March Recap
During the month of March, Views from the Lorian Community featured blog posts on the topics of inner hearing and inner knowing, landsense and the sacred mystery inherent in our call to participate in"a living universe." The column, Conversations with Lorian, focused on the current state of politics in the US and how we, as proponents of an Incarnational Spirituality, respond to these challenges. Freya Secrest's column, The Living Universe, received an upgrade and now has its own page on our website
Additionally, some of David Spangler's out of print reflections will now be available in our new feature, From The Archives.
Here are links to (and excerpts from) the March posts:
The Inner Voice by Claire Blatchford:
“Inner hearing” has always been crucial in my life— particularly as I’m deaf and can’t always manage by way of a hearing aid (used for over 50 years, and now, more recently, a cochlear implant.) When I share this conviction people often ask, “Can one hear and converse with spiritual beings in the same way one hears and converses with people?” My response is “Yes!” But I think it’s important to realize conversing with spiritual or subtle beings, as with human beings, occurs in many ways and on many levels, not just in words as we know them..."
From The Archives: Power All Prophecies Must Bow Before
"Over the decades David Spangler has written numerous articles, books and instructional material for classes. Currently 27 of David’s books can be purchased in the Lorian Bookstore (he is most prolific!) but what of the wealth of resources no longer in print or readily available? “From the Archives” will feature excerpts from some of these lost treasures–gleaning past insights from David’s vast experience as spiritual leader, teacher and scientist of the subtle realms. Some of these teachings pertain to specific past events, yet they are still relevant. The more the world changes, the more it seems we need to be reminded of our core sacredness. So, in that sense, David’s words are timeless..."
Hawthorns and Landsense by Susan Beal:
"I walked up the hill without any particular destination in mind, heartbroken about a conflict over potential futures for our family land. It had opened old wounds, and made me doubt myself and my ability to deal with all the issues in question. My heart literally ached, not so much physically as emotionally, my chest tight with the pain of old sorrows. But the sun was bright and the air was warm which was wonderful all by itself, being the first hint of Spring after the long winter. The brooks were full as they sparkled and surged down from the woods through the pastures, and I could hear bluebirds, sparrows and titmice calling from the trees. As I walked up the farm road, the pastures and hayfields opened out to either side of me and I could feel my mood opening out too...."
The Living Universe: Mystery of the Living Universe by Freya Secrest:
"I see the universe as alive. Everything in it has life and intelligence. In my definition, if something is living it changes and it grows. A living universe is also co-participatory; it engages and responds, requiring that I stand with honor and respect for myself and my fellow participants. We all have something unique to offer each other. The living universe shapes a field that is more than what I can do by myself.
Seeing the universe in this way represents for me a perspective on life that is pivotal for the future of our planet..."
The Inner Hears The Outer by Mary Reddy:
"I recently emerged from long weeks of a persistent bronchial illness. Though I had to continue working from home throughout most of it, once off work I retreated to bed, read fantasy novels, drank tea, then slept for inordinately long stretches! When I got better, I felt as though I had journeyed out of Hades along with Persephone to welcome spring—blinking and rubbing my eyes a bit to find myself back in the vibrant stream of daily life.
Itching to write again, I found myself staring at a blank page. It teased me with too many possibilities. Life themes swirled in my head and none of them landed safely to ground my thoughts into words. I took a break, settled my busy mind, and meditated. And in that moment of quiet being, I heard an inner voice say, 'the inner listens to the outer...'"
At Home with the Sacred by Julie Spangler:
"A friend asked me: “Have you ever felt lost or estranged from God?” I do remember times in my early life when I felt separated from the Sacred, longing for union with the divine. When we are young it seems our work is to step into life, rather than seek to move out into numinous spaces; and being embodied is to be an individual and thus to feel apart. For me, there was definitely both an innate sense of connection to the world and also a sense of separation..."
Conversations with Lorian—America the Beautiful (Part 1 of 2) by Annabel Chiarelli and Jeremy Berg:
"This political season has been especially rife with emotions that have been simmering for a long time, heating them to a near boiling point: frustration with current political structures and “the establishment”; anger at having been let down and economically pushed aside; anger at the “1%”; anger at Blacks, Muslims, Mexicans, gays, immigrants and poor people; anger at oil companies, industrial agriculture, big pharma, and other corporate entities; fear of terrorism; fear of shootings; fear of gun laws; fear of a mounting authoritarianism and unthinking mob mentality that seems to chillingly parallel the rise of fascism in the 1930’s.
I’ve mixed views from different parts of the political spectrum in the above list, but beyond ideological polarities they all stem from the same ground of human vulnerability and a sense of victimization..." (Annabel Chiarelli)
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"Recently I awoke from a deep dream in which I was singing America the Beautiful along with several others. It was a very moving and heartfelt chorus that I felt was being sung as an antidote to the current political and social upheaval in our country. The song has an interesting history....To me this is a song of the soul of the United States of America. It is full of the love of the land, nature and our founding ideals; Brotherhood, Grace, Soul, Freedom, Virtue, and noble Dreams..." (Jeremy Berg)
Conversations with Lorian—Election Fog (Part 2 of 2) by Carole Matthews:
"Incarnational Spirituality provides a perspective which allows me to take a softer approach to politics. I think it is a more loving stance, even in the face of greatly opposing forces. For instance, part of my practice is to intentionally remove myself from the constant noise the media presents. I have two goals in doing so: I don’t want to add to the noise and hyped-up energy, and I’d like to concentrate on the issues rather than the continuous back and forth. I try to be somewhat of an observer, seeking to be more mental than emotional during this highly charged time—not an easy thing to do this year..."
Many thanks to all readers, subscribers and followers on Facebook. Special thanks to guest writer Carole Matthews, whose blog post received the following response from a Facebook friend: "This expresses wisdom wide and deep--not a religion, not a sect, always searching for truth and balance, the Lorian Association is a bright light with wise concern for the whole planet."
April
This month the blog will explore a range of topics: our relationship with the wider world, as well as our connection with parts of our natural and "built" environments.
Also, there are three classes beginning this month: At Home with the Sidhe taught by Jeremy Berg (class filled--if interested, please write info@lorian.org to be placed on the waiting list); Surfing a Wave of Conflict, a political forum led by David Spangler; and Journey Into Fire, taught by Julie Spangler and Susan Sherman. These are wonderful opportunities for us to deepen our practices of Incarnational Spirituality with others of like minds and hearts! Hope you'll join us!
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Views from the Lorian Community publishes essays from a team of volunteer writers expressing individual experiences of a long term, committed practice of Incarnational Spirituality (and the general principles shaping such a practice.) If you wish to share how your life has benefited from your relationship with Lorian and IS, please email the editor at drenag@lorian.org. We prefer submissions between 700-900 words. We rarely accept previously published material (including blog posts.) We also reserve the right to decline or to edit your submission. Any accepted submissions will be published in the order that best fits our topic schedule.