The Jam!
This blog is an assigned adventure for Metaphysical Theology I at Unity Institute. I named it Theology Jam Sessions: Rhythms of Faith Explored because I hope it is a place where ideas and beliefs can be openly explored. Much in the same way musicians approach a jam session- each bringing her or his own ideas while playing harmoniously with others! You may provide the riff that a whole song is built around, or you might chime in with a horn hit, a counterpoint, or a lick that is so 'out' everyone will wonder from which planet you hail. Feel free to express yourself- your faith song, your spiritual rhythm as I stretch, explore, and express my own. Let's get funky, let's get down, let's jam!
You talked about the image: "Divine presence is the ocean and people are individual waves- never separate from the ocean, yet can be observed and described as individual aspects of the ocean." I particularly like this analogy as well. It is this exact image (with some flowing spiritual music playing behind it) that I've repeatedly visualized this past week to help me navigate the feelings of overwhelm and chaos this the past week. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Jackie,
ReplyDeleteThis is Cliff-- Evelyn's husband. I hope you don't mind if I comment. Your wave analogy reminded me of an experience I had recently:
Our Church in Portland gives out name tags every week at the service and mine was still on when I went into Trader Joes after church one Sunday. While I was shopping, a woman that works there called me by name when she greeted me and she had a big smile. After letting me reel for a moment to figure out who she was, she gestured to the name tag I was wearing...duh! This lead to her asking about the name tag and why, on a Sunday afternoon, I have a name tag on.
Apparently, a friend of hers or co-worker had recently died and having come from church (I guess), the conversation rapidly progressed into an intimate 5-minute conversation about death and afterlife. She asked what Unity taught about afterlife and I was momentarily at a loss. Because it seemed like too much to go into and it wasn't completely composed in my mind, I responded by explaining my personal belief. . .ofcourse, I prefaced it as mine and not necessarily Unity's. As it turns out,it is very similar to your analogy of the ocean and the waves.
My analogy was that each life on earth is like rain. We start from the source (Ocean/God) and always remain as part of the source. We ascend to a cloud (perhaps feeling a separation even though we are and always will be part) and begin our human life. Living our life we go through whatever journey we choose: perhaps falling into a stream in a distant mountain or maybe falling right back into the ocean. When we come back to Source, the Ocean in this case, we again fully understand One. In any case, what happens in the afterlife was that we return to our source.
It all struck me as odd that to have such a conversation with a stranger in a store. Still,I love those little nuggets of intimacy that seem like beautiful flowers that randomly blossom and offer a little gift.
Coming all the way back around, I love your wave analogy too because with the wave we are never actually separated from source. Good Blog. . .
Yes!! Thanks for chiming in, Cliff! That is another thing that struck me about the whole wave analogy- it really offers a beautiful understanding of reincarnation, without forcing a specific explanation. The idea of the soul as a wave forming, dissolving, reforming....just takes my breath away.
DeleteAnd aren't those unexpected, grocery store chats the best?!