The Door of Imagination

“Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.” Matthew 8:20

At first glance, this passage appears to be a reference to Jesus as the Son of man, whose followers should be prepared to give up even the creature comforts of home for the sake of advancing the message of the kingdom. The New Testament usage of the Son of man is usually a reference to Jesus. However, in the Old Testament, the term simply referred to a human being, as in this familiar Psalm:

“What is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou dost care for him? Yet thou hast made him little less than God, and dost crown him with glory and honor” (Psalms 8:4-5).

If Jesus used this term, it is more likely that he used it in the way his listeners would have understood it. The New Testament, after all, did not exist in his day.

What do we make of this passage? Unlike animals that are governed by instinct, the human faculty of imagination allows us to move beyond the restriction of mere instinct. For example, even before a robin egg hatches, we know the type of nest it will build. The same is true with the den of the fox. To say the human being has nowhere to lay his head is a way of pointing out that the faculty of human imagination has given us the ability to move beyond mere instinct to a level of creativity that is unprecedented in nature. The Psalmist points this out:

Thou hast given him dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the sea” (Psalms 8:6-8).

It is my belief that the message of Jesus was to remind his followers of their divine inheritance, to turn the power of our imagination away from self-defeating imagery, and focus instead on the possibilities that await our God-awakened awareness. His message, it seems, was a revival of the great truth expressed through the prophet Jeremiah:

“I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:33-34).

For all the good that formal religion does in the world, there is one element common to them all that takes a significant toll on the potential quality of the individual’s spiritual life. Nearly all depict their founders in a way that forever transcends the capabilities of their followers. Though Jesus shares the insight that “he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do” (John 14:12), few of us are ready to call in the press as we walk across a lake.

In the case of both mainstream and alternative Christianity, the focus of our spiritual aspiration has been directed to the personality and assumed accomplishments of Jesus rather than on what he taught. The more secular biblical scholars, those who are not trying to prove the merits of Christian dogma, understand there is a vast difference between the Jesus of history and Jesus the Christian icon. Unity author and minister, Eric Butterworth, accurately made the distinction between the religion about Jesus and the religion of Jesus. The religion about Jesus depicts him as a unique species, eternally placing the works he did out of our reach. The religion of Jesus presents us with a whole new set of possibilities that I like to think are more in line with his intentions as a teacher. We call him our wayshower, but did he intend that we follow his footsteps on his path, or was he showing us how to find our own?

There are indications that he tried to direct attention away from his own personality. When a man addressed him as “good teacher” he asked, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone” (Mark 10:18). Of course, we can draw countless examples and engage in endless debate on who and what Jesus was and what he intended to teach. Ultimately, each person is left to decide what he or she will do with this matter. For me, his role as wayshower was to point to my path, not draw attention to his.

I realize many will consider such a statement arrogant, perhaps even blasphemous. But I reached the point in my life where the relevance of a teacher of any sort has to be measured, not so much by their own accomplishments, but by the potential they tap in their students. If a teaching does not in some way empower the one who studies it, of what value is it? I have to agree with Meister Eckhart when he wrote:

“We may well all rejoice over this, that Christ our brother has through his own power gone up above all the choirs of angels and sits at the right hand of the Father. This authority has said well, but really I am not much concerned about this. How would it help me if I had a brother who was a rich man, if I still remained poor? How would it help me if I had a brother who was a wise man, if I still remain a fool?”   

The life I live, the earth and the universe I inhabit are mine. Am I to stand here as a bewildered product of evolution or as the unique cutting edge of a cosmically creative process that only I can fulfill? Am I to follow the millions who are turning the path of another into an ever-deepening rut, or am I to blaze my own path? Though I have long ago abandoned the religion about Jesus, I continue to mine the gems of truth, that mystical thread that I find scattered throughout his teachings. I do not find among this treasure the admonition to compare my path to his. I find instead the urging, even the obligation to love the lord my God with all my heart, mind, and soul. The fruit of his direction, I have discovered, takes me from standing in awe of my brother’s wealth and wisdom to tapping into my own.   

