November 19, 2020

Last night I received a text from a relative in Texas that shared recent health problems and openly expressed disappointment and longing. She and her husband had been planning a Thanksgiving trip to Washington state where her son and his wife live with their young children. There was also a return trip over Christmas with other family members that had been shaping up. But when everyone read yesterday morning's Covid-19 warnings, they all realized that none of this could happen. She was left with her disappointment and an acute feeling of missing everyone in her family. This was followed by a clear recognition of how important family is to her personally, "I am tethered to my family". With this realization, she decided to plan a "Zoom family reunion" project and I am sure is already researching creative activities for their online Christmas. This story is being lived by countless families and friends throughout America this week as we grapple with the new intensity of the Pandemic and the grave threat that it has brought to holiday traditions.

My intent is to encourage you in prayer this week, opening the spiritual possibilities for healing in the different strata of people and roles impacted by the Pandemic. This includes our capacity for compassion and our awareness of shared struggles. Today, I encourage you to pray for those in your circle of family and friends. This is far more than well-wishing, more than sending "positive" thoughts their way. It is a letting go of your struggles to make things better and a "turning over" of each one, to the Wisdom and Intelligence of That which is in them, of That which has always sustained their lives, no matter how we may have fretted or judged events. So we can ask and accept the Highest and Best for them during this Pandemic, from a God of understanding and gentleness, of healing and protection, a God that brings nourishment to the deepest longings and needs within each. We know that they are sustained and guided. We know what is needed materially as well as physically, emotionally and spiritually, flows from the well-spring of life's abundant resources in traditional ways and in ways we could never predict. And like each of us, their lives expand in a new resilience and strength through this wave of Pandemic and its passing. With deep gratitude, it is done. And so it is, Amen. (Susan Nettleton)

November 18, 2020

Covid-19 cases across the country, as I last wrote, we are asked to return to more vigilance and more restrictions to protect ourselves, others and specifically, urgently, our medical care system--both hospitals and staff. From a public health perspective, we now know what to do. From a spiritual perspective, we can add a renewed sense of prayer. There has been a great deal of concern and advisories surrounding the upcoming holiday and the traditional Thanksgiving gatherings. It seems a fitting time for daily prayer, focused on the various layers and circles of activity that the Pandemic has impacted, that has the potential to open our inner doors to a genuine and profound gratitude this year. We begin with prayer for ourselves as individuals and expand outwardly each day.

My own prayer life tends toward the non-specific and wordless turning to the Nameless Source of my life and all life, to ask and accept an inner outpouring of what truly can nourish my life and circumstances. But there are times when words are needed to guide our feeling states, and the Nameless Source needs to be named. What you name That is not as important as your sense of connection; the name arises from within, perhaps our history and religious learning, perhaps from some spontaneous well-spring within us. Today, I name That as simply God. So each of us as individuals can turn to God and ask, affirm and accept, this outpouring of guidance, support, health, strength, companionship and peace as our way through this time of Covid-19. We let that outpouring within us be sustaining, knowing it is there, even when we do not feel it, like an underground spring that continues to soften and offer oozing wet soil to thirsty roots. We can accept a turning point, where today we are clear, that our lives underneath thrive and strengthen toward new freedom and activity as this time of Pandemic begins to pass. We accept the expansion of that clarity about our course, our health, and direction manifesting in the right time and right way. Today we are Shielded, Protected. Today we know Wisdom and Well-being. To day we are Nourished and Supported. Today we know Peace. And we are grateful. And so it is. Amen. (Susan Nettleton)

November 15, 2020

With all the warnings about the Pandemic and the winter months, the point is not fear; the point is renewing the spirit of a shared burden of finding creative ways around traditional gatherings, keeping careful of distances and exploring open air spaces with new possibilities and protective masks. We really don't know what the winter ahead will be; nature still holds her surprises. But it makes sense to cultivate hardiness, not hardness. And stay open, stay open to life's promptings and the wisdom within. With that in mind, this morning I offer another poem from Denise Levertov. (Susan Nettleton)

Follow the link below to the poem:

https://sacompassion.net/poem-the-fountain-by-denise.../

November 14, 2020

Today I am offering the thought that sometimes we go forward by going back. It is not a message that most people want to hear, especially those who are filled with the fire of life and whose hearts are bursting for the freedom to explore, discover and create the new. It's human nature to long for something "different" than what is in front of us. Right now though,

our collective well-being demands it. Covid-19 is not just "surging", it is on the cusp of volcanic eruption, nation-wide. Time to stop and take stock.

