Omnipresent Love

 We can never truly be apart from the Love that binds us all together. ~ Susan Larison Danz

On days like today, we are reminded.

Heart Walk photo by Susan Larison Danz.

What it Means to Build Bridges

 "People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they have not communicated with each other." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

If anything is plaguing our society today, it is our inability to truly understand these beautifully wise and heartfelt words.

It takes courage to communicate.

It takes commitment to communicate.

It takes maturity to communicate.

It takes wisdom to communicate.

And communication is not a "one way" endeavor.  It requires that very rare skill: actually listening.

When we listen, we may discover some things that surprise us.  We don't need to completely agree, and there will always be those things we just can't quite comprehend.  Even so, we'll come closer to truth instead of illusion.

We are in a world of hurt right now.  Some of us seem to be celebrating the conflict - instead of genuinely doing the difficult work of understanding how it is happening.  Derision runs rampant, instead of love and humility.  And in places one might not expect.  This is very dangerous because that's what leads to cruelty.  We cannot allow our society to go down this perilous path.  Sometimes, there's no return for a society when that happens.  Who will assist us if we falter?

A long time ago, I did a lot of writing under the pseudonym BridgeBuilder.  In those days, discussion forums were common, and we were even encouraged not to use our real names.  One might think this would lead to some really horrible things, that relative anonymity.  Sometimes, I suppose it could, but more "mature" forums were moderated.   What it actually led to was true discussion.  Hearts would shift.  We came to care about one another.  We didn't need to agree.  We lost something, all of us, when this remarkable experience a number of us participated in fell away.  

At the time, I wrote something, and I may be stating it imperfectly now.  It used to be a part of my "description" as a writer, as a person who shared sincerely from the heart.

To build a bridge...(I just tried to search for it, but it isn't on my current computer)....To build a bridge, one must not only have an understanding of both sides of the river, though that is a challenge indeed.  Only with the guidance of Love can one master the chasm in between.

This is what we need: more bridge building.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said something very powerful about this notion.  This is what he said.  It's being quoted all over creation today, but are we actually listening?

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Here's another one, not quoted quite as often:

"Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Perhaps he was in his own way translating "Love your enemies..." (Matthew 5:44)

I would tend to put the word "enemy" in quotes, as there can be no actual enemies within the space of Omnipresent Love.  That is an Earthly illusion.

We can't afford the immaturity of anything less.  We really can't.  The "grown-ups in the room" (and those like Martin Luther King, Jr., who sadly, prematurely left it) will guide us when we listen.  There is a reason why we call such people wayshowers.  It's really very simple:  They show us the way.  (And a true wayshower never actually leaves us, thankfully.  Do we have the courage to follow what they say?)

 

 

Bridge rails photo by Susan Larison Danz.

Love Controls the Dial

 Fear may speak volumes when amplified, but Love controls the dial. ~ Susan Larison Danz

  

Everywhere we turn right now, we hear the voice of Fear speaking.  Perhaps many of us cannot recall a time quite like this.  It's best to catch our breath and literally retrieve it.  Because we all need to breathe.

Hate may appear to be the opposite of Love, but many spiritual seekers have been led to realize it is actually Fear.  If we truly want to get a handle on the situation, Love is the only way.  ("I Am here" was literally echoing while I was writing, on the TV - which I really shouldn't have on right now, but it is difficult to resist - we all want to better understand what the situation is.)

"I Am here".  That's a synchronicity, and a good one!

Because what IS Love, truly, for those of us in the spiritual community?  Love is Divine, and there can be nothing that is stronger.  Several spiritual traditions share this foundation.

I'll place my faith in Love.  I'll place my trust in Love. 

Love controls the dial.  Because it's the Answer. 

 

 

Light in the Forest photo by Susan Larison Danz.

Reflections on the Omnipresent Divine

"Namaste means that my soul acknowledges yours - not just your light, your wisdom, your goodness, but also your darkness, your suffering, your imperfections." ~ L.R. Knost

I intended yesterday to write about the concept of the Omnipresent Divine tonight, and I will not deviate.  There is no better time for this reminder.

Those who have lived through tumultuous, divided times, people such as Immaculee Ilibagiza, who have experienced this in the extreme, know how important this concept is.  I will not deviate from it, not under any circumstances.

The Divine is Omnipresent.  That is what many of us believe in this world.  It is shared by multiple belief systems.

Many of us also happen to believe that the Divine is Unconditional Love.

Others may express this concept as Namaste, recognizing that there is no human being on this planet who is separate from the Divine.

Many expand this concept to include Everyone and Everything in the entire Multiverse.

There is a reason for every dark passage.  This requires a very deep spiritual trust, even when we don't understand - in fact, especially so.

I wanted to write about the Omnipresent Divine after I wrote about the Golden Rule last night.  And it's exactly what is needed.

 

Light & Shadow Apollo photo at museum, where photography was permitted, by Susan Larison Danz.