The finger of a true wayshower never points to themselves. It points to that very spot in front of us where our next step will likely land. “Are you here to follow a path,” they ask, “or are you here to blaze a trail?” They are not asking if we are ready to walk on water, raise the dead or feed the hungry through a miraculous multiplication of loaves and fishes. They ask only if we have come to that place in our quest for truth where we accept that an unborn facet of the universe stands at the door of our being and knocks. Are we prepared to open that door? 

YouTube: Recover Your Wholeness

“What woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?” Luke 15:8 

I’m sure we can all relate to this woman’s situation. Who hasn’t used an item, laid it down and then forgotten where you put it? You know it can’t just vanish into thin air, so you search with the full knowledge that it’s there someplace, and you’ll find it. Now think of an item that you may not have used for some time, maybe an old kitchen utensil, but you need it now. You can’t remember if you still have it because you might have sold it in that last yard sale. With this looming uncertainty, your commitment to finding it is not so strong.

I use the above passage in The Complete Soul to illustrate the tone of our spiritual quest. Much of our spiritual literature assumes that we are undeveloped, that our soul is in an evolving state and may even require additional lifetimes to reach a desired level of enlightenment. If the woman applied this logic to her lost coin, she probably would not have found it. She knows, however, that she has ten coins but has misplaced one. Her relentless quest to recover it brings success.   

If we think of our soul as fully developed and we have simply lost sight of this truth, we will approach our spiritual quest with much higher expectation. To affirm that we are expressions of God yet assume we are spiritually undeveloped is a contradiction. We are not evolving to an ideal spiritual state. The soul is that ideal state. Evolution applies to the process of adapting to environmental and factual changes. The spiritual realm exists in a perpetual state of wholeness.

To recover is to regain possession of something. The woman recovered the coin she already owned. You and I are recovering conscious possession of our spiritual wholeness. We’re not developing our spirituality. We’re not having to earn it. We’re opening our mind and heart to the truth of our spiritual wholeness. Yes, there is a bit of house cleaning to be done, but we do this knowing that the thing we seek is ours already.

YouTube: Your Divine Source

[Note: we had a video glitch on this program. We’re audio only]

“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Matthew 6:26 

Though Jesus never explains in detail what he means by the term, heavenly Father, it’s clear that he thinks of it as the source of our being, and that he includes not only himself, but all people as expressions of this one Source: “And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven” (Matthew 23:9).

Heavenly implies a limitless presence that is common to and accessible to all, yet is greater than any one part. I’ve used the solar panel to illustrate our relationship to this universal Source. There is one sun that provides the energy to countless panels. Think of the sun as the heavenly Father and each panel as a person. The sun does not dictate to the panel how its energy must be used. Each simply receives the freely given energy supplied by the sun, without condition.

Think of this also. The panel does not look to the sky for its energy. The all immersive energy of the sun permeates each panel where it is placed. And so it is with our heavenly Source. The birds and all wildlife naturally operate from the universal energy of the heavenly Father, each converting this energy into the fulfillment of their specific needs.

All living things are transmitting centers, converting the universal energy that is God to the unique expressions that we see. I think this is what Emerson was referring to when he wrote, “Every man is the inlet and may become the outlet of all there is in God.”

As we open ourselves to our heavenly Source, we are inspired with new ideas, new enthusiasm and new vision that comes to us as naturally as sunlight. Spend time consciously basking in this presence, knowing that you are being filled with the life, love, power and intelligence that will bubble forth through you as the fulfillment of the life you know is possible.

YouTube: Renewal of Your Mind

“Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

What does it mean to be conformed to this world? How does one go about renewing the mind? And finally, what practical reason do we have for even considering such questions?

Many people carry the feeling that there must be more to life than they are experiencing. Regardless of what they achieve or how many things they accumulate, the feeling persists. Some describe it as a sense of hollowness at their very core.

Paul was writing to those who were beginning to understand that the thing they are seeking is not material, but spiritual. This change of understanding represents a shift in one’s worldview. It does not suggest that we turn our backs on the material side of life, but that we learn to keep it in the proper perspective. The only way to really learn this is to commit to a deeper experience of your spiritual core.

Anyone who has tried to quiet the mind and find inner stillness knows how quickly our thoughts take off in countless directions. With practice, however, we can gradually begin to succeed. With each success, our commitment deepens, as we see the value in experiencing the inner peace we are finding. This is the key. You will not pursue this practice just because someone says you should. You pursue it as you learn the value of doing so. As that gnawing feeling that something is missing begins to diminish, you come to your quiet times with joy and renewed expectation.

