Christmas Reflection - 2012

GOD  SO LOVED THE WORLD  (John 3:16)

Christmas is a time when Christians remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ. It is a time, set in the darkness of the winter ( in our Northern Hemisphere) . It is a time when the earth lies in slumber waiting for the light and warmth of Spring to bring forth new growth.

The following is a reflection on the simple words taken fron the Christian Scriptures  and St John's Gospel

GOD LOVED THE WORLD SO MUCH John 3 :16

this tiny pebble tossed into the Cosmic Ocean ?

                         this pale blue dot......

       insignificant yet unique among planets and countless

billions of stars?

GOD LOVED THE WORLD SO MUCH.......

     Earth overwhelming in its abundant life-forms ?

                        beautiful exciting rich in potential ?

GOD LOVED THE WORLD SO MUCH.........

Loved us so much

          we, who form this world, from our gifts,

          insatiable curiosity magnificent inventiveness

courage and desire

GOD LOVED THE WORLD SO MUCH.....

and Now ?       

with our Cancerous greed and insane violence.

           Can we still dare to say,

                             God loves this world, loves us, so much ?

GOD        the Unknowable Mystery,

Source and Ground of all that is and is not   LOVES

So let us celebrate together the Wonder that Love is the reason for it All

The real message of Christmas is not the frenzy of consumerism, the frenetic and frantic pace of life, the endlerss parties the; it is that  ' Christ and His lived example of life be Born in each  of us. So that we may

See with the eyes of Christ

Hear with the ears of Christ

Touch with the loving hands of Christ

and above all ... 

Treat ourselves, each other and our planet filled with the Compassionate Heart of Christ.

Have a Wonder-filled and Joyful Christmas

 

LIGHT IN OUR BROKEN WORLD - Part 3

THE IMPACT OF

POST-MODERNITY & RESPONSIBILITY

3. Post-Modernity               They phrases ‘post-modernity’ or ‘living in a post-modern’ world’, are regularly used to denote or infer a new era. Our human family have made enormous strides in the past century and particularly in the past 50 years. We have made great strides in science, technology, cosmology and biology, to name but a few areas. We have travelled into space and into the macro and micro cosmos. Our understanding in so many areas has grown and particularly in the area of Neuro-science and our understanding of the human brain, its psychology and consciousness. Consequently, many believe we are moving away from the past, and its many errors and that humanity is moving into, or has entered, a post-modern age. This is an age that questions and challenges many of the ‘certainties’ of the past. It is an age that rejects the worst aspects of the paternalistic era. It is an age that opposes the oppression of women, children and the down-trodden. So in many ways Post- Modernity is very positive.

In the Western World, post-modernity is also equated with post-Christianity. This involves our stance towards religion, ethics and morality.  In this post-modern world and particularly in the West, religion is being sidelined and seen as irrelevant to our modern age.  Whilst many aspects of religious teaching or dogma are irrelevant and always were, this may be a classic case of ‘throwing the baby out with the bath water’.  What is in danger of being denied is the morality and ethics, mainly provided by the major Faith Traditions that underpin society and provide us with a Moral Compass. 

This is one of the major drawbacks in our post –modern world. We know from our understanding of science and the natural laws, that nature abhors a vacuum. By ignoring the guidelines of ethics and morality that the major Faith Traditions provide, many are left rudderless and tend to drift into a morass of self-indulgence and selfishness. In short, many lead lives that lack purpose, meaning and direction. In addition, this also leads to many either avoiding their responsibility to lead meaningful lives or handing that responsibility to others.

Arguably, as previously stated much of the religious teaching is irrelevant to today’s world, its knowledge and challenges and probably always was. However, in the contemplative and mystical traditions of all the major Faiths, there exists a vast storehouse of universal knowledge. This has stood the test of time, of culture and of events. This storehouse of discernment and knowledge could help us to face up to our personal and collective responsibility.

