For Sunday August 26th, 2018

Hello to everyone, for some reason it feels right to revisit a poem by Naomi Shibab Nye:

"I want to be famous in the way

a pulley is famous

or a buttonhole, not because it did

anything spectacular

but because it never forgot

what it could do"

We all have the ability to treat people with respect, to be loving, to search for higher wisdom. The affects of such abilities, accumulated over a lifetime, will change the direction of the world.

May we sit this evening for what we can do in every moment. How would we like to be treated? Can we extend that to others? How much can we change the world?

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday August 19th, 2018

Hello everyone, humanity is a work in progress. We have our ups and downs and sometimes horrible distractions, for everything there is a season. Throughout it all we hold the same goal – to connect honestly, with a smile, a nod, a caring ear, an insightful story, a shoulder to lean on, any of these and more which come from true compassion.

It is a soul-held true desire for each of us to make our corner of the world a little better, a bit more patient, kind, and understanding.

May we sit this evening for even the tiniest movement toward Oneness.

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday August 12th, 2018

Hello to all, there is a great need to heal the rife and rancor permeating much of society today. Mary Owen has mentioned Ho'oponopono, a technique from Hawaii. It is based on our connection to everything, that we are an inescapable part of the entire spectrum from the most dense to the most pure and thereby hold some degree of responsibility for its construct.

Ho'oponopono can be stated in 4 short sentences:

I'm sorry.

Please forgive me.

I love you.

Thank you.

When said honestly these sentences can be humbling, cleansing, and connective. They might also very possibly shift hearts and attitudes away from anger and toward compassion.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday August 5th, 2018

Hello everyone, the purity of the Divine Source is such that there is no need of forgiveness. On that level there is no need because no offense can be taken where only Love exists. We, on the other hand, with our impure love and tendency toward judgement, must practice forgiveness. 

As we look upon those who are lost, and in all honesty we must include ourselves in that group, the need for forgiveness is clear. Try as we might we all miss the mark by varying degrees. Forgiveness clears the pathway towards reconciliation, reconnection, unity, and Oneness.

May we sit this Sunday for the compassion which offers forgiveness. May we sit for the forgiveness which releases us from our fears and angers. May our releasing bring us closer to Divine Source.

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday July 29th, 2018

Hello to everyone, scientists have long looked at forests and seen the tallest trees as being the strongest, masterful winners in a competition for survival. But forest ecologist Suzanne Simard has proven a new understanding – that trees have complex social lives and harmoniously assistive survival techniques – trees cooperate.

https://www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_simard_how_trees_talk_to_each_other 

The tendency to project our psychological mindset onto nature has tripped us up but has also exposed a human frailty; a belief in the necessity of strength. As Gary Zukav wrote in "The Seat of the Soul" the desire for 'external power' is born of fear, while 'authentic power' is a matter of the heart.

May we sit this evening for the only true power in the universe, the power of love. May we sit for the insight to see our own illusions and projections. May we sit for the individual recognition and fullness of 'authentic power' to be realized on Earth.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday July 22nd, 2018

Hello everyone, here's a quote: "You know, I think everybody longs to be loved, and longs to know that he or she is lovable. And consequently, the greatest thing we can do is to help somebody know they're loved and capable of loving." - Mister Rogers

There is no way to elaborate on that other than to emphasize the word 'everybody'. 

May we sit this Sunday to release that which corrupts our willingness and ability to love.

Thank you all,

Richard

One Love

And I just got this from Barbara Whitfield:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZzK29_V8jQ

For Sunday July 15th, 2018

Hello to all, history shows that humanity is moving away from the acquisition and application of external power – from the divine right of kings, to the signing of the Magna Carta, to the end of slavery, to suffragettes, to civil rights, to Tiananmen Square, to the Arab Spring; and toward authentic power with the acknowledgement of the sacredness of human life. 

There are still hold-outs, desperately grabbing at money, political influence, and military might. But the arc of history will complete itself. The human heart will shine through because compassion is not a luxury, it is a necessity for life. Compassion may well begin from pain, but achieves its fullness in joy.

May we sit this evening for the opportunity to engage compassionately with others. May we bring forth the best of our hearts - to someday arrive at joy.

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday July 8th, 2018

Hello everyone, mystics of many stripes have spent thousands of years promoting the transcendence of the body as a means of personal spiritual fulfillment. Transcendence is offered as an escape from suffering and endless cycles of reincarnation. And, those who love outwardly may wonder why we're here during such a time of earthly turmoil. 

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama offers this simple, compassionate, and ultimately responsible answer, "The purpose of life is not to transcend the body, but to embody the transcendent." In other words, we are here to bring every bit of love, joy, compassion, and creativity that we can attain from seemingly other-worldly spirituality into this dense, physical, earthly life.

May we sit this Sunday for the spiritual fulfillment of our lives in this era. May we bring forth all that we attain. May humanity know its source.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday July 1st, 2018

Hello to all, there is a difference between stopping the thought process and going beyond thought. Stopping the thought process can bring a quietness and a sense of ease which are valuable in their own right. But to go beyond thought is a rare entry into a realm where the formation of loving desire equals immediate action.

Let's define prayer beyond the realm of thought or imagination as fervent prayer. It's an area where the appearance of white Light is not the creation of an actively thinking mind, but rather a perceived fact. Such Light can emanate from a pure and intensely focused Love.

May we sit this evening for that purity and focus. May we bring such Light not into our imaginations, but into reality. It's an attainment which is not within easy reach but is available to all, and can change the world.

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday June 24th, 2018

Hello everyone, in today's vast expanse of financially driven modern media we are awash with sensationalist outrage, adamant viewpoints, and selfishly motivated reasoning. Such anger and bitterness can destroy a person's peace of mind. 

Yet we are social animals who depend upon one another. We benefit greatly from applying love and compassion in the situations we encounter. Such compassion brings optimism and hope.

Let us sit this Sunday for the wisdom to choose wisely and lovingly for ourselves and in our interactions with others. May we have the courage and insight to see the person standing behind the opinions. May we prep our society for the healing which must occur.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday June 17th, 2018

Hello to everyone, it is said that true stillness cannot be imposed but must be arrived at, because to make yourself 'not think' is to be doing something. And, paradoxically, to truly do nothing at all is to be absolutely fully awake and aware, especially of yourself and your own mind. This is remarkably difficult because we have been mentally trained throughout life to condemn, to approve, and to compare; in other words – to think.

A truly quieted mind is free, free to observe without comment - and free enough to learn.

May we sit this Sunday in favor of true quietness. May we follow the path of observation. May we learn our way forward in this life.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday June 10th, 2018

Hello everyone, beliefs are strange things, requiring effort. Beliefs must be formulated, refined, adhered to, defended, and perhaps maintained at all costs even in the face of opposing evidence.

Yet we do not need a belief that there are mountains, or sunshine, or air. These things simply are. We know the truth of them. Are there deeper things which 'simply are'? Deeper things whose truth can be known without need of defense? 

In a state of fervent prayer or intense meditation we may come to know many such things, to know them beyond question.

May we sit this Sunday for that depth which cannot be described with words. May we learn things which can be experienced but not taught. May spiritual truths become known in the absolute silence. 

Thank you all,

Richard