August 22, 2020

Saint Hildegard of Bingen was one of the early visionary Christian mystics (1098-1179).  She was a German Benedictine abbess who also excelled as a writer, composer, philosopher, and polymath.  This particular excerpt has been read at Hillside many times.  I first encountered it in "Cries of the Spirit" edited by Marilyn Sewell, 1991.  Reading it again, in the context of the Pandemic and the California wildfires, I had a clearer insight into the way spiritual energy, the Divine Mystery, works creation through human hearts. We feel in our most prayerful moments, grasping for more or better, that we and our world are empty and in need of fulfillment, but perhaps our very longing is an essential aspect of the energy of life as it moves--pulling us, filling us and life around us--with the good. (Susan Nettleton)

Excerpts from Meditations with Hildegard of Bingen*

I am the one whose praise

echoes on high

I adorn all the earth

I am the breeze

that nurtures all things

green

I encourage blossoms to flourish with ripening fruits

I am led by the spirit to feed

the purest streams

I am the rain

coming from the dew

that causes the grasses to laugh

with the joy of life.

I call forth tears,

the aroma of holy work.

I am the yearning for good.

*edited by Gabrielle Uhlein 1983, by Bear & Company, Inc.

August 21, 2020

This is a reminder notice of this Sunday's Service Zoom talk.If you would like to receive Zoom invitations directly to your email, please email us at hillsideew@aol.com or through the website "contact us" tab at hillsidesource.com

Topic: The Mind of Truth by Dr. Susan Nettleton

Time: Sunday, Aug 23, 2020 11:00 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada), 10:00 AM Pacific

August 19, 2021

A friend of mine recently send me a quote by the great Indian Hindu sage, Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950).   Ramana's words are their own form of meditation.  If you find yourself unable to quieten and find that "still point", consider that not only all religions discharge themselves, but thoughts too will discharge themselves when you no longer wrestle with them.

"There is a state when

words cease and silence prevails.

Silence is the ocean

into which all the rivers

of all religions discharge themselves.

It is the speech of the Self.

That which is, is Silence."

                                                                               Ramana Maharshi

One final quote to remind us that the times of silence carry their own purpose and potential, perhaps especially in this time of Pandemic.  (Susan Nettleton)

"Silence does not mean negation of activity or stagnant inertness. It is not a mere negation of thoughts but something more positive than you can imagine."  Ramana Maharshi

August 16, 2020

As another aspect of silence, I am posting a link to Jack Correu's blog as he shows us the positive potential of silence in the space of relationships, especially when conflict arises! (Susan Nettleton)

https://hillsidesource.com/musings/2019/8/8/little-shack-stops-having-the-last-word

August 14, 2020

Tibetan Buddhist teacher and author Chogyam Trungpa described a spiritual process where “The bad news is you’re falling through the air, nothing to hang on to, no parachute.” “The good news is, there’s no ground.”  When you see through the illusions of belief patterns that we have clung to as certainty, as the ground of reality, it can be frightening to be in free-fall.  But the interior door has opened to a measureless space, and therefore, there's no danger of plummeting or a banging injury...instead, there is freedom. 

I have been thinking of this quote in terms of the seemingly "endlessness" of the Pandemic, which is another level of reality.  Yet, there is a similarity here.  It may feel like our lives are frozen while the Pandemic rages on, but to move forward when there is high risk, frightening possible consequences, and an uncertain future, can feel like falling though air.  As human beings, we have the capacity to build some kind of stable ground, eventually, even after we have crash-landed or things have fallen apart.  As an individual, consider this as a time to build your platform for the new, your ground that is flexible, cushioned, with some bounce to it.  Whether the Pandemic miraculously lasts just a few more weeks, or reigns for another year or two, what would you like to do or experience tomorrow, how do you want to be this weekend and down the road.  Look deeper for aspects to life that are not dependent on whether or not there is a Pandemic. Consider both goals of "doing" and goals of "being".  What can you do tonight or tomorrow that is a step of renewed life?  That is the space of freedom. (Susan Nettleton)

