Let It Happen

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Here are a few quotes I found as I sought a few that relate directly to the topic of a recent post: sharing my meta media, and my belief that the spiritual quest and its ultimate goal are the journey itself, during which we maintain open minds, and not a destination, where folks suddenly believe they have the answers and therefore reject further inquiry.

I like and agree with these quotes, obviously; otherwise, you’d not see them here! These timeless sayings might appeal more to open-minded folks with pluralist or syncretist leanings than those with closed, restricted, dualistic, or fundamentalist views. I hope you enjoy these and that you get something out of these can’t-we-all-just-get-along sayings!

Most of these were found online at sites such as ReligiousTolerance.org.

Beware any ‘Spiritual Path’ that claims to be the one true path to Enlightenment. (Ashlynn)

My heart is open to all the winds… Wherever God’s caravans turn, The religion of love shall be my religion and my faith. (Aribi, 13th century Sufi traveler and mystic)

God has made different religions to suit different aspirations, times and countries…one can reach God if one follows any of the paths with wholehearted devotion. (Ramakrishna)

Trouble no one about their religion, respect all in their views, and demand that they respect yours. (Chief Tecumseh)

There are many paths up the Mountain, but the view of the moon from the top is the same. (Ancient Japanese saying)

There will be peace on earth when there is peace among the world religions. (Hans Küng)

I believe that love, kindness, compassion, tolerance, and peace can be implanted in the psyche of man only when fear, paranormal illusion and ignorance are removed. We can then shift our attention more to matters of peace, rather than to matters of war. (Peter Retzinger)

When the unreal is taken for the real, the real becomes unreal. (Tsao Hsueh-chin)

I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. (Galileo Galilei)

Fantasy, abandoned by reason, produces impossible monsters; united with it, she is the mother of the arts and the origin of marvels. (Goya)

I almost shudder at the thought of alluding to the most fatal example of the abuses of grief which the history of mankind has preserved — the Cross. Consider what calamities that engine of grief has produced! (John Adams, in a letter to Thomas Jefferson)

The worst thing you can do to a dogma is give it an empire. (Anon)

People consider themselves to be orthodox, and everyone else to be a heretic. (Anon)

And it came to pass that in the hands of the ignorant, the words of the holy books were used to beat plowshares into swords. (Anon)

The more I study religions, the more I am convinced that man never worshiped anything but himself. (Sir Richard F. Burton)

I cannot conceive otherwise than that He, the Infinite Father, expects or requires no worship or praise from us, but that He is even infinitely above it. (Benjamin Franklin)

A glance at history, or at the pages of any newspaper, reveals that ideas which divide one group of human beings from another, only to unite them in slaughter, generally have their roots in religion. (Sam Harris)

I never told my own religion, nor scrutinized that of another. I never attempted to make a convert, nor wished to change another’s creed. I have judged others’ religions by their lives, for it is from our lives and not our words that our religions must be read. …it is in our lives, and not from our words, that our religion must be read. But this does not satisfy the priesthood. They must have a positive, a declared assent to all their interested absurdities. My opinion is that there would never have been an infidel, if there had never been a priest. (Thomas Jefferson)

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness. (His Holiness the Dalai Lama)

Filed under: Points of View, Religion on August 24th, 2008 | No Comments »

Saturday, August 23, 2008

One of my favorite things to do – and one of the primary ways I spend my time – is to shop and browse for, buy, and consume various media that serve to provide deeper insight on inner peace, happiness, and so on. I spend a great deal of time and money on these things: books from Amazon.com, audiobooks from iTunes/Audible, and so on.

I wish I could say that I effectively and unfailingly implement into my own routine all of the wonderful spiritual principles I learn from these sources. I don’t.

I still don’t even meditate every day, despite the knowledge that meditation is one of the most important, simple, easy, basic, powerful, and even life-changing practices in which one can possibly engage. I fail to meditate regularly even though its benefits are beyond description or compare when performed once or twice daily over weeks, months, and years (though its positive effects are worthwhile even if performed only occasionally).

I do not even have to wonder if what I’ve read about mediation is really true; numerous scientific studies spanning decades leave absolutely no room for doubt. In fact, some of the more recent research into meditation – such as those experiments described wonderfully in Lynne McTaggart’s 2007 book, The Intention Experiment — has revealed staggering, almost unbelievable results! Perhaps I will write and bloviate more on that later; maybe that would help kick me arse into meditation gear!

