 Winter to Spring ©2013 Rev. David Seacord, 8" x10" Acrylic on canvas
Everyman's WEEKLY Journal #19
© 2013 Rev. David Seacord
April 7, 2013
Being True…
Life has a way of using everything/anything to deliver our lessons to our doorstep, yes? As the following stories hopefully illustrate….
Not so long ago I created a problem for myself by buying a potted Loquat tree at Home Depot. I bought it with a consumer mindset that if they were selling it, it must be able to grow here in the desert, and I loved the idea of it being another fruit I could grow on Mom's property. After bringing it home, because the tag on the plant left some questions unanswered, I went online, and soon began reading information that indicated that I'd just wasted the purchase money, as the info I found told me that loquats falter and die at our extreme desert high temperatures. My ego/I was unpeaceful (read: upset) enough about this that I called Home Depot and gave them some of my ego's mind…(free, of course, and hopefully) diplomatically, but clearly expressing my frustration. Their response was to suggest that I consult the ag extension agent, but that supposedly there had been some success with the plant locally.
I resisted my egoic impulses to return the tree and get the money back, choosing to keep researching. I finally did find a desert loquat success article listing the difference-making requirement of placing the tree where it would get good shaded protection from the afternoon sun's heat. Searching the property for potential planting sites uncovered exactly ONE suitable spot, however that spot was currently the home of a large and prolific aloe vera bed. After a few days of considering this, I pulled out a portion of the aloe bed to plant the tree. (Stay with me… I'm just setting things up…I promise this is going somewhere…)
This choice left me with a large pile of aloe to deal with. And, of course, being a yogi, nothing is just 'throw it away' anymore--- because my yogi/indigenous ethic of use/recycle everything/if possible throw nothing away trumps the conveniences of the unconscious mass throwaway mindset, yes? So, solved one problem (where to plant the tree), but created another (what to do with the aloe). Back to the online info-gods (an increasing habit). How to naturally preserve aloe? Answers: 1. fillet the gel from the leaves (lots of time-consuming work!) and refrigerate (or freeze [my choice]), or 2. fillet the gel and air dry and then grind to a powder, 3. just freeze the leaves or 4. (maybe) dry the leaves whole, then powder. Still undiscovered is if there is any use for aloe root (which I also have plenty of at the moment if you wish any). In any case, it was time to process aloe, so I got to it, going through the wheelbarrow-full+ of pulled plants and placing the cut-off fat gel-filled leaves in a large bowl to drain the yellowy latex that it is best not to consume (gives you the runs), and placing the roots and other unusable material in a garbage can for probable composting.
And suddenly, my 'lesson' appears... in the form of a life or death choice. The huge black widow spider that was crawling up the aloe plant I was holding was probably not thinking that it's life depended on which way my neuronal synapses fired… on how quickly I could process the fear-triggered fight or flight impulses that I've been programmed with in response to black widows…but that was the truth. If I responded as originally programmed, that black widow was quickly dead. But 'something inside me' stayed my automatic kill response enough for me to feel deeper than my separation programming. After a few moments contemplation and attaining a minimal oneness life/life recognition I chose to give the mercy I would desire to receive if the situation were reversed, and deposited the spider back into the remaining aloe beds, making a note to remember to wear gloves from now on when working in the aloe. And then, forgetting the incident, I returned to processing aloe.
Later, I was reading an article that mentioned that the DNA of chimps and humans was 'only one percent different'--- but it emphasized that that one percent contained the sources of many huge differences--- like that our brain was three times larger than chimps, for instance. For some reason, I remembered the spider right then, and I saw that not killing it was an example of that 'one percent' shift in myself. I mean, for the spider, I don't know the greater cosmic impact of the act, except that it now is living out it's lifespan. But for me, to alter the habitual response and to consciously choose differently than programed, that action was a kind of mutation of mind extending itself into the world of form, and as such, is a kind of kindness miracle, no matter how small an action it may have seemed to be. What I am standing for here is that nothing is ever without impact, which is why I love 'quantum physics chaos theory'---for it supports my awareness that no action is insignificant, especially actions arising from our goodness of heart. I think this is worth remembering, especially whenever we/I contract into some form of the temptation to believe a low self-worth story about ourselves.
