For this Sunday post our question remains from yesterday, "What makes you feel alive?" Here is a link to a poem by contemporary poet David Whyte. It feels particularly relevant in the time of Pandemic, when many carry the burden of "crisis fatigue". (Susan Nettleton)
https://wordsfortheyear.com/…/sweet-darkness-by-david-whyte/
To contemplate and attend to our physical body as a spiritual practice also means waking up to a new sense of being alive. The Pandemic, understandably, has brought our collective and individual attention to a focus on illness and death, To move beyond this, much is required of us.
With all the changes and choices we are facing, let's not forget a vibrant awareness of our own aliveness. Perhaps the greatest attitude we can hold, is a renewed spirit of aliveness, that includes delight and enthusiasm. It may seem like an impossible task for now, but attending to our physical well-being is a beginning step. Aliveness is more than just the physical though, it is an energy that quickens our positive participation in life. This is not about rehearsing our fear of loss, but the affirmation of life and it's joy and beauty, the savoring of life's sweetness--even on lockdown.
Along with the questions to ask while listening to your body that I posted yesterday, consider this question by theologian, author and activist Rev. Howard Thurmond. (1899-1981)
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”― Howard Thurmond
The recent dramatic escalation of new Covid-19 cases has increased health anxiety. It seems a good time to remember that a spiritual focus in life includes an awareness and appreciation of our physical body. There are religious traditions that still teach that the highest spiritual states disregard the physical world and therefore they dismiss the human physical body as problematic to spiritual attainment, Yet, all major religions as well as indigenous spiritual traditions have their ways of physical healing.
One of the greatest gifts of my medical training was a new awareness of the complexity, intricacy and wondrous intelligence of the human body and it's regulatory systems. The way the body's parts fit together and function, the physiology, basic anatomy. and cellular processes still fascinate me. To me, study of the physical body is spiritual study; awareness of the body is spiritual awareness. The division is artificial.
With health anxiety, there is often an increased focus on the physical body, but a focus that comes from fear and fear-based watchfulness. We have been regularly informed of the growing list of symptoms of Covid-19 and different geographical areas have their criteria for testing. We are told to be watchful. But this is also good time to move beyond illness fear, and consider the spiritual significance of your body as part of your self care and part of your spiritual practice. What does your body have to communicate to you, beyond signals of contagion? What does it need right now? Conscious inner "scanning" the body while you remain in a relaxed state is another form of mindfulness meditation. As in other forms of mindfulness, you can give your attention to your body, listening with reverence and awe. (Susan Nettleton)
On Monday, in a Facebook and Twitter livestream program, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. A. Fauci, and the director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. F. Collins, both offered a reassuring message about American's ability to endure and come through the Pandemic. While they re-emphasized the importance of "the simple and straightforward" recommendations: wearing masks, social distancing, frequent hand washing, and avoiding cramped spaces indoors, they both spoke to the importance of attitude. Dr. Collins encouraged us all to have confidence in our ability to see the process through-- to "keep your optimism, your hope and do the right thing." Dr. Fauci urged people to stop the "binary" thinking that sees following health protocols as obstacles to reopening the economy and creates an attitude of "it's us against them". Rather, he emphasized seeing "the public health effort as a vehicle and a pathway to get to safe reopening” and the clarity to see that indeed, "we are all in this together".
It struck me how well their comments reinforce some of the ideas that I have presented here in these posts as essential to a spiritual focus in the Pandemic: Healing the Pandemic is a unitive process--Life's one movement bringing waves of change. Spiritually, we can choose to view this as one healing movement, or we can see it as endless conflict leading to doom.
We can continue to "feed the Light" as we affirm our personal health and resilience, and the continued supply of all that is needed to thrive. Then extend that affirmation to all. We can affirm our willingness and capacity to follow health practices with good judgement and wisdom as the pathway to "reopening" our lives and the lives of all. And we can affirm the creative possibilities that even now are revealing themselves to us and others, bringing unexpected solutions as our world heals. (Susan Nettleton)
For this Sunday's post, I propose a day of Peace. After all the fireworks and speeches, the contrasting images of yesterday, the case data reports, the warnings and dismissals, it's time to rest.
