You're a What?

I have shared with a few people that I am a Christian Mystic.   My definition is short and sweet on this.  I am passionate about the unseen world of God.  I am passionate about experiencing the presence of God in myself and others.  Experiential learning is more important to me for my faith than theological or biblical learning.

When I shared with one person,  he said, "How can you even put Christianity and Mysticism in the same sentence!"  "Mysticism is not Christianity!"  He went on to explain how mysticism just doesn't have a place in "real" Christianity; and that he would pray "for" me for illumination.   This basically meant that he would pray that I see the error of my ways and turn toward his beliefs.

I would really like to address both of these kinds of responses to Christian Mysticism.  Both fail to understand the perspective, and the deep passion and faith that Christian Mystics have.

Before I get into that though, let me make one thing clear.  Being a Christian Mystic doesn't mean that I am holier than anybody.  In fact, it is a life of searching, of questions, of changes.  There is no point at which I can plant my feet and say, "This is the breath and width and height of my belief!"  For as many manifestations of God and God's influence there are in this world, both the seen and unseen, are as many ways that any believer, whether Christian Mystic or not, may walk his or her path.  I am only more or less holy than I was yesterday.

The Religious Right and Christian Mysticism
--------------------------------------------

The Religous Right, loosly, are those people who empasize more traditional moral and theological perspectives on the person, mission, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The values that are applauded are good works, faith in the Word of God, the supremacy of the church as a moral entitiy, the Supremacy of Christ, the traditional family as a unit of faith and of the church, and so on.  

For the purposes of this discussion, the Religious Right are those that are not yet comfortable with experiences being on the same level as the Word of God or the Church as a point of authority.  

For me, my whole faith experience has been just that, experiential.  There is a place for the Word of God, for the Church, for a community of believers.  They are not the end all be all of my faith though.  It is through the dark times of the soul, the overflowing mountain-top experiences and everything in between, that have shaped my relationship with God and God's creation.

I am getting a little passionate about this, because to me, there is a great injustice done when someone says, "but that experience wasn't from God!"   Basically, they are telling me that my experience is not "right," "sound," "good," or "faithful."   It is a slap in the face.   At least, that is what it feels like.

Part of the reason I now call myself a Christian Mystic is that I love hearing about all the experiences of people.  I see how God has been a part of their lives.  All moments of discovery have that intertwined within.  I would sooner rip pages out of one of Shakespeare's plays than to judge someone's experience of God and therefore not include it or give it worth as part of their life story, of the unfolding of God in their book of life.

Yes, I understand that not judging people also means that I failed at this a little when I got upset at my friend's opinion on my declaration of Christian Mysticism.  I am working on it.   Truly.   I also love hearing about his experiences with God.  They are as valid as any other, and as valuable.

Let me post some good words from the known Christian Mystic and Teacher, LM Richardson.

Jesus said this about what the nature of the spiritual process would be after he had left this world:

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:26 (New International Version)

The apostle Paul said this: But as it is written, ‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.’ But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” (1 Cor. 2:6-10)

LM Richardson does a much better job than I at what the process and journey of a Christian Mystic entails: 

The Holy Spirit does not require that we believe in just the right way for it to reveal its truths or that any of us understand the end before it takes us to the end. As Christians, all that is necessary is that we open our hearts each day so that the Holy Spirit can take us to the deep things of God culminating in the direct experience of the soul’s true nature in God, what the bible calls born again and the earliest Christians called to state of perfection. 

Dichotomies - Love and Justice

When I come across a dichotomy, especially when it has to do with faith, I start this process of struggle.
The struggle is always the same.  I know in my mind that the two branches of the dichotomy are both true.  Somehow, I need to reconcile them together, or it will always be a gray area of my faith.

For example, the dichotomy of God as a loving God, and God is a Just God.

When I was growing up, and am sure for many people, our first concept of God and what God was like came from our parents.

