Thoughts From A Mystic

. THIS (moment, in all it's 'imperfectness') is how we spend time with God. We miss Reality if we want things to be any particular way (other than how they are). Without full participation in what IS we 'miss the mark', and remained fragmented, anxious creatures. WITH full engagement we become truly (fully) human. Mt 12.50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." How things are IS Reality. 'Your' life isn't about wanting this or that- getting what you desire. It's not about how other's view you, or how you think about yourself, what you do, or how you feel (about anything.) Those are bits and pieces, things in awareness, but not 'your' being. In THIS moment you can find your life. It's fully formed, whole. You won't 'become' more fully you with knowledge, or with actions (works). "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drin...

. The concept of 'purpose' has become popular in religious circles. Why? Probably because people, in their anxious state, want a 'yardstick' by which to judge their own (and other's) thoughts and actions. "Am I living my life well?", or "How do I know when I'm a good Christian?" (or person); questions such as these highlight the problem that is ever-present in a lost society. When a person doubts their goodness, they should immediately suspect their motivation(s). Attempts to be 'good enough' derive from an alienated perspective. It's a sign that self is in charge. Self can't be freed by way of 'doings', because those doings are systems devised by self. So long as the self is in charge it will remain lost and anxious. The process of becoming 'free' requires a giving up of self. Here's a passage from 2 Timothy, showing how "desires of youth" need to be left behind, in order to find ...

. Dogma is created by man, as a collection of precepts and practices, useful to help people find their true place within Reality. "Know thyself", and "The truth will set you free" are pointers to this end. The point of studying dogma is not to know what it states, but to be transformed by it (from fragmentation and anxiety, to wholeness and peace). Normal, literal meanings of dogma, if held as ends in themselves, can actually harm a person- that person may move further from transformation, by becoming trapped in self-righteousness. Reality is fluid, not available for synthesis. 'The eternal Tao cannot be spoken' [Tao te Ching]. A person can't be transformed, unless that person 'repents' (using traditional Christian language.) When self-focused will is discarded the transformation can take place...it can happen without any knowledge of dogma! Matthew

. I used to think faith, as a necessary part of becoming deeply spiritual (finding the truth about what IS), was too irrational to be valuable. Why shouldn't a person find the 'truth' for oneself; without the need for trust in a teaching, or tradition? The reason is belief. If you haven't already found the truth (you'll recognize it when you find it!), you are looking in the wrong place; that is, you are allied with wrong belief...ignorance. Reality is not hidden from anyone. It's not difficult to find, but it's also only found when you are able to see clearly. Belief blinds us, by limiting what we can accept as true. A person can claim to be honestly looking for truth, but if they look closely at how they view reality they'll find 'self-imposed' limitations, causing forms of 'blindness'. Blinders have already been put on, and other ways of seeing are discarded (temporarily...but if they don't 'repent' they will never lo...