4. Responsibility     The issue of accepting personal and collective responsibility rather than apportioning blame or finding scapegoats is crucial.  The dangers of avoiding our responsibility are stark. We either choose the path of ‘Blame’ or we assume the ‘Helpless Child’ position. The former is toxic and unhelpful in any relationship; whilst the latter hands power over to others, often with oppressive consequences. Neither of these choices assists or facilitates us and our world in finding positive and life-giving solutions to our many problems. Neither of these is helpful for our world and our human family. Historically they lead to war, aggression and oppression. In addition, we are becoming increasingly aware of the abuse of women and children by those in positions of authority in our Religious Institutions. What is required is a response that is rooted in responsibility.

Viktor Frankl, a famous Austrian Psychologist, the father of Existential Therapy and a survivor of the Nazi Concentration Camps, puts it plainly in one of his many writings. I intend to take three quotes from a book he wrote shortly after his liberation by Allied Forces in 1945.

1. ‘       Once we accept responsibility, we are both called and challenged to face

           The questions that leads to meaning’ (V Frankl)

However, particularly in the West, as people have become increasingly affluent they have focused more on the pursuit of pleasure rather than happiness and joy. The paradox is as Frankl states;

2.                ‘The truth is … ever more people have the means to live but no meaning to live for’

This meaningless existence has led to an increasing internal frustration and angst that has ultimately led to an existential vacuum. Natural law dictates that wherever a ‘vacuum’ exists it will suck in something else. This leads on to Frankl’s third quote which addresses the results of this existential vacuum.

Frankl in a lecture he titled ‘Is the New Generation Mad? ‘Addressed this existential frustration and proposed that this frustration lead to a mass neurosis. Focusing on this he states

3.     Let me … briefly review the symptomatology of the existential vacuum, what I would like to call the mass neurotic triad, comprising depression, aggression and addiction’

These 3 quotes are prophetic in that they predict the neurotic outcome of our failure to take responsibility. It is a fact that the neurotic triad of depression, aggression and addiction have reached almost pandemic proportions in the West. The World Health Authority predicts that by 2020, depression will be the single biggest disease in the Western World.

So our modern failure to accept responsibility greatly adds to the brokenness of our world.  Thomas Merton, a Christian Mystic of the 20th Century, grew up and matured after the 2^nd

‘ No matter how ruined man and his world may seem to be, and no matter how terrible man’s despair may become, as long as he continues to be a man his humanity continues to tell him that life has meaning’  ( T Merton)

Both Frankl’s and Merton’s reflection indicate a possible better road for humanity. They point us towards the heart of the matter and indicate that our task is to begin to take responsibility for ourselves, our actions and our world. In summary, taking responsibility is the only safe and secure road that leads to finding meaning in and to life. I find their words very reassuring and affirming. My experience suggests that whenever I begin to take responsibility I not only feel better but I begin to catch glimpses of meaning in my life.

As Ishpriya so often reminds us in her teaching; we are all challenged to face the big questions of life. Some of these are:

            Who am I?

            I an ‘I’ exists, then what is my purpose?

          What is the meaning of my life?

These are not merely academic or philosophical existential questions. They are questions that the Mystics of all Traditions have addressed throughout the ages. They are questions that are addressed in the Scriptures of our Faith Traditions over the past five millennium. They occur in the Hindu Vedas, the Buddhist Canons, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, and Bahia and in the traditions of the Aboriginal People of the world. They are questions that are perennial and the answers from the mystics are part of our inherited Universal Wisdom...

These short reflections have focused on some of the roots of our current crisis and on the need for people to take responsibility for bringing some light into our broken world. Christians are exhorted by the sayings of their Master – Jesus to Christ, not to hide their light under a table but to let their light shine. For those of us who have a belief or faith in an Ultimate Reality we are challenged to live out that belief and to be guided by its underlying values and principles. As Gandhiji remarked ‘All religions are merely different paths up the same mountain’

Essentially, if we believe that there is a Source to all that is and could be and that this Source is ultimately a Mystery; then taking responsibility will bring us glimpses of this Mystery and through these we will begin to find purpose and meaning.  This is one of the reasons that Die Quelle, the Sadhana Ashram of the International Satsang Association has adopted the Tao Poem as its theme and motto. This poem symbolises the meaning and purpose of Die Quelle and also sums up our whole life’s journey.

