For Sunday August 21st, 2022

Hello to all, some species of beetles have eltrya, wings that, due to circumstance, have hardened into shields. This seems to be an excellent metaphor for the human tendency to willingly reduce our flight in exchange for protection. There may well have been a time in each of our lives where we 'pulled our wings in' out of fear for our safety, emotional or otherwise.

This may have been a wise and useful choice at the time. But the beauty of releasing protections to regain flight is easily forgotten.

May we sit this Sunday in search of those moments where it is now safe to once more spread our wings. May we find what needs to be released to continue our ascent. May we support others on our way.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday August 14th, 2022

Hello everyone, when Tom Sawyer had his NDE he was 'blasted' into the spiritual realm. Afterward he could immediately go into the highest meditative state at will. It can be very different for those of us who've not had that launch.

However, we are encouraged in our efforts by the anonymous 14th century mystic who wrote in The Cloud of Unknowing:
"...in the beginning is it usual to feel nothing but a kind of darkness about your mind, or as it were, a 'cloud of unknowing'. You will seem to know nothing and to feel nothing except a naked intent toward God in the depths of your being. Try as you might, this darkness and this cloud will remain between you and your God. You will feel frustrated, for you mind will be unable to grasp him, and your heart will not relish the delight of his love. But learn to be at home in this darkness. Return to it as often as you can, letting your spirit cry out to him whom you love. For if, in this life, you hope to feel and see God as he is in himself it must be within this darkness and this cloud. But if you strive to fix your love on him forgetting all else, which is the work of contemplation I have urged you to begin, I am confidant that God in his goodness will bring you to a deep experience of himself."

This fits well with Tom's advice to do 'nothing' meaning to attain the Buddhist concept of the 'no thing' in your meditations.

 
May we sit this evening, and every time, for 'nothing'. It could be the greatest 'something' we've ever had.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday August 7th, 2022

Hello everyone, this Sunday may we focus our loving intentions upon those impacted by the flooding in:

Eastern Kentucky
Missouri
Illinois
Southwest Virginia
West Virginia
Las Vegas Valley
Phoenix
Flagstaff
Death Valley National Park
and Eastern Kentucky – again!

Thank you all for your kindness and your good hearts,

Richard

For Sunday July 31st, 2022

Hello, and a gracious good day to all of you. As we sit in meditation we may wonder what we're trying for. There are various explanations ranging from 'watch your breath' to 'don't fall asleep.' About our desire to quiet the mind J. Krishnamurti writes, "Meditation is the understanding of desire, not the overcoming of one desire by another." Food for thought right there, eh?

But an anonymous 14th century mystic explains that ordinary thoughts and earthly concepts must be buried beneath a "cloud of forgetting," while our love must rise toward a God hidden in the "cloud of unknowing." The idea that we must peer through a "cloud of unknowing" in order to more fully connect with our Source seems appropriate and relatable.

May we sit this evening with the awareness of this cloud and the need to peer through it. May our progress be well-suited to our lives. May the world benefit.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday July 24th, 2022

Hello all, the writer Martha Beck has mentioned the phrase 'extinction burst' in her blog <https://marthabeck.com/2022/07/outlasting-the-extinction-burst/>
It details how when previously learned behaviors no longer provide the expected rewards they can intensify before finally ending, much like a child's tantrum.

As the world moves toward the authentic power of the heart and people realize their own sacredness, as well as of the Earth, it frustrates those who seek to serve themselves through external power; financial, military, political, psychological. They may increasingly employ the old patterns of external power to achieve their goals in a classic extinction burst. Ms. Beck suggests that we have to outlast them. We do so by holding our center, being compassionate and observant.

 
May we sit this Sunday evening in our loving selves, compassionate, observant, engaged but not enraged. May we hold a steady love amongst the storm. May the future be held in all our hearts.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday July 17th, 2022

Hello and a gracious good day to all, we're told by many sources that we must love God with all our heart and soul. And, since God is One, everything which exists materially, from the tiniest subatomic particles to the farthest galaxies, and even our favorite belly button lint, is an expression of God. This brings up the question from the song, "What if God were one of us?"

Recognizing the heady thrill of our human tendency for judgement, can we really, even if only for a moment, love all? It could be life-changing.

May we sit this evening to drop all judgements in favor of love. May we take a look beyond ourselves – and truly see us.