If your day does not allow for rest, then slow it down a bit. If you cannot slow it down, slow down in thought and emotions to find that point of Peace, the still point within you, a moment here, a moment there... That point doesn't really change location; it's within you wherever the day takes you. Unseen, new life is sprouting everywhere.
Here is a link to a poem by contemporary poet Marge Piercy--a starting point and itself a meditation on the unseen process of growth. (Peace, Susan Nettleton)
https://www.best-poems.net/marg…/the_seven_of_pentacles.html
Although today, the 4th of July, may bring to the forefront the conflicts that we have had to face in this time of Pandemic, this morning I woke up to the excitement of a pop-up parade announcement. A neighbor had just text the last minute announcement! We hurriedly dressed the kids in red, white and blue, found our masks and ran outside to wave and cheer the city's car parade rolling down our street. It was a touching testimonial to the creativity that hides in crisis.
Depending on where you live and the intensity of the Covid -19 surges, the day may be celebrated with an affirmation of tradition: picnics, barbecues, patriotic parades and fireworks. But there are many protests, "boycotts", and counter protests planned. While in those areas currently on the verge of Pandemic crisis, public events have been cancelled; many of us will be watching virtual fireworks. Inevitably, others will ignore the Covid-19 mandates to seek crowded parties and excitement. Through all these differences, we as a people strive to define and re-define American freedom as the devastating Pandemic continues to run wild.
To maintain a spiritual focus (and a center of calm that attends it), July 4th is a time to consider a spiritual perspective on freedom and independence. I have continued to emphasize our interdependency as we move through the Pandemic. This is a global Pandemic. The spiritual recognition of interdependency as a given in life is extremely important for the collective spirit needed for all of life to heal. Yet, each person is unique. The quality of uniqueness of the individual, contributes to the whole. Spiritual freedom is the freedom inherent in uniqueness that at the same time, is aware of itself as a partial expression of the Allness of life. It is that quality of life's expression that is not dependent on changing society to conform to oneself, nor changing oneself to conform to society. It simply is. So with spiritual freedom we step outside the struggle with the social order of things, and yet, we play our part. (Susan Nettleton)
To look at different sides of this kind of freedom, follow these links from our website:
https://hillsidesource.com/daily-thoughts/2018/6/25/spiritual-freedom (Larry Morris)
https://hillsidesource.com/affirmation-prayer-for-freedom-from-the-past (Susan Nettleton)
https://hillsidesource.com/daily-thoughts/2018/3/24/spiritual-independence (Larry Morris)
Today I am posting our Zoom information. If you would like a personal invite to our Zoom service, please email a request to hillsideew@aol.com. Those of you who have already emailed should have received confirmation and your invite.
"There will come a time when you believe everything is finished; that will be the beginning.” – Louis L’Amour
Yesterday, the state of California took several dramatic steps backwards for 19 counties, reversing reopening policies and re-instituting business and program closures in an urgent attempt to slow the escalating Covid-19 contagion. It was announced that the updated reversal would be in effect at least 3 weeks. In New Mexico, the public health policy that includes mandatory masks has been extended another 2 weeks. Several other states have had to halt reopening plans. All of these swift changes, along with the alarming rise in cases, has increased anxiety and fear for Americans. Most of the fear surrounds health but of course we recognize that again, closures will impact the economy. Financial fear co-mingles with illness fear. The other factor at work in this anxiety is time itself. Collectively, people are tired of waiting--and a particular type of waiting. Waiting with uncertainty. Waiting without control. Waiting in fear.