To say that we are spiritual beings inhabiting a physical body is not intended to undermine our material side. The problem lies in the fact that we have conformed to this world – the body and its endless concerns – by giving it the bulk of our attention. As we gradually bring our focus to our spiritual side, we begin to find a natural balance between soul and body, a welcome transformation produced by the renewal of our mind.    

YouTube: Circumstantial Tendencies

It is important to realize that every new enterprise, every decision you make to pursue your passion is going to evoke some level of confrontation between the stronger and the weaker elements of your self-image. You will set your goals based on your strengths, your talents, your interests and your dreams. In the process of manifesting them, however, you will encounter challenges that will summon all your weaknesses as well. Self-doubt, fear of failure, feelings of lack, impatience, anger, lethargy and indifference will all creep in at the most inappropriate times. Like Job, you may find yourself saying, “The thing I feared is upon me and the thing I dreaded is now before me.” Many worthy undertakings have been brought to a grinding halt by these unwelcome thieves of our creative energy.

You need not be taken by surprise when this seemingly negative side of your consciousness arises. While it may not always be comfortable or convenient, the arousal of these stifling elements is both inevitable and necessary. They arise from that limited aspect of your identity which is crying out to be redefined from the basis of your soul.

Because of the discomfort or even pain involved in dealing with them, the temptation is to suppress these unwanted elements. But unless the things you fear most come upon you, unless they are brought into the full light of your awareness, you will never be able to trace them back to their sources and permanently release the negative influence they have on your circumstantial tendencies.

YouTube: The Role of Choice

“The kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad.” Matthew 13:47-48

I’ve often used this passage to illustrate the role of choice, especially as it pertains to attitudes we’ve assumed concerning the various experiences we encounter in life. If we take a very broad view of the role of choice, we’ll ask how far it extends. Did you choose to incarnate at the time you did, and did you choose the family into which you were born?

Consider this example. Let’s say you want to travel to a place, and you decide to fly. Does this mean you also choose that obnoxious passenger seated next to you? The consciousness purist will say, “We attract the people and circumstances from which our soul can learn the most. There are no accidents.”

If the flight isn’t fully booked, you can request another seat. If one such person happens to be a family member, you’ll be seated next to them for many years. You can spend your life thinking a difficult person has something to teach you, but if you cannot grasp what you’re supposed to learn, there’s a good chance you’ll carry the burden of believing your soul isn’t evolved enough, and you’ll probably keep attracting similar personalities until you finally get it.

Let’s take a step back. Did you attract the obnoxious passenger because they had something to teach your soul, or did you encounter them simply because you made the decision to fly? These are two completely different approaches. Will you allow this person to ruin your entire trip, or will you let them go the moment you step off the plane?

I like to think we’re making this earthly trip simply because we wanted to. If we get caught up in the drama and influence of our fellow passengers, it can be easy to forget why we set out on this journey. You have surely had the experience of getting lost or confused in an airport. What has this to do with your purpose for flying? Your choice to fly will put you in airports and seat you next to people with whom the only thing you share in common is the fact that you’re on the same plane. Is our earthly journey really that much different?

Rather than spend another moment wondering what we failed to learn from a challenging relationship, let’s turn our attention back to the possibilities that drew us to this earthly experience. When we boarded the “plane” that brought us here, we did it for a reason. We had something in mind. Are we pursuing this higher interest, or are we dragging ourselves down trying to reconcile unresolved issues with another passenger? We’re off the plane with feet planted firmly in our desired destination. Let us choose to make the most of it.

YouTube: Calming the Inner Storm

There arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” Matthew 8:24-27

When we read a story like this, we want to ask if it is intended to show the greatness of Jesus, or if it is intended to remind us of our own power to calm storms. This is an example of what I would call a modified saying, a passage containing parts of which may have originated with Jesus  but have been modified by the Gospel writer to convey the early church’s elevated characterization of him. Jesus seems surprised that his companions are cowing in fear, an indication that he expected them to do what he did. He then rebukes the storm and it subsides. The final comment is likely Matthew’s: What sort of man is this, that even the winds and sea obey him?”   