August 12, 2020

There is an article from nature.com that is recently being posted on medical sites, as well as in the general public, that offers various predictive models of how the Pandemic will "play out" in 2021 and beyond. It presents an overview of the known possible factors affecting the Pandemic:  human behavior preventions such as social distancing and masks (including the degree of human cooperation), the conditions of immunity (i.e. how long does natural immunity last?...we don't know), how the virus will be affected by winter and flu season and other seasonal viruses...we don't know), how new contact tracing programs will function, and what types of vaccine will emerge (when, where, for whom, and lasting how long?). 

The conclusion of the article is that the virus is likely to be with us, somewhere in the world, at different places, at varying times, for an indefinite period (likely some years) beyond 2020.  Numbers and severity of cases will continue to be affective by different variables, including the age distribution of the population of a given city or community.  Although we have behavioral tools to reduce the spread, how to actually induce human behavior to do what is necessary, remains fragile and, again, uncertain. While the article offers some interesting data, predictive models,  and constructs, we are left with uncertainty.

Hence we have the idea of "learning to live with" Covid-19 at least for "some time".  The burden of this conclusion though, is softened with the clarity that social distancing, masks and hand washing, when done by at least 50 -65% of the population, make a significant difference in the spread.  The article also offers possible breakthroughs in overcoming the pandemic--if immunity turns out to be long lasting and/or a significant long term vaccine is produced.  So there are possibilities of hope.

I write all this to add a spiritual perspective.  The article does not mention the possibility of new, undiscovered, or creative mitigating factors.  While we must pursue scientific solutions with intelligence and discipline, there is so much more involved in this healing and in maintaining health.  That "more" begins with open minds AND open hearts that can envision beyond the known.  And not losing sight that this a global pandemic, we can continue to focus on ways we can enhance our own lives and the lives of others with renewed stamina, new hope, and new possibilities.

"In the stillness of the quiet, if we listen, we can hear the whisper of the heart giving strength to weakness, courage to fear, hope to despair."  Howard Thurman

For further thoughts on Hope by Dr. Larry Morris from our website, follow the link below:

https://hillsidesource.com/daily-thoughts/2018/3/17/hope

August 9, 2020

This poem, also from On This Sweet Earth, takes the relationship between nature and silence further.  But the poetic desert is more than the landscape--spiritually, the desert can be an inner state of barrenness, when we doubt, are world weary and spiritually dry.   Perhaps that is our path to a deeper realization.  The link below the poem carries the thought further, with a reminder:  The stillness of nature is the stillness within us. The peace that it offers is discovered through a simple daily practice.  (Susan Nettleton)

"Silence in the Desert"  by Larry Morris

I hear someone hammering in the distance                                                                                  

and think of the spiritual life that has chipped away                                                                            

at me all these long years.

Does the desert have a soul or                                                                                                                    

is it just sun and sky,                                                                                                                     

hardly any movement                                                                                                                       

and so much silence.

So quiet even the bird                                                                                                                           

is reluctant to speak.

Do we hear God in that silence                                                                                                           

or just ourselves.                                                                                                                              

Who is it that speaks when we listen.                                                                                                   

Do we go to the desert to find God or                                                                                             

does God lead us to the desert                                                                                                              

to find ourselves?

Follow the link to more by Larry Morris at                                                                                  

https://hillsidesource.com/daily-thoughts/2018/3/22/stillness

August 8, 2020

This evening I am posting a poem from On This Sweet Earth by Larry Morris.  It takes us to another aspect of silence and  hints of the connection between silence, stillness and nature. (Susan Nettleton)

"Transformation"  by Larry Morris

Silence is not the absence                                                                                                                         

of noise                                                                                                                                              

it's a different kind                                                                                                                                  

of noise                                                                                                                                             

that pierces the heart.

The little bird in the

evening                                                                                                                                   

stillness                                                                                                                                                             

is saying                                                                                                                                                   

let go

let go                                                                                                                                                                

then stops.

