EWJ # 21 The Poet and the Warrior

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. A contemplative scene found this weekend at Wind Spirit Community... photo © 2013 Rev. David Seacord Everyman's WEEKLY Journal #21 © 2013 Rev. David Seacord April 24, 2013 The Poet and the Warrior… One of the teaching of Sufism is that there are three basic paths:  The Saint, The Master, & The Prophet.  My experience is that at different times in life I/we walk each of them.  Clearly the Sikh path I recently experienced at Sat Nam Fest was (and is) a path of Mastery, with it's focus upon warrior-like strength, discipline, accomplishment, commitment, and deep devotionalness.  Often the oak tree symbolizes this strength, yes?  This just past weekend, I also attended another (much smaller) gathering: of mystically-enamored Sufis ---at a remote Arizona desert mountain intentional community location that was equally enchanting. There, the group path contained many soul invitations of a different flavor: to Saintliness. I found, in contrast to Sikh demeanor, that my Sufi family appeared comparatively delicate, yielding, self-effacing, and poetic.  Yet they were not weak nor brittle.. they were, like grass, yielding.  The path of the Prophet is said to be the merging of the Saint and Master.  I sense I am exploring its realms, in the sense of consciously practicing when to be oak-like, when to be grass-like. As I see we are existent in very prophetic times, I believe the time has arrived where these two must find its merger within all of us. For surely such skill enhances all lightworking…      There is a place in this world for the samurai, the warrior---and the disciplines it requires.  There is also a  place in this world for the delicate, the poetic, the transcendent.  I think in the eyes of the Godness they are each simply a part of the duality-matrix surrounding all existence that allows life to be a dynamic adventure.  Part of the adventure is the discovery that eventually all paths merge, as the same mountain top is the destination of all, whatever ascent route is chosen.  Creating a clear discernment (that is not a reactive judgement) is necessary for viewing all Paths, for we all must take into consideration the Willingness of our individual temperaments when we choose our Way.  (As I said last week, earlier in my life certain Sikh disciplines were not a fit for me…).  Who of us has not taken a journey into the unknown without discovering it was taking us by some way we had not anticipated or expected.  Yet as I look backwards to such moments in the past, I can always see there was no error.  All my mental concerns or emotional anguish were made up in my head, which at the moment was experiencing a crisis of faith. Of course, the essence of such a crisis is fear of the unknown, but it is not the external unknown that is feared the most… it is the internal unknown.  This is why self-honesty is such a friend on the journey, for it helps us/me to remember that spiritual arrogance is a puffery of no value.  In a way, the whole journey to unity depends upon our willingness to forgive our own ego for its foolishness. That done continually allows me/us to compassionately forgive others theirs.  That done continually disappears our separation.  And this allowing of our own and others growthing, this spaciousness…. for each of us to be true to our heart calls….to me, this is one of the demonstrations of spiritual maturity. Many Blessings… Namaste…. Sat Nam…. David ______________________________________________________________ FYI: If you would like to share this Journal as a webpage, at the very top of the email where it says: "Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser." etc. …. well, the word 'browser' is a clickable hyperlink that will open this email as a webpage… which you can then copy and paste anywhere (like to share it on Facebook, or elsewhere).   ALSO:  If you would like to share the link to the SUBSCRIBE page, here is the clickable or paste-able code: http://davidseacord.us1.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=306aba00e6959c604de750bcc&id=62a1ee7045 ALSO: fyi, these Journals are being archived at: www.everymansweekly.blogspot.com If you get value from reading this Journal, I do appreciate your assistance in expanding it's distribution.  Thank you so much.   ________________________________________________________ Addition links to other writings etc: Rev. David Seacord Fine Art Painter / Sufi Cherag david@davidseacord.com www.davidseacord.com www.davidseacord-everymansjournal.blogspot.com www.davidseacord-acimcommentaries.blogspot.com www.everymansjournal2011.blogspot.com www.everymansjournal2012.blogspot.com www.everymansweekly.blogspot.com www.thelovedeclaration.org http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000212043080&ref=tn_tnmn