Everyman's Journal 2011

Everyman's Journal 2011, #13

January 14

For the soul pleasure of it, I spent a piece of yesterday 'pretending' I was living in another century, as a simple monk and furniture maker. Since I was making a couple of Zen meditation benches, I could have been imagining myself in Japan I suppose, but for some reason I felt more European, perhaps Italian. In any case, being involved creatively with wood felt amazingly good and tactile, having sawdust coat my clothes and nostrils perfumed the atmosphere wonderfully, and as I worked on the benches, I found myself being a shaman...silently blessing and energizing them, so that whoever came to sit and meditate on them in the future would receive some of the benefit of my pleasure and enjoyment and awareness while making them. In other words, I put my life into them intentionally.

It's a psychic thing, and therefore unprovable scientifically (at least so far) whether or not inanimate objects can actually absorb and re-radiate blessings and prayers, but for many devoted people of faith, it is a central tenet that is commonplace.... and ritualistically observed. From aboriginal peoples to centers of sophisticated culture, we cherish our spiritually imbued objects and articles with a great reverence. And, as the phrase goes, 'it's all good'. For whether or not these objects are really 'power objects' or only placebos does not matter... what matters is that we believe in them.

Werner Erhard once answered a question about reincarnation this way: "Whether or not reincarnation is real or not is probably not as important as noticing that the design of being a human includes the ability to believe that it is. AND, the same design includes the ability for a different person to believe that it isn't. So whether it is true or not, we can and do (as humans) chose beliefs, and then live our life consistent with those beliefs, as if they were the TRUTH."

Sometimes I wonder why what is obvious is not obvious to us. I am sure part of the answer lies in the phenomena described in the above paragraph, where we have collapsed our beliefs into Truths. It's a difficult process to reverse, but it is possible. Tonight at Peter Victor's final satsang here in Yuma he commented to someone his encouragement at a tiny step in a new direction.... saying, "The first step in a new direction is always the hardest, because it's a reversal of direction. Just keep going, it gets easier....".

I may be committing heresy, but I think that eventually all beliefs must be 'given up to God', and released. Dr. John W. Ray taught it like this: "All beliefs are ultimately false". I get it now, but it wasn't always so obvious. But 'beyond the mind' and 'beyond beliefs' ARE (to me) pretty much the same thing. So one of my spiritual practices these days is to walk as empty of personal beliefs as possible, moment to moment. I find that that allows a lot more space for ANYTHING to be possible. Including sometimes, discovering an internal 'knowing', distinct from 'believing', that feels 'completely trustable'.

As 'walking our talk' (direct experience) is the only way to really know, that's 'what I put my money on'.

Namaste,

David

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My partnership request.... Please consider yourself an important gateway this message is passing through on its way to others. Please do 'send it on'. Thank you.

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Rev. David Seacord

Fine Art Painter / Sufi Cherag

david@davidseacord.com

www.davidseacord.com

(my fine art website)

www.davidseacord-everymansjournal.blogspot.com

(archived writings and poetry, circa 2002 to 2004)

www.davidseacord-acimcommentaries.blogspot.com

(archived 2010 writings on the lessons of A Course in Miracles)

www.everymansjournal2011.blogspot.com

(archived entries of this years Everyman's Journal)