I am the One Source of all:the evolution of all comes from Me.
I am beginningless, unborn,
the Lord of the worlds.
I am the soul which dwells in the
heart of all things.
I am the beginning, the middle
and the end of all that lives.
I am the seed of all things that are:
and no being that moves or
moves not can ever be without me. In any way that men love Me
In that same way they find My love;
For many are the paths of men,
But they all in the end come to Me. --Krishna, from the Bhagavad Gita
As the scientific method is to proceed from the known to the unknown, and
particularly from facts and from direct experience to the formulation and
interpretation of what has been observed and experienced, we will not
attempt to define or to discuss at the outset what "Spirit" in its essence
may be, but will start with the fact of spiritual experience and spiritual
consciousness.
What distinguishes psychosynthesis from many other attempts at
psychological understanding is the position we take as to the existence of
a spiritual Self and of a superconscious, which are as basic as the
instinctive energies described by Freud. We consider that the spiritual is
as basic as the material part of man... Our position affirms that all the
superior manifestations of the human psyche --such as creative imagination,
intuition, aspirations, genius-- are facts which are as real and as
important as are the conditioned reflexes... We accept the idea that
spiritual drives or spiritual urges are as real, basic and fundamental as
sexual and aggressive drives; they should not be reduced to sublimation or
pathological distortion of the sexual and aggressive components of the
personality-- although in many neurotic cases such elements are, of course,
also present.
Psychosynthesis definitely affirms the reality of spiritual experience, the
existence of the higher values and of the "noetic" or "noological"
dimension [ie. that which pertains to the core of man's personality.
May I emphasize the fact that the elements and functions coming from the
superconscious --such as aesthetic, ethical, religious experiences,
intuition, inspiration, states of mystical consciousness-- are factual, are
real in the pragmatic sense because they are effective, producing changes
both in the inner and outer world.
The superconscious constitutes the higher section or aspect of the person
of which the ego or self is not normally aware. But at times the conscious
self rises or is raised to that higher region where it has specific
experiences and states of awareness of various kinds which can be called
"spiritual" in the widest sense. At other times it happens that some
contents of the superconscious "descend" and penetrate into the area of the
normal consciousness of the ego, producing what is called "inspiration".
This interplay has great importance and value, both for fostering
creativity and for achieving psychosynthesis.
We include under the general heading of "spiritual development" then, all
experiences connected with awareness of the contents of the superconscious,
which may or may not include the experience of the Self. It should also be
pointed out that the reaching up into the realm of the superconscious and
its exploration, while approaching consciousness of the Self, may sometimes
even constitute an obstacle to full Self-realization, to the reaching of
the summit where the personal-I awareness blends into awareness of the
spiritual Self. One becomes so fascinated by the wonders of the
superconscious realm, so absorbed in it, so identified with some of its
special aspects or manifestations as to lose or paralyze the urge to reach
the summit of Self-realization.
The spiritual Self is the greatest reality, the real essence of our being...
It is necessary to make an inner journey, more exactly an ascent to the
various levels of the conscious and superconscious psyche, to approach this
inner teacher and then in imagination to simply state the problem, talking
to the imagined teacher realistically as if he were a living person and,
as in everyday conversation, courteously awaiting a response. On occasion
the answer is immediate and spontaneous; it is received clearly and comes
with authority and an absence of doubt... Sometimes the answer is delayed
and comes in an unexpected moment, when the personality is not looking for
it and is perhaps occupied with other concerns-- a condition that seems to
facilitate the reception of the message because eager expectation and
tenseness can constitute an obstacle to receptivity... The fact is that
sometimes the answer comes seemingly spontaneously through a third person
or through a book or other reading matter, or through the development of
circumstances themselves... Enlighening impressions or psychological
communications are reaching us all the time, even when not consciously
sought. It is we who do not recognize the many and varied "signals".
In this technique of inner dialogue we should put the emphasis on the
dialogue itself, more than on the "teacher"... In actual life a
relationship is always present, recognized or unrecognized, conscious or
unconscious. The individual is never absolutely alone, and God (or the
spiritual reality) is never purely transcendent, but always in living
relationship with the manifestation.
--Roberto Assagioli, Italian psychologist, 1888-1975.
