become so valuable to you that you shift to letting the Holy Spirit lead the way completely. Many of your values conflict with your desire to follow the Holy Spirit and you realize you must let them go. You may be resistant at first, but as each old value falls away you feel tremendous relief, making the process easier as you go along. Your identity is shifting toward the Holy Spirit and you still experience a lot of conflict.

Stage four, the period of settling: Following the Holy Spirit has resulted in a profound, unshakeable peace within you. You never feel alone. You hunger for the moments of communion you can carve out of each day. Your life is much simpler as you always have the Answer to any “problem” and a Guide to lead you. You rest at this stage for a while, grateful for the peace you have, but aware you are not completely at peace yet because you still listen to the ego.

Stage five, the period of unsettling: You have sorted out the valuable (the Holy Spirit) from the valueless (ego), but you still value the ego enough for it to stand as an obstacle to your complete peace. The only step to take now is to give up what you have made (ego) to be what you are (the Holy Spirit). This stage is unsettling because you now know complete peace is up to only you. Now you must learn to keep your mind open and follow only the Holy Spirit.

Stage six, the period of achievement: Your peace is complete. You are consistent in following only one Teacher. You see through the ego easily and you let it go. You are just this side of Heaven and you stay in the world only as long as the Holy Spirit needs to work through you.” (Cronkhite, 2007a)

“The Four Habits for Inner Peace

A wise teacher teaches through approach, not avoidance. He does not emphasize what you must avoid to escape from harm, but what you need to learn to have joy. Consider the fear and confusion a child would experience if he were told, "Do not do this because it will hurt you and make you unsafe; but if you do that instead, you will escape from harm and be safe, and then you will not be afraid." It is surely better to use only three words: "Do only that!" This simple statement is perfectly clear, easily understood and very easily remembered. (T-6.V.3)

Lately some students have asked for a simplification of what they must do to “accept the atonement” for themselves and to be at peace. A Course in Miracles teaches you certain habits in the Workbook, and emphasizes certain behaviors throughout, and I have distilled these into what I call the “Four Habits for Inner Peace”. These habits are what I developed for myself first by falling back on them during “trying” times, and then by choice all the time because of the peace they brought me. By putting these habits first your life will be simpler and every part of your life will unfold naturally and easily from them.

The goal is to become only these habits. As you develop these habits you will naturally encounter your obstacles to peace. The habits themselves will help you work through the obstacles by motivating you to accept peace instead of fear. All of these habits work together to support the other habits and can be developed simultaneously, though you may wish to emphasize one habit over the others until you feel you begin to “get it”.

Commune With God Daily
Prayer is an offering; a giving up of yourself to be at one with Love. (S-1.I.5)

By “commune” I mean to just be with God. This is true prayer. You sit somewhere where you will not be disturbed, you close your eyes and you quiet your mind. You let all thoughts go by and sink into the quiet at the center of your mind. You are not asking for anything; you are not seeking anything. You are just opening yourself to God without conditions. This is the most important thing you do every day. This alone will cause amazing shifts toward peace within you.

Practice the Holy Instant Throughout the Day
I will be still an instant and go home. (W-182)

This is a mini version of communing with God. At various times throughout the day – just as the Workbook teaches you – step out of the world for an instant and remember you are in God. You don’t have to set up a rigid schedule. Just whenever you stop being busy and have a moment. You can even develop this habit of stepping out of the world and remembering your Oneness with God in the midst of busy-ness and noisiness. As this becomes a habit an awareness of God stays with you when you return to the world and you won’t have to make a point to step out so often – you are already “there”.

Extend Love to Keep Love in Your Awareness
Teach only love, for that is what you are. (T-6.I.13)

When you have established a relationship with God and feel that connection throughout the day, you feel whole and complete. Because you are resting in love, you automatically extend love. But until you have that feeling of wholeness, you must consciously choose to overlook your projections of ego and to look on God’s love instead. Extending love is how you keep love in your awareness and remember you are love.

