All We Need

"All you need is Love . . ." ~ The Beatles

 

What more needs to be said?

What if?

"What the world needs now is love, sweet love..." ~ Jackie DeShannon

 

What if Unconditional Love was at the Center?  

Everything would change. 

 

Free to Be

"Give the world the gift of YOU. Be yourself." ~ Susan Larison Danz

 

When I was a young child in the early 70's, I remember a television special (I think it was on television, anyway) with the title Free to Be You and Me.  I can't quite remember it, and I think I only saw it once, but the title and overall feeling of whatever this was made such an impression on my young mind and heart that I never forgot how it felt.  

I looked it up just now, and I really don't think I ever have.  There are all sorts of entries.  I vaguely recall music.  I do remember Marlo Thomas, smiling.

But most of all, I remember the words:  Free to Be You and Me

It was joyful and exuberant, as I recall.  It felt like a celebration.  It still has much to teach us.

Hat photo by Susan Larison Danz.

Out of Control

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

What happens when fear runs rampant?  Whether it is impacting an individual or a society, or both, it leads to skewed choices.  Because that's what fear does.  It skews things.  It distorts.  It leads to aberrations in "controlling" behaviors, which are even contagious.  Soon disrespect, dishonesty, egos on parade and plenty of nastiness results, and some of the worst examples in history show the extremes. 

This is what fear does.  It skews and disrupts.

What is the antidote?

Compassion.  Mutual Respect.  Honesty and Transparency.  Respecting personal boundaries and choices, the hallmark of enlightened spiritual paths (and societies) - and Unconditional Love. 

Too much control is actually out of control.  That's the irony of it.  That's what results from fear running rampant.  And no, it's not aligned with Spirituality, either.  How could it be?

 

Window Well photo by Susan Larison Danz.

 

 

 

Authenticity and Spirituality

"Authenticity brings invisible people to life!" ~ Susan Larison Danz

Authenticity and Spirituality.  You really can't separate the two.  An authentically spiritual path is a path that is freely explored.  

How many times can I say it?  We are not here to be clones, robots, or to echo one another in echo chambers.

We are here to be uniquely expressed aspects of the Divine.   We wouldn't bother to be here at all if the idea was to be the same, or to always agree.  

It is of very great concern to me that uniformity of opinion seems to be elevated above all things, these days.  Not only is that an unattainable goal, it is not an attractive one.  It has nothing to do with an authentically spiritual life.  I'm already in "disagreement" with such an impossible and undesirable notion.  It is fundamentalism, that's what it is, the most rigid form of thought - such notions lead to the very OPPOSITE of a spiritual path.  And you can see it, very visibly, in the stress and discord that results.

We are here to celebrate our choices.  Only the most oppressive forms of non-spiritual thought demand absolute conformity, and that is not a characteristic of the open-hearted Divine.

Why we have strayed so very far from such basic spiritual concepts, even in parts of the "spiritual community" which never would have advocated for this in the past, is indeed troubling to me.  

Honesty.  Authenticity.  Non-judgment.  Empathy.  Forgiveness.  We all do it imperfectly.   These are fundamental aspects of Unconditional Love, the very Center.  "Fundamentalism" for its own sake, absent of Divine Unconditional Love, is just that: fundamentalism.  Those who cling to it can insist all they like and even demand or oppress - it doesn't make any of it Real or True.

 

 

Shadow photo by Susan Larison Danz.

 

Trust and Fear

"It is remarkable how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for ourselves." ~ Henry David Thoreau

Listen to today's program on The Frontier Beyond Fear broadcast:  Trust and Fear: Navigating with Wisdom

I honestly explore how Spirituality can provide us with the Trust and Wisdom we need to make solid choices when confronting fear. Not only will we make better choices going forward, we will be comfortable with those choices. If you feel discomfort with a choice, it's time to look at it more deeply.

 

Whether on this day, you are celebrating the first day of Spring or of Autumn, today is an excellent day to consult your inner compass. We make imperfect choices all the time, as this is human, but being mindful of our unhealthy relationship with fear can make all the difference.