But is waiting such a difficult thing to do? Waiting runs counter to the pressured lives most people have been living prior to the Pandemic and runs counter to our business models of success. As part of our spiritual reflection on the financial fears, I again turn to some interesting thoughts by writer and spiritual philosopher, Alan Watts. Watts challenged the widely held image of the U.S. as a materialistic nation and culture. Rather, he countered that America actually has enmity toward materialism, pointing to two of the "measures" of the material world: time and space. We seemingly do not value time, because we are always busy trying to outrun it. We seemingly do not value space, because we are always trying to fill it up with more things and more people. Open ended time and open ended space are not comfortable. As Watts put it, "We want to get as fast as possible from one place to another; to get rid of space and to get rid of time." Yet, time and space are essential aspects of the material world. They are essential aspects of the Pandemic world as we adjust to ideas of social distancing and limiting possible viral exposure by spending less time in restrictive spaces with others. When I reread Watts on lockdown, I had a new sense of the wonder of time itself as something to be enjoyed (even in the process of waiting)--the exquisite passage of time, which is the flow of life. (Susan Nettleton)
"Stop measuring days by degree of productivity and start experiencing them by degree of presence." Alan Watts (The Wisdom of Insecurity)
"As muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone, it could be argued that those who sit quietly and do nothing are making one of the best possible contributions to a world in turmoil." Alan Watts (The Way of Zen)
For more thoughts on time from me on our website, follow the link:
https://hillsidesource.com/takingtime
One further thought today on the practice of gratitude. When we have discovered a well of gratitude within us, as a natural response to this Life of awe and wonder, we have found a source of assurance. Life is Good, All is Well. This is not the same as trying to reassure yourself, and not the same as trying to fix life, through prayer or through personal effort so that everything is ok. There is a time and place for self-reassurance as well as for personal participation in good works, but this is another level. It may be only a fleeting moment, an assurance that arises from gratitude and an appreciation of the Vast, Mystery of Life. It is certainly a motivation to continue a practice of gratitude.
I think it is one of the channels of visionary experiences expressed in the arts. Perhaps it is the root of hope-- and our capacity to image a better future. But the seed is gratitude for the beauty inherent in today.
Here is such a vision from 20th century English poet, A.S.J. Tessimond (1902-1962). It's oddly fitting for an idealistic daydream in the Pandemic world. It holds images that have potential for you, as an individual, to envision for yourself. Follow the link:
This Sunday's post is to extend yesterday's idea of practicing gratitude. When events are overwhelming, we can often recover our spiritual ground by focusing on the present moment and what is immediately at hand, rather than trying to take in and process the larger picture of unfolding developments on many fronts. If we are open, we can discover a sense of awe and wonder in the fabric of what is happening right now. Amazement lifts us out of a sense of repetitive disappointments, resentments and fears; ushers in gratitude.
As the Bay Area lockdown began in March 2020, the San Francisco Chronicle asked Mill Valley poet Jane Hirchfield if she would write a poem on her experience of the sweeping shelter-in-place mandate. She responded that just that morning, she had written it, before they asked.
This poem also serves as a reminder to not judge whatever level of positive participation you contribute in the healing of the Whole. Follow the link to the poem.
https://gratefulness.org/res…/today-when-i-could-do-nothing/
This morning's news reported an explosion of new Covid-19 cases across the Southern states, beyond even the surges that I wrote about just Thursday evening. On one hand, it is hardly surprising, given the ample warnings we have had from disease specialists that Covid-19 is far from over and will continue to worsen, if people ignore basic health protocols (masks, social-distancing, avoidance of crowds and enclosed spaces...). History tells us that Pandemics last longer than the few months we have so far endured. On the other hand, the strata of social disregard for public health and the damage it is bringing is shocking in the 21st century. Defiance remains an aspect of human behavior that we must face. We have gained the knowledge of effective ways of preventing excess tragedy, illness and loss, even if we cannot yet eradicate the virus. That's a good thing. What is required of us is difficult and frustrating for many people because in a time of great stress, people naturally seek distraction, companionship, and various ways of comfort in the company of others. Time will eventually bring an end to this Pandemic; but for now, the price of ignoring our hard won knowledge is high.
I have been mulling over all of this today, reflecting on how to 'feed the Light' in the face of frightening set backs that were preventable a few weeks ago. Over time, moving beyond the separation, coming to some understanding of human need and weakness, will bring compassion and eventually forgiveness. But pushing any of us to forgive in the face of the shifts and sudden crises, seems too much right now. What came to me instead, is the practice of gratitude. Norman Vincent Peale described forgiveness and gratitude as two sides of the same coin. When you find it difficult to forgive, turn the coin over and practice genuine gratitude for what is here, right now. It is not a stretch to dwell on gratitude and thanksgiving. In fact, it not only feeds the Light but also opens a door to clarity and renewed strength. Try spending the next few days in gratitude. (Susan Nettleton)
With that thought, I offer you this link (click here), to a poem by 20th century poet, e.e. cummings (1894-1962)
In America this week, we have seen sudden dramatic resurgence of Covid-19 related to re-opening of businesses and the failure to maintain the basic protection of masks, social distancing, and safer- at- home policies. Many areas still continue to strive for a balance between the need for isolation and the need for an economic revival that includes work-related income. Some regions have now backtracked away from the economic demand and encourage staying at home; some regions have opted for standstill--not taking any forward steps from their early attempts at reopening but not regressing either; many areas are still in watching/waiting mode, as cases rise. The question seems to be what are we, as a society, willing to risk: further economic disasters, or further health tragedies?
