April 23, 2012

    Spend a few minutes with silence and light a candle at: http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=TWWTS


  ( All photos on the blog are mine unless otherwise noted )

This will be my tree this year, an oak tree seen from where I live.

I will post photos as it goes through the seasons, as will I for 2012.

As I enter the process of living and dying,

and then repeating the cycle all through this existence,

this year I will be mindful of what God puts in front of me as a reminder

to not forget where I have come from, and where I am going Home to.

   Do I write poems or simply receive them? The later, to be sure, is the only way unforced creativity can operate. If our creativity is linked to God's Creative Flow, and we can get on that ever present energy, then our hands and voices will have the words, and notes of song, that the Lover Of Creativity wants to bring to life along with our cooperation. 

   We can unfortunately corrupt and even halt the Flow that wants to come through us - God's Desire to be seen by what we create, music, painting, poetry, a helping hand to someone in need, a place of safety for all who come to us in any capacity needing what we can offer. Yet, if ego and self-will is allowed to block that which is rising from heart and soul, our ability to be useful to ourselves and others cannot find the vehicle for becoming known.

   I know that I do not create in a vacuum, nor am I a robot only saying what I am told to say. God does not operate that way as my preferences for meaning play a role as I exercise hard-won viewpoints for format, and to find a canvas for expression from my heart's desire to bring forth beauty. For me my poems seem to express themselves best in something akin to the structure that so many of my mentor Jalliudin Rumi's magnificent offerings have - four lines per stanza. This offers me an extraordinary means of expression around the spiritual themes of my life - dying to self so that new life can be brought into existence, along with  love and separation which comes from  all my heart and soul long for. 

   Letting space exist between my words and Love's Words rising is key to my creative process. It is the action of entering that space and allowing what is being formulated to see the light of day. (Or at the light reflecting from the blue-black ink set to paper by pen.) To do this I must continually work to honor the spaces within where I can meet God's Presence, and God's desire to use me somehow as an instrument for purposes not necessarily my own. My role is to allow these small poems and photographs a means of being seen, and in their own very small way be a voice to tell of the immense Love in this heart, and to proclaim that all Creative Love lives in every heart.  

A poem -

     

- First Thoughts -

To see one’s soul is to see God.

If the question is, “How do I get there?”

Do not bother to read on my brothers and sisters.

The invitation came, as usual, with no warning,

Our Lover, when delivering another kiss, never asks first.

Led quietly to a room deep in the back of my heart,

I saw the door, half off its hinges, old and unused –

Stepping across its threshold I entered the realm of my soul.

The rest, save the ending, I cannot tell as words are useless.

There, touching God’s muted form … touching God ….

I held, in this hand, a piece of All Creation.

From here, the Journey goes forward one more step,

No more, no less.

                                                     Bill Lagerstrom,  2012

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In Spring the passion that is in everything yearning to grow and live,

can be seen if we look carefully enough with heart's eyes.

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      Last week I offered a video by "Hillsong: and a suggestion to watch and enter into Christian prayer perhaps as you might not have ever experienced it. If you did not view it here is the link:

                                               http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-bUZj1bkoE

   This week I offer another equally powerful prayer by Abida Parveen who is Pakastan's most prominent and loved singer of Ghazels -  love songs to God. It is ten minutes long and I only ask that you allow yourself to enter into it in its entirety. We are called to a love affair with God and it may seem strange to talk with God in this way but please know that this form of song has been around in the world's Islamic communities for almost thirteen hundred years. Here is the link and be sure to turn on the English translation which is in the red "CC" box on the bottom right:

                          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaII05SfX9E

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Another poem -

    - Heart Opener -   ( 2 Kings 2:11 )

In an instant, a flash of lightning broke open this heart,

The chariots and horses of fire arrived !

The shattering of these walls was painless,

Reducing to dust all the stone walls built to keep God out.

The Storm that caused this devastation,

Raged not outside, but within this badly defended heart;

A small crack in the mortar and Love’s sword swung –

Releasing the awesome power that is God’s First Kiss ….

That moment, I fell into Love’s embrace.