My mom and dad spend time talking about God. In church when I heard the words "father in Heaven" I immediately pictured God as a father.

My dad had times when he was a very loving dad. I remember the times when he helped launch model rockets with my brother and I. There were times when we went on canoeing expeditions. They were times when we did acrobatics, balancing on his legs, or spun around by our arms and legs in an "airplane" ride. There were times when my brother and I would roughhouse when he was sitting on the La-Z-Boy. We would crawl over him and he would try to push us off and we had a great time. Or at least my brother and I had a great time.

My dad was also just. I mowed a neighbor's yard for 5 dollars, but it had to be done at a particular time. The only time I would get off mowing his lawn as if it was raining outside. One time I got back from summer camp and I was going through a lot of emotional turmoil, because I had a crush on one of the female counselors that was there.  I remember feeling this huge vacuum, this huge hole. The last thing I wanted to do the next day was to mow this yard.. My mom was very sympathetic, and understood and didn't mind me skipping that week. My dad, on the other hand, said I had responsibilities. But no matter how I was feeling or what I was going through, I had made a pledge and a promise and had to follow through with them.

In that sense, my dad taught me that Just behavior was less about balancing the scales of justice, and more about keeping your pledges and promises and obligations. And not so much obligations for the fact that your reputation was something that was hard to get easy to lose and yet extremely important to have. Rather, keeping obligations and promises were important because of how you felt about yourself.

I ranted and raved about mowing that day. I thought my dad was being totally unreasonable. And yet, I went out in mode. And when I got back I could look in the near, and I even remember it today, that I had not let my customer down, nor myself.

Proverbs, in the Bible, states it very well. It says there is a time for love, and a time for work. In that same sense, there is a God of love, and the God of just behavior. The God of love, encourages us,... help, and holds us in God's eternal love, and reminds us always that we are part of him, part of his wonderful creation. The God of justice, or just behavior, is not a God of the scales of justice; rather a God of just actions.

So for me, the dichotomy of a God of love, and a God of justice, is not really a dichotomy. As God loves me, wants the best for me, wants to build me up, wants me to see in me the person I wish to be, God knows that it takes not only acts of love but behavior which seeks to be fair to all, to honor yourself and your obligations, to have your "yes" be yes, and you're "no" a no.

A just God, for me, is one who celebrates when I stand fast to behavior which promotes peace, promote understanding, gives the benefit of the doubt, fulfills my word, and his, and always seeks after the justice which brings people together.

One other thing about justice, is that it is not a response to those things which are unjust. It is rather a pattern of behavior, from this point onward, which seeks to honor the greatness, the truth, the love, and God in everyone around you.

God is not a vengeful God, but God is just.

God is a just God, and in that way.fulfills his role as a loving God.

Be Happy

Be Happy!


Well, I know that this is my goal.   It has always been my goal.  I want to be happy.  Don't we all?


When growing up, I was happy, for the most part.  I remember riding my bike up and down the culdusacs of Rochester MN when I was in second and third grade.  I would laugh, sing, yell.  It was great.


Did I accomplish anything with all this riding around?  Not really.  I just had fun doing it.  (Well, I did ride by a girl's house that I liked, and sang songs while going in and out of her driveway, until her dad told me to stop coming around one night.  I still came around during the day.)

There were the expeditions to the rock shop.  My dad would take my brother and I, and we would look at all the crystals, geodes, rock collections, etc.  We would pick out a few tumbled rocks, and a few mineral specimens to put in our collections.

We shot off model rockets.  Dad and my brother and I would spend hours building them, getting engines, setting up the launching platforms, and away they went.  There was a thrill when one would take off.  We never knew if the parachute would open, never knew if the rocket would survive.


Later, I was happy when I went to summer camp as a camper.  Everything was an adventure.  Hikes, swims, camping out.  It was all exciting.


Be Happy?


Now, I really wonder what it would take to be as happy as I was when I was growing up.  Would it take going back to my childhood, and riding a bike, building a rocket, being a camper?  Or do all these things have something in common, some shared elements that lead me to be happy?


