Archive

for Reflections

Inspiration - The Power to Transform Life

Finding Fulfillment in Our Life's Journey

Love's Eternal Kaleidoscope

New Adventures of the Mind-Body-Spirit Connection

Sing a New Song

Embracing the Mystery of Christmas

Eternity is Always Present

The Landscape of Spirit

In the Image of the Infiite

Finding Fulfillment in Our Life's Journey

By Rev. LeRoy E. Zemke
Pastor, Temple of the Living God

"God is not attained by a process of addition to anything in the soul,
but by a process of subtraction."
Meister Eckhardt

There, my blessing with thee!
And these few precepts in thy memory
See thou character. Give thy thoughts no tongue,
Nor any unproportion'd thought his act.
Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar;
Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel;
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
Of each new-hatch'd, unfledg'd comrade. Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel: but being in,
Bear't that the opposed may beware of thee.
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice:
Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment.
Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy,
But not express'd in fancy: rich, not gaudy;
For the apparel; oft proclaims the man.
Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all: to thine own self be true;
And it must follow, as night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
William Shakespeare
Hamlet
Polonius' advice to his son, Laertes

Fulfillment: to carry out, or bring to a realization a goal or promise. To
develop the full potential of (oneself).
Random House Dictionary of the English Language
Second Edition

Fulfillment implies that we can have one or many meaningful goals or promises
about our life that brings us a deep sense of accomplishment, contentment,
joy, peace, happiness. Often, the yearning for this sense of fulfillment
unfolds or awakens early in our lives. But not until we've reached a level
of maturity do we develop enough clarity about our journey that enables us,
or empowers us to discern where and in what ways the fulfillment has occurred
or is occurring, or has not occurred.

Finding fulfillment is about actually engaging in some physical, tangible
manner within the day-to-day context of our lives. We may daydream, about a
voyage to distant lands and cultures, but we cannot experience the daydream
until we, in fact, actually visit the places of our fantasy. We can imagine
a successful career, or a rewarding job or place of employment. We can
imagine a significant relationship with some special "other". We can plan a
project, give language to a much-desired learning opportunity in a special
teaching environment. We can hope (desire) to become a gardener, a singer,
dancer or writer. We can seek to discover treasure in far away or fabled
lands, start a business, or become a husband/wife, father/mother. All of
these are "promises" of what can be or might be.

Fulfillment comes in the doing, engaging, participating in the adventure. So
often people say, I'll travel when I retire, when I'm older, have more
money, when the children are grown, educated or married." What happens then
is that the dream is delayed, gets derailed, detained and, more often than
not, it dies.

When the dream dies (whatever the nature or form of the dream, goal or
promise a person may have), not only does the fulfillment they seek fade, but
they very effectively put their lives "on hold." The sense of meaning,
purpose, mission, or accomplishment dies within them. And that, I believe,
can lead one to despair, depression, or even delusion. For many, it is the
tragedy of their lives.

There is a difference between a goal or a promise that we choose to release,
let go of, or surrender and one that is never achieved because we delay it or
diffuse it. When we consciously enter into the discovery of a goal or seek
to bring an intention into form, and thus explore it to the best of our then
available talents, skills and abilities, we make a choice to either pursue it
or release it. That choice brings a sense of value into our lives. It brings a
real learning or discovery that we incorporate.

On the other hand, when a yearning or goal is blocked, shut off, denied or
simply postponed because other issues beg for our attention or other choices
seem more valuable, more important, urgent or even critical, we close off
(wall off) that part of our nature and it or the dream dies. Because it
remains "shut out" or closed off, at that moment our life gets put on hold.
Any real sense of fulfillment then fades into a foggy mist into the
background of our lives. All too often it remains in the mists of memory.

Fulfillment is, once again, about doing. If one is to learn how to garden,
one has to buy the tools, select the plants, prepare the planting medium, dig
in the dirt and, presto...you've begun! Yes, one may know very little about
growing plants and some may flourish and others not. Either way, one makes
important discoveries.