Let the Holy Spirit Lead You
I will step back and let Him lead the way. (W-155)

There is no point in developing a relationship with God if you are going to remain separate from God. You may have moments of peace, but you will still be conflicted most of the time. Developing this habit takes the most time because you will resist this habit the most. You must let go of your personal (ego) goals and leave all judgments and decisions to the Holy Spirit. This requires that you sort out what is ego and what is the Holy Spirit in your mind (see Development of Trust). When you practice the holy instant and remember to let the Holy Spirit lead, you can be certain you are being guided even when you do not seem to feel it.

One of the first obstacles you will encounter as you try to put these habits into play is goals other than God. When you get confused, remember you only have to practice these four habits, and nothing else, no matter what is going on in your life or in which stage of awakening you are. As you experience the peace they bring, you will be motivated more and more to put them in the center of your life. When you become these habits you will truly be an instrument of God.

The full acceptance of salvation as your only function necessarily entails two phases; the recognition of salvation as your function, and the relinquishment of all the other goals you have invented for yourself. (W-65.1)” (Cronkhite, 2007b)

Stay tuned for Part Two….

REFERENCES:

Cronkhite, E. A. (2007a). Development of trust. Retrieved on 17 August 2009 from http://acimmentor.blogspot.com/2007/09/development-of-trust.html .

Cronkhite, E. A. (2007b). The four habits for inner peace. Retrieved on 17 August 2009 from
http://acimmentor.blogspot.com/2007/10/four-habits-for-inner-peace.html .

Schucman, H. and Thetford, W. (2007). A course in miracles: Combined volume. Third edition. Mill Valley, CA: Foundation for Inner Peace.

Swedenborg, E. (1911). Apocalypse explained (J. Whitehead Trans.). Retrieved on 14 August 2009 from http://www.sacred-texts.com/swd/ae/index.htm . (Original work written 1757-9) AE

Wilson, W. et. al. (2001). Alcoholics Anonymous. Fourth edition. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. (Original work published 1939)

Forgiveness

2009-08-05T21:59:00.012-04:00

“Who can bestow upon another what he does not have? And who can share what he denies himself? (A Course In Miracles, T-27.V.1.8-9)

First, let’s ask Mr. Webster the meaning of “forgive”. He replies that to forgive is, “to give up resentment against or the desire to punish; [to] stop being angry with; [or to] pardon” (Laird, 2002).

Now, let’s take a look at forgiveness from several other points of view. Specifically, from the literature of Alcoholics Anonymous, A Course In Miracles, and Emanuel Swedenborg.

In a 1946 letter, A.A. co-founder Bill W. wrote describing the utilization of self-examination in the practice of forgiving others. The ability to see (in ourselves) the same or similar attributes that we are condemning in others makes the forgiving easier. He says:

“So, nowadays, if anyone talks to me so as to hurt, I first ask myself if there is any truth at all in what they say. If there is none, I try to remember that I too have had my periods of speaking bitterly of others; that hurtful gossip is but a symptom of our remaining emotional illness; and consequently that I must never be angry at the unreasonableness of sick people…. Under very trying conditions I have had, again and again, to forgive others – also myself.” (Wilson, 1967, Bill W.’s 1946 letter)

In the 12 Step process the practice of forgiveness comes heavily into play in Step Five. Admitting the exact nature of our wrongs in an open and honest way makes forgiveness more possible. On Step Five Bill W. writes:

“This vital Step was also the means by which we began to get the feeling that we could be forgiven, no matter what we had thought or done. Often it was while working on this Step with our sponsors or spiritual advisers that we first felt truly able to forgive others, no matter how deeply we felt they had wronged us. Our moral inventory had persuaded us that all-round forgiveness was desirable, but it was only when we resolutely tackled Step Five that we inwardly knew we'd be able to receive forgiveness and give it, too.” (Wilson, 1986, pp. 57-58)

Receiving God’s forgiveness is addressed in Step Six as follows:

