Reflections

July.August 2008

In Tune with the Infinite

In Tune with the Infinite

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

Remember the sentence from St. Paul: “If I give my body to be burned and all my goods to feed the poor and have not love...” It’s not your actions, it’s your being that counts. Then you might swing into action. You might or might not. You can’t decide that until you’re awake. When you wake up, you will know what to do or not to do.
AWARENESS: the Perils and Opportunities of Reality
Anthony deMello

To wake up, to become more conscious, to become more aware, to make better, wiser choices in our lifetime is a work that is increasingly more significant as we discern more of our inner (spiritual) life.

Spiritual teachers around the world offer us insights into the waking up (In tune with the Infinite) process. And I suspect it’s not for the faint of heart ...

To make an informed decision in any area of our life requires deep, considered, reflective major effort. All of us can give quick, “off the cuff” comments about nearly any circumstance we are facing in our lives (or even those of others), but to slowly, patiently, gather information that will prove to be the best for us in the long run requires a diligence and thoroughness not born of impatience, haste or impetuousness.

Some examples follow to illustrate
the points I am attempting to define:

1. A sibling announces that he/she is planning a major move or relocation for reason of work or career opportunity. The move means that instead of being 1/2 hour away by car to visit, they will now be almost 2000 miles away, only really accessible by air. All close contact such as visiting weekly, monthly, or however frequently will cease. Now it will require major planning, significant financial resources and travel time to experience a visit. Of course, the telephone will be an important tool - so too the internet, e-mail, etc. Do we give our blessing to the projected set of plans or do we pray that they (he/she) will change their mind?

Now we face loss of their physical closeness and all the sharing we’ve come to take such great pleasure in during our lifetime of visits. It evokes a huge shift to allow the change for another and for ourselves. And it’s a multilayered task that requires us to see the opportunity not from our unique, specific, selfish (maybe) perspective. We might ask, is the move wise for them? Is it best? (Even if we dare to think we have many of the answers and think we know what’s best for another.)

When and as we wake up (called inner awakening) we discover whether we are able to support the move or not. As we learn to free another we are not attached to the outcome for them or for ourselves on a very mundane level. Or we may see the move as inappropriate or disastrous for all manner of reasons. Or we may see it as mostly opportune and genuinely support it. When we come from an awake place, our action for our sibling comes from the deepest, clearest part of our being to love them, care for them and trust that they will be led to that experience which is for their best and their highest good. The inner growth that ensues will not only impact them, it will also impact us, deeply so, in a more positive and I suspect, meaningful place.

2. Another major kind of waking up occurs when we lose a loved one, friend, parent, partner, child or anyone very near and very dear to us. We discover the intensity of the pain of separation from the physical person, let alone the emotional, psychological or spiritual changes that occur. It’s probably the single greatest kind of loss that can occur in a soul-bonded relationship. Passing through this unique journey is certainly one of life’s major learning experiences.

It teaches us about our attachments and our ability (or not) to adjust to what the soul’s work is about...both our own inner work and that of the beloved to the degree we can become aware of it at the outer (conscious) level. Both the soul of the beloved and our soul as well are affected, profoundly so.

Since each of us experiences loss differently, we cannot know at the conscious level how it will affect or change us. Only as we give ourselves permission to walk through “the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23) do we uncover our real strength, or find our unique relationship to God, the Infinite.

I believe God’s Presence is always, always available to us, wherever we are, whatever we may be involved with or whatever may be unfolding in our lives. We tend not to recognize that connection if our outer fields of awareness (physical, emotional, psychological, mental) are deluged in pain, wounding, hurt and suffering. In other words, during loss, we cannot see or feel clearly and hence most generally, do not come from an awake place in decision making.

Often death brings us personally face to face with the infinite, far more profoundly than any other experience, I believe. Why? 1. Simply because we are confronted with our own mortality and our own death. 2. Death implies a separation from the beloved. Yet, if we believe in the infinite on-goingness of life, then death is the one doorway that helps us to become more conscious of our relationship to the Infinite, and thus to those we love.

And the deeper truth is that those we love continue in the infinite. “Though we may not see them with our human vision,” those who have gone before do live on. The love we shared together is still even more deeply available to us. The form of it changes mightily and profoundly. But love, the recognition of the soul’s’s conscious connection to God, is never lost.

Once acknowledged, uncovered and explored it remains part of our deep- internal nature and gently leads us into the awakening of our inner being thus referenced.

To be “In Tune with the Infinite” requires us to know ourselves (inner and outer) more deeply. And for all of us, that learning or discovery is the stuff of our lifetime, a piece at a time! When we become out of balance with our body, we speak of being ill. What does it take to return to some form of balance? A dietary change? Addition of exercise? Or overcoming stress... Or does it require a life-style shift which encompasses many components of our life.

Recently a long-time associate of mine admitted she’s had a “pack rat” issue in her life, nearly all of her life. Her mother had recently died leaving a house filled with her own lifetime accumulation to her surviving daughter. The associate felt totally overwhelmed and had begun an unhealthy denial process called overeating and over-drinking. How could she begin to clear out, let go, and give up all the roomsful of stored and tightly packed containers that she’s had for over 50 years, let alone the inherited “stuff” of her mothers?

We had a long discussion, but “cutting to the chase,” I offered 4 steps to bring her to a place where she could begin the letting go process.

1. Bless everything in her personal atmosphere with thoughts of love and gratitude, even if she had conflicting negative feelings also. Love thoughts empowers one to move forward. So do thoughts of gratitude. Thoughts of fear, frustration, anxiety tend to restrict one and keep one trapped. And if we feel trapped we tend to stay exactly where we are.

2. Stop blaming yourself (or anyone else) for your issues. It changes nothing. The fact that we are upset, hurt, angry, depressed, frustrated may be true. But to blame a sibling, parent, spouse or other person simply attaches a subtle link to them that does not free you to make desired changes in your life. Again, begin to find some way to bless them, even some little thing that you liked, admired or appreciated. That will lead to the bigger steps of freedom from painful emotional memories or attachments.

3. Do one thing, one day at a time. Often trying to clear out a home, apartment or garage feels and appears too big. When one looks at a garage stacked to ceiling with stuff, books and paraphernalia, it seems gigantic. Take one box, one item, one article and make a decision to surrender it or keep it. One leads to two items, boxes and slowly to three, four or more. In a month as you look back, you’ll see progress and will be able to feel good about the purpose underneath the accomplishment. Once you get started, the process builds momentum. Often, in an initial effort to get the entire task completed it feels too big and overwhelming. Resultingly the task remains unfinished. Every process begins with the first step followed by the second step.

4. Always give thanks to God and thus, yourself for what you get done. The act of expressing gratitude to yourself affirms the little or big efforts you make. Never judge your effort. Affirm what you do in a positive manner. Results of a favorable nature will follow. Staying “in tune with the Infinite” really is a slow, gradual process. We make incremental steps and realize the value that comes from each part of the whole process.

In the big arenas of our lives and in the very tiny, seemingly insignificant areas of life, the work of being in tune with the Infinite implies a conscious cooperation with our own inner nature. It does no good (ultimately) to fault ourselves, let alone others, for what needs to shift or change within us. When we are ready, deeply so, we can allow the universe to support us. And it will indeed support us deeply and profoundly.

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