Each of Us a Lovely Stream – November 20 2018

Each one of us is a lovely stream flowing into the great ocean of love and compassion, of goodness and energy, the Supreme Reality, which is God. Different we may be, but we emanate from the same source and to the same source we return.

Sri M

 

At any given moment there are two distinct ways by which we might identify. 

 

The first is as individuality. Ego. As ego, we underline all those things that make us at one with our tribe – I am of this religion, this political party, this race, this level of education; and all those things that make us different from the other tribe or tribes – they are all liars, they’re out for themselves and don’t care about people like me, they are evil, etc. 

 

This is the work of our animal nature, keeping us united with those who are ‘one of us’ and safe from all those others. The fight or flight system working overtime, covering all its bases. 

 

Glance through your Facebook feed, dip into Breitbart or HuffPost. Watch (if you can) an hour of MSNBC and then an hour of Fox News. Or watch them together, switching back and forth between the two. You will find an out-picturing of this system, the images and ideas and tones of voice guaranteed to trigger and re-trigger the survival mechanism so that the machine keeps feeding on itself. For in this system, there is no answer, ever. There is no right way of seeing or doing that ever can satisfy the whole. There is simply Ouroborous – the snake devouring its own tail through all of time.

 

The other way by which we might identify is as a loved and loving child of God; each of us an emanation of the oneness, the Supreme Reality, flowing out into this playground of life for a moment, then returning once again to the home of All That Is. 

 

In this identity it is absurd to demonize each other, to punish each other, to try to kill each other, physically or metaphorically. With this as our identity, for me to hurt you is for me to hurt myself. Like tripping over a rock, then stomping on my toes for their clumsiness. ‘Stupid, stupid foot! What’s the matter with you? What an idiot!’ For if I am this emanation of the oneness, then you are as well, then all of us are as well this one whole complete thing. 

 

And our differences are to be, if not celebrated, then at least honored as one more color in this extraordinary and infinite prism through which we are allowed to see life.

 

There is only one thing. I am this one thing. You are this one thing. They are this one thing. God is this one thing. Today, let me remember this, even when my ego is shouting at me otherwise. Let me ask of my Higher Nature that I be granted even a moment of compassion for someone who seems to be entirely ‘other,’ even though he or she may seem hell-bent on making this impossible for me. 

 

Gillian Meditating, DTPC Los Angeles CA