When silence seeps                                                                                                                                        

into your bones                                                                                                                                         

you'll

never                                                                                                                                                                 

be                                                                                                                                                        

the same.

August 6, 2020

Because meditative silence is a form of disengagement from the external world and its sensory input, it is linked to the idea of the unseen and the dark.  I am not referring to "the dark" in terms of emotional or moral "darkness", but rather to dark that implies rest and protection.  I have written quite a bit about the spiritual focus of feeding the light and now in our exploration of silence, I touch the idea that the light can be fed by times of the "dark" as the unseen, the unheard. 

Rilke wrote, "What we owe to silence, makes our ripening exact."  Whenever I think of this quote, I think of a tomato, ripening in a paper bag.  The tomato produces its own ethylene gas to promote ripening; the bag provides the containment of the gas and protects the tomato, while still allowing air flow.  The unseen, the dark is also an aspect of the creative process of new life, in gestation as the embryo "ripens" toward birth, and the seed, hidden in underground darkness, sprouts and pushes upward to receive the light of the sun.  Rilke's quote is actually translated into English from his German translation of a French poem, "Palm" by Paul Valéry.  Another, direct English translation of the "Palm" poem reads Valery's idea as:

Patience, patience,...

Every atom of silence

Is a seed of ripeness!

For both poets, Rilke and Valery, silence in solitude is an essential part of the creative process. It is a time of waiting,... of becoming... and an unseen ripening.  Trust that your fruits of meditation "self-ripen" in silence.  Our part is to "attend".

Rilke (Duino Elegies) advises:

"Be alert for any sign of beauty or grace. Offer up every joy, be awake at all moments to the news that is always arriving out of silence."

August 5, 2020

I have been considering different aspects of silence, since I am encouraging meditative silence as a spiritual antidote to the Pandemic noise of jarring news and controversy.  Meditation of course offers more than respite from information overload, and as a Zen adage cautions, "when it's noisy, don't disturb the noise."  We don't want to add to our challenge of finding calm in the Pandemic storm by ourselves fighting with the dissonance, in society or within our own thoughts.  In meditation, silence is the disengagement from the external world and our thoughts about it.  The external world though, is under no obligation to calm down as we calm down, although surprisingly, it often does, at least for a little while.  Those small moments of true silence, condition us for more extended stays, building a familiarity that welcomes both inner and outer peace.. 

When I first settled into this living space with family in California, I browsed a local shop for a few things to brighten my quarters and found a bin of signs. While I am not usually a fan of sign decor, one leaped out at me as the perfect directive as I set up my space in this boisterous household.  You see it below.

There is a calm, silent center already within us. We don't really create it; we give it room to expand. We turn to meet it and it thrives.  (Susan Nettleton)

August 2, 2020

As a follow up on yesterday's post on silence, this Sunday, I direct you to a well-known poem by Kahlil Gibran.  Although it was written as a spiritual description of marriage, to me it speaks to human relationships and community in general.  We travel the path of inseparable connections, while at the same time, being individual "units".  Re-reading it from the point of view of this Pandemic, it offers a spiritual perspective on maneuvering social encounters as well as maintaining our closest relationships.  (Susan Nettleton) 

Follow the link below:

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/148576/on-marriage-5bff1692a81b0

August 1, 2020

I have been thinking about different forms of silence. There are natural and "unnatural" forms of silence, There is a transcendent silence, There is silence as metaphor...Destructive silence, obstructive and judging silence, fearful silence, loving and healing silences...the silence that implies stillness...

The mandated quarantines and lockdowns when in full force give rise to both unnatural and natural silence. In the earlier days of lockdown, I wrote about the unexpected return of natural sounds (and sights!) brought about by human withdrawal. Much of that receded as people, cars, and machines returned to the streets. Within our homes, particularly for people who live alone, the sounds and sights of T.V., radio, phone conversations, recorded and live Zoom or podcast programing--all provide human voices, images, and movement that create a kind of emotional and physical reassurance to our senses. Instinctively, we feel all is well; we are in the company of others. It's important to remember that human beings are social creatures and in times of danger, we naturally seek companionship and the reinforcement of tribe protection, even if by facsimile. Constant dead silence in a room or dwelling place, seems unnatural.