Most of the public health reading I have done this tumultuous week offers two encouraging points to counter the frenzy of frightening data: A vaccine holds hope for curtailing the virus next year and there is a window of time, right now, brief--depending on location, but nonetheless real--where we can put the brakes on the runaway train of contagion. This means we stop. We return to what we know slows the virus down. We go back. As we stop, we can honestly consider and apply what we have learned so far to protect people and to protect their livelihood. Everyone is tired of it, but in the entire history of humanity, a year of hardship is far from rare.

We were discussing this over the last few days here in California, and someone commented on the difference between the early spring lockdown and now. People earlier had sense of mission, of making a contribution to the good of the whole, of doing their part in a unified front; public health measures needed us, the individual and the group, to protect everyone and keep the hospitals and emergency medical teams from being overloaded. And the impact was real. But the divisions, conflicts and undermining elements, the economic toll, and time itself, wore that away. Today, I am encouraging you to take the path of return.

What is true in terms of our social/health behavior is also true on a spiritual level. Start with an exhale of resistance and resentment, of disappointment and blame, of discouragement and doubt. Inhale forgiveness, fresh air, fresh water for hungry, thirsty hearts-- yours, your neighbors, the world. Breathe prayer. Breathe peace. Breathe healing. Begin again.

November 12, 2020

Like many of you, I have been processing the last few days with the election conflicts and the fearsome escalation of the Pandemic across the globe and acutely in America. Co-mingled in the news is the promise of a new vaccine, although it is still months away and far from an immediate "fix" for the vast global population. All our wherewithal in health practice remains essential. Still this is good news; a concrete reminder that times do change. A friend of mine recently wrote to me about feeling unsettled with the sense of a brewing storm in the air. After months of uncertainty and the overall sense of a country (and world) that has been traumatized by disruption of normal socializing, economic instability, political conflict throughout a deadly Pandemic, we of course naturally feel on guard, waiting for disaster. But that anticipation and dread of the future is not helpful in building the stability that we can stand on as we move forward. This is a time to collect our emotions and our thoughts and infuse them with our spiritual ground. Peace, assurance--even gratitude for the positives aspects of life right now in front of us that lift us and sustain us--all are contagious attitudes, just as fear and anxiety are contagious. With that in mind, today I offer a blessing in times of inner chaos by contemporary spiritual writer and artist, Jan Richardson. It's a calming meditation. (Susan Nettleton)

Follow the link: https://wordsfortheyear.com/.../blessing-in-the-chaos-by.../

November 8, 2020

Today's post is from Jack Correu's most recent article from The Hillside Source web site and his blog "Musings from the Little Shack of Insight." This serves as a reminder, as the days shorten and nights lengthen, as the country takes a hopeful new turn--expecting some time of conflict--until through time, we learn to meet in the spirit of reconciliation, as the Pandemic continues to spiral and we renew our commitment to public health and safety, we have the choice to participate in a collective spiritual healing. We can choose to "feed the light.''

Follow the link to Jack's post: https://hillsidesource.com/.../little-shack-feeds-the-lig

November 4, 2020

While we wait for the clarity of America's election, the world waits with us. One thing is clear, at least in regard to politics, we remain divided. It is important to realize, with an open mind, that human politics is not the center of all life, even though it may be at the center of thought right now. This is a day (and in the week ahead) to continue in spiritual practice and embrace a larger field, a perspective which finds meeting points, rather than division. Below are links to articles by Dr. Larry Morris on Peace that point you to that larger realm. (Susan Nettleton)

https://hillsidesource.com/.../3/29/peace-with-our-world

https://hillsidesource.com/.../2018/3/29/centered-in-peace

For any memorial comments on Larry on this 5th anniversary of his death, go to:

drlarrymorris.forevermissed.com

November 3, 2020

As America enters our official election day, the air is electric; it is the energy of large scale mobilization of people, of opinions, of hope, of fear, of meaning in our ability to participate in determining leadership. Our decisions, how we move through today and the days of waiting that are likely to follow are being watched by the world. All of this happening as the world struggles with a deadly Pandemic.

I want to encourage you to hold to your spiritual ground as you participate at whatever level is appropriate for you. Your community, our country and your world needs your peace and your blessing. It is not an easy task to stand on spiritual ground while the wave of intense emotions, along with misinformed reports and stories fly through social media. I am including today the text of the momentary spiritual practice that I spoke on last Sunday as one way to remind yourself and affirm for all this day, a spiritual underpinning of life.

