continued from my examiner post . . .

http://www.examiner.com/x-14414-Columbus-Interfaith-Spirituality-Examiner~y2010m7d27-Spirituality-and-what-is-LailatulBaraat-101

[photo of moon over Kennedy Space Center- Endeavor; NASA]

As we turn to explore more about Islam and Sufism during this auspicious time, Dr. Alan Godlas, a scholar on Islam and Sufism writes on the U. Georgia website, http://www.uga.edu/islam/Sufism.html ‘Sufism or tasawwuf, as it is called in Arabic, is generally understood by scholars and Sufis to be the inner, mystical, or psycho-spiritual dimension of Islam. Today, however, many Muslims and non-Muslims believe that Sufism is outside the sphere of Islam. Nevertheless, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, one of the foremost scholars of Islam, in his article The Interior Life in Islam contends that Sufism is simply the name for the inner or esoteric dimension of Islam.'

He continues with a simple explanation: 'After nearly 30 years of the study of Sufism, I would say that in spite of its many variations and voluminous expressions, the essence of Sufi practice is quite simple. It is that the Sufi surrenders to God, in love, over and over; which involves embracing with love at each moment the content of one's consciousness (one's perceptions, thoughts, and feelings, as well as one's sense of self) as gifts of God or, more precisely, as manifestations of God.’

Sufism is alive and well in North America. The ten principle thoughts of Sufism as listed on the website http://www.sufiorder.org/ begin with the sublime statement, ‘There is One God, the Eternal, the Only Being; none exists save He.
The God of the Sufi is the God of every creed, and the God of all. Names make no difference to him. Allah, God, Gott, Dieu, Brahma, or Bhagwan, all these names and more are the names of his God; and yet to him God is beyond the limitation of name. He sees his God in the sun, in the fire, in the idol which diverse sects worship; and he recognizes Him in all the forms of the universe, yet knowing Him to be beyond all form: God in all, and all in God, He being the Seen and the Unseen, the Only Being. God to the Sufi is not only a religious belief, but also the highest ideal the human mind can conceive.
The Sufi, forgetting the self and aiming at the attainment of the divine ideal, walks constantly all through life in the path of love and light. In God the Sufi sees the perfection of all that is in the reach of man's perception and yet he knows Him to be above human reach.’ See the rest of the ten thoughts and other ephemeral writing at: http://www.sufiorder.org/ten_thoughts.html

I remember Dad making quips that we were turning into Sufi whirling dervishes as we danced around in a circle faster and faster, laughing with joy as children until we fell down on the lush green lawn on a summer evening. He showed us these extraordinary men in a photograph of some comparative religion/culture textbook among his overwhelming library of books on history, political science and culture. This stuck with me as I later asked, 'what was this about?'; 'who were these people?' years later.

You can also read more about the Naqshbandi Sufi way http://www.naqshbandi.org/
Or http://www.nimatullahi.org/sufism or read about Sufism and science on a UN affiliated website http://www.ias.org/ including the role of women, neuroscience and physics on this international association of Sufism-which I intend to bookmark. At the bottom of page one you will see photos from the University at Claremont, CA, as sufism makes a connection to process theology/philosophy in it's universal way of thinking that Life is process, change and Truth.

The bottom line for this post is that racial or religious profiling is a baaaadddd thing considering there are 7 billion plus people and as many interpretations of divine/transcendent. And, I hope you can dance with joy, if just a little hop, twirl, turnaround to the music of life.

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-14414-Columbus-Interfaith-Spirituality-Examiner~y2010m7d26-Spirituality-St-James-and-St-Mary-Magdalene

continued from my examiner column on St. James and St. Mary Magdalene . . .

There are some issues with all these biblical accounts and New Testament character portrayals because of language, translation and origin. These are important figures within scripture, carrying significant weight and devotion throughout history, but it is likely we have gotten at least some of the facts wrong about both St. James and St. Mary of Magdalene.