However, I have proven to myself that regular reading, studying, and writing in these areas — as opposed to actually doing all the spiritual work these books recommend — is beneficial to me, even if far less so than putting it all into daily practice. The reading of it alone has increased my insight and knowledge on these matters, and its constant exposure through reading and sharing keeps it in the forefront of my mind for more of the time than it would otherwise be. Inner peace-centered reading has helped tremendously in the percentage of time I spend being mindful of the present and not living in clock time: fretting about the past or worrying about the future, which is where most humans, including this one, spends a huge majority (far too much by a long shot) of their very limited time.

Things I read about in books — and hear others talk about — can be nice, but it starts to really matter to me only when it is shown to be true through my own experience.

The other day, I offered a new spiritual DVD to a dear friend and fellow AA, someone that I know to be on a wonderful spiritual path, if judging only from his sharing in Nashville AA meetings. His response was that while he genuinely appreciated my offer to lend him the DVD, he did not care to watch it, as he has already found what he is looking for, spiritually speaking, and does not want or need to read or listen to any more spiritual materials, beyond that which he gets through AA (illustrated Big Book online, with definitions) and his church. What he already has is enough for him and works for him, he said.

I was taken aback, for I had assumed he was just like me in his hunger for — and delight taken in — exposure to fresh insights that serve to assist on one’s journey to enlightenment (or heaven, kingdom of God, or that certain special peace that passes all understanding, or inner peace, or spiritual insight, or whatever one might choose to call it)! I cannot pass up the stuff; it is fuel for me.

Then I quickly remembered a couple of basic precepts I must hang on to: NEVER make assumptions and NEVER take anything personally! Remembering these rules (they are actually two of the Four Agreements, one of my favorite books) definitely helped me tremendously. It was no big deal. SO WHAT if someone does not want to watch some DVD? It’s trivial! It’s funny.

It’s ridiculous — and even egotistical — of me to think or assume that others want to read or view the same media I do! However, one of my primary joys is to share these materials with others who are on a similar path, so I do it all the time. This is something that brings me great joy.

In case anyone is curious, the DVD I offered to my friend was of those Nooma DVDs from Rob Bell, specifically Nooma 001 – Rain ; and while the message was good, the material turned out to be too narrow for my taste, as it is Jesus-centered (not that there’s anything wrong with that, BTW!). I gave it to my parents, who are active in the Church of Christ. I believe they will enjoy it. I think any Christian would.
Above all, this experience reminded me of a quote I have always liked: “Beware of those who believe they have found God, but listen those who genuinely seek God.” I have already begun to compile a list of wonderful (IMHO!) quotes on this very subject.

Please revisit this Nashville recovery and spiritual blog again soon to read these kick-ass quotes and further ramblings. Also, please do me a biggie and share your reaction via comment at the end of these posts; despite all the verbal comments from friends and other AAs about this blog, and in spite of the respectable web statistics re: visitor traffic on these posts, comments are rare.

Please leave a comment, if only occasionally.

More on Trudging the Road to Enlightened Destiny

Catholic Register: Beware of Those Who Say They’ve Found God
Buddha on the Road
Essay: Fear, Reason, the Human Condition

Filed under: Religion, Acceptance, Mindfulness, spirituality, Books, Inspiration, Daily Actions on August 23rd, 2008 | No Comments »

Monday, August 18, 2008

After some research into tapering off of the drug Suboxone (Buprenorphine + Naloxone), I was reminded of what I had learned when I first started taking it in January of 2007: you better wean off very, very slowly and carefully.

I am looking into this, NOT because I am about to quit Suboxone (the most important addiction innovation in 30 years), but because I intend to reduce my dose for a couple of reasons, including practicality and expense. It’s a belief of mine that one ought try to take the smallest effective dose of any substance, be it OTC or Rx, if one take it at all.

It’s easy to make the assumption that someone using Suboxone must have been an IV drug user. This is not always the case; I have never used morphine or heroin or any such junk, nor have I ever used a needle. My thing was ordering pain killers (The Truth About Pain Killers), benzos, Ritalin, Soma, and other mood adjusters on the Internet sans Rx. Bad idea.