Part of my sojourn in California has been learning the simple steps to managing potentially critical situations. Because of the fires, we have been reminded to "Stop, drop and roll", if

you suddenly catch a flame. Because of the earthquakes, we learn, "Drop, Cover, and Hold On." So out of those simple-- but not at all simple-- formulas, I am giving you a formula for something more positive, shifting your awareness in moments when you catch yourself entangled in thoughts and feeling states that disturb you. "Stop, Drop-it, and Know." Drop the fear, drop the resentment, drop the complaint, drop the confusion or despair. Know what? Know what you know spiritually. These are moments. It's raining moments. Not treatises. Not logical argument. Know at the level that you know in your best moments. Know life is intelligent and amazingly resilient. Know Peace is in the room. Know Healing is active. Know strength that rests in the heart of your own spirituality. Know Love. This is not something forced, this is what arises in you. Know what you know. Give it the space, the moment. Those moments will collect themselves in you. You and your world will be better for it. (Susan Nettleton)

November 1, 2020

Today is All Saints Day recognized by various denominations in Christianity. While a Saint in Catholicism is canonized through a very specific process, defined through specific criteria, Saints are recognized in all religions among those who seek the spiritual life. They serve as points of connection between our human frailties and shortcomings and our own capacity to discover the Transcendent, the Source within ourselves. They can be teachers or intermediaries, healers and ecstatic catalysts for our own awakening as unique spiritual beings. They are the promise of the holiness of life. In this contemporary rendition of a poem of St. Theresa of Avila, translator Daniel Ladinsky brings to life Theresa's humanity and her knowledge that we are transformed by loving what we love, until we can discover the one Love sustaining all of life. (Susan Nettleton)

Follow the link below: https://thisunlitlight.com/.../24/i-loved-what-i-could-love/

October 31, 2020

In my talk last Sunday, I spoke of the cost of the complaining mind which collectively, and for many of us personally, is reaching a crescendo during this election and this new seasonal surge of Covid-19. This morning as I reflected on that, the words of St. Paul came to mind, "I have learned whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." His words point to a state that is at peace with fluctuating needs and wants and conditions. It is a state which is learned, perhaps through Grace, perhaps through practice, and most definitely through experiencing both times of dark human hardship as well as the light of Divine Love and rapture. He was imprisoned at the time he was writing this letter to the Philippine Church (4:11).

Is there a state beyond both complaint and satisfaction? More importantly, can we discover an acceptance the enfolds human fear and despair in times of struggle and uncertainty as we "face the facts" and yet, with that acceptance know the peace of purpose and a calm center of fulfillment, a knowing of the beauty, wonder, intelligence of Life? I think Paul achieved that. It is not a denial of the seriousness of our situation, nor of our problematic feelings, fears and longings. It is a "contentment" that integrates our humanity with our highest vision, faith and acknowledgment that the Good is also present, right here, right now. Susan Nettleton

In the words (from Naked Songs) of Lalla--or Lal Ded--14th century Kashmiri poetess:

That one is blessed and at peace

who doesn't hope, to whom desire makes no more loans. nothing coming, nothing owed.

October 27, 2020

Today I am posting a poem by William Stafford as an extension of my talk last Sunday, "In a Moment". While we have much personal and collective "business" and "voices" to attend to this week, with the added pressure of the election, the pandemic surges, and plans to make for the holidays and winter, I am redirecting your attention to the present moment, whatever it maybe for you. The repetitive practice of returning to the present moment is one form of meditation. It is also a practice that helps manage anxiety, grounds us in reality right now, and as Stafford offers, it's even a gift we give to world when we approach the moment with respect. When we approach with devotion, the moment becomes, in the words of 18th century Jesuit, Jean Pierre de Caussade, a "sacrament"--be ready. (Susan Nettleton)

Follow the link below for the poem:

https://wordsfortheyear.com/.../you-reading-this-be.../

October 24, 2020

Here is your invitation to our Zoom Sunday Service tomorrow. If you don't know Zoom, you can get information from hillsidesource.com/zoom and a link for basic instructions. I hope you can attend! Susan Nettleton

Hillside Church is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting Sunday Service on

October 25, 2020

Topic: "In A Moment" by Dr. Susan Nettleton

Time: Oct 25, 2020 11:00 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87585080333...

Meeting ID: 875 8508 0333

Passcode: Hillside

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Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kd0V1gOpFo

October 22, 2020

As we move further into the Fall season, medical reports continue to emphasize the surges of Covid-19 along with the prediction of the Pandemic worsening as winter approaches. At the same time, there are increasing reports of "Pandemic fatigue"--people have grown tired of the news and tired of the warnings, weary of the caution and awareness that staying healthy and keeping others healthy requires. One way to understand Pandemic fatigue is looking at it as sensory fatigue.