Yet there are no simple answers because these are not independent variables. They impact one another. Stay-at-home is about preventing illness. Illness is costly, financially and in other ways. If we are ill, we are not productive. We lose effectiveness: The body will come first or we simply cannot function. When we are talking about large numbers of a social body becoming ill, some requiring weeks and weeks of recovery time, and many who do not recover, entire industries are inevitably impacted--not by stay-at-home policies, but by overwhelming illness and death. At the same time, loss of income on a collective scale over time weakens the structure of a community that is dependent on the resources and stability businesses and jobs provide. In modern society, there is a clear cut relationship between lack of income and vulnerability to illness.
Moving through the Pandemic spiritually means seeing beyond any division in the process of healing. Again, these are not two competing processes; we are all interdependent. Looking beyond division also includes looking beyond the division of spiritual and material, of life and its Source. Individual reflection deepens as you look for what unifies. (Susan Nettleton)
One way to approach financial difficulty spiritually is to shift our idea of money as the ultimate solution. Money is the default solution of our society. But if money is indeed only a tool, then we are not getting to the root of our problem of need. Whenever your thought locks on to only one possibility, one solution to a problem, you continue to box yourself in tighter and tighter. You are not free to pursue or intuit creative possibilities beyond that one fixed idea, especially in this time of Pandemic with so many voices focused on selling you solutions that underneath echo both threat and fear.
Spiritual traditions for centuries have instead taught the concept of spiritual supply. They may not use that term, more common in New Thought, but the idea is there that God provides. The Source of life includes all that is needed for the maintenance of life. But the means and conditions of that maintenance are not dictated by creatures, nor in particular human beings, but by the nature of Creation and, I am adding by Life's ongoing creative capacity and process.
The more rigid our ideas about what is needed to maintain our own lives, the less accessible we are to the creative possibilities that exist within every situation. Spiritual supply is not about fretting about money. It's about openness, flexibility and positive expectation that what is needed in the specific moment or situation, is provided.
There is no easy path to that kind of faith, There are so many logical arguments that undercut it, in a fixed reinforcement of humanity's history of both accumulation and neglect. Individually though, we can practice faith in the generosity of Life and it's Source. We can pray for and accept supply that comes in ways we know and in ways we never expected, whenever we feel the need. We can dwell on our gratitude for all the ways our life has been sustained. And we can stay open to creative solutions as they unfold. (Susan Nettleton)
This Sunday’s post from British poet Edith Sitwell is an addition to last Sunday's text by Hindu Jnaneshwar on the Allness of God. It is reminder on Father's Day, that God, often envisioned as the Divine Father is that and more. This is a 5 1/2 minute video; the complete text of the poem is repeated at the very end. (Susan Nettleton)
Follow the link below
We examine the contents of our own beliefs and attitudes about money and finances to uproot ideas that feed fear and pessimism. This doesn't mean ignoring the facts or the numbers, but rather moving beyond the interpretations that we are rehearsing. We come to see our own history in the context of culture and commercialism, as well as our spirituality. If we want to be open solutions and a path of financial well-being, then it makes sense to maximize our strengths and let go of ideas and practices that do not support our intent. Again, we learn to control what we can control and not wring our hands in worry about what we cannot control.
Contrary to the idea that money is the focus of financial well-being, from a spiritual perspective, money is a man-made construct. Money is not part of the natural order of life. It is a man-made abstraction, an extension or tool to control what is a natural process: the exchange of goods and services between people. Ultimately this is an aspect of the life principles of exchange, circulation and reciprocity that operate on many levels of life: environmentally, physiologically, chemically, emotionally, the activity of communication--even the natural regulatory mechanisms between people and other forms of life.