Thank you all,

Richard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USR3bX_PtU4 

For Sunday July 10th, 2022

Hello to all, as we navigate the currents of life, the storms and the tides, remember to bring forth the pearls.

 
We may find ourselves easily buffeted by the political and social upheavals of our time, as well as personal trials and tribulations. But if we peer clearly into our calmer depths, we can find beauty growing amongst the weeds.

This evening may we find some calm, ask the Benevolent Universe for guidance, and see what comes into view. Perhaps it will be a thing of great value.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday July 3, 2022

Hello everyone, we clearly face myriad political, financial, and environmental challenges in this life. The solutions to all of these share a common facet – compassion – as in 'what is best for all concerned?'

We can't all have every solution but we can ask, "How would I live if I was exactly what was needed to heal the world?" This brings the personal responsibility for being loving right up front.

 
For this evening let us focus on that which is available to us all, being loving. May we take on the challenge of loving everyone we meet, if only for one hour, or one day. Releasing our typical judgments, we may simply love them as they are, knowing they are on their path, as we are.

Xapis,

Richard

For Sunday June 26th, 2022

Hello everyone, in these few days when five visible planets are aligned in the sky, science tells us that all the planets, stars, and galaxies are in their exact positions because all of the others are in their own exact positions. It is the great harmony of nature, the great balance inherent within Universal Consciousness.

Humans, having been given free will, can separate ourselves from Universal Consciousness, draw ourselves out of balance with a love of power, wealth, and the various attractions of the material world.

Yet the connection to Universal Consciousness still exists. It can be found in an appreciation of nature, the laughter of a child, and in meditation.

May we sit this evening for our own connection. May we find our internal balance. May we 'set things right' within our own hearts.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday June 19th, 2022

Hello and Happy Father's Day to all, J. Krishnamurti chides us that if we truly knew the depth of karma, that what we sow we will reap, we wouldn't tolerate for a single second the ugliness within our own hearts and minds. We would instantly drop it. Not practice dropping it. Not try to quit. But instantly drop it all.

 
So a fuller grasping of karma is essential.

 
May we sit this evening for total forgiveness, of others, of ourselves, even of God if needed. It is the only way forward.

Thank you and Bless you all,

Richard

For Sunday June 12th, 2022

Hello and a graciously summery good day to all. Kahlil Gibran's poem The River Cannot Go Back speaks to the human fear of death:

It is said that before entering the sea
a river trembles with fear.
She looks back at the path she has traveled,
from the peaks of the mountains,
the long winding road crossing forests and villages.
And in front of her, she sees an ocean so vast,
that to enter there seems nothing more than to disappear
forever.
But there is no other way.
The river can not go back.
Nobody can go back.
To go back is impossible in existence.
The river needs to take the risk of entering the ocean
because only then will fear disappear,
because that's where the river will know
it's not about disappearing into the ocean,
but of becoming the ocean.

It also emphasizes what the ancient prophets tell us about meditation; in the deepest and most loving union, far from losing ourselves, we discover our deepest selves at the core of our being.

May we sit this evening for the 'becoming' which we are promised, finding our deepest selves, and fulfilling our journeys.

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday June 5th, 2022

Hello to all and sundry, I don't know who the author of this is:

Dear God,
Let me be the pen that you use to write the beautiful stories that touch the hearts of my brothers and sisters and guide them on the path,
the brush that you use to paint the grand canvas of nature, or a flower like a rose with a scent that reminds everyone of their source,
a note in the sound of creation, a single note that will vibrate in the ears and bring to the soul memories of heaven,
a simple word, which once heard reveals Your presence and can never be forgotten,
a spark of love that will create friendship between all men and women,
a point of light somewhere in the universe that will shine for eternity and bring hope to someone in the dark,
God I release myself to Your hands to be the instrument of Your plan.

May we apply ourselves in kind.

Thank you all,

Richard

Bishop Desmond Tutu & His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

Hello everyone, if you're interested, I'm hoping you'll be able to open this. It's a film of the last meeting of these two spiritual giants, inspired by the book The Book of Joy. 

Enjoy

https://www.facebook.com/missionjoyfilm/videos/796885237968544/?notif_id=1654214664928337&notif_t=live_video_schedule_viewer&ref=notif