In any arena of life, as one reflects upon the many areas of one's own varied
experiences, our inner sense of fulfillment comes from what we have attempted
to do (and perhaps have succeeded). What we dreamed of doing remains an
unknown and, as such, remains in the realm of possibility.

Perhaps the most important underlying message of our life thrust involves the
work of being true to the self as suggested in Shakespeare's "Hamlet."
Being true is a work of uncovering who we are. We often seek to be fulfilled
in our job, in our relationship, or efforts that ill fit us. We may force or
attempt to make something fit. This is akin to a suit of clothing, once worn
and enjoyed, but set aside because of our taste, temperament ... or body ...
changed. Sometime (maybe years) later we attempt to wear it again only to
find that what once fit fabulously now feels and fits us "nevermore."

An article of clothing does not define us. It outlines us. Who we are is
an internal matter and requires us to look deep beneath the surface of our
lives to find the answer.

As we allow an integration of our learning and our disappointments, the
experiences of our life's journey bring us lasting fulfillment, contentment
and joy. The rewards of life come not from everything we do being regarded
as successful. Another definition of success is "having made the effort to
live, to explore and dance the dance we are called to experience in the world."
Even so, experience is only a partial teacher.

Beyond experience we must discern what worked, what did not. We must absorb
what has value (for us) and what does not. We must find how the dance we
dance carries life's implications for our soul and how our soul's song is
heard beyond the din of the noisy world around us.

Love's Eternal Kaleidoscope

By Rev. LeRoy E. Zemke
Pastor, Temple of the Living God

He who prays searches not only his own heart, but plunges deep into the heart
of the whole world.
Thomas Merton

We may make an oratory of the heart wherein to retire from time to time
to converse with God.
Brother Lawrence

Saints and sinners, theologians and thespians, troubadours and taxi
drivers all tell us about the experience of Love. Each speaks of it in
his/her own language, the language of metaphor, poetry, prose and song. Yet
all who would seek to know the kiln of love's firing, must submit to its
course in its unfolding within the very heart of their lives. Kahlil Gibran,
the Persian poet, speaks of love in a most penetrating manner in his famous
book, "The Prophet":

"For even as love crowns you so shall he
crucify you. Even as he is for your growth,
so is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and
caresses your tenderest branches that quiver
in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and
shake them in their clinging to the earth.
Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto
himself.
He threshes you to make you naked.
He sifts you to free you from your husks.
He grinds you to whiteness.
He kneads you until you are pliant;
And then he assigns you to his sacred fire,
that you may become sacred bread for
God's sacred feast."

In my Reflections, I speak of Love as the power of life that connects us…or
that sense of Life Force that enables us to feel the connection to Spirit
beyond our mortal nature. It's the deepest sense we have of feeling alive.
To feel aliveness means that we must be aware of life in and around us, in
other human beings, but also in each of the layered kingdoms - mineral,
plant, animal (human) and the subtle planes that surround us.

The question becomes, how do we individually dance the dance of Awakening to
Love's Presence?

The sacred writings of the classical scriptures, the Bible, the Bhagavad
Gita, the Upanishads, the Koran, and a host of other sacred texts reference
Love's Presence and our awakening to it in steps or stages.

Awareness of the ego nature: The discovery of our essential humanity; i.e.,
the ego's needs for security, sexuality, survival (self preservation) and of
course, food. These aspects define our basic fundamental needs to live.

Discovery of relationship to the world through interaction with it. We
discover how we relate to the earth, plants, minerals, animals and, of
course, to other humans, especially our families, siblings, partners, spouses
and children. For many, these discoveries, involving how we interact with
all these aspects and avenues of our lives, are the "inner work" of our
lifetime.

Awakening to our spiritual nature emerges when the basic needs of life are
addressed and we look for meaning in life. We seek to uncover a larger
purpose for our existence, our needs for family are met, our material desires
are satisfied. Here we seek answers to life's perplexing questions: Why did
I come to earth? What causes deformity, disease and all manner of
inequalities in life among all races and nations upon the earth?

