Untitled 'Multidirectional' © 2011 Rev. David Seacord, Acrylic on paper, 5" x 11"
Everyman's WEEKLY Journal (#3)
© 2012 Rev. David Seacord
December 16, 2012
Given the 'great rip in the Force' that happened this past Friday in a Connecticut primary school as a human 'death star' exploded and ended or traumatically altered untold numbers of lives, I find myself attempting to language with deep compassion a non-reactive and sane framing of such an event...
"Am I my brother's keeper?" asked the first recorded murderer…Cain…denying responsibility for his act when questioned by God "Where is Abel?" (as Biblically presented in the Genesis 4:9 creation story). And for the most part --collectively-- humanity has historically continued that denial, right up to the present year, the present month, the present week, the present moment of tragedy…. For we --collectively-- do not yet see with any broad-scale cultural clarity that there is no 'other'out there… that there is only ONE of us here… and that ONE includes ALL of us…"without exception"---(as A Course in Miracles puts it).
From a compassion-based view, I am suspecting that intense physical murderousness probably almost always begins with many smaller murders…of the kinds that we have all many times personally experienced…. emotional 'misses' left unhealed, mental anguish left ungotten, persistent physical abuse allowed to fester… the listing of the kinds of ways we are actually 'culturally entrained and rewarded' for psychically murdering others through domination, control, and manipulation seems nearly endless. And it seems overwhelming… it causes my heart to feel weak--- just looking at the seascapes of dysfunctional spiritual denial and ignorance that we call cultures, nations, peoples, religions. How, we/I ask ourselves, could we ('just little us') make any difference in this worldwide inner/outer war-based insanity? What could we do? And thus, in our spiritual immaturity we/I 'miss' multitudes of present moment opportunities--- often times instead finding ways to justify taking little or no action at all, while almost certainly not recognizing that that non-action or token action is really a vote of acquiescence to staying in our personal comfort zones… and to allowing additional murderousness to continue to fester both within us and without us (same/same, remember?).
I know---that's a tough self-indictment call. I know because I am also one of those who has historically often chosen personal comfort over the potential discomfort of being in action, i.e., being in selfless service to the level of putting personal comfort at risk. And I have used (probably) thousands of justifications to avoid being fully responsible for the conditions of this, my 'chosen-for-it's-soul-growth-potential' world, AND I am seeing now that the price I then paid was that I slowed down my own spiritual growth--- usually in the name of being 'spiritual'. Every once in a while, yes, I have had moments given where I was able/invited to 'ascend the pinnacle' and discover a truer Self than my habitual personal one, and I have then for a time plunged with an inspired passion into a valid soul-healing mission…. yet when hard-tested by Reality (as the Universe will absolutely do) my passionate missions have imploded for then-lack of truly deep spiritual maturity, and I have found myself 'back and hanging out with' my old habitual personal self, being instructed that the work I needed to do was to practice and deeply relearn the basic lessons of Love. This, by the way, is called 'being humbled'…. and it is (to the ego at least) somewhat difficult to learn to be grateful for. But not impossible. I know because that miracle is now rooted within me… I AM NOW a continually grateful man…(an ongoing, active affirmation).
When I say 'continually grateful', I do not mean to imply that I do not feel (what we usually call) negative feelings….like anger, shock, grief, or fear. I do feel them, as and when they are triggered. And sometimes the triggering continues for 'a while'…. but by grace of the Godness, I have lived through enough (and have been given to see deeply enough into myself) to have discovered that there is always a placeavailable within me that is untouched by the dramas of this world… and that that place remains forever THE KNOWER THAT THERE ARE NO ACCIDENTS, NO MISTAKES, NO ERRORS in this Universe----EVER. This is the rock upon which whatever 'enlightenment' I may have attained rests. Period.
So, does that mean that 'it's perfect' that horrible things happen? Absolutely not.Unless you/I are actually able to take a killing bullet with equanimity (as demonstrated by Gandhi, who was doing Mantra, took the bullet, and with his last breath returned to Mantra [uttering 'Ram']), such a view is only narcissistic spiritual idealism. What current events DO mean (at least to me) is that this tragedy moment is providing a 'planetary call to awaken to' and see (collectively/culturally) thateverything that happens in this world is always and only A CONSEQUENCE. A consequence? Yes, ….a spiritually lawful result of the total sum of the (conscious or unconscious) choices that have been previously made by all beings involved, either directly or tangentially. And here's a thing to get--- if we felt the pain of it, we weretangentially involved. Because that felt pain is the signal of our oneness within with the pain without. That pain is the deliverer of our self-teaching/learning moment---the opportunity for the absolute truth to be put on the table in stark nakedness--that it 'could have been', and in a very real way WAS…. US…that did it…albeit via a surrogate 'other' (who is supposed to be [impossibly] NOT US). See, if we don't get that it WAS us…where will it ever end? Because it ONLY really ends when it ends within us…each and every one of us. THAT is what every Bodhisattva clearly KNOWS. And THAT is what we have the clearly presented choice to be responsible for, via the exposure to Soul that Friday's rip in the Force gives us.