One will suffer some withdrawal effects from Suboxone, but these necessary unpleasantries are usually milder than the often-nightmarish withdrawal symptoms from the opiates and related pain killers. Remember that Suboxone is technically a semi-synthetic opiate, making it a narcotic, even though it has been carefully created to thwart abuse and produces a minimal (or even non-existent to some) buzz or high. There will be some repercussions from taking it and then stopping it eventually.

Personally, I was thrilled to be introduced to Suboxone (see Wikipedia entry), which is nothing less than a miracle drug for me. Not only has it removed virtually all craving for pain killers and other pills, which is in itself miraculous; it is also being studied for its significant effect as an anti-depressant. The “one-two punch” effect of this medication is exactly what this then-suicidal, moderately-to-severely-depressed, pain-killer addicted pill-popper needed. Presently, a doctor cannot legally prescribe this drug for depression alone; a patient currently must be an opiate addict to receive it according to the letter of the law:

A clinical trial conducted at Harvard Medical School in the mid-1990s demonstrated that a majority of unipolar non-psychotic patients with major depression refractory to conventional thymoleptic antidepressants could be successfully treated with buprenorphine. However, psychological distress is currently not an approved indication for the use of any opioid, and legally it falls in to a “grey zone.” The doctor still needs the proper DEA licensing under the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 to prescribe Subutex or Suboxone for opioid addiction/dependence.

Knowing there are a bunch of alcoholic and addict types reading this post , I must add the following comment! For those who, upon reading this, suddenly want to contact a doctor and get on Suboxone for the miniature buzz, forget about it: like most other pills, any pleasurable effect is gone once your body gets used to the dose (three days to a week, max). Even so, its amazing benefit remains and my cravings are gone. (Again, this is why it is a miracle drug to me, and why I shan’t discontinue taking Suboxone for the foreseeable future.)

Mum’s the Word

During my first year or more of recovery, I kept my Suboxone prescription mostly a secret. I did not discuss it at AA meetings. I know there are many fundamentalist types in AA – several friends of mine are AA fundamentalists, though none of my truly close friends are – and I did not want to get into any sort of an argument with them about whether or not I was truly in recovery. I’m not into confrontation, and I try not to be into being right (with mixed results).

Now that I am relatively well-educated on these subjects, I do not worry in the least about whether someone believes I am truly in recovery, nor am I concerned about what some AA fundamentalist might think about Suboxone use by AAs in general. It has been very positive and helpful for me personally to learn that there are several others at my Nashville AA meetings (and at AA meetings everywhere, presumably) who are also taking Suboxone to assist in their continued chip acquisition programs!

The prescription “maintenance” drug Suboxone isn’t commonly discussed at AA meetings (that I have attended) for several reasons, most of them valid. For instance, some AA groups/meetings/people are relatively strict about AA’s Singleness of Purpose precept, and it is thus respectful to these (mostly old-school) AA members not to discuss opiate addiction and its treatment too terribly much. However (and “thank the gods,” as Boomer might say ), this does not really apply to the AA book study group I attend, composed of mostly cross-addicted folks with several years of clean and sober living. Where I go, drugs are probably mentioned at each meeting: one of the reasons I am proud to call Nashville’s Mid-Day Break Group my group.

(Aside: This is freaking incredible - you must check this out! It’s an illustrated Big Book with definitions!)

Also, unlike common SSRI antidepressants (e.g., Paxil, Zoloft, Cymbalta, Prozac) — with which most AAs are familiar because of how commonly they are prescribed — Suboxone is not very well-known. Suboxone is still relatively novel; it hit the market only six years ago, in October 2002.

One of the first pages I read was a Drugs.com forum in which many folks with varying degrees of Suboxone use discuss their experiences with the drug.

Tapering Off of Suboxone

Excerpt from drugs.com forum:

Buprenorphene has a very long half life and some people only need to take it every other day. When you go to your doctor next ask him to order you the 2mg pills that way you can buy a pill cutter at the pharmacy and cut the 2mg pills into 4 .5 mg pieces. I would try and start your weaning by dropping to 4mgs right away and see how you feel after a couple weeks. If you feel ok then try dropping to 2 mgs. Remember it takes a full 5 days for your serum level to level out. So give it time. If you’re ok at 2mgs then start using the 2 mg pills and cut them in half there by giving you two 1mg pieces. Try taking 1 mg for at least 1 week. If you feel ok then stay there for a couple weeks then drop to .5mgs.As long as you do this slowly and don’t make drastic changes then it’s not that bad.