When we die, do we (the personality) survive in a new or different body? Do
we reincarnate? If so, why? If we think we do not reincarnate, why not?
Why can't one couple have children even though they seek almost every known
approach to do so while others are blessed with children with seeming ease
and grace?

The answers that emerge for us bring us to the realm of the spiritual and it
is here that we begin to discover our connectedness that goes beyond the
form, the body alone.

Love's Awakening: The awakening (stirring) of love's presence initially
emerges and/or occurs in a bond that happens between two human beings, such
as our parents, or members of our immediate family. It can be an emotional
bond (friendship). It can be an erotic romantic (sexual) bond. It can be
mental (intellectual). And it can be combined in an almost endless variety
of internal and external combinations. Once this bond or recognition occurs,
we begin the journey that takes us across our lives…into communities, groups,
institutions, churches, countries, nations and ultimately, in its most
essentially or expanded sense, across the planet.

The difficulty of Discernment in Love's Awakening Presence. When we have a
physical, sensual, emotional relationship with another person, it is
extraordinarily complex in its layering and its expression. Hence the
multiple and interwoven problems that appear when two people seek to solve
their conflicts, harmonize their confusions about what interpersonal
experiences may mean or not mean.

As these complex dynamics get sorted out and the veils or plethora of wishes,
wants, likes and dislikes disappear, we discover what remains behind the
"Smoke Screen" of feelings, hopes, dreams, or pains, woundings and
projections, etc. We drop these veils, or better yet, they fall away from
us.

We actually enter a domain where we can see another person through eyes not
blinded by desire or illusion (grand or otherwise), but by what is
essentially there. We see something of the inner being, its more pure state,
and "tap" that which is of the holy, sacred or what might be called "The
Divine Spark".

As that recognition occurs, Love's Presence emerges, in tiny waves. The
sense of physicality remains, but our deeper awareness or perception of the
clearer or true nature of our being and that of another shakes us. We are
quickened outside our usual normal mental/emotional considerations and
concerns and find a spiritual brother/sister with whom we sense an inner bond
that allows us to be more present, more available to the forces that are part
of our deep, deep innermost self. Here we feel we can be seen by another
individual and that it is safe, nurturing and holy. It is this place that
permits us to allow (give permission to) that arena of ourselves that is most
yearned for in all of our larger, more spiritually meaningful relationships.

Obviously, there are profound questions to consider upon this path. A major
work, "A Path with Heart" a book by Jack Kornfield offers a helpful and
insightful guide through the many perils and promises of this profound
spiritual awakening. I would invite those who might seek an in-depth
exploration of this theme to consider this work.

I close with more of Kahlil Gibran's poem on love from "The Prophet":

When you love you should not say,
"God is in my heart," but rather, "I am
in the heart of God."
And think not you can direct the course
of love, for love, if it finds you worthy,
directs your course.

New Adventures of the Mind-Body-Spirit Connection

By Rev. LeRoy E. Zemke
Pastor, Temple of the Living God

In this world, you have to play your part in God's drama; but
if you get lost in the drama, you will make a mess of your life.
The Divine Romance
Paramhansa Yogananda

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime
And departing leave behind us
Footprints in the sands of time.
Henry Wadsworth

The frontier of the Mind-Body-Spirit connection is perhaps the single most important scientific/spiritual breakthrough of the twentieth century. And as the new twenty-first century unfolds and as we better understand our body and its mysteries, we are seeing an amazing synthesis of the obvious as well as less known relationships between our mental-emotional-spiritual layers and our more human self.

Stating some perceptions:

We are more than we can see, touch or experience. In his remarkable work Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, Dr. Deepak Chopra, M.D. speaks of the profound relationship of the field of the mind, a non-local energy system that has a subtle influence upon the physical body and all its functions. While saints, sages and avatars have spoken of this same relationship in their poetry, verse, visions and revelations, Dr. Chopra brilliantly languages the dynamics in scientific and medical data. His conclusion is that our invisible (subtle) nature is inextricably interwoven into our human form.

