Growth......... I’m always amazed by the ocean. I can remember as a young man talking about the nature of the universe with Jim Adametez, another six year old that lived up the street. We’d discuss the nature of the sun, moon and all natural phenomenon as our little minds would entertain. I remember our discussing the ocean one day. As we discussed, a vision of the drain at the bottom of the local swimming pool came into my mind. I wondered if such drain existed for the ocean. I genuinely looked for same as a youth at Destin, Florida on family vacations. Those search expeditions never revealed any drains, but they sure did a lot for my fascinations with those huge bodies of water. The waves are what interest me most these days. Perpetually in motion, as they have been for millions of years. One Is created miles and miles out into the open sea. It travels at varying speeds under most all conditions. It can be easily followed by the eye, measured by a host if instruments, and then dissected, like any other natural occurrence. It ultimately hits the shore and disappears. Like things on the quantum level, to hold it static long enough to observe it destroys it. It appears, disappears, and is inevitably replaced by another, and another, and another. Can a single wave even exist? Is there such a thing as one wave? Each one, over the millennia, looks just like those that came before, yet we know that no two are exactly alike in all respects. Observed from the beach, they blend into a continuum. To try and stop them or to battle with them is, of course, futile. It is these qualities that remind me of spirituality. We live in a world that we perceive as deterministic. Newtonian physics pretty much explains all that we come in contact with. With enough discipline and determination we can know a great deal about the physical world around us. The natural sciences are a joy to study and understand. There is no power quite like that of knowledge. In the psychological and spiritual realms, of course, things are not nearly as neat and orderly. Psychology has made great strides in the past 150 years for sure. We may never understand everything in this area, but we sure will continue to improve our understanding by the looks of present academic dissertations. In the area of metaphysics, however, we do not seem to have made such radical progress. Since the renaissance period natural sciences and psychology have progressed at a blistering rate. Spirituality, however, has just stayed stuck in the traditions of the past. Sure, the church has changed, worship has changed, and we have made great progress in understanding one another’s faith. When it comes to the actual interaction with the Numinous, however, we are still stuck in the dark ages. This is completely ironic since we have made quantum leaps in the study of consciousness and life after death. Dr. Morris’ book, Guided by the Light, on near death experiences of children, has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the release of the conscious mind during the death process is the same regardless of religious teaching or country of origin. The pioneering work of Michael Newton, PhD. On life between lives has been stunning in its findings. The consciousness studies programs at the University of Arizona are breaking new ground constantly in this field. It seems to me that all of the evidence for those things that Jesus spoke of two thousand years ago, is starting to surface all around us and those that should be the greatest apologists for such revelation, and cheering from the rooftops, are instead asleep at the wheel. I see a vision of a bunch of high school physics kids building a reactor in the basement of some University in 1945, with the professors upstairs debating the possibility of fusion even being possible. It is my opinion that we are entering an era where great strides will be made in metaphysics just as they have been made in the other disciplines. These strides, however, will not progress on a linear curve. Instead, they will come in fits and spurts. There will be a period of study followed by a period of revelation. In each case some of the mystery will be revealed to us collectively as a people. Over generations we will develop a new way of understanding and interacting with the Numinous. The church will, as it has done for centuries, get in the way of progress. Just like generations past we will gently nudge it aside, respect it for past contributions, yet largely ignore it as we move forward in this new awareness. Each period of enlightenment will be yet another wave on the shore. Each wave will enlighten us a bit at a time, and over generations they will gradually change humanity just as the waves on the beach eventually change the landscape. The key for you and I is to be ready for these changes and ready to do our part to effect change. We will have our own personal wave action of a sort as we study, reflect, listen and then modify our beliefs and behaviors. We will stick to the basics of our spiritual beliefs and indeed probably discover some of the basics that we have heretofore ignored. As we are about this, other faiths will be undergoing similar changes. Ultimately, I would imagine, that like Muhammed, Abraham, and Jesus….. When we look to God we will discover that we are all looking at the same thing. Perhaps as we embrace this process, and as we begin to grow in how we relate to the Numinous, we will find that our sacred spaces become more important, because our faith will become more important. I sense that the mystery won’t fade, as we have for years hoped that it would. Instead, we will embrace it; not seeking the answers to all of our questions, but realizing that just having the questions and letting go of the struggle to answer them, is in itself the answer. We will realize that this process will be multi generational. We will never be able to live long enough to observe these changes as they come to fruition; that is obvious. We will, however, be able to become an agent for change and to do our part for the grand plan. Indeed, we may not be able to comprehend the workings of the ocean, but we darn sure can grow into one of the waves headed for the beach.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 12:34:45 +0000