Day three (3) is typically when the patient will feel the typically-negative effects of each drop (reduction in dose as the patient tapers off, reducing the dose).

For stomach cramping, one might try Bentyl (needs Rx). The nausea…Pepto-Bismol may help. Also, it’s important to eat small amounts…frequently. Some say it helps to eat bland foods, staying away from spicy, acid-producing grub.

Other Worthwhile Suboxone Resources

Heroin Detox

CDER Paper on Subutex, Suboxone

Fight Nor Flight : Individual interpretations and social significances of addiction, good health and the human condition.

Taking Suboxone the Right Way - one guy’s interesting personal experience

HubPages on Subutex, Suboxone - great resource, interesting info - thanks to them!

Filed under: Nashville AA Meetings, Points of View, Stephen's Journal, Drugs, MDBG on August 22nd, 2008 | No Comments »

A Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship (A Toltec Wisdom Book)

Sunday, August 17, 2008

I was in the middle of writing an email to dear Atlanta friend Rachel V. when I started to recommend a most excellent book/audiobook – again. It seems like just about anytime the subject of relationships comes up, it reminds me how much I got out of this book and how, when I finished listening to it, thought that it was something everyone should listen to and apply to the relationships in their lives.

Since I am so keen on recommending this work (The Mastery of Love: A Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship, by Toltec guru Miguel Ruiz), I have finally made the time to praise it officially, so here we are.

My first exposure to Miguel Ruiz was the book The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, which I consider to be one of the core essentials in my large library of books designed to help bring about true & lasting inner peace.

Looking this book up on Amazon, I read the first of about 120 customer reviews and found it to be a fantastic description. Since this reader’s opinion so closely mirrors my own, I will link to it here and also include a short excerpt.

Excerpt from Mastery of Love book review (see review at Amazon):

Reading this concise book I had the feeling that I was glimpsing real wisdom, not psychobabble or “self-help”. Don Miguel Ruiz takes his interpretation of Toltec wisdom explained beautifully in his previous work “The Four Agreements” and applies these concepts to the realm of human relationships. Ruiz has an easy writing style that is very accessible and a joy to read numerous times. This is a book you can finish in an afternoon sitting, yet its simple truths have the potential to alter profoundly how you view loving relationships as well as your relationship with yourself. There’s a lot here. I’ve read this twice and it’s spoken directly to me in ways beyond what I can explain in this review.

One more blurb from a reader of Mastery of Love (see review at Amazon):

This book is absolutely a MUST READ for everyone. Whether you are in a relationship, thinking about a relationship, getting over a relationship or prefer being single you must read this insightful book… It is a quick read…I go back and read different chapters over and over again to refresh my understanding. I’ve bought this for every family member and every close friend in my life.

Filed under: Books, Relationships, Wisdom on August 17th, 2008 | No Comments »

Monday, August 04, 2008

This post – which will not be in proper perspective unless you are personally familiar with the situation, or you have read my post “Missing Best Friend/Dog” — is perhaps long overdue, although opinions will probably be mixed. Up until now I have assumed this would all be worked out, that it was just some weird misunderstanding, and that Harmony and I would continue our friendship and keep going on hikes together every now and then (bringing Sky along, of course).

It has been weeks and weeks; yet, Harmony Schreiter, aspiring police officer, has made absolutely no effort to reach me in order to let me know what has happened to my precious dog Sky while Sky was in her care. In lieu of responding to my phone calls, emails, and text messages, she has opted to threaten me, warning me to never contact her again. (Like I said, very strange behavior indeed.)

I have spoken personally with many of you about this situation, and I really do appreciate all your kind thoughts and comments. It is indeed a bizarre, unfortunate, even shocking situation that is very difficult to understand: why would a person who is temporarily caring for another’s dog, suddenly threaten the dog owner with legal action if ever he tries to contact the dog’s foster parent to ask about the dog?