Money seems so real and fundamental, but actually it is an abstraction Early cultures lived by barter trade. At some point in ancient history, the market value of goods or services was standardized in the creation of money. Cash and coins had more of a concrete reality, but even then value often "floated". Now the construct of money is even more ephemeral; it is about numbers stored in accounts, managed through computer programs. It is no wonder that it continues to cause so much anxiety. Even if you still trade only in cash, there is no long-term social guarantee that cash is reliable.
Consider that a spiritual solution to financial difficulty may lay beyond the man-made level of money. That doesn't mean that resolution cannot come through money, it means that money is a tool. I am remembering a Zen quote, that is more about spiritual practice, not financial healing, but it's applicable here in spiritual practice during financial upheaval:
"To point at the moon a finger is needed, but woe to those who take the finger for the moon."
D.T. Suzuki (echoing Buddha's teaching)
The question of how to face economic upheaval from a spiritual perspective is not new, even though the Covid-19 Pandemic has brought uniquely complex hardships to the 21st century world. All religions address the relationship between the spiritual dimension, the material world, the world of work, and the necessary resources to sustain the life of the individual and the community. Underlying these principles is the idea of putting first things first: devotion and commitment to the Source of all things. This primary principle is supported by codes of ethics and morality as guides for navigating our relationships with others and handling life's resources.
Even though cultural climates may change from place to place and from religion to religion in a way that makes some practices seem strange to outsiders, there is the ring of concordance regarding "first things first "and standing on spiritual ground, right action, whatever the transaction. Yet, as humans in a maze of materialism, we can easily lose sight of our own values. We certainly live in a culture that easily forgets the solidity of these principles, often actively seeks to obscure them, and can openly disdain them. So the ground of economy and commerce shakes and sways with events.
Sometimes you have to return to solid ground alone, as an individual. You handle the fear and pressure, bit by bit, returning again and again to an affirmation of your resilience and competency, because Life is resilient and competent. There is no lack of resources for you, because you are infinitely Creative. You are intimately connected to all of life, in a magnificent economy of exchange, in a mysterious network of reciprocity, and one boundless Source of All. (Susan Nettleton)
“Suppose your whole world seems to rock on its foundations. Hold on steadily, let it rock, and when the rocking is over, the picture will have reassembled itself into something much nearer to your heart's desire.”
― Emmet Fox
As we move into summer, more specific guidelines as well as risk assessment scales for Covid-19 are being posted. At the same time, Covid-19 cases are dramatically rising in those states that rapidly re-opened and those areas with little regard for guidelines and risks.
In a way, the refined guidelines and scales are signs of our increased understanding of how the virus actually spreads through a community and affirmative of our capacity to make the changes that we must make to lessen contagion. While the reasons people resist these guidelines are many and complex, the urgent push to end "safer at home" policies is primarily driven by the fear of financial disaster. Realistically, millions of people have lost jobs (over 40 million have applied for unemployment in America alone) and many others' job future remains uncertain. The collective path before us now seems to be one of finding ways to maintain the practices that can limit spread of the virus while at the same time enabling society to "return to work" and commerce in order to bolster the economy.
How do we face economic upheaval, from a spiritual perspective? You and I as individuals are not going to solve the conundrum of global economics in a global pandemic and it's ripple effects through local communities, families and individuals. But as has been the way of these posts, we can still apply spiritual principles of consciousness and positive participation. And we can open our inner doors to receive insight and guidance for our own financial stability.
One place to begin is to bring our financial well-being into our spiritual reflection on our core values. This is not as superfluous as it may sound, because we carry many beliefs and expectations that are not from our deepest sense of self. Rather we have all been indoctrinated in one way or another about money, about jobs, about material goods, about what we should want and supposedly need. We carry attitudes about others who have more money than we do and those who have less. We carry our religious upbringing and/or spiritual approaches toward money and work that may or may not be compatible with our own longings, fears and sense of responsibility.
To move through this life changing, social/culturally changing, and economically changing time, with a deep sense of peace, means seeing as clearly as we can, for ourselves, what things matter most now.