Recently on Facebook I received and re-shared a story about a tribe in Africa that lives a different way: the story told how the tribe would respond to anyone ripping the unity…. they would all surround 'the pain creator' and for hours/days/however long it took (they clearly have their priorities straight)… would repeatedly tell the in-pain being about all the wonderful things he/she had done in his/her life…. UNTIL HE/SHE REMEMBERED THEMSELVES AGAIN. Until the wholeness returned. Until the rip was healed. This is a powerful lesson, for it demonstrates that Love Actually Works.
The truth is that Love works in an infinite and unfathomable way with each of us, within each of us, to end our isolation and to restore our unity. Love makes no distinctions of separation, rather, it unmakes them. Love invites all our pain into itself, where it completely SEES both its truth and its untruth. Love frees us from untruth by setting us free with the truth. What is this truth? That everyone IS one Being.
Given you/I see this, what do we do when a rip in the Unity (such of the school shooting in Connecticut) occurs?
First, I suggest we earnestly pray for EVERYONE in any way impacted, including ourselves. I remember a clairvoyant once describing passing an accident scene, and being able to see a rainbow-like energy sourcing from a nearby parked car and being sent to both the injured and to Heaven. As she tuned in, she could hear a woman of faith in the parked car praying for those injured ones AND CALLING FOR ANGELIC HELP… and the clairvoyant could see the responses… the injured (though seemingly unconscious) receiving healing from the energy of the woman's prayers, and the presence of a multitude of Angels in assistance also, in answer to her prayer-call…. So please continue offering prayers…for each child, each adult, each parent, each teacher, each and everyone in confusion and pain (again, including ourselves). That will help, as NO THOUGHT of Love is ever wasted.
Secondly, I suggest you/I practice non-reaction. The kind suggested by the phrase "If God allows it, can we?" Within our phenomenal world, dualistic reactions to this particular tragedy are gaining volume, war-drums are being beaten loudly, calling for new laws to be passed that would supposedly never allow this kind of pain to sear our world again. I suggest that however hard it is to contemplate in this moment, there do exist power-seeking self-righteous agendas that are willing to use just this kind of trauma to fuel their own agendas. This is opportunistic…and not a thoughtful, introspective self-discovery process by a nation and world suddenly awakened to its collective illness (which is what in needed, in my opinion). Therefore, I would counsel a deep look UNDER the surface issues, for that is where understanding may be found. And as Rabbi Michael Lerner wisely noted recently (in regards to the Israeli/Gaza situation) "The only understanding that can possibly work is that both parties come to see that their own wellbeing is inextricably tied to the wellbeing of the other." I view that same course as the only workable course here also, especially in relation to 'weapons control issues'. (My view on that in a thumbnail? Please study the fact that in England most policemen DO NOT (even now) carry guns. Then please study how this is possible, and why it works.)
Thirdly, I suggest that as we are able we all use our influence to encourage each other to continue serving Absolute Love. I mean specifically that--- to use our lives to serve THAT LOVE which is the I AM ground-base of all existence. In my mind, this is a clear distinction… I am not speaking of 'unconditional love' (which automatically creates 'conditional love' as its opposite---that is a level in the world of dualism), I am speaking of the non-comparative foundation of all reality. In it we move, exist; from it we derive our true being. I have discovered that to serve this level of Love breaks up all ideas of self and other-than-self. Many years ago I did the work of languaging my personal commitment to become One (whole) via this path. I have shared it for many years, I have many thousands of times failed to be able to live it, I have even tried to deny it. None of that has mattered. For it is who each of us (including even myself) actually IS, meaning, 'as we are in truth's eyes/God's/Love's eyes'…. which IS who we really are.
I know the only valid answer to the world's painfulness is that we all return to being who we all actually are... so much MORE than just 'our brother's keeper', we arethem. I use 'The Love Declaration' to help me remember that. Perhaps in these moments, you will find it useful too.
The Love Declaration
-A Covenant-
I am you partner
in awakening from fear.
From this moment on,
at all times, under all conditions,
I declare I am,
and I will be,
for all beings,
a conscious source
of Absolute Love;
and,
I promise
I will serve
only this Love,
in you,
in me,
and in all,
no matter what,
for the rest of my life.
Namaste,
David
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Rev. David Seacord
Fine Art Painter / Sufi Cherag
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