I have continued to give Harmony the benefit of the rapidly growing doubt. When others begin to verbally disparage her, I actually speak up for her, defending her highly questionable position, by saying things like “Harmony must have a very good reason to believe what she believes,” or “Maybe something has happened to Harmony and she has been unable to contact me.” I have resisted the urge to get angry at Harmony; I have not left her threatening messages or notes; and believe it or not, I have not even knocked on her door. I respect a person’s privacy.

Folks have offered an interesting spectrum of possibilities, but only one of them – of those I have heard or considered myself – partially excuses her failure to contact me. Maybe Ms. Harmony Schreiter actually has my best interest at heart, and does not want to upset me with the truth about my dog Sky, who has perhaps been tragically injured and/or killed in some sort of accident. Maybe Harmony is seriously mentally ill. Maybe this, maybe that…the list goes on.

Having given Harmony Schreiter all this benefit (certainly far more benefit than one would deserve in such an emotional and radical situation) — and yet having STILL received NO word whatsoever – it is time for me to take the next step.

I honestly hope and believe that going fully public with the details of this story will result in her – or some well-meaning third party — finally contacting me (preferably by email) to let me know what, if anything, has happened to my dear dog Sky. In case you are wondering, email is probably preferable because it lessens the chance that I will become angry and/or say something I might later regret, upon hearing her story.

I think this will have a positive effect because I suspect a large percentage of people – especially if they have unique names – eventually notice direct and public references to their person on the Internet. Should Harmony Schreiter have any Web-savvy friends, they might eventually see this post and tell Harmony that she is being mentioned (although in this case not praised) on the Web.

I hope it eventually becomes obvious to East Nashville resident and animal lover (or so I thought) Harmony Schreiter that I, Stephen Frasier, am doing the very best I can to go about contacting her in the most loving, understanding, even “spiritual” way that I can think of. I did not want to mention her name, so I have not, until now – and that is only because she has my dog Sky and will not return phone calls, emails, or text messages.

If you know Harmony Schreiter, please do whatever you can to ensure she reads this post and/or contacts me about my dog. She has my contact information; but if she has lost it, she should simply add a comment to this post, on this blog, or on any of my other blogs. I would greatly appreciate it.

Who is Harmony Schreiter? Well, as far as I can say (and I must add that I am not comfortable writing this, but she has left me no choice), here is what little I know and/or have been led to believe:

• Harmony Schreiter lives in Nashville, Tennessee; specifically, in East Nashville on Stratford Ave. near Porter Rd
• Harmony wants to be a police officer in New York City
• She says she is a dog lover
• Harmony is a member of Team Green, a fantastic Nashville outdoor adventure group
• She is a member of the even better Nashville Meetup Hiking group, which has about one thousand members
• She works at restaurants and other odd jobs
• She is supposedly saving her money to move to New York City

I do not care to get more personal than that, but if Harmony has not contacted me within a few days, then I may add some additional information to the above list. Maybe I should file a report with the police, but like I said, I want to give her every chance without jeopardizing a supposed intent to be a police officer herself (how ironic and bizarre, I know)!

Filed under: Stephen's Journal, Selfishness, Friendship on August 4th, 2008 | No Comments »

Saturday, July 26, 2008.

Avoid painful or negative thoughts by escaping them – by watching movies all day and night, for instance.

Tell yourself you don’t need anyone else; that, unlike most others, you are uniquely an island.

Put down any thoughts you may have about others; stay with your selected mode of escape.

Put off any thoughts of meditation; stay in your escape.

Put off work – or any other activity — until tomorrow. Or the next day.

Don’t go to an AA meeting, and don’t partake in other forms of socializing.(In fact, just don’t go out at all. Stay at home all day.)

Compare yourself to others.

Take things personally.

Make assumptions about things, based solely upon your thoughts and what you believe others may be thinking about you. Do not return phone calls.(In fact, just turn your phone off and leave it off.)

Don’t return your emails. (In fact, don’t even check your emails.)

Eat junk food to assist in your escape.

Do not enjoy nature; don’t venture out of doors. (In fact, keep your curtains closed, your blinds drawn.)

Avoid thoughts about the present moment; dwell only in the past and in the future.

So-called “sin” can be viewed as “violence” one perpetrates against oneself. By default – due to the oneness of all things — such actions are perpetrated against everyone and everything.