We all have our storms, but we don’t have the luxury of a special miracle worker around to rebuke them for us. Free of Matthew’s final question, the story indicates that Jesus is pointing to the power of the men’s faith, not himself, as the resolving force. He’s raising the question, Why don’t you bring to bear the power of your faith? Why do you have to rely on me? This reminds me of Meister Eckhart’s question that I’m paraphrasing here: What good does it do me to have a brother who is wise if I remain ignorant?

I believe Jesus was a spiritual teacher whose mission was to awaken people to their own ability. I think his focus was less on controlling weather and more on demonstrating power over the mental and emotional storms that devastate our quality of life. Your faith will not likely alter what the wind and sea are doing, but it can alter your reaction to whatever storms are raging in your life.

On several occasions, Jesus chided men of little faith, not because he was reminding them of his superiority, but because he was trying to inspire them to awaken their own power. In practice, the exercise of faith is a significant shift in attitude. We move from fear over some appearance to the strength of knowing the resolution is now coming forth.  

Is your faith in the man Jesus? Is your faith in the power of the storm raging through your life now? Or, is your faith in God, the one presence and one power that is, at this very moment, bringing about the needed resolution? I think if Jesus were here, he would ask this very question.    

YouTube: The Spirit of Freedom

“For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice.” John 18:37 

When I read this passage, I hear Jesus saying that he recognized his mission, his purpose in life, as one of demonstrating what it means to live from the awareness of his oneness with God.

I don’t see Jesus making this statement as exclusive to himself, but more as the ultimate objective of every person. When he said that you will know the truth and the truth will make you free, he was saying that the truth of our oneness with God is the key to true freedom.

While we celebrate freedom as a nation, it’s clear that simply living in a geographical location does not guarantee us the level of inner freedom that we long for. We can be free to move about, to pursue our interests, to interact with our family and friends and yet live in the bondage of some form of fear. Fear is debilitating at every level. It’s grounded in the perception that the thing we fear is greater than our ability to resolve it.

To bear witness to the truth is to connect with a deeper level that enables us to rise above fear and successfully meet the challenge that confronts us. How do we do this? How do we move beyond spiritual platitudes and arrive at place of understanding that assures our freedom? The first thing we do is acknowledge the influence of perception. Unlike a fixed reality, a perception, which is a mental impression that we form based on the limited facts at our disposal, can be changed. 

When Jesus warned against judging by appearances, he was talking about the mental impressions we form and react to based on information that comes through the senses. He is saying we can break this cycle and free ourselves from the emotional roller-coaster ride that we often fall victim to. We release the energy we are giving a perception and we affirm the truth we want to express.

I now release the energy that I’m pouring into this mental picture. The perfect resolution is now unfolding through this situation and through my life. 

We are each here to bear witness to the truth of our being. The spirit of freedom is alive in each one of us because, at the deepest level, we are already free.

YouTube: The Mystery of Communion

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:26-28

According to Matthew, the inception of the ritual of Communion occurred during the last Passover meal – the Last Supper – that Jesus shared with his disciples. Today, the elements of wine and bread, or grape juice and a cracker, are ritually administered in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice for our salvation. The Catholic church takes it further with the concept of transubstantiation, the belief that the blessed sacraments actually become the blood and body of Jesus.

The word communion carries the meaning of communication. The mystic sees communion as an actual union, a natural communication between God and the individual. The practice of spiritual communion, going directly to the indwelling Father, was the secret of Jesus’ power. Because of the challenges involved in silencing the busy mind and becoming receptive to the still small voice of God, ritual often takes precedence over the actual practice of the Presence, as the now famous mystic, Brother Lawrence, called it.  

Few Unity leaders have adopted the formal ritual of Communion. We have preferred the route of communion, or communication, with our spiritual source, which we do through meditation. While religious institutions can withhold Communion from those they deem unworthy, Unity recognizes that each individual is one with God and all are free to establish a first-hand experience with their spiritual source. We do not advocate the use of ritual or specific elements as requirements for communion with God. We leave that up to each person.

It is easy to substitute a ritual for an actual experience. We should remember that nearly every religious ritual has its basis in a spiritual principle. In terms of spiritual advancement, the practice is the principle is mandatory. The ritual is optional.