For instance, some thought Mary was from Magdala, an area on the Western shore of Galilee near Tiberias. Another account holds that the term is actually Migdal or ‘big/important’ in stature which refers to Mary as a pillar of the early church. There is also a Talmudic expression related to curling one's hair which might be worn by a woman of ill repute- which sounds similar if you are translating from oral tradition/heard language. Every position has its defenders and detractors, which is true of sacred literature, archeology, scholarly findings in general. Was it one woman; three women? It sure makes a difference if someone is a leader of the church vs. a prostitute.

There are implications to which version you believe. For instance the Aramaic word for ‘camel’ and ‘rope’ sound very similar in an oral culture. Jesus may have meant ‘it’s easier to pass a rope through a needle’ rather than ‘camel’ in Mark 10:25 where he says, ‘It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ NRSV. Having translated Spanish, French, German, Greek and Hebrew, you can see how easy it would be to have several variants in translating any word; even words like, 'and'/'kai' in Greek which has nearly a half page of potential meanings.

See the fascinating Bart Ehrman film/radio clip and transcript, Misquoting Scripture. The NPR article says, 'Scholar Bart Ehrman's new book explores how scribes — through both omission and intention — changed the Bible. Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why is the result of years of reading the texts in their original languages. Ehrman says the modern Bible was shaped by mistakes and intentional alterations that were made by early scribes who copied the texts.'

There are many examples where punctuation or meaning can vary significantly enough to make it implausible to take a scripture literally. In any case, rather than damn the reputation of a key figure for lack of knowledge, why don’t we just say we don’t know and continue to explore the evidence; an ever-evolving quest of experts across many fields. It doesn’t diminish anything but our over-inflated egos and unfounded certitude about ultimate truth, the Truth behind the tales anyway. Instead of wink wink, nudge nudge- 'fallen woman', Mary Magdalene becomes a key leader of the apostles. Certainly discredits all those writings based on viewing her as a sinner and woman of the night- which, as you think about it is victimization by men, more than the sleaze factor of the woman. There is a lot more to unpack about each of the character portrayals. Historical biographies are always suspect- some more than others, sometimes due to the agenda of the editor/author; especially in the absence of adequate source materials.

Stained Glass artwork note: Right-hand panel depicts the Lamentation of Christ. Joseph of Arimathea, John the Evangelist, Mary, and Mary Magdalene kneel lamenting over the bent body of Christ. Heimhofer Family Chapel of the Freiburg Minster copies made by Fritz Geiges in 1895; original panes dating to 1517 have been attributed to Hans Baldung Grien.

Spiritual thresholds

continued from my examiner column . . .

http://www.examiner.com/x-14414-Columbus-Interfaith-Spirituality-Examiner~y2010m7d22-Spirituality-and-the-thresholds-of-Summer

All spiritual traditions ask us to take a contemplative view, to pause, radically open; to move out of our limbic system, our reactive selves and pause in appreciation for Life. All contemplate it’s meaning and our purpose. As one who has experienced the mystic oneness of it all, fully aware of the luminosity of animating light and rushing praising wind, I delight in seeing gulls soaring on downdrafts and updrafts. They appear to be playing, attuning themselves. In touch with the magnetic field of earth, the subtleties of wind and weather, the birds see beyond RGB spectrum also in UV which guides their migration.

Looking through a microscope in high school I saw life, more aptly for me, Life. It was a deeply moving experience. Water . . . molecules. I looked out the industrial windows to see clouds- water . . . molecules, floating across the sky. I touched my skin and licked my lips. Full of water. Me, a particle field, an energetic body. What is this thing we call Life? Is it not the most amazing adventure ever? ‘Ms. Rodemann,’ the teacher’s voice broke through . . . ‘we are on the periodic table.’ ‘Yes indeed,’ I thought, tears welling up in my eyes, ‘we are the periodic table'.

