Spiritualized Strength Can Do Amazing Things
March, Spring, and Lent are upon us! Whenever I think of Spring, I think of new life bursting out all around us. It’s beginning to burst forth in
Oklahoma! I counted at least 10 bright yellow tulips popping up, and lots of new leaves jumping up. If we are going to realize the full wonder of Springtime delights we must help the nature around us by clearing away all that old stuff that is holding it back!
This is probably where the ancient Druid Celtic Tradition of Lent comes from! A 40-day celebration of letting go and releasing all that had been stored up to make it through the very cold winter, so they might enjoy and be renewed by the goodness of life! Yes, the roots of the word Lent, actually come from a Celtic word that meant “spring” and was a 40-day Celtic-Druid tradition of spring cleaning! A practice that allowed the wonders of life to spring forth! Sounds like spring cleaning to me! So, don’t take my Ice Cream!
As I contemplate, the coming of spring and the Lenten Season which will helps us to be renewed by the goodness of life, I think of USLC vision statement! “Aligned in peaceful Oneness, we celebrate a joy-filled world co-created in love, harmony and abundance.” I so believe in this statement and so much want it to become our reality! This is one reason we have started having “a time of visioning a new world” at the end of each month! This process joins us together envisioning what our world will be like! A world of unique individuals and cultures united through process of consensus, empowering us to build a world that operates on principles of being the way of love, peace, inclusion and abundance! A world where every child born is raised by two loving parents who are trained in the ways of effective heart centered parenting! A world where we can each experience the wonders and delights of the Garden of Eden, as our divine Mother Earth, thrives always renewing Itself while providing all of Its inhabitants, all the energy and substance they need to have joy-filled enriching experiences. As Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven, is in our midst,” (Luke 17:21) opening our hearts and minds to live in an awareness of the Infinite Possibilities that surround us!
As I think about this vision for our world and the very powerful community prayer times we have each month, I am overwhelmed by the delightful up lifting energy it creates. I see it filling the room and flowing out into the world around us! Then I come home and turn on the TV and my heart hurts and this inner tugging tells me, our vision is going to take great Spiritual Strength. Not physical strength, which is just the opposite, forcing our will, opinion and judgements onto others and making them do it our way! Rather Spiritual strength empowers us to stand at the center of the swirling life and controversy and just watch the winds, feeling the tension of the chaos of life, then allowing a Divine inner knowing to bubble up within us and tell what is ours to do it! Spiritual strength will then empower us to the action we are guided to take.
My long-time friend and mentor, Sallye Taylor, said, that in every meaningful life adventure, there are always three forces at work! The first is the inspiration to move up higher. Then a force appears to stand in the way, a wall or roadblock preventing us from reaching the goal! Third force will rise up in us inviting us to engage our faculty of Spiritual Strength, so we can rise up above the appearance of the thing that is blocking our way. As I hold this empowering world vision, I might turn on the news and see a hate-filled world, dominated by political and corporate voices, geared towards conflict and beating down others so they can have their way by controlling others. As opposed to allowing the Rhetoric make me mad, I need to remember to pause and breathe in the Sacred Breath of Life and engage Spiritual Strength while asking the Divine to guide my steps in reaching our goal of a joy-filled world, co-created in love harmony and abundance. I guess I got some spring cleaning to do this LENT. Join me in the adventure.
Namaste, I see It in you! Rev. Doc. Patrick
