 Spiritual: January 10, 2018 Issue [#8694] |
  Spiritual
This week: Home By Another Road Edited by: SophyBells  
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Hi, I'm SophyBells ~ your editor for this edition of the Spiritual Newsletter.
The Rev. Scotty McLennan, author of the book Finding Your Religion, compares humanity's innate need for spiritual searching to climbing a mountaain. In his view, we are all endeavoring to climb the same figurative mountain in our search for the divine, we just may take different ways to get there. In other words, there is one "God," but many paths. I honor whatever path or paths you have chosen to climb that mountain in your quest for the Sacred.  |
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Home By Another Road
This past Saturday - January 6 – was Epiphany on the Christian calendar. Epiphany commemorates the visit of Magi from the east, who followed a star to find the Christ child, bringing him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The word “epiphany” means “a sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something; a comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization.” In a spiritual context, it refers to those times when God breaks into our world in such a way that we become more attune to the divine nature. It is sometimes referred to as an “aha” moment, a spiritual awakening. I like to think of it as an internal light suddenly switching on, illuminating the darkness. Thus the symbol of the season of Epiphany is a Star, a bright light shining in the night sky.
Two epiphanies occur in the Matthew story – the first is the following of the star, that celestial manifestation, by the Magi from the east, first to Jerusalem. After conferring there with Herod, they traveled to Bethlehem to find the place of Jesus’ birth. Their plan was to report back to Herod with the location of the child after they visited. The second epiphany occurs when they are warned in a dream not to return to Herod as planned, but to avoid Jerusalem altogether and return home by another road without divulging where Jesus was. They listened to that inner voice, an epiphany, if you will, and changed their plans accordingly. That, in a nutshell, is what the observance of Epiphany is about – as we are invited to consider epiphanies in our own lives.
As luck would have it, I had an Epiphany “aha” moment recently as I consider the spirituality of time, pondering whether I made the most of the year that just passed. One of the things I hope for is to be able to turn the page on any given year with gratitude rather than regret. Coming to the end of a calendar year reminds me of how very short and fragile life is, and that such moments are to be treasured as they happen. As I looked back on 2017 I realized what a challenging year it had been for me emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually, and how miserable I felt much of the time. I thought about how sad I felt much of last year, and when I wasn’t sad, I was full of anger or fear – sometimes all three at the same time. I spent way too much time on Facebook and Twitter, rage tweeting at strangers and politicians, contributing to the already overly consuming negativity of social media. I listened to pundits on cable news drone on about the same thing over and over for far too many hours, and then spent sleepless nights in bed worrying about the future, and waking hours doing much of the same.
As the New Year dawned I was disappointed by what I had allowed myself to be given over to, about how I had spent much of my time and energy. I thought about those who DID something positive in the midst of the negative – those who ran for office for the first time; those who stood up to protect the most vulnerable among us; members of my spiritual community who turned their political angst into something practical by helping a refugee family. From their inspiration I realized that I have a choice about how to go on from here; how to live in this coming year. Like the Magi, I am going to try a different route, another road this year, because the one I used previously did not serve me, or anyone else, well. Like the Magi, I will not submit to Herod’s insecurities or tyranny, nor allow him to dictate my emotional or spiritual well being. I will choose an alternative way. So instead of contributing more outrage into an already turbulent conversation, I will try to choose kindness; instead of hurling insults, I’ll try to share compliments; instead of arguing, I will try to be civil.
Chelsea Clinton and Sarah Silverman, two inspiring women I follow on Twitter, provide an excellent example of how to do this. Chelsea is a remarkably poised and thoughtful young woman who gets a LOT of hateful things said to her on social media. Her responses always amaze me – here are a few:
A Twitter user with the handle “DeporableUSA” posted an unflattering picture of Chelsea next to a cartoonish, braying donkey with the comment “We will expose who is the real Father of @ChelseaClinton” (with a website link included which I refuse to share) and concluded with “Any Questions?” Chelsea’s response, “Every time I see this side-by-side, which is not infrequent, I think of Winnie the Pooh & Shrek. And smile! Happy 2018!” Rather than bashing DeplorableUSA, as I might have previously – I complimented Chelsea for her beauty, inside and out, and for how she handles those who would try to bring her down.