Change is possible. More writers, psychologists, behavior modification educators and specialists, and teachers of nearly every persuasion, from the very practical business related and human issues to the more arcane areas of life, tout and consistently support the changes that we implement or initiate in our lives.

Health, Happiness, Wholeness: With the plethora of teachers and teachings, writers and the data offered, sorting through the overwhelming task of what is and what is not useful and of value is the issue. Here we need guides and guidelines, classes and coaches to support our specific needs. Again the ongoing challenge is staying with what we begin. Health and wholeness and happiness are indeed ours. But with more information comes more responsibility, the responsibility of choosing what will serve us best.

The new dimensions of Mind-Body-Spirit will appear in three areas of life.

(a) Energetic relationships to the kingdoms.
(b) Understanding the definitive role of the actual DNA patterns unleashed in the human form.
(c) The interrelationship of the spirit (also called Mind) and its imprinting upon and within life.

(a) Understanding the energetic relationships to the kingdoms include: animal (and human), vegetable, mineral and those subtle kingdoms beyond form; i.e., the reality of fairy folk, devas, angels, and the realms of masters, teachers and guiding forces outside our human sensory ken. Systems of thought already exist, such as homeopathy, energetic Bach Flower Essences, herbology, acupuncture, all forms of healing, body work, with increased emphasis upon uses of sound (chanting, music, singing), color and light

(b) DNA research into the field of the human genome is heralding data about potentials at the most basic level of energy. Cells contain information about cloning and about disease probabilities, such as kidney ailments, mental imbalances, indications toward diabetes, cancer, etc. How can these patterns be reversed, or can they be reversed? Are they carried in the soul and thus into the body (in a specific male/female form) to be healed? If change can be affected, who can set it into motion? And, is this a matter of choice in the deeper dimensions of our being? Questions abound. But it is the next thrust development, as I see it.

(c) Medical practitioners, health care practitioners and healers across the planet are now aware of the nature of spiritual reality. (Not all choose to acknowledge it.) This form of reality exists in the results of controlled scientifically monitored experiments such as the power of prayer upon patients as written about by Dr. Larry Dossey: Healing Words, The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine; Prayer Is Good Medicine; Be Careful What You Pray For, You Might Get It. But he is only one of many public men and women who share such informational data. Dr. Chopra (mentioned earlier) has long taught that there is an incredible relationship between our spiritual life and how as humans we live in the world in our ordinary day-to-day life.

Additionally, of course, all spiritual teachers around the world emphasize the nature of spiritual reality. This reality is attainable in various degrees through such avenues as prayer, meditation, contemplation or special practices as yoga, or various systems using sound or breath (as the doorway).

The breakthrough, I believe, as we enter more fully into the 21st century is that there will be a much greater interaction and relationship between esoteric and exoteric. The shaman, the medicine man/woman will be equally valued for their gifts as are the trained therapist, medical practitioner or hypnotherapist. The well-trained psychic will share a meaningful place in the larger scheme of things (spiritual and metaphysical) as well as policeman, fireman, or tradesman. The policeman, for example, is attempting to serve the community through law enforcement.
Forensic medicine, with its ability to reconstruct crimes and their somewhat gruesome details, reveals the guilt or innocence of accused persons. Psychics who can see spirits, read energy patterns and accurately delineate behavior can offer valuable data to the investigation of such matters. But, of course, the psychic stands as a healer and often as a teacher of spiritual realities as well. My point? Both - the policeman and the psychic person - could be able "partners" in bringing the mind-body-spirit connection into closer existence. This is, of course, only one small example of such a relationship.

Finally, I do believe that the 21st century will bring us continuing revelations through research in all the arenas of my original three points: energetic relationships, the role of DNA patterns, and the interrelationship of the spirit. Television, with its free roving camera for meaningful programming will continue to be a resource for the public mind to explore and consider such ideas.

Authors, poets, dramatists, philosophers, artists, musicians, visionaries, in reality all areas of human endeavor around the world, have gifts to offer. The possibilities are unlimited as to how these interactions will unfold. Experimental theater, art, music and literature bring new talent and new vision to the forefront. Young scientists (maybe alchemists?) mathematicians, educators and teachers of children have a formidable work ahead of them. They still must sort out what serves us as a people and find reliable and meaningful ways to share their discoveries that can lead us into a more transformational world.