So it may seem paradoxical that we seek silence through meditation, and yet it is a tremendously healthy and satisfying activity, if we approach it also as natural. There are many way to define meditation and meditation is not always about silence. But one way to see silent meditation is to consider it as a natural, periodic disengagement from a world of sensory stimulation and cultural demands. There is a naturalness to interpersonal, mutual support and a naturalness to individual awareness of our own, unique "bio-system" of spiritual sustenance. This means that you learn to trust that your body and your mind know how to open to the silent transcendent outpouring and individual intake of spiritual silence.

In time, you begin to have the experience of this silence, "descending upon" you, at unexpected times, and in unexpected places beyond your meditation practice. The silence, draws you into itself, into stillness, to bring whatever is needed in the moment.

Eventually you realize, as one early Buddhist nun put it, "The feast of meditation never ends".
(Susan Nettleton)

July 29, 2020

When the news reaches a fever-pitch, as it has done over the past few days, it's a good time to return to a deeper silence.  It does help to disengage from the news temporarily, trusting that whatever you need to know, you will know, when it's time to know it.  I was reminded of this yesterday morning as I peaked at the news on my phone and a counter phrase came into my mind,  "After the wind...after the earthquake....after the fire came a still small voice".   This is the Bible story of Elijah's encounter with God in the wilderness cave.  

The back story deals with Elijah's role as a prophet and his struggle to free the Hebrew people from false gods imposed on the country by the King Ahab and his wife Jezebel.  Following a stunning victory by Elijah, which led to great bloodshed, Jezebel vows to have Elijah killed.  The prophet is suddenly seized by fear for his life and frantically runs to the mountains to hide.  There he is devastated by self blame and failure.  But an angel appears who brings food and drink and, acknowledging his lack of strength, tells him to rest.  He is able then, to travel further into the wilderness until he comes to the sacred mountain and a meeting with God.

Here is the passage (I Kings 19:  11-13):  ...And a great and mighty wind tore into the mountains and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake there was a fire but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire came a still small voice. 13When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”…

There are, of course,  different levels to the story.  From the perspective of the still point of the Pandemic world, we return to the sacred, our inner cave of reflection, beyond 'wind', and 'earthquakes' and 'fires', to a still small voice.

In his encounter, Elijah is told to "return the way that you came".  He must re-enter the world, but he is given a new plan and a renewed spirit. (Susan Nettleton)

July 24, 2020

This piece entitled "Peace is Possible" by Buddhist monk, author and poet, Thich Nhat Hanh, offers an unusual metaphor for our polarized Pandemic culture. It is a excerpt put in poetic form from an address to the U.S. Congress on "Leading with Courage and Compassion" Sept. 10, 2003 aimed at offering a space for moral and spiritual reflection. We too can enter that space as leaders of ourselves and our times of interaction with others: Those we know and those who are strangers, ultimately are included in the "Body of God". (Susan Nettleton)

follow the link:

Peace is possible

July 23, 2020

Social distancing is not isolation, neither is it withdraw.  As the Pandemic surges through the summer, we are being warned that it is likely to continue through the fall. Beyond that, we really do not know, but even with an initial vaccine, it is likely that social distancing will continue for awhile to some degree.  It is all speculation at this point. For now, if we want to safeguard our health and do our part in slowing down the virus, while resuming a more active life outside our shelter, we learn to navigate social distancing and face masks.   In someways, these first 4 - 5 months have been experimental, a process of learning how to manage what is needed. We have gained experience, but this is a huge cultural shift for Americans. Many still refuse the shift.  