Another user, “WeSupport45” posted an image of a fake tweet attributed to Chelsea regarding the move of Israel’s capital, with the comment “Congratulations @HillaryClinton & @BillClinton for officially raising the dumbest child ever @ChelseaClinton please stay out of politics you make Forrest Gump look like Einstein compared to you!” Chelsea’s response: “Hi Support 45! Never wrote that. [The tweet was fabricated by someone else.] I can’t wait until my kids are old enough to watch Forrest Gump though! Happy New Year!”
While inside she may have been seething or devastated, and there may have been tears running down her face at the unfathomable cruelty she often receives – I love how Chelsea publicly goes high when they go low. It’s such a breath of fresh air, and can’t help but change the narrative, even if just a little bit. It certainly changed it for me. When I read her Twitter stream, I consistently find positive comments, retweets, and responses from her – the only time she gets angry is when someone goes after a child, including Barron Trump. And even then her comments are measured, respectful, yet firm. What a change from the usual Twitter storms that erupt on that social media platform.
Sarah Silverman is another great example – I saw her on Bill Maher’s show last November, where she discussed her show “I Love America” and how she has chosen to respond to an angry, divided nation with love and compassion. She talked about how she listens to other points of view instead of arguing with people, and tries to find common ground and see the best in others. She demonstrated this recently on Twitter. On December 28 Silverman posted a tweet, and a total stranger replied by calling her a terrible word I will not repeat. Instead of lashing back, ignoring, or blocking the user, Silverman opted for a compassionate response. “I believe in you. I read ur timeline & I see what ur doing & your rage is thinly veiled pain,” she tweeted back. “But u know that. I know this feeling. My back sux too,” she added, referring to back pain the user mentioned in his Twitter feed. “See what happens when u choose love. I see it in you.”
Sarah continued the conversation with the man, listening to him share about childhood abuse as well as his physical back pain. She suggested he find a support group to find other people to talk to, and reached out on Twitter asking if there were any back pain clinics near where the man lives who would help him. A spine clinic responded that they would help and work to make it affordable for him, after he shared that he did not have health insurance and was poor. The man agreed to get help, and confessed that he’s antisocial and has no friends. At the end of the exchange, he apologized to Silverman, who wrote, “I’m so psyched you’ll go. KEEP ME POSTED. Don’t give up on yourself. Be brave enough to risk getting burned. It’s what happens when u fight for yourself. But it’s worth it. I promise.” Her approach is part of Silverman’s mission to help calm the increasingly nasty and confrontational political discourse. “Screaming at each other has never caused change,” she said in an interview. “Sure, sometimes major protests and rioting in the streets causes change, but when it’s people one-on-one? Having a screaming competition in that setting never changes minds. We need to try and understand each other.”
This is what I aspire to – my epiphany resolution for the New Year. And during this season of Epiphany, I invite you to consider your own. |
Below you'll find some spiritual offerings from other WDC members. Please let the folks know if you read their piece by leaving a thoughtful comment or review. I realize I post mostly poems, but that is because it is tough to find other types of spiritual writing on the site. If you have something you would like me to highlight, please do share it with me, thanks!
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Here are some responses to my last newsletter "Spiritual Newsletter (December 13, 2017)" Let Christmas Come Again:
From Mia - craving colour  :
Hi Sophy,
Thank you for the inspiration, particularly in thought: "Christmas isn’t limited to a single night 2000+ years ago. It’s a continuous perspective inviting us to find our own place in the story . . ." With that in perspective, perhaps it will be easier to slip into the season.
May yours be beautiful. .
Thank you so much - and Happy New Year!
   
From shepherd46:
Wonderful article and a reminder of what is really important at Christmas! Thank you for such an uplifting and much needed article.
You are most welcome, and thank you for your kind words.
From Epiphany 
Thank you so much. I appreciate but then there is one God and only ONE path-Jesus.
You are entitled to your beliefs, as I am entitled to mine.
Thanks for all your comments - keep them coming!  Until next time, Happy New Year! SophyBells |
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