No one can tell you that...only the intelligence of your innermost heart. That is where we begin to build. (Susan Nettleton)
For this Sunday, I turn to two passages from Jnaneshwar, the "King of Saints", poet, philosopher and yogi of India. In his short life span, Jnanseshwar was the first to translate the Bhagavad Gita, written in the then secret sacred language of Sanskrit. in Marathi, a common language, making the text widely available. He then wrote a brilliant commentary in over 9,000 verses which remains a classic text in Avaita Vedanta (non dualism) philosophy. These passages are from Two Suns Rising, A Collection of Sacred Writings, by Jonathan Star (1992). (Susan Nettleton)
Jnaneshwar (1271-1293)
Krishna:
"If it is said that I am concealed by the existence of the world, then who is it that blossoms in the form of the world? Can a red jewel be concealed by its own luster? Does a chip of gold lose its goldness if turned into an ornament? Does a lotus lose itself when it blossoms into so many petals? When a seed of grain is sown and grows into an ear of corn, is it destroyed or does it appear in its enhanced glory? So there is no need to draw the curtain of the world away in order to have my vision, because I am the whole panorama."
"Therefore, giving up the conception of difference, a person should know Me alongside himself. He should not regard himself as different from Me, as a speck of gold is not different from the whole block of gold. He should understand well how a ray of light, though proceeding from an origin, is continuous with it. Like molecules on the surface of the earth, or flakes of snow on the Himalaya, all individual souls dwell in Me. A ripple, small or great, is not different from water. So he should know himself as not different from Me. Such insight is call Devotion. This is the supreme knowledge the essence of all Yoga."
And from the Bible:
"I am the vine, ye are the branches." (John 15:5)
Earlier this week, I wrote about the shift from the medical/psychological concept of spirituality as a 'component of wellness', to a spiritual healing perspective, where the spiritual is the ground of wellness. There is a similar shift that happens with meditation. We begin with meditation being one of our "healthy" activities, but at a certain point, meditation practice begins to shift to being central to our life, that core out of which the rest of our daily life proceeds.
From a public health point of view though, especially during this Pandemic and the weight of the sheer magnitude of the consequences of Covid-19, it makes sense to encourage people to maintain basic health practices along with the special protocols of masks, social distancing and hand-washing. There are different models for wellness, but one that is researched-based prescribes the five components of: a mindfulness or meditation practice, a healthy diet (nutrition), sleep, exercise, and social connections. Interestingly, all five practices, when done consistently over time, have been shown to reduced inflammation. Medical research has demonstrated inflammatory processes play a role in a variety of illness, including Covid-19.
These are all still emerging ideas within medical and mental health science, but worth our re-evaluating the ways that we take care of ourselves, whether we are in lock-down or re-entry mode. Along with the centrality of meditation, some consistent practice of nutrition, sleep, exercise and social connection--wellness practices and routines-- help our lives have a consistency that bridges the times of stability and the times of disruption. (Susan Nettleton)
For those of you who did not receive an email with this information on a Hillside Zoom Sunday Service, here's the preliminary info. (No scheduled date yet; if you want an individual invite, email us)
JOIN US ONLINE
“There will come a time when you believe everything is finished; that will be the beginning.” – Louis L’Amour
After much consideration of the changes the Covid-19 Pandemic has brought to our communities, I plan to offer a Zoom online Sunday Service. Unfortunately, Zoom communication does not lend itself to traditional mail. I am asking any who are interested in meeting online to email the church at hillsideew@aol.com. That will allow us to email Zoom invitations with the meeting registration number, the I.D. and passwords. Notices for Online Services will not be mailed. If you don't have email, or have limited computer access or are new to Zoom, you can find information, schedule, and phone no. for call-in at hillsidesource.com/Zoom. Schedule information, when available, will be on our office answering machine message at (505) 254-2606. It will also be posted on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheHillsideSource/, where I post spiritual support during the Pandemic. For those who do not use facebook, we will upload all posts to the website at: https://hillsidesource.com/the-still-point-of-the-pandemic-….
The Pandemic brings many changes to our lives that are painful and no one knows how long the Pandemic will last and how long these changes will last. Spiritual practice is a key to adapting and healing, as Hillside continues to be a support in your spiritual journey. Peace, Susan
The Hillside Source is an online resource project of Hillside Community Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico.