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Welcome
To Reality
“So nigh is grandeur to our dust, so near is God to man, When duty whispers low, Thou must, The youth replies, I can." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
REALITY AND THE MASTER KEY Three are the dwellings of the Son of Man. They are his body, his thoughts, and his feelings. First shall the Son of Man seek peace with his own body. Then shall the Son of Man seek peace with his own thoughts. Then shall the Son of Man seek peace with his own feelings.” Edmond Bordeaux Szekely, ed. And trans., “The Essene Gospel of Peace”, 1937, 30-31. The ancients offered an eloquent insight into the way of thinking that allows us to redefine what we perceive on the outside by addressing what we have become on the inside. Mighty is the memory of the subconscious mind. Light, sound, discomfort, pain, roughness, dampness, hunger, smells- all impinge on the subconscious memory, forging the lock that bars the door to the infinite. A wise elder once told the story, "Grandson, the longest road you will ever have to walk is the sacred journey from your head to your heart." The traditional school of medical science attempts to bring about change by attacking the condition of the illness itself. On the other hand, holistic viewpoints perceive the individual as a whole person who is in need of reconnecting their mind, their body and their spirit to God’s creation. There is something sad and beautiful about this. Sad because it seems sad to see our spirit deny itself.- beautiful because self-determination is beautiful. To help us develop the wisdom of the heart, and the wisdom of peace, we must turn to Mother Earth. "You know Grandson, the Great Spirit, Wakan Tanka, has given all people wisdom," my grandfather told me." "To every living thing he has given something special. Some people receive their knowledge and understanding through books. In your life, Grandson, you too must read and study books, but remember to take with you on your journey only those things that bring more unity within yourself and others, that bring goodness and understanding and help us to serve one another in better ways." From his book “Architects of Peace: Visions of hope in Worlds and Images”, by Michael Collopy, photographer extraordinar. If man or woman are to gain the Master Key of life, they will be require to live their life in an atmosphere filled with love and joy for having been selected among the two thirds of spirits filling this earth. Man is challenged to rise above the idea of a world divided into have and have-nots. Why is it that the mass of humanity lead drab and colorless lives, concerned only with fear, frustration, and insecurity? These thoughts are products of the conscious mind. For only the conscious mind remembers its beginning and looks forward to its end. "The grass isn't greener
on the other side of the fence. It's greener where you water it more." -(Anonymous) ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS With the assistance of her grandfather, a young child planted a small garden of beans, peas, carrots, and radishes. The ground was tilled, seeds planted, and all the child had to do was leave the rest to the sunshine and, of course, her daily watering. "Two buckets of water a day should do it," said the grandfather as he bent low to his granddaughter. The granddaughter smiled and nodded, admiring their work, and awaiting their bountiful harvest. Within a few weeks, buds could be seen reaching their tender heads from the brown earth. "Look Grandpa! We have plants!" shouted the little girl with exuberant joy. "How wonderful, my dear, but don't forget, two buckets of water a day to keep them healthy." The child nodded. Several months later, grandpa came to visit yet again. "How is your garden doing, my dear?" he asked his grandchild. The young girl looked down at the floor, muttering, "It's fine, I guess." Taking the child gently by the hand, grandfather and granddaughter headed to the back yard, only to find a puzzling sight. Half of the garden was green and flourishing and the other half appeared as a desert wasteland! The old man rubbed his chin in bewilderment, then turned to the small child. "Did you water daily, as I instructed, my dear?" he asked. The child replied, "Yes, grandpa, I did." The old man rubbed his chin again. "Did you water it two buckets worth, one for each side?" The child shuffled her feet as she explained the sequence of events. "The first few weeks it was fun to carry the water out and sprinkle the plants, but, after a while, I became tired of carrying those two heavy buckets, so I only used one bucket. There was not enough water for the whole garden, so I only watered half." After a few moments of silence, the grandfather wisely responded,” Let us see what we can salvage of this side by watering and fertilizing it. In the meantime, let us harvest the rest." The reality is that many of us are
spiritually undernourished. This condition has everything to do with our
understanding of the gift of creation. A
situation that COULD have been avoided had we properly cared for the events leading to it. For example, think of how many marriages fail due
to sheer neglect. Instead of taking the time
to care for and "water" these important relationships. It is a sad reality that a large number of
divorces occur because some people look for a new relationship, rather than taking care of
the one they committed to before God and man. The
same thing is true in our friendships, work ethics, and various goals in our life. Just as a plant won't grow without sunshine and
water, so too will good things NOT come to those who do not work for what they truly
desire. Our Heavenly Father assures us that
we are not alone, especially during times of sorrow and hardship. All we have to do is
call out to Him and He is faithful to answer the heartfelt prayers of the repentant. “And on the second morning after Sabbath, say these words: 'Angel of Earth, make fruitful my seed, and with your power give life to my body.' Even as your seed creates new life, so courses through the earth the seed of the angel of Earth: in the grass, in the soil, in all living things that grow from the soil. Know, oh Sons of Light, that the same angel of Earth that makes your seed into sons also makes the tiny acorn into this mighty oak, and makes the seed-bearing wheat to grow for bread for the Son of Man. And the seed of your body need not enter the body of woman to create life; for the power of the angel of Earth can create the life of the spirit within, as well as the life of the body without.” Taken from “The Essene Gospel of Peace” Book 4. When the males of a society are physically connected to nature, either in their work or in their pleasures, there develops an appreciation for the world in which they were placed. It was once told of the older generation of Chinese that they must return to till the soil in the rice fields so as to reconnect with Mother Earth. Doing this made sense to their world view. In addition, women were seen as the givers of life, hence the title of Mother Nature. When I think of the feelings connected with walking in nature, or of working the earth for a garden, I think of the peacefulness that settles into my breath. When I go by areas of my home town where once stood green fields and the house where I once lived only to find the latest real estate developer stripping the land, or a forest that was clear cut, the only word that comes to my mind is RAPE. Think of personal experiences around this. I think there is an important link here. The link in my mind is consent. Was it given or was the opportunity taken in spite of the consequence for now there exists lifeless things. The earth is a living organism, and the treatment of the earth is
directly related to the treatment of men, women, and children in our society. There is a way that working the earth in your
hands can be like a gentle caress. Moreover,
the connection to nature can be as calming as that caress.
In our society, it is now almost a challenge to be able to walk barefoot in the
grass. Watch out! We put our shoes on to walk on a
sidewalk to the car, where we sit in a steel cage and drive on a
different form of concrete or asphalt, and we muse, this is not where I grew
up. It takes effort just to find a place that we can take our shoes off and walk in
the grass. It is now entirely possible to go
for weeks or even months without actually touching the earth, making that
healthful connection. I strongly believe that this loss of connection to
the earth allows our society to become increasingly aggressive. This aggressiveness comes out in many forms, and
is most definitely not limited to just men. If we go through life with out feeling it makes it easier to violate the earth, women, men, and children. If we learn to reconnect to our feelings, we have to accept responsibility for our actions. If I do not allow myself to experience the depth of my emotions, I cannot experience the beauty of my emotions. Physical numbness and it's first cousins, fear and procrastination are some of the many symptoms found in the grieving process. I must ask myself if part of what people grieve about is the loss of their connection to nature. There are many things in this world we may be grieving about and each way is as unique to the individual as their name. Physical numbness may also be a way we have taught ourselves to evade the power of our emotions. (Personally I know that part of my experience with numbness is connected to a fear I had of the power of my own emotions. I was afraid that if I ever allowed myself to truly feel my emotions I would loose control of them. It was a very powerful and liberating experience to work to a place where I could feel my emotions. Lots of tears in between. And while I do not always retain the ability to feel them, I know I can return to that place and I am capable of having emotions and expressing them in a safe way.) As a man in our society, I am also very aware of the isolation of men within our society. I think this too is part of what we are grieving over. One of the simplest things we can do about this is to make a
determined effort to get back to nature. Get
grounded! Get our hands and feet dirty. Most cities nowadays have community gardens, or
"P-patches," contact one in your neighborhood, or create one if you have to. How much effort would it take to plant some herbs
or vegetables? What would the payoff be? Can you guess what the Master Key is? Email me with your comments.
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