Filed under: Stephen's Journal, Isolation, Thoughts on July 27th, 2008 | No Comments »

Monday, July 21, 2008

Today is the third Monday of the month, so in lieu of the book study meeting of the Mid-Day Break Group, I will be attending the Steering Committee (SC) meeting. The SC meeting is open to any member of the Mid-Day Break Group of Alcoholics Anonymous in Nashville, Tennessee.

Four months ago, I was nominated and then voted in as the group’s Secretary. Given my incessant tendency to record or document things, I cannot imagine a more suitable assignment! I would probably not be fit for most other positions, since I don’t care to speak up in groups, but I’ll happily document the goings-on of a group until the cows come home – or until I am voted out of office, whichever comes first.

The cows coming home…yes, that idiomatic phrase reminds me of a movie I recently saw – Babe: Pig in the City. Michael Arnett (of The Arnett Group), you were right; I did enjoy this movie. Thanks for the recommendation!

What do you call a mushroom who (which?) goes into a bar and buys everyone a drink? Read on if you care to see the answer. Now you simply must read this post.

This was probably the best meeting of the Steering Committee since I have ever attended, and certainly the meatiest since I’ve been Secretary. That may not be saying a whole helluva lot since I have a “mere” 18 months or so of sobriety, but it’s somewhat significant since I have been attending for well over a year (though I’ve not made every meeting).

Typically, the monthly gathering of the SC lacks excitement and is generally devoid of attempts to significantly improve the AA meetings held by the Mid-Day Break Group, or the impact on the community our group may have. It seems there was not a lot of interest in venturing outside the box, and satisfaction would be had by all, if only we maintained the status quo.

Today, though, I believe we may have seen the beginnings of a more effective committee.

Present at the meeting were… Val, John, Tom, Rick, Hoag, Stephen, Ken, and a couple of others…I need my list! Where is it?

Uh-oh. I intended to bring home with me the massive-but-almost-empty blue three-ring binder our group uses to maintain the documents such as minutes of our meetings, monthly expense reports, etc. But as I just now sought the binder (in order to view the minutes from today’s meeting to refresh my memory for the writing of this post), I realized it never even made it to my car. Damn! Some responsible secretary I am! I just tried calling Ken H. to see if he saw it, but he wouldn’t have; I was one of the last members to leave the break room, where our meeting is held…

I hope it is not forever lost.

Fungi, of course!

To be continued…

Filed under: Nashville AA Meetings, Service, Group Conscience, MDBG on July 22nd, 2008 | No Comments »

The fact that you sent that email to me, knowing (or at least having a sneaking suspicion  ) that I no longer fit into the category I was raised to be in — Fundamentalist Christianity – serves to reinforce what I already knew: that you are a very good, kind, caring, and well-meaning individual. You rock, buddy!

The truth is, I LOVE this topic! I really do. In all honesty, I think about these things more than I think about anything else. For whatever reason, I not only find it fascinating, but I often go far out my way to scoop up whatever info I can that helps me along my path. Since childhood, I have typically and consistently felt a stronger-than-usual need to know – to really, really, know – the Ultimate Truth!

For personal spiritual reasons, one might say, I have resigned completely from the “debate society”, for this only encourages division and ill will. For this and other reasons, I no longer engage in any sort of verbal debate, sparring, or argument on this matter. However, I do not mind explaining myself in a written manner when a friend wants to, or when I receive encouragements to return to my Christian fundamentalist roots.

During my early 30s (I was still a practicing alcoholic and addict), I came to the conclusion — right or wrong – that this religious confusion (about what constitutes reality and what constitutes myth) was a major source of my ongoing substance abuse problems, as well as holding some degree of responsibility for the moderate to severe depression I was experiencing. I decided I would set aside most of my other concerns and spend the bulk of my time engaged in objective study and research that would surely help me find out what was real, what was true. (I know, I know — it’s rather humorous, now, to believe that I could actually figure out the whole God thing once and for all, and accomplish something no one ever has before: some sort of physical or logical proof — as if I might pick up on something that Einstein missed!)

So, I did just that: delving into apologetics, creation science and theory, evangelistic resources, inerrancy vs. errancy debate, etc. was all very enjoyable and worthwhile; but more importantly, it was something I felt I had to do. Sure enough, about three or four months later, I felt as though a great burden had been lifted from me. I had finally engaged in enough research and other methods to arrive at a viewpoint with which I have never felt so comfortable.