“If we ask, God will certainly forgive our derelictions. But in no case does He render us white as snow and keep us that way without our cooperation. That is something we are supposed to be willing to work toward ourselves. He asks only that we try as best we know how to make progress in the building of character. So Step Six--"Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character"--is A.A.'s way of stating the best possible attitude one can take in order to make a beginning on this lifetime job.” (Wilson, 1986, p. 65)

Later on in the 12 Step process (Steps 8 and 9) there will be more working with forgiveness and other people – getting forgiveness from those who have been harmed by our behavior and giving it to those who have harmed us. In making amends to those we have harmed the rule seems to be that we should take a balanced approach devoid of any accusatory spirit of blame. Bill writes:

“In all these situations we need self-restraint, honest analysis of what is involved, a willingness to admit when the fault is ours, and an equal willingness to forgive when the fault is elsewhere. We need not be discouraged when we fall into the error of our old ways, for these disciplines are not easy. We shall look for progress, not for perfection.” (Wilson, 1986, p. 91)

“If we are sorry for what we have done, and have the honest desire to let God take us to better things, we believe we will be forgiven and will have learned our lesson. If we are not sorry, and our conduct continues to harm others, we are quite sure to drink. We are not theorizing. These are facts out of our experience.” (Wilson, 1976, p. 70)

Sometimes, those to whom amends are to be made have been so damaged that they cannot find the peace and resolution of forgiveness in themselves and the relationship cannot be completely mended. If we are sure we have done everything we reasonably could to create a better relationship we can then, as they say, let go and let God. Perhaps the final A.A. word on forgiveness is contained in the following quote.

“When we developed still more, we discovered the best possible source of emotional stability to be God Himself. We found that dependence upon His perfect justice, forgiveness, and love was healthy, and that it would work where nothing else would.” (Wilson, 1986, p. 116)

So, how does the “Course” see forgiveness? Well, the first thing to know about “forgiveness” from A Course In Miracles’ point of view is that – guess what? – “forgiveness” doesn’t mean what you think it means! That’s right, as with most of the rest of the Course’s terminology, you have to relearn what “forgiveness” means. In case you were wondering, yes, that was a complaint – an “attack thought” (I suppose) – but really, why can’t we all just agree on the meaning of terms anyhow!? We all have had English dictionaries all of our lives, right? Life in this illusory world that doesn’t really exist would be so much simpler if all words meant the same thing to all people. OK, thanks for “letting” me share (as if you could stop me).

Liz Cronkhite, A Course In Miracles mentor, explains it well (my confession is I would be utterly lost without Liz who is a very long-term student of the Course). She says:

“The world’s version of forgiveness is “You have done this to me, but I am going to let it go.” But the Course teaches us that forgiveness recognizes nothing has happened. This requires a shift in perception away from this world as reality to the Oneness of God as Reality. Ultimately, you only forgive once and it is yourself you forgive for your illusions. Until then, you are basically preparing for this step.” (Cronkhite 2006.1.4)

So, as we “prepare for this step”, let’s look at a few more things that the Course says about forgiveness.

“Forgiveness… is an illusion… [which] leads away from error and not towards it” (Schucman, 2007, C-3.1.1, 3 and 4). It “ends all suffering and loss” (Schucman, 2007, W.249.heading). It is… “the bridge to Heaven” (Schucman, 2007, C-3.5.1 and 3). And, it is still, “and quietly does nothing. It offends no aspect of reality, nor seeks to twist it to appearances it likes. It merely looks, and waits, and judges not” (Schucman, 2007, W-pII.1.4.1-3).