The solution to sensory fatigue is resting the senses (through sleep and meditation, for example) but also through switching things up; giving our tired senses new material to stimulate them in ways that shift our brain's processing. If we are tired of the sound of news voices, urgent demands and combative argument, try listening to new music, or the sounds of nature. If out of convenience, we are eating the same meals over and over again because of the difficulty of grocery shopping and the complications of eating out, decide to push a bit to have new tastes and set aside the too familiar. We can explore new textures and focus on unfamiliar scents. We can allow our eyes new sights, even if that only means a car ride in a new direction, bringing new color into our homes, moving the furniture around. These may be small steps, but they are an aspect to keeping sensory awareness fresh through new sensory input. We can also consider expanding the social network that we have nurtured and been nourished by; social contact through one media or another involves multiple senses. Factor in the sensory level as you consider winter projects and plan in particular for ways to experience nature in the winter months.

Without some sense that our lives are growing, "Pandemic fatigue", can push us into impulsive states, or into pessimistic, resentful states. It's understandable, we've been at this for 8 months and the winter maybe long; the weather, unpredictable. It seems a good time to explore stretching our sensory awareness as well as our time of silent stillness. (Susan Nettleton)

October 18, 2020

I am affirming this Sunday as a day of peace for you--at least a time during today where you can touch that core of peace within you, even if it's brief, even if your day carries burdens.

This poem by Rainer Maria Rilke offers yet another doorway to peace. It carries the reminder, that the the source of reassurance, Divine Presence, is always within reach. Our longing for It is our means of discovery. And our vision of beauty gives It strength.

There are various translations of this from the original German, but this, to me, is the most accessible. Follow the link to Rilke's poem, "I am, You Anxious One"

https://beautywelove.blogspot.com/.../i-am-you-anxious...

October 17, 2020

How are you framing today, as we live through and experience October 2020? Inspiratonal writer and speaker Johnathan Lockwood Huie offers an interesting question below, and then offers his own celebratory vision. Worth pondering possibilities this Saturday as our Pandemic storms unfold.

(From the website that bears his name.)

"Is today a day to gather strength from the storm,

a day to learn life lessons for the next battle?

Or is today a day to sit by the fire

and watch the storm rage outside?

Either way, the storm is just life.

Give thanks for all of Life. " by Johnathan Lockwood Huie

"Today is your day to dance lightly with life,

sing wild songs of adventure,

invite rainbows and butterflies out to play

soar your spirit and unfurl your joy." by Jonathan Lockwood Huie

October 16, 2020

These last weeks of October are most likely to bring more tensions and turmoil as the U.S. election revs up and the Pandemic begins to surge. These are events that pull us to action as part of the larger community and our collective dependency. We are called to individually make our choices and follow our chosen course at whatever level we personally participate in the voting process. At the same time, we cannot forget the Pandemic. We already know what we need to do in the field of public health, so as I have said, this is a time to review habits and routines and not let down our guard. (It's also the time for flu shots.) It is a time of doing. But the collective intensity of these next few weeks can be soothed by times of stillness and silence and peace. I personally believe that any time you can carve out for meditation and prayer--whatever practice brings you peace--benefits the whole of life, even if it's incremental. Clearly, it is of personal benefit to your psyche and your spirit, but it is also a form of participation in healing and care that benefits a larger field. While the rhythm and routine of a daily time of spiritual practice allows us to clear the pressures of the outside world, there is also power in the immediate moment. Here is a short poem from 18th century Jesuit monk Jean Pierre de Caussade. When during these weeks ahead, if you are unable to find the time, space or freedom for daily practice, why not take the plunge into what Caussade termed "the sacrament of the present moment".

Follow the link:

https://artandtheology.org/.../the-divine-will-by-jean.../

October 14, 2020

When the weather is mild and the sky is clear as it was yesterday evening, the Pandemic seems to recede in a spurt of expansion and freedom. But this is not the time for us to drop our guard completely, particularly with the prediction of new surges of contagion as the season deepens. On a short walk yesterday at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, I was aware of conflicting feelings as my mind wandered to the places I would go and the people I would visit if this was not now the 7th month of Pandemic restrictions. These were not particularly useful wandering thoughts, except perhaps for taking measure of the changes and the toll of these times. This morning though, a haiku by the Zen poet Basho (1644-1694) popped into my mind:

"Though I am in Kyoto,

when the cuckoo sings,

I long for Kyoto."