O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glories above the heavens.
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
What is man that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
Psalms 8:1, 3, 4, 5, 9

Sing a New Song

Which particular day is the first day of the year depends on which calendar we are consulting. But any day at all can be the first day of a new life for an individual. Truth was never a question of time, nor human potential a matter of age. Principle is not bound by precedent, and the "possibilitiy factor" is constant: No matter how often one has failed, if success is a possibility, then it can happen on any new day.

The "song we sing" can make all the difference. "Sing unto the Lord a new song," cries the prophet Isaiah. The song we sing consists of the thoughts we think, the emotioins we feel, the deeds we do. So if these parts of our lives have not yet embodied success, it is probably because they did not embody the elements of success. Let us, then, reshape them into new wordings, new forms, new patterns of hope and courage and faith. Let us resolve to begin our new calendar year with a renewed awareness that today is the first day of new life, new health, new happiness, and new achievement.

Embracing the Mystery of Christmas

By LeRoy Zemke
Pastor, Temple of the Living God

Jesus the man spoke to us and through him the Christ Spirit touched our world for all time.
- Anonymous

"I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not walk in the dark; he will have the light of life."
John 8:12

In our collective hearts and memories, Christmas bells ring out across the centuries to call us, to remind us, to invite us into its annual celebration of music, merriment, magic and its eternal mystery.

And just what is this eternal mystery that so engages and envelopes so much of the world? What is the drama of Christmas that compels kings and queens, [presidents and prelates, heads of state and the most simple heads of household to pause in their efforts and join in poetry and praise renewing the age old refrain, "Peace on Earth, Good will to man."?

By its nature and definition, a mystery implies an internal, not easily discernable relationship to events, circumstances or people that does not have a readily apparent solution. Often its essential elements or components are never explained. Inferences and implications can be drawn. Explanations, logical or otherwise, can be offered. But the deeper solution remains hidden from our ordinary rational view, elusive and yet somehow inexplicably significant.

For our reference, "Embracing the Mystery of Christmas", a mystery is defined: "Any affair, thing or person that presents features or qualities so obscure as to arouse curiosity or speculation; anything that is kept secret or remains unexplained or unknown; any truth that is unknowable except by divine revelation; an incident or scene in connection with the life of Christ, regarded as of special significance." (Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Second Edition Unabridged)

The Mystery of Christmas lies, in part, in the unfathomable power of the unique birth of Jesus, the Christ child, a child who was born to become a world teacher emphasizing the simplest dictate of the soul, to love one another.

While many Christian theological systems have been built upon the basic teachings of the man Jesus, his natal story embraces the unusual elements of birth by a virgin; the announcement of his birth by angelic heralds to shepherds as they watched their flocks and their proclamation that his birth had a Divine Purpose.

That event still compels us today to at once step in, to enter into a sacred or holy place, yes, even a mystical state far beyond the context of scripture's words alone. What, then, was the Divine Purpose for which he came? Was it to "save mankind", as some would say? Was it to "redeem the lost", as others might suggest? Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly." (St. John 10:10) That statement alone carries a weight far beyond our mortal minds to truly comprehend. So how do we as ordinary mortals take in, receive and/or find a place for this idea of a being, Jesus called the Christ, who can reveal a Divine Purpose to all who would follow him?

I offer that this is an integral part of the Mystery of Christmas (Christ Mass) that has echoed across the centuries. The most brilliant minds of man have attempted to explain it. The sages and saints across the centuries have attempted to enlighten and clarify it for mankind. Songs and stories, tales and traditions have brought us into the 21st Century with new images, new music, new metaphors and, yet, the Mystery remains.

To be brought into the presence of a Divine Mystery humbles us. It confounds our attempts to dismiss or diminish it. And those who may approach this ancient story, event, mystery with severe intellectual scrutiny and offer their analytical interpretations, they only add strength to the whole mystery.

When Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life…", I believe, and so interpret, that he is suggesting that the same Life Spark that is within him, is within us. He came to awaken mankind to that truth, that essential teaching or principle. He demonstrated it throughout his ministry. He taught us to love one another, to love our neighbors as ourselves.

To actually receive or to be open to the idea of love, as well as to experience it, is a mystery unto itself. In the thousands of years of human history, in light of all that's been, said, written and revealed about the quality of love, we still do not know the innermost workings of the phenomenon. It remains part of the eternal mystery of life.

Christmas, with its ancient and modern mix of customs and over-the-top commercialism, still offers us a signal, beneath the trappings, that we can hear, see or touch.

Each time we stop and pause long enough to deeply, genuinely listen to the voice of a loved one, sharing joy or pain, we are drawn into the mystery of a holy moment. Each time we see a spectacularly star studded sky from a deep place within ourselves or behold a gaily decorated theme park, department store, or a festive atmosphere festooned with garlands of lights, ribbons of every color of the rainbow, we enter a part of the Mystery of Christmas. Each time we pray, meditate, read or reflect upon the meaning of it all, the sacred aspects of Christmas and the more profane (the overdone, the excesses and the superfluous), we step into the Mystery.

Each man, woman and child who enters the arena of Christmas is stirred, perhaps initially at first, by its outer noise, trappings and tinsel. But then, slowly, behind the painted scenery of a stage play, the costumed shepherds and angels and wise men parading across the stage in each year's Christmas play, the mystery returns.

Why are we moved to participate in the drama each year? We say it's because of our children or our family, our church or our own "need" to participate in some way, in some manner.

Perhaps the Divine Mystery being commemorated calls us, at depth, and gently invites us to discover, in ever so tiny a glimpse or subtle insight, that we are connected at depth to this mystery. We are, each one, a part of the drama and we are looking for, seeking for the star that led the ancient Wise Men to guide us and reveal our holy journey.

So, at this Christmas time, allow yourself to step outside and gaze upon the starry bowl of the heavens…listen for the angels' song of "Peace on earth". May we hear it more clearly and become instruments of peace in our lives wherever we are, wherever we walk, whomever we touch.

When we gaze upon the lighted trees and towns of lighted parkways and the homes of those who also light the way, may we be gently reminded of the sacred and the holy inner light that ever seeks its outer reflection in a world darkened by fear, death and despair. Truly, the light of the season can evoke an inner hope, a change in a hardened world that somewhere within the Christ Light awaits our acknowledgment.

The Mystery of Christmas is thus embraced as we step into the mix of merriment and mirth. It becomes our own holy experience as we stop to pray for a loved one or a stranger, offer food or clothing to those in need, and become as little children who can open the doors of hardened hearts inviting us to love again, share again in the Christ child who lays in the manger of our hearts.

The Mystery of Christmas is that out of the vast cosmos that we call "the body of God", Love came down to Earth in the form of a babe.

Eternity Is Always Present

By LeRoy Zemke
Pastor, Temple of the Living God

The underlying message of our modern times is difficult to uncover. Is
mankind experiencing an essentially "spiritual" or "material" existence?
With an increased emphasis upon behavioral science and, indeed, science
alone, we come to think that our spiritual nature is relegated to an
unimportant position in the overall scheme of things.

Yet teachers of the awakening (spiritual) journey consistently reference
the necessity of opening to or allowing a dimension of spirit, of Soul, of
Higher Mind, of Supreme States of Being that can only be called Holy, Sacred,
Divine, or Source of All Life. To come to this knowledge is hard won. We
wrestle with our human life, only to realize that the struggle is a
resistance to the impulse of the Spirit attempting to be "seen, heard, felt
and uncovered."

An example of an illustration of this dichotomy is set forth in the
following true story.

A young man in his mid-twenties, who had been married for five years,
suddenly announced to his wife that he no longer was interested in being
married to her. He wanted out. He asked her for a divorce. His startling
and totally unexpected announcement profoundly shocked and deeply disturbed
his wife, as well as all others who knew him. "What happened?" they
questioned. "Another woman?" "A health crisis?" "A sudden or hitherto
unknown addiction taking over his life?"