Short of a direct message from a literal Bible version of God – which would have to be an actual, judgmental, supernatural being possessing an ego, feelings, and a plethora of other human characteristics – it’s unlikely that my spiritual path will lead me back to anything resembling fundamentalism. There are too many reasons to list here, but I have written about it quite a bit in other places, such as:

http://www.natureofspirit.com/blog/who-or-what-is-god/
http://www.natureofspirit.com/documents/god2000.doc

I should make a few things clear. Even though I do not take the Bible literally, this is only because my studies, readings, intuition, and everything else seem to be telling me it’s not meant to be taken that way – NOT because I am “against” it in any form or fashion. It’s really sort of a literal vs. mystical thing. All major religions seem to have a dogmatic, fundamentalist, literalist branch and a mystical branch. I throw my hat in with the Christian (and other) mystics, who were far ahead of their time in realizing the unity of all things.

Science and religion simply cannot be divided into two realms; everything is composed of the same stuff: light, or energy. Thanks to quantum physics, a rapidly increasing number of people are beginning to reject this separation; this is described quite well in the recent movie “What the Bleep Do We Know” – still one of my favorite DVDs to watch!

I am perfectly willing to change my beliefs when circumstances, logic, reason, or anything else warrants it. In other words, I would not hold rigidly to any view in the face of solid evidence to the contrary, as the Catholic Church has done in the past – and, in my opinion, what modern fundamentalist, literalist Christians are doing today (if they believe the Biblical genealogy is correct).

My studies forced me to conclude that the Bible was not meant to be taken literally. This view is becoming more and more prevalent for reasons I think are rather obvious. And when one holds this view, deciding which parts constitute reality and which are teaching stories, fabrications, fiction, misinterpretation, and so on, becomes an impossibly slippery slope.

I believe quite strongly that all of us have the right to believe in whatever Higher Power we choose. I admire the faiths of ALL thinking people who truly and honestly have strong faith in their beliefs and can adequately explain what they believe without resorting to ‘reasons’ such as “I was raised this way”, etc., if they are sincere. One can usually tell a “true believer” from those who are religious out of convenience and such.

But – again, for too many reasons to list here — I do think it rather unfortunate that so many folks still hold attitudes such as “We are right and you are wrong”, or “You are lost and doomed if you do not believe or do this or that”, and so on. I have come to believe that things that lead to or encourage UNITY and are done out of LOVE are the so-called “right” things to do, and that thoughts, actions, speech, etc. that go the other way and promote DIVISION or SEPARATENESS are the so-called “bad” or “wrong” things. The latter are almost always rooted in some sort of FEAR and do not come from love, which is what “God” is.

Put another way, God is love, light, and oneness, whereas egoic thoughts and actions that promote separateness take folks in the other direction. But these “bad” things, I believe, do not come from “Satan” or “the devil” or some similar source of evil, but are more of an absence of light or love – a distancing from God — and a leaning toward “I”, “me”, and “mine”. P

Put yet another way, I agree with everything in your email; I just don’t interpret it in a literal fashion. I would merely use other words to describe exactly the same thing. Similarly, it is my belief that true, at-its-root disagreement about such matters is rare, and that the vast majority of this apparent disagreement is in reality a combination of miscommunication and misunderstanding.

I hope this makes at least some sense, and I hope you do not take any of this personally – not that I think you would. I shall see you soon, my friend!

Filed under: Points of View, Stephen's Journal, God, Religion, spirituality, Love, Depression, Evil, ego on July 18th, 2008 | No Comments »

Just when things were starting to get back to normal after the whole identify theft scenario and the related web design and development delays I experienced, another strangeness popped up out of nowhere. Unfortunately, this latest abnormal phenomenon affects not only me but also another sentient being who is very near and dear to my heart.

Sky (formerly Skyy, and there’s a story behind that) has been my constant companion and hiking buddy for about twelve years – the best mutt in the Southeast, some might say. Her age has not slowed her down much, either; on two recent hikes at Nashville’s Percy Warner park, Sky led the way, just as she did at age 2! It was fantastic!

For reasons I will not get into here (they are discussed at length elsewhere), I needed a place to live for a while, so my parents have graciously allowed me to dwell in the basement of a nice newly constructed house in Green Hills. Unfortunately, though, they would not hear of Sky staying here, too; so, I found a trustworthy fellow – Barry — to keep her for a while.