Basho brings me back to an awareness that the beauty of nature is right outside my door. The mountain rising above the back wall. The towering cedar at the front door. Phenomenal bird songs echoing through the neighborhood. Sounds of children. Sounds of life. My phone is full of texts from connections nearby, across the country, across the globe, sharing our insights, humor, and care. Where else is there to be more wondrous than here? (Susan Nettleton)

October 11, 2020

This Sunday, I am posting a sprinkling of thoughts on patience. My intent is to lead you to idea that is ripe for you, and in turn, leads you to the well of patience within yourself. That is the space that you can draw on in the weeks ahead, giving yourself time to collect your thoughts and feelings, absorb whatever information is useful for you, and continue to participate in your community (whatever its shape and size). We can take action, we can respond from our spiritual depth in a constructive way, when we take the time to draw from the still point within. Peace. (Susan Nettleton).

David G. Allen (contemporary writer): "Patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order than the one you have in your mind."

Rev. Croft M. Pentz (1931-2008): "The secret of patience is to do something else in the meantime."

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (philosopher, 1712-1778): "Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet."

Bruce Lee (martial arts/philosopher 1940-1973) "Patience is not passive, on the contrary, it is concentrated strength. "

Roy T. Bennett (contemporary inspirational writer): Patience is not the ability to wait. Patience is to be calm no matter what happens, constantly take action to turn it to positive growth opportunities, and have faith to believe that it will all work out in the end while you are waiting.

And two links:

W.S. Merwin: https://thedailygardener.org/come-back/

Walt Whitman: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/.../a-noiseless-patient...

October 10, 2020

As we move through October, the November election looms and it will continue to add to the intensity of this month, along with the concern that Covid-19 will surge in the new season.

This morning news points to new surges in several states, including the most recent data for New Mexico. While you sift through the news and sort out your own commitments and participation in the election, this is the time to also refresh and renew your personal protocols for reducing contagion and keeping yourself and others safe. Its easy to succumb to "virus fatigue", having heard all the arguments and opposition along with the continued message to wear masks, social distance, wash hands, avoid crowded and closed unventilated places--the mind and senses naturally overload and stop listening. The psyche is tired of the process. That fatigue is it's own protection of our metaphoric "circuitry". Don't over load the circuits. Rather, hit the refresh button. To do that, our spiritual practices assume renewed importance, along with rest and letting the mind wander to more creative and enjoyable pursuits. I am encouraging patience. A line from the Taoist Book of Changes (I Ching) comes into my mind: "...wait in the calm strength of patience. The time will fulfill itself."

A little search brings me the closing line of the passage, "...the main thing is not to expend one's powers prematurely in an attempt to obtain by force something for which the time is not yet ripe." (Susan Nettleton)

October 8, 2020

Yesterday, I helped my grandson set up the computer for his online preschool class.

He likes to attend alone, so once the classroom appeared on the screen, I was dismissed. Still, I sat on the steps outside his closed door, because he can't help experimenting with the keyboard during class and inevitably I knew I'd be summoned back with the call,"I lost my school!" Yesterday, I was summoned to retrieve the class image twice.

While I listened behind the door, the teacher impressed me with her ability to hold the class attention, and explain again and again, "If you are ready give me a thumbs up, if you know the answer show me your thumbs up." She explained to the children that she had a new computer and was having trouble with it during the morning class and reminded them of this again, when the video she intended to show failed to appear. Then she smoothly switched to story time. I could hear my grandson excitedly shouting answers and getting frustrated that the teacher didn't call on him while he repeated: "I want to share, I want share!" He had forgotten his microphone was muted until the teacher could see the thumbs up and turn it on from her end. But he remembered and was proudly called on to show and explain his drawing. When the session ended, he left the "classroom" satisfied and happy!

While I sat on the steps I reflected on the Pandemic and the changes and stressors that it has brought--how we have been forced to adapt and learn new skills. All of us have been pushed:

grandparents, parents, teachers, retailers, essential workers, workers at every level, and children. I marveled at the teacher's incredible patience, with the technical difficulties, with the 4 year olds, and the parents (and grandparents) popping in and out to "help". It strikes me in addition to all the other coping tools we need, spiritually and psychologically, patience is essential. It's hard to learn new skills without patience. It's hard to meditate without patience. It's hard to forgive without patience. So today I'm encouraging you to explore a new level of patience in the process of adapting to the Pandemic, beginning with yourself. When you look at what has been required of you this year, I hope you can feel a new self-compassion. Acknowledging how life has changed for all us gives you room to accept that it's difficult and we will make mistakes. We will make less and struggle less, when we can be patient with ourselves first, and then from there, with others. (Susan Nettleton)