Most high, all-powerful sweet world,to you goes all praise, all glory and all honor,
for every blessing! Be praised, my Lord, for all your creatures!
but first for our brother sun
who makes the day bright and luminous,
for he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor;
he is the image of you, Lord our most high! Be praised, my Lord, for sister moon and the stars!
for in the sky you have made them brilliant and precious
and beautiful, as you are. Be praised, my Lord, also for brother wind!
and for skies both cloudy and clear,
for every kind of weather,
through which you give nourishment to your creatures. Be praised, my Lord, for sister water!
for she is useful as well as humble, precious and pure. Be praised, my Lord, for brother fire,
through whom you enlighten the night;
he is beautiful and joyous and robust and strong! Be praised, my Lord, for our sister mother earth!
who nourishes us and sustains us all,
and who brings forth so many different fruits,
many-colored flowers and herbs! Be praised, my Lord, for all those who forgive
through their love of you! And for those who bear sickness and tribulation,
blessed are they who endure and still find peace,
for they will be crowned by you, my most high sweet Lord. Be praised, my Lord, for our sister bodily death,
from whom no living thing can escape;
blessed are they whom she finds doing your most holy will,
for the second death cannot harm them. Praise and bless my Lord always!
and thank him!
and serve him with humility. --"Canticle of the Creatures",
by Francis of Assisi, 1182-1226
Grandfather Great Spirit,All over the world the faces of living ones
are alike.
With tenderness they have come up out
of the ground.
Look upon your children that they may
face the winds and walk the good road to
the Day of Quiet.
Grandfather Great Spirit,
Fill us with the Light.
Give us the strength to understand,
and the eyes to see.
Teach us to walk the soft Earth as relatives
to all that live. --Sioux Prayer
The great path has no gates,Thousands of roads enter it.
When one passes through this gateless gate
He walks freely between heaven and earth. --from 'The Gateless Gate', a collection of Zen koans
by Mumon Ekai, a 13th c. Buddhist
A monk asked the master Ummon, "What is the teaching of the Buddha's lifetime?"
Ummon said, "Preaching facing oneness." --from 'The Blue Cliff Records',
a collection of Zen works by Setcho, 980-1052
Some say the Buddha's greatest sermon was his silent, wordless one:
He simply held up a flower and looked at his followers. Those who smiled,
understood.
--a common Buddhist story, esp. in Zen Buddhism, told in many forms
The heavens declare God's gloryand the magnificence of what made them!
Each day is a miracle;
each new sky fills with beauty!
Their testimony speaks to the whole world
and reaches to the ends of the earth.
In them is a path for the sun,
who steps forth handsome as a bridegroom
and rejoices like an athlete as he runs.
He starts at one end of the heavens
and circles to the other end,
and nothing can hide from his heat. God's universe is perfect,
awing the mind.
God's truth is subtle,
baffling the intellect.
God's law is complete,
quickening the breath.
God's compassion is fathomless,
refreshing the soul.
God's justice is absolute,
lighting up the eyes.
God's love is radiant,
rejoicing the heart,
more precious than the finest gold,
sweeter than honey from the comb! Help me, dear God, to be aware of my selfishness,
but without undue shame or self-judgement.
Let me always feel You present,
in every atom of my being.
Let me keep surrendering myself
until I am utterly transparent,
allowing only Your love to shine through.
Let my words be rooted in honesty
and my thoughts be lost in Your light:
Unnameable God, my essense,
my origin, my life-blood, my home! --psalm 19, the Bible
Always we hopesomeone else has the answer.
Some other place will be better,
some other time
it will all turn out. This is it.
No one else has the answer.
No other place will be better,
and it has already turned out. At the center of your being you have the answer;
you know who you are and you know what you want. There is no need
to run outside
for better seeing. Nor to peer from a window. Rather abide at
the center of your being;
for the more you leave it
the less you learn. Search your heart
and see
the way to do
is to be. --Lao Tzu
I ask for a moment's indulgence to sit by Your side.The works that I have in mind
I will finish afterwards. Away from the sight of Thy face
My heart knows no rest or respite,
And my work becomes and endless toil
In a shoreless sea of toil. Today the summer has come at my window
With its sighs and murmurs;
And the bees are plying their minstrelsy
At the court of the flowering grove. Now it is time to sit quiet
Face to face with Thee,
And to sing dedication to life
In this silent and overflowing leisure inside. --Rabindranath Tagore
The long ages of infancy and childhood, through which the human race has to
pass, have receded into the background. Humanity is now experiencing the
commotions invariably associated with the most turbulent stage of its
evolution, the stage of adolescence, when the impetuosity of youth and its
vehemence reach their climax, and must gradually be superseded by the
calmness, the wisdom, and the maturity that characterize the stage of
adulthood.
