The Mystical Transformation of Humanity
DIGNIFY THE SHOCKIn his inspired book Kaddish , author Leon Weiselter writes: “There are circumstances that must shatter you; and if you are not shattered, then you have not understood your circumstances. In such circumstances, it is a failure for your heart not to break, and it is pointless to put up a fight, for a fight will blind you to the opportunity that has been presented by your misfortune.”At times like these, indeed all the time as we grow older, author and gerontologist Jane Marie Thieboult, who originally shared this quote with me, suggests that we think of our lives not as a journey, but as a pilgrimage. Mature spirituality is not just about smelling the roses on an endless path. The truth is that like it or not, we are all on our way to the same ultimate destination. “Dignify the shock,” she writes. “Sink, so as to rise.”I first heard the quote from Kaddish and Jane Marie Thieboult’s insights about life as pilgrimage not journey when we each presented at ASA 2014. I first shared them as part of my presentation at the Sage-ing International Conference.
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JOY AND THE WINTER SAGE
“Becoming a sage is not taking on a new role, as if sagehood were all about me! Becoming a sage is more like letting God be God through a disappearing ‘me.’ I become a mirror or, better, a window.
I become a place where my being and acting are more and more in union with the Great Mystery. More and more for the sake of all my kin. Empty of self, the dazzling suchness of life appears. What is present mirrors Source, Self, and Circle of All Life in non-possessive love and compassion, joy and peace.”
John G. Sullivan is Second Journey’s “philosopher in residence. He is Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy (Emeritus) at Elon University. He lives with his wife, Gregg, in Burlington, North Carolina.
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THE FREEDOM TO DO IT WRONG
“There is no right or wrong way of growing old. A great source of suffering in our culture, and one which hounds many people as they age, is that if they could just figure out how to do things right, there would be no suffering in age. If they could just learn to succeed in aging correctly, as they struggled to succeed in marriage, parenthood, business, and other areas of their lives, age would cease to bring challenges they didn’t quite know how to face.
But when it comes to how we choose to live, creating our lives and the roles we play as we move along in years, the rigid notion of right and wrong, and of success in general, should be irrelevant to how we make our decisions. We’re finally free to make ‘mistakes,’ follow our hunches, experiment boldly, or do nothing at all, as age liberates us from our old roles and offers us the chance to seize an authentic way of living.”
–Ram Dass, Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing, and Dying
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THE ONLY WAY TO SOLITUDE
“If a man’s vocation is to be really fruitful it must cost him something and must be a real sacrifice…
He can peacefully accept that when his false ideas of himself are gone he has practically nothing else left. But then he is ready for the encounters with reality: the Truth and the Holiness of God, which he must learn to confront in the depths of his own nothingness…This is the only liberation. The only way to true solitude.”
—Thomas Merton, Seven Story Mountain: as quoted in my River Diary Entry 24—Bottles and Twigs
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ON BECOMING SPIRITUALLY INVINCIBLE
“When we learn to love life more than we love loving our pain, we become spiritually invincible. What part of life is there that can defeat us then?
There is nothing that can take everything from us when we are openhearted enough to love more than one thing.
We see signs of that truth everywhere in holy people: a grief-stricken widow turns to painting and creates a whole new life for herself; the paraplegic learns the computer and develops a whole new world of friends online; the blind man who cannot see to do surgery becomes a chiropractor with healing hands.
Love of life and love of joy are opposite sides of the same coin. When we give ourselves joy, we learn to love life. To love life is to determine how to enjoy it, whatever its boundaries.”
—Joan Chittister, OSB “Called to Question”
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“I RESIGN”
Dear God,
This letter is to inform you that, effective immediately, I resign my position as Saint.
I find I am lacking the necessary qualities and skills for the job. I had deep concerns about the ability to perform the required duties, but was afraid to say no to a glamorous, powerful position. In addition, the long hours are getting to me.
I also withdraw my request to train for your role as General Manager of the Universe. My skill set does not match the job duties…
At this time, I humbly apply for the position of Human…Should you need references, I can provide an extensive list of persons who can attest to my ability to be human…
Sincerely,
Aileen, Alaska (As reprinted from the January, 2011 issue of the Forum, magazine of Al-Anon, Alateen.
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