I have been thinking about this since going on a family outing last weekend to a large county park that has remained open.   Given the escalation of the virus in L.A. county, and the mandates, I was shocked to see large numbers of people without masks and without regard for physical distancing.  I am used to encountering neighborhood walkers and runners without masks, but in general they maintain physical distance.  I make it a point of spiritual practice to observe my own reactions as I walk, and I've chosen to take the lead in giving a lot of space to those also out on the streets.  They are neighbors; there is no need on either part to feed resentment.

However, as I watched the groups of "strangers" in the park, I found myself having to stretch to find the same attitude of deference.  Yet, I know on a spiritual level,  there is nothing to be gained by participating in polarization, or judgment, or even my interpretation of why some people adapt to the change and others resist or ignore the need.  Finally,  I found a way to relax into the day (with lots of open green grass available) and decided to trust my instincts while maneuvering around cars and bicyclists, party groups and families.  I realized I don't have to carry the burden of outcome for all the people I watched.  We are all participants in this phenomenal movement of life in this time of Pandemic, and all aspects of the One Life.   We do what we can, and let go. (Susan Nettleton)

July 22, 2020

While thinking about all the set backs in the Covid-19 surges, the abrupt necessity to pull back on re-opening measures and return to closures and lockdowns, a phrase kept running through my mind..."What I said to the wanting creature...."  but I could not recall anything further.  Then I realized, of course it was haunting me because of my sense of the collective fear, disappointment and frustration at the setbacks...the intensity of "wanting" to move forward, "wanting' to be free of the seriousness and responsibility involved in everyday life with the pandemic, "wanting" to return to normal, "wanting" a care-free summer.  So I turned to the hint my memory was offering and a quick search found the poem.  Of course, it was Kabir, translated by Robert Bly: 

Here is a link with Kabir's point of view:

I Said To The Wanting-Creature Inside Of Me

July 20, 2020

For a further thought on "feeling alive" from Larry Morris follow the link below.

"Surprise"

July 19, 2020

This is a reminder of the Zoom Sunday Service this Sunday, July 19, for those of you who are not on the email list.  If you don't know Zoom, you can get information from hillsidesource.com/zoom and a link for basic instructions. 

In keeping with today's Sunday Zoom Service,  I am posting a link on renewal, from our website:

"Renewal"

July 18, 2020

Today's post takes us to Jack Correu's Little Shack of Insight for his June insights on handling anxiety during the Pandemic in his post "Little Shack Shakes Off Anxiety". Follow the link below:

https://hillsidesource.com/little-shack-1

July 15, 2020

God's delays are not God's denials, is a well-known antidote for the impatience and despair that can sometimes accompany prayer.  It is meant to put our human angst in perspective.  Not all longing is instantly fulfilled by prayer, traditional or affirmative.  Here is a reminder that if we turn to the Source of life for healing and solutions, for comfort and reassurance, we move outside the framework of society's calendar and clock.  That does not mean that urgent need cannot be met by prayer, but that, again, prayer is a process of change, and we are the one that changes. 

When we are on a lake in a small rowboat and want to change direction, it's fairly simple.   We shift the angle of the boat with our oar and row toward our destination.  But if we are on a huge cruise ship or massive battleship, in the ocean with choppy seas, you are not going to turn that ship quickly,  The intricate measurements involved in steering such a vessel, the timing and speed, must integrate with the force of wind and water to turn safely.   With prayer, the choppy sea is a metaphor for our own shifting emotions and thoughts, our confusion and fear, our resentments and pain, our desires, our conflicts and sense of separation from life, from ourselves, from each other and from God, or the spiritual level. 

This seems particularly significant right now, as we find the Covid-19 virus rapidly surging across the country and many places face significant set backs in what a few weeks ago seemed to be progress.   Sometimes it may feel that you are in that row boat alone in your longing, frustration and fear.  But this is illusion.  We are all on this ship with our neighbors, our city, our country and indeed, the world.  When you can't find your light or your peace, rest assured that someone also on that ship holds it for you.   Someone (more than one, really) will hold your peace, until you find it again.  (Susan Nettleton)