Hi There!
So, there are all sorts of moments, movements and emotions in our spiritual lives:
searching and seeking, confusion, enlightenment, ecstasy, dryness, consolation,
stretch and stress, clarity and peace, and every so awful often, volcanic eruption.
We may have a bit of a superficial, rational understanding of such a volcanic eruption,
but the molten center of it all is quite another story - a mystery misadventure with chapters to go.
Change, loss, loneliness, emotional/body cravings may present as the cause of the eruption,
but in all truth they really aren't. They are manifestations rather than core cause.
The core cause is at the center of who we are and that core churns up a firestorm of fury.
That core intensity, that molten fire down deep is relational,, not rational.
It is about the kind of relationship we have with the only "self" who really exists,
with the only "others" who really exist, with the only "Ultimate" that really exists.
In hard honesty all these relationships get thrown off, fired up and chaotic because
from the get go we want to be the center of it all.
(The early Christians called it Original Sin).
Infantile Control at the core,
and as that core control gets frustrated we boil over, we erupt.
To keep changing the metaphor, we
"CRIB SCREAM."
The hard truth is that we have to grow out of infantile self centerdness more than many times
over the years before we are ready for the relationships that let the real "self" out
and the real "others" in with the resultant oneness with both in the Ultimate.
Until then we just have different modes and stages of acting out, erupting, as our
infantile demand that "other" and the "Ultimate" center on us, and not our true self at that.
The infantile screams at the frustration, the denial of its demand for
SINGULAR DOMINANCE.
Donald Trump tweets a vicious, violent video, outraged at the media denial of his demand for
SINGULAR DOMINANCE.
Donald Trump is not alone, just very public. You and I have our own unique, often ever so subtle
" CRIB SCREAMS."
- Posturing service so as to get our way and wishes serviced.
- Pretending relational oneness to get others to go to bed with us sexually, socially,
economically, professionally to name a few of too many.
- Having a partner, spouse or child as an ego or social ornament.
- Going "spiritual" more for psychic soothing than for enspirited surrender
to the Ultimate.
- "Feel Good" religion, social/environmental/political activity that takes a "time out"
as we take refuge in a life style of comfort and convenience.
- Some variation of going on a cruise of self indulgence - publicity or priority seeking,
"shopping till we drop," over eating/drinking, surround sound distractions.
- Putting civility in cold storage.
- Some version of emotional/social "body slamming" the disliked, the bothersome,
the inconvenient, the challenging.
These are attitudinal/action examples of demand for
SINGULAR DOMINANCE.
Over the years we do manage some acceptance and relationship with the only "self" that really exists,
with the only "others" that really exist, with the only "Ultimate" that really exists,
but it is often incremental and the demand for
SINGULAR DOMINANCE
worms its way into the mix and makes us crazy as we play forward the lie that all relationships
must spin around the center of our false selves.
For all the fiery furry, though, we are invited to grow out of limiting self centeredness.
All it takes is surrender.
When we surrender the tiny we are open and free for the full.
When we surrender our demand to be the center of things we are open and free to be not
The Center
but
CENTERED
in the actual and
ULTIMATE CENTER OF ALL
whose center is every and whose circumference is nowhere
( Bonaventure).
To change the metaphor one last time, we are like a drop of water.
When we stop pretending that we are the ocean,
we go oceanic!!!
Thanks for the chance to be together.
A real blessing.
"How good and pleasant it is when brethren dwell as one."
Psalm 133:1
Looking forward to our sharing next week.
In God's Dear Love,
John Frank
Typically a new post goes up toward the end of each week.