Mankind, in these fateful years... is... being simultaneously called upon
to give account of its past actions, and is being purged and prepared for
its future mission. It can neither escape the responsibilities of the
past, nor shirk those of the future.
Then will a world civilization be born, flourish, and perpetuate itself, a
civilization with a fullness of life such as the world has never seen nor
can as yet conceive... Then will the promise enshrined in all the books of
God be redeemed, and all the prophecies uttered by the prophets of old come
to pass, and the vision of seers and poets be realized. Then will the
planet, galvanized through the universal belief of its dwellers in one God,
and their allegiance to one common revelation... be acclaimed as the
earthly heaven, capable of fulfilling that ineffable destiny fixed for it
from time immemorial by the love and wisdom of its Creator.
--Shoghi Effendi Rabbani, 1897-1957
Hold the grace of God--become His home, become His home... Now is your chance--
Become part of the Supreme Soul, become part of the Supreme Soul... You've talked about love long enough--
now become one with the Beloved, become one with the Beloved! ***** The light of Your face
illumines the universe... You shape the destiny of every soul,
renewing this weary world.
Every night You bring another joy,
every night a celebration. Love and ecstasy is our calling now--
O Beloved, You will dance forever
as the rhythm of our hearts. ***** Come, come, whoever you are,
Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving--
it doesn't matter,
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come, even if you have broken your vows
a hundred times:
Come, come again, come! ***** Come, for today is for us a day of festival;
henceforward joy and pleasure are on the increase!
Clap hands, say, "Today is all happiness";
from the beginning it was manifestly a fine day.
Who is there in this world like our Friend?
Who has seen such a festival in a hundred cycles?
Earth and heaven are filled with sweetness;
in every direction sugarcane has sprouted.
The roar of that pearl-scattering sea has
arrived; the world is full of waves, and the sea
is invisible! ***** Do you think I am in control here?
That for a moment, or even half a moment,
I can tell you what's going on? ***** I know only that everything I give You comes
back to me,
So I give You my life... ***** --Jalal al-Din Rumi, Persian Muslum, 1207-1273
There is a spirit in the soul, untouched by time and flesh, flowing from
the Spirit, remaining in the Spirit, itself wholly spiritual. In this
principal is God, ever verdant, ever flowering in all the joy of His actual
Self.
*****
The treasure of the Kingdom of God has been hidden by time and
multiplicity, and the soul's own works, or briefly by its partially
creature nature. But in the measure that the soul can separate itself from
this multiplicity, to that extent it reveals within itself the Kingdom of
God. Here the soul and the Godhead are one... The whole scattered world of
lower things is gathered up to oneness when the soul climbs up to that life
in which there are no opposites.
*****
Apprehend God in all things,for God is in all things. Every single creature is full of God
and is a book about God. Every creature is a word of God! If I spent enough time with the tiniest creature--
even a caterpillar--
I would never have to prepare a sermon,
so full of God is every creature! ***** God's ultimate purpose is birth. He is not content until he brings his Son to birth in each and every one of us. ***** Fire transforms all things it touches, into its own nature. The wood does not change the fire into itself; but the fire changes the wood into itself. In the same way, we are transformed into God, so that we may know him as he is. Acting and becoming are one. God and I are one in this work; he acts, and I become. --Meister Eckhart,
German Christian minister, 1260-1327
We who have lost our sense and our senses-- our touch, our smell,
our vision of who we are; we who frantically force and press all things;
without rest for the body or spirit, hurting our earth and injuring
ourselves: we call a halt.
We want to rest. We need to rest and allow the earth to rest. We
need to reflect and to rediscover the mystery that lives in us, that is the
ground of every unique expression of life, the source of the fascination
that calls all things to communion.
We declare a Sabbath, a space of quiet; for simply being and
letting be; for recovering the great, forgotten truths; for learning how to
live again.
--from the United Nations Environmental Sabbath Program
Humanity is being taken to the point where it will have to choose between
suicide and adoration.
--Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, French Christian, 1881-1955 [ WRQ INDEX ] [ PREV ]