Sorting through the varied pieces, it was discovered that he had conflicts
about how to express his deeper, inner nature. In attempting to communicate them,
the intricate language of feelings beyond pure erotic pleasure and social graces,
he measured himself and "came up short". Quite literally, he became frightened that
continuing in relationship with his wife would reveal all of his fears and insecurities
and that it would be easier to risk loss in the marriage then rather than later. So, his
"solution" was to want to run.

Another way to say this might be that his ego (or outer mind,
materialistic side) became introduced to his deeper spiritual nature through
the struggling relationship aspects of partnership. Which leads us to the
question, how does one really listen to, understand and thus genuinely
respond or communicate with the soul of a partner, spouse, beloved one?

Counseling for both young people over about a year's time brought
healing, more clarity, deeper discussion and acceptance of each other's
issues and feelings. They both gained a fuller understanding of the
fundamental issues of the nature of spirit working in their lives through
their partnership as well as through family, community and, in a much larger
sense, society. And to complete the story, the marriage crisis has mitigated
and continues in an unfolding and deepening manner.

All that we ever have is the eternal-now-moment. Our thoughts about our
life, or how we think about ourselves, determines whether and/or how our
circumstances will change.

For whatever our reasons, that learning is somehow difficult to accept.
We try over and over to regulate and control our immediate external world.
But we fail to notice that first we must change within, We say things like,
"If he'd change his behavior, I'd really be pleased." Or, "If she would
just do this one thing that I've asked her to do (or not to do), I'd be so
happy!"

We can live in the moment only when we begin to realize that while it may
make a difference for others to change, our real fulfillment comes from
accepting othes where they are in life and being willing to change how we
view or understand them to be.

To illustrate: We often "require" a relative or friend to treat us in a
particular way. "It's your turn to invite us." "It's their turn to call."
Or, "I want to choose where we go on our vacation. We always go
where you want to go." Stating our requests or desires may be useful and
purposeful to helping the communication process. But when we become more
spiritually based in our lives, when we come to a place or position of living
in the moment, we actually let go of attempting to control the outcome of
events. We can then choose a more flexible way to be. We no longer need an
external condition to change.

Our happiness (or lack of it) is not dependent upon another's responses.
As we move into this understanding, a huge shift occurs in our overall
reality and, with that shift in awareness, we can then begin to live in the
moment.

Eternity - the sense of an enduring allness of Life Essence - Is Always
Present. Our task is to show up!

Recently a friend shared his experience of losing a sum of money in the form
of checks, which he thought he'd placed in his wallet. He discovered in the
aftermath, the confusion surrounding his loss, that he was overloaded in
responsibility. He was carrying too many tasks to accomplish, too many
errands to complete and an overwhelming overload of professional
responsibility. When he "recovered himself", he remembered that he needed
time to relax, to "breathe fresh air", to change his hectic pace and to
realize that he had to reconnect in a more conscious way to the world in
which he lived.

While there is no ultimate resolution or answer or process that will allow us
to see eternity as always present, there is an important insight to be
considered.

I believe we must meet life with as much of our Self as possible, meaning all
aspects of our nature - human, social, egoic, emotional, mental, and
psychological (including the unseen shadow side of our nature), as well as
the spiritual.

It is only when we know ourselves as fully as possible that we can be present
in our day to day experience. We cannot embrace healing if we are afraid of
death. We cannot accept friendship if we are unable to be open to it because
of old hurts or unresolved past mistakes or issues. Eternity offers us a
long view that our life is genuinely in the NOW. But it's not a static
event. It ever unfolds like a panoramic vista, ever emerging, ever changing.