The Familiar vs. the Unfamiliar

Sometimes, I found that it was the familiar, the often repeated activity in which I was happy.  Everytime I have ever played pool, I was happy.  It didn't matter who I played against, or whether I won or lost.  I loved playing pool.  I was happy playing with the same set of friends over and over again.  I was happy going to the same town, in the same cabins, doing the same activities on holidays.

I was also happy when new situations and new activities came up.  Repelling, scuba diving, archery, a talk with a stranger, laser-tag, driving to places I had never been.  All these captured my attention because they were new and exciting.


Likes vs. Dislikes

Absolutely, I was happy doing things I liked.  This goes without saying.  I like summer camp.  I was happy doing it.  I liked making homemade ice cream.  I was happy doing it.

I was involved in building a rope suspension bridge once.  I hated it.  It was hot, and rainy, and as fast as we strung the ropes, they tightened up in the rain.  Everyone left us and went back to the campsite, but three of us.  We persevered!  I was so tired, so wet, so miserable.  Yet, the next day, I looked back on it and was happy.  Would I do it again.  No.   But I was happy to do it once.

Getting Things Done vs. Doing Nothing.

Sometimes, I would be happy because I accomplished something.  I was happy when I paid off my student loans.  I was happy when I got a house.  I was happy when I got a girlfriend.  Somedays, I am happy when I get through work.  Yeah weekend!!!

I sometime do nothing, get nothing done, accomplish nothing.  These are great days too.  I am happy driving nowhere.  I am happy laying down and just letting my mind wander.  Happiness comes when I am sitting down and watching TV.  Happiness happens when I haven't achieved a single goal for the day.

So what does this boil down to?

Comparisons

Happiness is linked to the comparisons I make. If you're always comparing what you have to the holdings of those who have more, you'll feel lacking; if you compare yourself to those less fortunate, you'll have a sense of abundance. Being grateful for what you have can definitely promote happiness, and it can also relieve stress. If you focus on how things could be better, how things should be better, you will likely have a much more intense experience of unhappiness.

Relationships

Happiness has oftentimes involved investing in close relationships with friends and family.  I tend to be happy when I am working on or engaging in activities with others. Close friends and family can share in your joy and help you during rougher times. They offer a supportive ear when you need one, or practical support when you need a helping hand.  They also offer me a chance to be supportive for them.

And Several Other Things

Here's a list of several other factors that play into happiness.  The following is a list of the 16 different features that may promote happiness.

I could spend time on each of these; that would be an accomplishment, but I am happy nonetheless.

Health
Self-Esteem
Goals, Values and Spiritual Life
Money
Work
Play
Learning
Creativity
Helping
Love
Friends
Children
Relatives
Home
Neighborhood
Community


The most important thing though, is that being happy is a choice.  It really doesn't matter the characteristics of a situation, an action, an activity.  It is a choice to be happy regardless.  I just have to remind myself, trick myself, that this is truly true.

Unfinished Story - Repudi-Logic

I decided to put forth some of the one or two page stories that I wrote years ago, and never finished.   Perhaps, you can give me some ideas as to how to continue them, or you may want to use them as a start to your own stories.   Feel free.

-----------------------------------------------
Unfinished Story - Repudi-Logic
-----------------------------------------------.

It was a great day.  The sun overhead was shining, casting the red-blue shadows that Cornesk liked so much.  The fields of wheat were swaying with the wind.  Even the repudi were making their soothing crackling sounds.


“How could life get any better,” thought Cornesk.


The afternoon had been a little warm for him.  Sometimes it reached 45 degrees Celsius but the evenings, like this one, were perfect.  Not that a guy didn’t have to get used to the continuous light, but those were small matters.  Hampton was the planet for him.


A small repudi snaked around Cornesk’s ankle making a chattering sound like oatmeal funneled through an aluminum foil tube.