How many Angels are on the well honed the edges

Of that mighty weapon ?

Do all the Saints of Heaven arrive

As Grace and miracle open a hardened heart ?

Yet, Your Gift of this wound that will never heal

Is not without pain – as my longing aches for more of Your Presence –

More of the Love Affair I have been Called to embrace.

This is as Relationship must be – God’s decision, my choice.

Rebuilding is out of the question,

The stones of defense have gone stupid –

They have forgotten how to build the old structures.

The plans, the blue prints, destroyed in the carnage.

A songbird sits on a broken wall,

Singing Spirit’s message of freedom

From self-imposed bondage to the old ways,

As I too take flight in a landscape that is no longer mystery.

                                                                   Bill Lagerstrom  2010

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   Several weeks ago Lee and I were in NYC for Bridget's wedding and we stopped by St. Francis Xavier church which was our home for almost twenty years. Since we talk a great deal about our ministry there I thought it would be nice to show a picture I took. When we were there the church had not been cleaned for almost 100 years - that changed after we moved to Maine and this is the result. The church brought back many wonderful nostalgic memories for the two of us as it was where a great deal of spiritual healing and experience took place, especially the ten years of being part of the Xavier Company Healing Ministry as a prayer and anointing team. 

   For our ministry, Lazarus Ministries, the groups we facilitated all those years took place in the former Grade School building two blocks from the church in a space we utilized every Monday night, a great number of Saturdays for workshops, and where we grew spiritually in the "work" God calls us to do. 

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And a cartoon:

                                  (A lesson in mindfulness?)

Until next week,  Peace,  Bill Lagerstrom

April 16, 2012

First, light a candle - http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=TWWTS


              - This week, Maps -

We take to the Ocean in the ship of the heart within us,

no other vehicle can take us in those not often traveled directions -

the sailing can be made with a good map and chart,

along with a willingness to go in stages, a short distance at a time.

   We wouldn't think of traveling say to South America without a map in hand, a GPS and a printed set of directions from Google. Yet we don't often consider that the journey of our life by way of spiritual development may require charts that will guide us over the vast stretches land and sea that we know the traveling to be. 

   I have found that religions leaders, often, cannot offer directions for the simple reason that many have not made the trip themselves and do not know the way clearly. I can tell you of the wonders of Victoria Falls in deepest Africa, and probably do a good job of it from having seen videos and many pictures of the magnificent sights there. But I cannot tell you how to get there from first hand experience, although I would probably say book the trip on Expedia online. But to have journeyed to the deepest parts of my Self several times in this span of years, I can tell you of the maps I followed over the course of decades - but you must travel to your own interior and follow your own map if you are to know what wonders you will find there. 

   Some of the maps I have used have been the Way Of Life that the Carmelites, Buddhism,The Jeusits, The Twelve Steps, along with the dialog with my mentors over the years who did cover the distances I wanted to transverse, and were willing to show me the way. Although the passage to our interior is a solo venture we cannot go without help from the wise people we seek out who are also willing to tell of some of many paths that lead to the One Path. 

   Words, however, are only words if I don't follow the roads they take me to. Maps are only print on paper if I do not start out on the journey. The world offers many who know The Way - these are the ones I seek out. 

             Here is a map of words describing Manhattan Island I saved as an example of why I need to travel myself, along with a good subway map, in order to get under the massive constructions above ground. A metaphor for my own constructions depicting what I see my life to be on the surface, and the means enabling me to go within. (Yes, I lived in NYC for a long time.) My own journey in words would look something like this, which is why I can only give details, short snippets of the enormity of distances covered that may have meaning for any listener.

- A small detail of the map above -

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      What do we need to exchange for the map to calm our busyness, our spinning wheels? 

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Music - Music is can also be a map to the Presence of God in the moment. Perhaps if we allow our heart to follow the music we will start to hear with the ears within that find the audible clues for the Journey that our external senses cannot hear and see. 


   I offer this video by Hillsong titled A Beautiful Exchange. (Hillsong is an Australian group that started with a youth ministry and grew in to one of the most listened to 
 contemporary christian music ensembles in the world.) 