Barry has a fenced-in back yard and a, dog of about the same size as Sky – a dog whose companion, yet another dog of about the same size – a Jack Russell Terrier – had recently passed on to the Other Side. It worked out quite well. Time flew, and Barry kept Sky for almost a year and treated her as his own.

All good things come to an end, and so did Sky’s stint with Barry; however, at just the right time, I met HS, a really cool girl at a Team Green picnic out at Edwin Warner Park. HS had every appearance of being a dog-loving hiker who seemed on the up and up: the perfect foster parent for dear Sky until such time that I can get my own pet-friendly crib again. Even though HS lived all the way over in East Nashville, with which I’m totally unfamiliar (I live near Lipscomb and Belmont), that was not an issue as I did not want or intend to visit on any sort of regular basis. It was too emotionally difficult for me – and perhaps Sky, too — to visit her and then have to turn right around and leave her.

I saw Sky’s new home in East Nashville only two times: once to check it out when I initially introduced HS and Sky to each other, and a second time on June 24, 2008 to deliver dog supplies: food, flea and tick eradication shampoo, and a couple of other items. That second time, I received a frakkin’ ticket for running a stop sign – you know, one of those barely-rolling stops? *%$#*!!!

Since my new friend HS loves to hike, we were able to coordinate a couple of hikes that included Sky. All three of us obviously had a wonderful time on both occasions. Not only was Sky seemingly well cared for, HS was a cool person and someone with whom I could discuss almost anything; there was a decent meeting of the minds. It was almost too good to be true, it seemed.

Well, perhaps it was. HS said I needed to find a new home for Sky by June 30, so I started asking around, with no luck. I figured HS was asking around, too – or even better, that the situation would change. Sure enough, the next time we talked she said she was going to be able to keep Sky, after all, that she was no longer planning to move. Abruptly though, with less than a week til the end of June, her plans changed again; Sky needed a new home.

I had no luck finding new foster parents for Sky, but I was not too worried. First of all, I knew that HS – as much of a dog loving, kind person she is — was trying to find Sky a new home, too. Also, I knew that if it came down to the wire, I would be able to figure something out quickly and devise a solution in a pinch. I emailed or texted her a couple of times to see what Sky’s status was, but I don’t remember hearing back from HS. Still, no worries.

On or about July 3, I tried to get in touch with HS to get an update, and of course, to catch up with my new friend HS.

Not only could I not get in touch with HS; I actually received what has to be the most bizarre message I have received – possibly EVER:

If u have Sky return her immediately or face prosecution for theft and trespassing. Also don’t contact me in any form or I will add stalking and harassment charges.

HUH?? At first, I thought this was either a message sent to my phone by mistake, or possibly some lame, unfunny, heretofore unseen jestery; however, since HS has failed to respond to a single inquiry about the status of my dog Sky – whether the message was relayed via SMS/text, email, or voicemail, and regardless of the level of my pleading – I can only assume it is real.

If it is real, then it raises a number of unpleasant possibilities ranging from Sky’s kidnapping to Sky’s death. I can tell you this for sure: I would not be nearly so calm and reserved about this at all, were it not for recent spiritual practices I’ve undertaken, and/or ego deflation exercises I have found be extremely beneficial in every area of my now expanding, increasingly fulfilling life. (Clearly, I have a long ways to go; a truly enlightened person would never tell anyone that!) , I do not yet consider myself beyond taking some sort of action, such as reporting the theft of my dog by HS to the proper authorities. I am not quite prepared to do nothing other than completely surrender this issue “to the gods” and moving on. I mean, Sky’s safety could be at risk, or worse; frankly, I shudder to think of this whole situation.

Does anyone have a suggestion? I am not sure what my next step will be. What would you do? What would the great spiritual teachers do?

I have included images of my dog Sky throughout this post. If you see this dog, please let me know via comment on this blog. I suppose there’s the greatest likelihood of seeing Sky either somewhere in East Nashville or on hikes and other outdoor events sponsored by Nashville’s Team Green or the Nashville Hiking Meetup Group, which are, BTW, two wonderful groups to be a part of.

Filed under: Stephen's Journal, Friendship on July 17th, 2008 | No Comments »