As I read these descriptions of “forgiveness” (all of which basically work for me), I still find myself craving the “You have done this to me, but I am going to let it go” worldly version. I have found bigness, love, divinity, and peace in the practice of the worldly version – in both giving it and receiving it. It’s a version which acknowledges the reality of the pain and hurt we often cause each other as well as, dare I say it, the “separateness”. With all this "Course" work being done to achieve “Oneness” may we not be throwing out the baby with the bathwater? What if the natural world IS real - although less real than the spiritual world? What if spiritual ideas cannot be adequately expressed in natural language? What if the sometimes nonsensical and incomprehensible text of the Course is what happens when you try to express real spiritual ideas using natural language? What if the truth is that we never lose our sense of “I-ness” to eternity? What if we will always have an “own” or, as my favorite revelator Swedenborg says, a “proprium” - albeit a heavenly one? What if our “separateness” is part of the very purpose of the Divine design of the creation (a heaven from the human race) rather than a Divine ‘woops I didn’t mean to do that and now let’s have an atonement to undo it’ thing?

What if the natural world is real and the spiritual world (within the natural world and from which it continually springs) is even more real? And what if the Divine itself (both inmostly within and around the natural and the spiritual) is the most real? Once created (conceived), the human mind, although easy to damage, is ultimately indestructible and lives forever. I know, I know – there I go again with a rant....

It is the Divine Human of the Lord (in Course terms “the Son”) which is inmostly in all created things that allows for the possibility of the Oneness we can sense as “real” (Swedenborg, 1969, DLW 285). Other words for “Oneness” could be “connection”, “conscious contact”, “community” and “fellowship”. The God in me sees the God in you to eternity. But why stop there with just our 'two Gods' looking at each other? I too can learn to increasingly see the God in you – if I practice and train my “self” to do so and ask the Lord for help in doing it. The Course says, “To forgive is to overlook. Look, then, beyond error and do not let your perception rest upon it, for you will believe what your perception holds” (T-9.IV.1).So, I can overlook the error and as Cronkhite says, “take the situation in [my] mind to [the] Holy Spirit. Be willing to let go of what you think you already know and ask for another way to perceive the situation” (Cronkhite 2006.1.4)

While I love these ideas, I find the Course’s idea that ultimately the only forgiveness that needs to happen is the forgiving of oneself for having illusions is just not entirely satisfying. Is that my ego talking? I suppose eternity will tell….

A cyber word search of Swedenborg’s massive theological writings for the words “forgive” and “forgiveness” yields about 125 hits each – not much considering the size of his works. Swedenborg’s message on the subject can be seen as being relatively simple in comparison to the complexity of his other doctrines.

A fairly comprehensive Swedenborgian idea on the subject of the forgiveness of a person’s “sins” by the Lord will be seen in the next two citations:

“The Divine Energy and Operation, which are meant by the Holy Spirit, are, in general, reformation and regeneration; and in accordance with these, renovation, vivification, sanctification and justification; and in accordance with these latter, purification from evils, forgiveness of sins, and finally salvation. These in their order are the energies made operative by the Lord in those who believe in Him, and who adjust and dispose themselves for His reception and indwelling; and this is done by means of Divine truth, and with Christians by means of the Word....” (Swedenborg, 1988, TCR 142)

“I have heard from heaven that the Lord forgives to everyone his sins, and never takes vengeance nor even imputes sin, because He is love itself and good itself; nevertheless, sins are not thereby washed away, for this can be done only by repentance. For when He told Peter to forgive until seventy times seven, what will not the Lord do?” (Swedenborg, 1988, TCR 409)

If the forgiveness of the Divine is to be enjoyed by the recipient of it there must be a cessation of the harmful behaviors, attitudes, and thoughts. Mind-change or 'metanoia' in the Greek (translated as “repentance” in the Bible) is a prerequisite for experiencing the forgiveness of God. As Swedenborg expressed it, forgiveness and repentance not only go hand-in-hand,
“… repentance precedes forgiveness, and apart from repentance there is no forgiveness” (Swedenborg, 1949, DP 280). If we are in negative states of mind how could we possibly experience the peace and joy of forgiveness? I think that's the point.