What I get about 'spirituality' is that it is about grounding this mutation of being aware that we always have choice, and that no choice is without impact, and that we are always responsible (ie, there's no escape) for all our choices. That is what we/I practice for---so that given the wisdom to see ourselves with some clarity, we are not automatic killers, but rather that we default to being lifesavers, wayshowers, lightbearers. And being that in a 24/7 context, meaning 'never off-duty' (does God take time off?). (And aside: This, btw, is not meant as a commandment to burn yourself out. Managing wellness is a fundamental expression of selflove. Remember, the 7th day was for RESTING.) As life's curriculum would have it, shortly after I put the spider back in his aloe bed, I noticed over the back fence our usually absent Canadian neighbor in his backyard working on his citrus trees. My family's history with the man is that he and my father egoically locked horns over a petty dispute many years ago when my family bought this property, and they never talked again or forgiven each other. Thus there has been a feud between them for 15+ years which most of my family took sides in. My father went to his grave with his negative opinion of the man intact. This to me is a karmic failure to forgive. My seeing is that such unhealed failures of our parents (or our institutions, leaders, or cultures) become our karmas to correct--that if we are mutating upwards into a new divine-human future we are of necessity also healers of humanities past failures. Consistent with that, I have never acted to continue the feud, but rather the opposite--as psychic space allowed--like in slow courting (where you accept letting the other step forward with baby steps). Over the three years I have been stationed/assigned here in my 'parent's service', whenever the opportunity was presented, I have intentionally broken the 'no-talk/ignore each other feud rules' and attempted interaction…waiting to see if his attitude would become more civil. And it gradually has-- and this time my interactions with the man were nearly conversational, instead of his usual gruffness. I was delighted (but outwardly only mirrored his demeanor). The next day, he was again out working, and our conversation even lengthened and expanded. Somethings up about that that is good, wouldn't you say? Again, I see that one-percent miracle-making difference at work. Really, it's all application of 'The Golden Rule' (do onto others etc), and the principle of 'as you reap you will sow'…. or, as Bruce Cockburn sings "when you love love then love loves you too".
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And the point of all this consciousness work? That's found on the context level, because the definitive context of our life is always the times we are living in, and our individual contributive and soul growth missions within these times. Therefore, I would say (given the increasing shrillness of the times) that the lessons I/you are learning now from the curriculum of our own lives is IN PREPARATION for those missions. Knowing I AM a lightworker for the Godness, I have often wondered when I will receive a new mission and I have always received the answer that that will be 'in God's timing', and to just continue growing---that our destiny will always find us--we don't need to be seeking it. Sometimes my ego has misinterpreted that and not realized I still needed to be actively developing greater egolessness. Now I see that the preciousness of each moment is created by the consciousness with which we live it. I view that THAT is our best preparation for the next moment. And, I have come to see that God's timing is active in all of our lives to the degree that we are actively listening for our highest guidance, which is always contained in the messages from our hearts, and which will always help us expand into our Godness. And although I pray we will be spared, I do accept that we are in all seriousness approaching a time of greatly increased external/civilization-systems-breakdown & chaos (and opportunity too, don't forget), and I sense that how well we have done our preparation lessons and personal sadhanas will be of critical importance to how well we will be able to function as points of light, leadership, and sanity during that turbulence. For many of us, I suspect our most major life missions will find us in those approaching times. But as Papaji said… best to 'wait and see'.
Synchronistically, this week I was lead to listen for the first time to the words of Andrew Harvey, who I immediately recognized as a spiritual teacher of wonderful depth. He is also the author of "The Hope"… 'a handbook of sacred activism'--the merging of our love for God and our love for Life. I am inspired by Andrew's clarity and recommend you visit his website and listen to the 2 minute YouTube video on his home page. I am sure (if you are not already aware of him) that it will be a gift to your life---especially to 'the greatness within you'.
Next weekend I will be attending an event in the Sikh tradition in Joshua Tree, CA. It's called Sat Nam Fest, and I chose to go because my heart went ecstatic listening to the devotional chanting that streams as you view the festival website. Somehow by grace, I have ended up on the sound crew, which of course means I will be in the middle of all the music. I am excited, to say the least. Of course, it is all curriculum, so kindly do expect a report. Must keep you all in the oneness loop, correct? Yes, Yes….!!!!
My love to each of you….
Namaste,
David
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Rev. David Seacord
Fine Art Painter / Sufi Cherag
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