The Landscape of Spirit

By LeRoy Zemke
Pastor, Temple of the Living God

There is one body, and one Spirit ... of us all, who is above all, and through all, and in all.
Ephesians 4:4-6

Isn't it strange that princes and kings,
And clowns that caper in sawdust rings,
And common folk like you and me
Are builders for eternity?
To each is given a bag of tools,
A shapeless mass and a bag of rules;
And each must build ere life is flown
A stumbling block or a stepping stone.
A New Look at the Bible
(Who or What Is God?)
Al Larsen

Across the changing face of religious expression, we are seeing an emphasis upon the theme of universality. This theme reflects the yearning in the very core of mankind to learn how to live together, how to work together, how to respect each other, how to learn to love people of widely different viewpoints and considerations of lifestyles, activities and religious persuasions.

To place such a task before us as a people is gargantuan enough, but to actually engage the men, women and children of major cultural differences, viewpoints and lifestyle needs in social, political, economic and philosophical environments requires an internal vision or overview that is big enough, broad enough, comprehensive enough to allow it to happen, to emerge or even
unfold is literally beyond imagination.

To foster an embrace of The Landscape of Spirit:

The Landscape of Spirit is then the opportunity we have to use the unique tools our individual lives bring to us in our city, town, village or countryside. It is our voice to sing or make speeches, to motivate others, to inspire, ennoble, educate and teach.

And what do we teach, or offer to educate, or reach to inspire?

We must use the basic raw material of our lives as the fabric. It's composed of our hopes, dreams and wishes, as well as our lost and faded goals, our failures, our woundings and our pain. Out of these materials arises the nobility of our soul's efforts in our work as potter or painter, banker or baker, gardener or grocer, poet, peace maker, saint and/or sage!

Our individual Landscape of Spirit is our soul's song. Our song is unique. We reveal it in our neighborhood, in our church or synagogue, temple or mosque. It's the way we act in crisis or in our moments of celebration. It is the essence of our selves as we play or pray, dance or dream, live and love.

The Landscape of Spirit embraces the many aspects of love as the song of our soul.

I close with the words of Swami Muktananda on love.

"The love that pulses in the cave of the heart does not depend on anything outside. It does not expect anything. It is completely independent. The love of Self is selfless and unconditional. It is not relative. It is completely free. It is self-generated and it never dies. This kind of love knows no distinction between high and low, between man and woman. Just as the earth remains the same no matter who comes and goes on it, so true love remains unchanging and independent. Love penetrates your entire being. Love is Consciousness. Love is bliss. It does not exist for the sake of something else. It is supremely free. The path of inner love leads a lover to God. As a person walks on this inner path of love he not only attains love, but merges in the ocean of love."

In the Image of the Infinite

By LeRoy Zemke
Pastor, Temple of the Living God

And God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...male and female created he them." Genesis 1:26,27

This is the sum of all true righteousness; deal with others as thou wouldst thy self be dealt by. Do nothing to thy neighbor which thou wouldst not have him do to thee hereafter. The Mahabharata

Every man is the builder of a temple, called his body...we are all sculptors and painters, and our material is our own flesh and blood and bones. Any nobleness begins at once to refine a man's features, any meanness or sensuality to imbrute them. Walden, Henry David Thoreau

The challenge and the opportunity to express who we are, in the varying subtle shades and hues of our human life is the "stuff," the raw material of our incarnation. To experience our life means, I believe, to try on the garment of flesh and blood and bone and make what we will, or are able to make of it, out of it, for the incarnation.

When we say, "In the Image of the Infinite," I would suggest that these words have something to do with the exploration of our essential or sacred nature. And it's also implied that once our sacred nature is uncovered, we are able to "touch," to feel, to connect with the spark of the Infinite deep within us...from which then flows forth all that our life offers to us.

Key points to ponder:

I close with another short quotation, this from Thomas Drier.

"If ever we are to enjoy our life, now is the time - not tomorrow or next year, nor in some future life after we have died. The best preparation for a better life next year is a full, complete, harmonious , joyous life this year. Our beliefs in a rich future life are of little importance unless we coin them into a rich, present life. Today should always be our most wonderful day."

Look into the mirror of your soul and behold therein you are made in the Image and Likeness of the Infinite.

Copyright©2002 Temple of the Living God of St. Petersburg, Inc.