I meditated aloud on this spiritual journey, how life takes us so many places before a denominational candidacy committee once; about the learning that takes place through the flow of experience, relationships, nature, momentous events, ups and downs . . . what a rich collection of meaning we share with others on this plane of existence. How precious it all is. As I sat in the hallway awaiting a decision, some members of the committee ripped my written piece and sharing; the door ajar. I had told of being carried in the arms of my theologian grandfather as a fussy toddler, out for a walk under the vast, starry sky at night. He told me God had created it all . . . and, me. This God lived in my heart, animated my being and everything else that lives, and one day I would re-join God. I was loved very much and it was love that connected all our existence forever. It was all a small child needed, secure, held in loving arms. Summoned into the room, though approved, I was handed another candidates’ ‘more appropriate response’, about sharing the story of Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins and this fallen world, as known through (particular denomination) church's teaching.

Spirituality opens thresholds of existential awareness and gives us permission to experience the freedom of God; freedom from our agendas, labeling and entrapments. Out of one-dimensional boxes, prescribed answers. We move to the places beyond what the mind can never know but the heart perceives. The flow of experience reveals the dichotomy of nothingness that is in fact Full Awareness, Full Presence, rich and enveloping. Breathe in- it is there; breathe out-it is everywhere. Like the trust-building camp game, where each child holds its body stiff and falls back to find the fall broken by the hands of fellow campers supporting and sustaining them . . . Let Go . . . and release yourself into the ‘God-ness’ of it all.

spirituality, intention/prayer and the research

http://www.examiner.com/x-14414-Columbus-Interfaith-Spirituality-Examiner~y2010m7d13-Spirituality-and-prayer-prayer-research-101

continued from my examiner post . . .

There are significant changes in the brain during meditation and prayer as well as significant changes in the body. Spiritual practice- whether prayer or meditation can lower anxiety and fear, improve memory, reduce stress and lower a sense of ego-self. (Tibetan prayer wheels. Photo by Nathan Freitas, in Samye)

Neuroscientist Andrew Newberg MD finds that contemplating a loving God rather than a punitive God increases feeling of security, compassion and love. The neural circuit that enhances social awareness and empathy is strengthened through spiritual contemplation. The brain can be damaged through frightened or angry thoughts which release destructive neuro-chemicals. Our perceptions of ‘God’ change throughout our lives. Research shows that much of the time we’re the ones limiting God; not God limiting us . . . and this also goes for prayer. We tend to tell 'God'/the Supreme Intelligence the outcome we think is best.

In Prayer is Good Medicine Dossey tells of a story of a ‘man (who) reported that as a teenager he prayed for a car. When he did not get it he realized God did not work that way. So he stole a car and prayed for forgiveness instead.’ His point is that prayer is not about getting. 'Thy will be done' from The Lord's Prayer is pretty good. It is when we get into the act of incessant thinking we screw up the intention process with our own negative messages, energies and chemical responses which can affect us at the cellular level. Thomas Merton, the Catholic writer and monk said: ‘I pray by breathing.’ We don’t need to be wordy. We can simply project love.

One of the examples Dossey refers to (out of countless studies cited on everything from thought/prayer on bacteria, red blood cells, white cells, cancer cells, algae, plants, mice, seeds, specific health conditions, etc.) in his book, Healing Words, suggests that praying for cows to give more milk does not work because it is not in the best interest of the organism; it has to be best for the whole. God has regard for all creation. (After all, God is ingredient to all that is/animates all life).This supports an interdependent creation spirituality process view.

Because the prayer research crosses all religions (and no religious affiliation), looking at prayer/intentional thought studies through body/mind/brain tends to level the playing field and strip away political, tribal and social agendas. Its an impressive body of research cutting across several fields beyond just medicine and psychology to include cellular biology, immunology, physics and more. For this very reason, some groups with an exclusivist orientation tend to be offended by the idea one would research prayer because it’s like testing if God is effective. . . . . (their version of God). Dossey says one group even prayed the research would fail to protect God from science.

Dossey quotes C.S. Lewis who once remarked, 'I am often praying for others when I should be doing things for them. It's so much easier to pray for a bore than to go and see him.'-189 (Prayer is Good Medicine) For several researchers and authors of prayer/intention research- from Bernie Siegel to Joan Borysenko, Pert to Lipton, Dossey to Newberg, the subtleties reveal that a sense of reverence, compassion, and sacredness should permeate our lives as a whole.