5/26-6/6 Reflections (Spain trip)

The quotes for 5/26-6/6 come from my book Our Universal Spirit Journey: Reflections and Verse for Creation's Sake, pp. 20-52. ~jpc

Note: In this book I was capitalizing "Spirit," in next books not, but italicizing [spirit]; trying to remind myself that spirit is a name for the mysterious power at the heart of creation, not an other-worldly person in our image. I only italicize the word to point out it is not the same as "team spirit" or "my spirit life," for example; "spirit movement" is harder, but I don't italicize it either.

5/26 Thrs -- Unite and Build

Teilhard says "we can progress only by uniting." These times and Teilhard’s imperatives to unite and build the Earth are revealing to us the depth and power of Spirit; are compelling us to live as one community; are redefining spirituality for the 21st century; are calling forth new spirit people and leaders. A fresh wind is blowing. ~jpc

5/27 Fri -- Spirit Is . . .

Spirit is the inner dimension of everything,

the dynamic of communion within creation.

It gives foundation to but transcends religions

and cultures.

Spirit is ever sustaining the immense journey

and making all things new. ~jpc

5/28 Sat -- Deep Global Unity

We must go far beyond the ecumenical and interfaith activities of the past. We must claim our common spirit journey for the sake of our common Earth future. . . . Deep global unity will not come until we are convinced we are all talking about the one, same reality in life that sustains, motivates, and unites us. ~jpc

5/29 Sun -- Then, In the Beginning

Then even nothingness was not, nor existence.

There was no air then, nor the heavens beyond it.

Who covered it? Where was it? In whose keeping?

Was there then cosmic water, in depths unfathomed? . . .

But, after all, who knows, and who can say

whence it all came, and how creation happened?

The gods themselves are later than creation,

so who knows truly whence it has arisen? . . .

~Rig Veda, X:129

5/30 Mon -- Clear and Transparent

Spirit can reveal Itself through anything, anywhere, anytime, through a stream or even through you and me.

Like the little stream

Making its way

Through the mossy crevices

I, too, quietly

Turn clear and transparent.

~Ryokan

Is nature Spirit? Of course not, but it is transparent to Spirit. Am I Spirit? Of course not. No thing is Spirit, but everything is potentially transparent to It. And no one or no religion has the market on Spirit — It’s Its own thing. ~jpc

5/31 Tues -- Getting Us Unstuck

Maybe the Spirit of the universe is revealing to us that we are stuck — evolutionarily speaking — in our human-centeredness, which is devolving the Earth community and holding it back. Spirit is about getting us unstuck. Spirituality is about saying Yes to Spirit’s urging toward unity. ~jpc

6/1 Wed -- Guided by Spirit

We are all on the immense journey together, guided by Spirit. I truly believe Spirit is the key to life, not economics, politics, education, nor religion. . . . Spirit is reconciling the world. . . . Spirit is always coming again. ~jpc

6/2 Thrs -- Spiritual Revolution

[Ours is a time of] mixing, a stirring together of the "essence" of religion, namely, spirituality. . . . The Dalai Lama has observed that "the reality is that the majority of people today are unpersuaded of the need for religion." He calls, however, for a "spiritual revolution." ~Matthew Fox

6/3 Fri -- World Empire without Emperor

A world empire without emperor can happen only when universal order and meaning is mediated through all native soils and symbols but contained by none. ~Lonnie Kliever

6/4 Sat -- With a Plus

[W]e are a secular world — but with a plus: a consciousness of and sensitivity to Spirit. . . . Why do we sense our interior reflection in response to Spirit is at least as real as exterior events and things? . . . The consciousness of Spirit working in universal existence is emerging whether we consider ourselves religious or secular. ~jpc

6/5 Sun -- We are Experiencing Spirit

Spirit encounters us and births our acute consciousness. When something radical, total, and unconditional is demanded of us, we are experiencing Spirit. When something announces to us that we can go on, in spite of, we are experiencing Spirit. When something releases us to be slave to no thing and free for all, we are experiencing Spirit. When we see and respond to creation’s suffering, we are experiencing Spirit. ~jpc

6/6 Mon -- All Things New

And Spirit cuts like water through it all

Carving out this emptiness [in me]

So inner eye can see . . .

Making, always making, all things new

~Parker Palmer