When it comes to people forgiving other people, Swedenborg is very clear that forgiveness is a major part of the practice of loving-kindness or ‘charity’. When discussing this forgiveness, he repeatedly refers to that part of the New Testament where Peter asks the Lord how many times he should forgive a person who does harm and the answer is not seven times but seventy times seven. In the following quote Swedenborg explains that seventy times seven doesn’t really mean four hundred and ninety times (which would be silly when you think about it) but in the allegorical language of the Bible the numbers mean ‘that the forgiving should be without end, or… eternal, which is holy.’

“… the Lord said that a man should forgive his brother not until seven times, but until seventy times seven (Matt. 18:22), by which is meant that they should forgive as many times as he sins, so that the forgiving should be without end, or… eternal, which is holy.” (AC 433)

So spiritually, forgiveness is a very big deal. That forgiveness is part of charity or loving kindness can be seen in these straightforward quotes:

“… those who forgive and give to others… are impelled by the goodness of charity.” (DP 334)

“… to forgive one who sins against you is of charity….” (AE 746:15)

“Internal people, as the angels of heaven are, do not wish the retaliation of evil for evil, but from heavenly loving-kindness they forgive freely….” (AE 556:8)

“… it is by command of the church that everyone ought to forgive his brother or neighbor…” (AC 6561)

Finally, to wrap up this little post, I would like to share what I consider to be the best definition of “forgiveness” I have ever seen. Swedenborg writes:

“… to forgive is not to regard anyone from evil but from good….” (AC 7697)

To regard someone “from good” means to see them the way the Lord sees them – for He is Good Itself.

References:

Cronkhite, E. A. (2006.1.4). Forgiveness. Las Vegas, NV: ACIM Mentor. Retrieved on 7.27.2009 from http://acimmentor.blogspot.com/2006/01/forgiveness.html

Cronkhite, E. A. (2007). Understanding a course in miracles. Las Vegas, NV: ACIM Mentor.

Laird, C. et. al. eds. (2002). Webster’s new world dictionary and thesaurus. Second edition. New York: Hungry Minds, Inc.

Schucman, H. and Thetford, W. (2007). A course in miracles: Combined volume. Third edition. Mill Valley, CA: Foundation for Inner Peace.

Swedenborg, E. (1949). Divine providence (Wm. Dick & E. J. Pulsford Trans.). London: The Swedenborg Society. (Original work published 1764) DP

Swedenborg, E. (1960). The apocalypse explained (J. Whitehead Trans.). New York, NY: Swedenborg Foundation. (Original work written c. 1757-1759 and first published posthumously in the original Latin in 1870) AE

Swedenborg, E. (1965). Arcana coelestia (J. F. Potts Trans.). New York, NY: Swedenborg Foundation. (Original work published c. 1749-1756) AC

Swedenborg, E. (1969). Divine love and wisdom (C. & D. H. Harley Trans.). London: The Swedenborg Society. (Original work published 1763) DLW

Swedenborg, E. (1988). True Christian religion (J. Chadwick Trans.). London: The Swedenborg Society. (Original work published 1771) TCR

Wilson, W. (1967). As Bill sees it. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Wilson, W. et. al. (1976). Alcoholics Anonymous. Third edition. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. (Original work published 1939)

Wilson, W. (1986). Twelve steps and twelve traditions. New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (Original work published 1952)

Basic Principles of the Swedenborgian Religion

2009-08-04T17:42:00.004-04:00

By
Jeremy K. Finkeldey

Greetings blogfollowers! This one will not be so long and tedious as the others. A brief read after which you may or may not be a little better informed as to the nature of the religion derived from the theological writings of the 18th century mystic Emanuel Swedenborg. This religion is alive and well today globally with three branches. Having been born and raised in the branch headquartered in Bryn Athyn, PA, I must confess to being heavily influenced by Swedenborg's theological doctrines. That does not mean that I don't appreciate other religions. In fact, I see myself as being an "Interfaith Swedenborgian" meaning that I look for and find the good in every religion. I believe this is the essential practice that will eventually create a peaceful world in which our descendants can live. Please feel free to join my Facebook group which I have named "Lay Interfaith Leaderless Alliance" (LILA for short). If you're a Facebook member become one. Then, click on this link to join the movement that will eventually make a peaceful takeover of the world and help the Lord's kingdom to arrive in the here and now.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=83792248718