“Well hello.  Come to play did you?


Ever since the first expedition landed on Hampton the settlers found the one indigenous land animal both frightening in appearance and playful in action.  The Repudi was like a cross between a dwarf alligator and a python dipped in breakfast cereal.   The outer skin was a mixture of organic glues and pebbles, grass, sand, or whatever the little creatures rolled around in that day.  It made a great covering for their tender skin and made for good camouflage.


“I’m sorry, but I don’t have any sandpaper with me.”


Children discovered one day that the only think the Repudi liked better than eating was trying to cover themselves with sandpaper.  Some child thought that it would be a good joke to glue a piece to a board and watch the Repudi try to take it.  However, the Repudi seemed to enjoy rolling over the same piece of sandpaper trying to pick it up on their backs.  Now whenever someone came along a Repudi it would make it’s sound and demand that they be given a sandpaper block.


In fact, sandpaper blocks were the only way that the scientists could coax a Repudi to the lab so they could take a sample or the organic glue they used.  It was some marvelous stuff.  The Repudi not only secreted this wonder glue but could neutralize it with another enzyme from their bodies when they wished to shed their “coat”.


So far there were hundreds of applications for it.  Many of the houses were effectively wind and water proof because of a good coating of the glue.  Since the mining operations couldn’t keep up with the demand for metal nails, planks were glued together.  The stuff was amazing.  Even the weavers started using it to glue several lengths of cloth together to make sails for the few small ships that were built.


Hampton was a class IV agricultural world that allowed use of indigenous building materials and enforced population growth.   The Grand Council had found that if settlers used indigenous materials but had no growth controls that the planet started looking like old earth after a couple of hundred years.  The forests would be gone, the atmosphere poisoned, the seas contaminated.  It seemed that it was either use synthetic materials with no population growth or indigenous materials with controlled growth.


So far Hampton was unique in that the average population growth had never exceeded the parameters laid down by the Council.  Not one pregnancy had to be aborted, nor one “eighty” euthanized.  There were even jokes made that Hampton  itself was exerting some control over the settlers so that not too many people were born and not too many died.


Now where had Cornesk’s mind gone.  Here the Repudi had not only wrapped itself around his trouser leg but it was stuck there!! And good.


“Okay boy.  Now let go.  I need to get going!” Cornesk admonished the Repudi.


The repudi closed itself tighter around his leg, burying it’s tiny fangs into his shin.

“That’s it!”


Cornesk took an enzyme spray out of his pocket and let the Repudi have it.  In second the Repudi came loose along with its covering or rock and grass.  It slithered away with astonishing speed.


“Now what got into that beast,” though Cornesk.  “I never heard of one of the Repudi biting anyone. “Cornesk hurried to the Medistead, the one designated medical house in the colony.



The Medistead was not only the first building built but the original family that lived there had changed their last name to Medistead.  Right now the younger daughter was the current meditech.


“Rachael must be in her forties by now,”  thought Cornesk.  “Still a fine looking woman I must say!  Not that she would ever like an old bloak like me, but I might be great for a one night stand.”


Just then Cornesk’s ankle twisted in the underbrush and his body pitched forward, hitting the ground with a whoosh of air.


“Son of a …”


“Hey, are you all right?” said a concerned female voice.


Cornesk looked up and found himself looking at Rachael bending over him, a puzzled expression on her face.


“Oh yeah.  I just tripped over some damn thing.  And one of those little beast bit me in the ankle back in the meadow.”


“What!  I never heard of the Repudi biting anyone.”


“Well you have now!”


Rachael reached down and gave Cornesk a hand up.  When he put weight back on his ankle it was like a hot butcher’s knife digging into his flesh.


“Whoah!  Wait a minute while I get some splints from my house,”  Rachael said.


Cornesk tried to get up again but the pain was just too much.


“Stop it!  You stay right where you are and don’t move until I get back!” Rachael said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Enjoy.