 All persons return to the One Source. Returning to the Source is tranquillity’

Peter Creagh Dec 2011

NOTE

These reflections are published in thee parts on our Website Blog  

(www.satsang-companionship.org.uk )

A downloadable PDF document of all 3 parts can be printed off from the Resources Pages of this Website 

LIGHT IN OUR BROKEN WORLD - Part 2

PATERNALISTIC DOMINANCE & RELIGION

This continues a series of personal reflections that emerged from my time at Die Quelle, the International Satsang Association ( ISA) Sadhana Ashram. It explores some of my responses to a quote from Sister Ishpriya. These reflections focus on some of the roots of the current crisis facing humanity and how both  as a member of the ISA Iand a Spiritual Traveller,  I could begin to undertake the responsibility of bringing some light into our broken world. For further details on the ISA visit http://www.international-satsang.org   and for a copy of other reflections visit the Resources Pages of   http://www.satsang-companionship.org.uk  and also its Blog Pages  http://midlands-satsang.blogspot.com/

In Part 1 these reflections looked at some aspects of our Broken Planet and suggested 4 important contributing factors that were at the roots of our 'brokenness' .


In Part 2 we look at two of these :-  Paternalistic Dominance and some of the negative impact of Religion

1. Paternalistic Domination    The first of these is the area of paternalistic domination. Our human family has been on a long journey that has lasted for hundreds of millennia. It is a common experience to take a ‘wrong turn’ on a journey. I believe that about ten to twelve millennia ago humanity took a wrong turn. It changed and in becoming an agrarian culture also adopted a very paternalistic approach to life. This had several important consequences.

Balance of the Yin and Yang   As humans, regardless of our gender, we require balance. Both ancient wisdom and modern psychology believe that every human being has a masculine and feminine side to their psyche. Both are needed for our survival.  These are not mutually exclusive or opposite but are complementary. They are not opposites but part of a whole.

In Eastern Philosophy and excellent symbol for this is found in Taoism. It is the Yin – Yang symbol.  Here the Yin (Black with a white dot) is seen as the feminine or soft aspect of reality and the Yang is seen as the masculine or hard aspect.  

               

Complementary Balance

In Jungian psychology we have the Animus (feminine) and Anima (masculine) aspects of the psyche. The important thing is that both are necessary in order to be fully human. They are  part of the complementary whole and  are needed in order  for us to achieve balance and harmony. It is important to note that these feminine and masculine aspects are in everybody regardless of gender or sexuality.

However, with the dawn of the paternalistic age humanity began to focus more on the masculine and its will to control and towards power.  This imbalance in our psyche has resulted in the human family drifting away from the soft and feminine and towards the hard and masculine. In terms of our use of the brain, we have both focused on and emphasised the left side, which is more logical and thinking, rather than the right side which is more creative and feeling. Both of these are needed. This is not an Either- Or  but a Both- And situation. Once again, our tendency towards Duality and separateness rather than oneness and Unity is a stumbling block to our journey into spiritual awareness.

Thus the paternalistic era has resulted in humanity ‘drifting’ towards celebrating the masculine and at the best down-playing the feminine. The consequence has been the suppression of the feminine and in many cases this has led to the terrible abuse of women and children.  Just as serious has been our loss of our more affective and creative feminine side. This is a loss for all, both male and female. It has also had repercussions for humanity in its suppressive approach towards sex and sexuality. This latter point requires a longer and more detailed reflection which is best done separately.  However, this is another important area that has certainly impacted on all the major Faith Traditions and particularly those of the West – the People of the Book – Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

2.                  The Impact of Religion  

Note : Given the sensitivity of religion as a subject and my intention to publish these reflections, I want to clarify my position regarding religion. I was brought up a Christian and , although I am open to the truth in  other traditions, I am still rooted in my Christianity and particularly Celtic Spirituality. In the Celtic Tradition, as in many of the aboriginal traditions, there is a greater reverence for the Earth and our environment and a better balance between the masculine and the feminine.