 

We also listen to wisdom from Henry David Thoreau's Walden, some deeply profound words to guide us on our paths forward. 

Blossoms by the Bridge photo by Susan Larison Danz.

 

 

Choices

"For if 'Thou mayest' - it is also true that 'Thou mayest not.'" ~ John Steinbeck

 

Perhaps one of the most fundamental concepts in open-hearted Spirituality is the freedom to choose.  A Loving Divine does not force a choice.  There is freedom to choose.  What can follow from a particular choice may be beneficial, or not, but the freedom to choose is paramount.  

The key to it all is the more we choose (albeit imperfectly) to align our choices with a Loving Divine, an omnipresent Loving Divine, the more beneficial choices we make.  But nobody is forcing us.  

There is nothing more freeing to the spirit, and more enabling for our own authenticity, than realizing we are free to be who we choose.  It's really that simple.  And when we understand it, we not only follow our hearts with our own choices - we respect the choices of others.   

 

Feather photo by Susan Larison Danz.

Dignity

"One's dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked, but it can never be taken away unless it is surrendered." ~ Michael J. Fox

I have been reflecting on this fundamental and essential notion of dignity lately.  So much of what ails our modern world has to do with assaults on the dignity of other human beings.  The worst of human behavior emerges when dignity is no longer respected, and history has very tragically revealed this to us, again and again.

Do we really need to be repeating this cycle yet another time?

We really have no choice this time, except to do better.  Otherwise, we may not have that opportunity again.

Reflection photo by Susan Larison Danz.

Love is the Only Answer, Never Hate

 "Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule." ~ Buddha

While reflecting deeply upon how we need to truly move forward in the way we consciously choose to treat one another, this particular segment from West Side Story, which is highly poignant and direct, kept coming to mind.  This movie (and play, but mostly the movie) had a significant impact on me when I was young.  

 

Next, I'd like to share another powerful film clip that is masterful, from Romeo and Juliet, on which West Side Story was based.   

Stories such as these carry impact over time because the lessons they share are ever relevant.  Yet so often, we don't listen.  We need to listen.  Every one of us will suffer if we don't.

The Elusive Art of Discernment

 “He realized suddenly that it was one thing to see the past occupying the present, but the true test of prescience was to see the past in the future. Things persisted in not being what they seemed.” ~ Frank Herbert, Dune

There is a tendency to believe, I sense, that in ages past, somehow more of us were more discerning than we are today - that in our modern technological and mass media world, there are so many varied ways to be told what to think, perhaps it was easier in the past.  And then you begin to recall actual history, even the most rudimentary pieces most people have heard, and you realize discernment has always been elusive - unless a society values it.  

How to deeply listen, consider and reflect is as vitally important today as it ever was.  If someone is a true communicator who has your best interests at heart, then that person must necessarily actually want you to be discerning, want you to be yourself, want you to reflect on things, freely.  There is also an assumption that a discerning person has already learned something about the most basic of values, starting with something as fundamental as The Golden Rule.

A communicator of information, whatever that information may be, must necessarily respect you as a person who is free to discern.  If someone doesn't want you to be discerning, that person doesn't respect who you are.  And that's of significant assistance in assessing whatever that person is telling you.

There are many beliefs in the world.  There are many obsessions.  There are intricate narratives that may or may not carry any actual truth (or a part of the truth).  There are many situations in which facts are intentionally omitted, as well.  There are those who actually fear discernment because they either know what they are communicating is false or they don't trust or respect you.

To truly progress as a society does not require 100% agreement.  That's an impossible goal.  But it does require the trust that is essentially a part of not only assisting one another in developing discernment, but also respecting and valuing that we are not all the same.  

Truth can and will appear.  It's not all belief.  It's not all opinion.  But to find it and to know it and to identify falsehood is an art we need to aim to practice every day.  Truth is rarely exactly what we think it is.  Truth can surprise us, even astonish us.  And yes, some things are indeed belief.  

The more a society values and encourages deep reflection and discernment, including spiritual discernment (and also respecting that some may choose to reflect upon spiritual things and others may not), the better.

 

Sparkling Waters photo by Susan Larison Danz.