   Click to view:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-bUZj1bkoE 


                     (There is an ad which you can skip in a few seconds.)


   If you wish to download the music or simply listen without the visuals click here:


                          http://www.box.com/s/22cf7704cc2506251c0f

    Here is a wonderful talk by Tara Brach called Listening Presence which fits in nicely to the topic of opening our inner senses.
                         http://www.box.com/s/246618fccb82b9d27a22  


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The promise is just this - Spring is on the way

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A little humor:

"That's what happens when you don't read the map - it said to jump over the spoon!"

   Peace until next week,  Bill Lagerstrom

April 9, 2012

Time to light a candle - http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=TWWTS

   (All Pictures are mine unless otherwise noted.)

The trees are donning their spring clothes,

soon, through the miracle of change 

they will become the green finery of wondrous leaves

(Picture taken last week)

    Today, Easter Sunday, Lee and I went to St. Matthew's Church for Mass. The church was jammed and we got the last two seats that were available. The overflow crowd went to the basement to experience Mass on closed circuit television. Christmas, Ash Wednesday and Easter draws so many who seem to sense an urgency to get whatever may be necessary to satisfy some requirement for maintaining status in the Church - perhaps also in the afterlife as a few points may be gotten. I am sure that a few, perhaps many more, received a Call to return home - to start the journey to return Home. One never knows when the Hounds Of Heaven will strike in order to move women and men to a deeper sense of "self" as well as surer footing in knowing God's intentions for their lives.

   My own ponderings and observations can be sized down to perhaps this - most people seem to celebrate the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus while paying little attention to the life and teachings of of the man from Galilee. I, for one, have come to understand that I want more of the "Teachings" of the Gospels and less of what I now perceive as non-essential overlays on the path God is leading me on. This is not to say that I am right and others are wrong, that would be against what I now believe was Jesus' most important teachings on non-dualism, which is to say that compassion and love can only exist in an atmosphere where judgement of others ceases to exist. 

                                       "Love one another as I have loved you."

    The question that arises is simply, "How did/does Jesus love all he encountered, and still encounters, as one other." If I am to have a teacher my responsibility is to honor that person and to learn all that I can, first in order to grow, and secondly to be useful in mentoring others in the instructions I have gained by way of work, study, and Grace. But first and foremost I need to follow the teacher, listen, ask questions, and experience the full impact of what is being offered to me free of judgements and bias. 

   Following Jesus is not simply traveling the roads trailing behind him, ( I would be soon tired of seeing donkey butt in my face) it means for me to get ahead of him so I would have "face time" with my instructor, my mentor. .  the one knows more than I do ... the one who also tells me that I have worth - even nobility as an ongoing human concern - seen in the eyes and heart of someone who loves me for who I am, and the person I am working toward becoming. 

    Follow and learn, follow and utilize, follow to the door that is the entry to the Kingdom of God within each and every human heart. 

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If one cannot soar like an eagle

flying like a gull will certainly be enough

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   Here is a fine two minute video narrated by David Attenborough who recites the lyrics from 

"It's A Wonderful World" Click on: http://www.flixxy.com/wonderful-world-david-attenborough.htm

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   Here is a short talk by a remarkable teacher in the Buddhist tradition on loving the Dharma, which directly translates to loving the Teachings. Thanissaro Bhikkhu is an ordained Buddhist monk (Bhikkhu) who is a teacher worthy to learn from. 

    

    Click to hear: Love For The Dharma - http://www.box.com/s/21ab71984bf50bc2e25f

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                             Where tools for fixing and growing can be had. 

                         A list of what you need is available from your teacher.

   On June 5, 2008 Christina Tibbot of PBS interviewed Arnold Eisen the Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary in NYC asking him to speak on Abraham Joshua Heschel, who was one of the 20th. centuries finest teachers. Heschel taught at the seminary for some 25 years and is available today, long after his death, by way of many books he wrote and through the memory of those alive who were deeply impacted by him either through personal experience or by way of the written word.