 I draw a great deal from the teachings of Jesus and recognise the great truth, value and wisdom of His Teaching. However, I also feel that all Religions (particularly in the way they have expressed the teachings of their tradition, have played some part creating our ‘Broken World’. As the saying goes ‘unless you are willing to be part of the solution , you are part of the problem’. This, I believe,  is true for the religions of the world and certainly true for those who call themselves ‘ Followers of Jesus’

Since the dawn of time humanity has searched for and expressed their sense of the spiritual and their understanding of the Mystery behind and beyond all creation. We have considerable evidence that spiritual traditions were around about 70, 000 years ago. It is only in the last 5000 or so years that the major Faith Traditions have emerged and begun to formulate their view of the Mystery and establish themselves religions. Now Religion has contributed much that is positive to our world. It underpins much of our inherited moral values, laws, art and literature.   It has been, and continues to be, extremely important because of the values it teaches and upholds and the structure, support and spiritual dimension it brings to many..  However, we also need to realise that the Religions arose during this paternalistic era. Consequently, the Faith Traditions mainly support or emphasise the masculine aspect of the Mystery. This paternalistic approach to the divine Mystery is arguably even more central to the 3 Western Religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  Their depiction of the God who is Mystery is male and they deny or, at the very least underplay and sometimes have even suppressed any notion of the femininity of God.

Now rationally and theologically the Faith Traditions may admit to the fact that God – the Mystery – can neither be male nor female but their depiction and response to God is certainly masculine. This in itself could merely be a mistake and a lack of balance. However, historically these religions have used the masculinity of God to deny women a place or a voice in the organisation and day-to-day operation of religion. Positions of authority are reserved for men and women are denied this opportunity. Rabbis, priests and Imams are all men and the Sacred Scriptures are used to justify this stance. Yet these scriptures were formulated and written by men in a time when the Paternalistic Era was at its height and power. Even in the Eastern Faith Traditions the emphasis on the masculine is dominant. The  overall result has been that formal religions have played apart in the suppression of the feminine. This is also apparent in their approach to sex and sexuality.

Sex is a wonderfully creative gift and thus more attuned to the creative and feminine aspect of humanity. In a loving and consenting relationship it requires our surrender to intimacy and thus a loss of control, a loss of self.  It involves giving up some of the self and being open to self-surrender. This can naturally provoke anxiety and a little fear but love, in a sense, conquers these and assists our surrender. Arguably, this may be the reason a masculine and male dominated religion projects its fears about intimacy,sex and sexuality onto others and ultimately onto women.

The net result has been a further drift away from the feminine and the strengthening of the masculine will to power and control. 

So religion in its over focus on the masculinity of God has colluded with and encouraged the fear and suspicion of the feminine and its creative and affective gifts. It has tended to accept and celebrate the logical and theological approach to spirituality. This is very apparent in the Western Religions and their very strong set of rules and prohibitions – many of which are directed against our feminine side and also to the idea that ‘Man’ is the ruler of the earth and all ‘He’ possesses. This has led to our estrangement from our environment, our denial of the creativity of the feminine and our estrangement from our real self. Arguably the ultimate loss has been bad for our world and has led to humanity striving for more control. This in turn has led to us ‘using’ the Earth not merely for our needs but for our greed. History shows that this in turn has played a part in our tendency towards oppression, violence and war.

Paradoxically, the religions of the West all emphasise the importance God places in the values of peace, justice and love. To paraphrase C.S. Lewis a great Christian Writer of the 20^th Century ‘It is not that Christianity has failed, it has never been tried’!   My belief is that what has been tried is Christendom. That is, a form of Christianity based on a patriarchal and hierarchical model and not the fellowship of equality love and compassion that is preached in Jesus’ Manifesto – outlined in The Sermon on the Mount. (See Matthew 5).