The "Swedenborgian religion" is also known as the "New Church" and is sometimes referred to as the "New Jerusalem" which is a reference to the "New Jerusalem" mentioned in Revelation 21:9-27. It is a fact that Swedenborg (1688-1772) himself never intended for a religion to be founded in his name. He was called by the Lord to write and publish the doctrines of the New Church soon to be raised up by the Lord both among the "gentiles" (non-Christians) and among those of the Christian persuasion who were able to receive and understand those doctrines. He saw himself as a humble servant of the Lord. Swedenborg wrote his works in Latin as was fairly common with intellectual works in his day. Swedenborgian and Latin scholar Rev. Dr. Jonathan S. Rose writes, "These theological volumes were the product of more than two decades of labor. They comprised eighteen separate and quite distinctive works in twenty-five quarto volumes totaling about three and a half million words -- researched, composed, published, and (for the most part) distributed by Swedenborg himself." Additional theological works by Swedenborg have been published posthumously by his readers. To clarify what the principles of the Swedenborgian religion are I will quote from Swedenborg's work "True Christianity" translated by Rev. Dr. Rose. Listed in that work in paragraph number three, subsection two, are the specifics of faith on a person's part in the "new heaven and the new church". They read as follows:

1) There is one God, the divine Trinity exists within him, and he is the Lord God the Saviour Jesus Christ.

2) Believing in him is a faith that saves.

3) We must not do things that are evil -- they belong to the Devil and come from the Devil.

4) We must do things that are good -- they belong to God and come from God.

5) We must do these things as if we ourselves were doing them, but we must believe that they come from the Lord working with us and through us.

At that same reference Swedenborg makes the point that, "the first two points have to do with faith, the second two have to do with goodwill (sometimes translated as "charity"); and the fifth has to do with the partnership between goodwill and faith, the partnership between the Lord and us" (True Christianity 3:2).

It needs to be understood that, although the "New Church" is decidedly christian in nature, it does not necessarily have to be overtly so with any given individual. Because it is essentially spiritual rather than rhetorical or even doctrinal, the deciding factor on where the Lord's church truly exists is good.

All good is from the Lord Jesus Christ and wherever good is -- there also is the Lord. This is what makes the Lord's church "universal" as Swedenborg often explains in his theological works. One of the things this means is that a verbal, doctrinal acknowledgement of the Lord Jesus Christ being the one God of heaven and earth is not necessarily a requirement of salvation. In fact, Swedenborg himself writes (in another of his theological works known as Divine Providence), "the means for salvation have been provided for everyone, and... heaven is such that all who have lived well, of whatever religion they may be, have a place there" (Divine Providence 330:4).

Swedenborg reports that if people live a good life according to the teachings of their own religious traditions they can easily be led to an acknowledgement of more specific truths in the spiritual world after the death of the body. He writes in his seminal theological work Arcana Coelestia (or "Heavenly Secrets"), "although they do not know the Lord while they are in the world they nevertheless have within themselves a worship and virtual acknowledgement of him when good exists within them, for the Lord is present within all good. For this reason also they acknowledge the Lord in the next life without difficulty, and receive the truths of faith better than Christians do in whom good is not so much present...." (Arcana Coelestia 3263:2).

Arguing about theological doctrine is not recommended by Swedenborg. He repeatedly says that while goodwill joins minds together "from many making one" arguing about points of doctrine has the opposite effect. In fact, he writes, "there are... many among the inhabitants of hell who have been more expert in matters of doctrine than anybody else. But those who have led lives of goodwill are all in heaven" (Arcana Coelestia 1515).

When it comes to spiritual practice most Swedenborgians would agree that practicing the good of love through usefulness to others essentially captures what the will of God is for everyone on planet earth.