  Here is an excerpt from that interview which may give some understanding as to how a teacher/mentor can influence those who enter their sphere of radiating knowledge. 

   Heschel in one of my mentors over the years through his books and articles. To me he is a Poet/Philosopher/Mystic/Teacher of the highest order. I put a book recommendation on the right sidebar list of a tome that continues to support my journey. I will always be a student of this great man.

   Here are a few words from another student:

Mr. Eisen:

    Heschel was a mystic. And you'll find a lot of mystics throughout the ages — Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu — who believe they have an experience of God that goes beyond language, that goes beyond culture, that proves to them the unity of the Divine and then they understand various religious traditions as ways, as it were, of putting this experience into words. And the words always fall short. And one of the things that enabled Heschel to be so open to people of other faiths and to feel real kinship with them was this fundamental mysticism, this sense that the experience of God goes beyond any individual tradition, is greater than any individual tradition, as it were, encompasses all of them.

   And then there was the personal experience, and here was the man who was able to see in other human beings that he met, for example, the Pope and the cardinals that he met in encounters through Vatican II, Martin Luther King, Reinhold Niebuhr. He encountered other people of faith and I think was open enough to see in them depths of religious, as it were, belonging. That they too live in the presence of God and therefore they have kinship with him. And these encounters reinforce one another and grow in him this sense of a mystery beyond any tradition's capacity to fully understand it.

   So there's Heschel out there in the world marching in Selma sure that those people marching with him are no less children of God, full of insight into God, than he is. This is rare in a contemporary world. Even with all of our talk about pluralism and all of our religious dialogue, the deep conviction that we need to be open to others because we have something important to learn from them. This remains rare. And it's one of the things that Heschel had to teach that I'm most grateful for.

Ms. Tippett:

   Now, are we treated as something that we have to navigate, things that we have to bring together? But being deeply Jewish and being a bold interfaith leader we're organically connected for Heschel, right? That's what's so fascinating. I want to read this passage from his speech at Union Theological Seminary in 1965, and I know this is an important passage for you too, from his speech called "No Religion is an Island." He wrote, "I suggest that the most significant basis for meeting men of different religious traditions is the level of fear and trembling, of humility, of contrition, where our individual moments of faith are mere waves in the endless ocean of mankind's reaching out for God, where all formulations and articulations appear as understatements, where our souls are swept away by the awareness of the urgency of answering God's commandment, while stripped of pretension and conceit we sense the tragic insufficiency of human faith."

Mr. Eisen:

    Pure Heschel. Pure Heschel. And those words, you're right, are especially meaningful to me. You know, we're in the midst of a political campaign …… where it's often been pointed out one's not allowed to be wrong. I mean, it's very hard to admit mistakes, and candidates do it from time to time where it seems to suit them, but the notion that one might be incapable of solving a problem is unheard of. And yet this is the fundamental human situation, as we all know. There are certain  things that are beyond our reach even if we're commanded to try and achieve them. Our lives, as the rabbi said long ago, are too short. I mean, the day is long and the work is great and we're not commanded to finish the work, but neither are we allowed to desist from it. That's one of my favorite passages from the Talmud and I think one of Heschel's.

   And there is Heschel constantly reminding us of the human situation. And we know our frailty, we know our insufficiency, we know our sinfulness, and these are not words that are readily spoken in polite company beyond the most intimate of circles. Sometimes even in our closest friendships, in our marriages, it's hard to admit them.

   And there is Heschel putting them out there in public debate as a great religious leader, instructing us that, no, these are essential words in our vocabulary. These feelings are essential.

Ms. Tippett:

   And that knowing the insufficiency of our ideas is, in fact, a virtue.

Mr. Eisen:

   Knowing it because unless you admit your own insufficiencies, you have no chance of doing anything correctly. And that is a lesson that all of us struggle to learn. I certainly do.

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   And the cartoon as we also need humor and perhaps a comparison to dualistic thinking which we may want to avoid. Wiley the cartoonist of Non Sequitur lives in Maine, somewhere ...

     Peace until next week,  

                  Bill Lagerstrom, who lives in Maine, somewhere.....