"And everything will flow..."

[jadegirl]

Got to giggle at Sir today. The last of my birthday presents arrived - a beautiful sculpted box, the lid is a carving of Andromeda chained to the rocks. Along with the box was a lovely pair of earrings, winged figures in silver, very delicate and pretty. Just as pretty as the exact same pair he got me for my last birthday.:) I cracked up.

Feeling somewhat scattered today, mulling over spiritual loose ends inspired by a friend questioning the workings of her relation to the divine, reading her has me exploring/questioning my own. I'm on the edge of an idea there, but it doesn't seem to want to form in coherent sentences...the bare bones of it is that I think we might relate to the divine in whatever form the divine wants to relate to *us*. There's an awful lot there to unpack, though.

Also thinking about my last post on compassion, and peoples responses to it, as you all gave me a lot to mull over. My thanks for that.

The boundaries between self and other can be so permeable at times...it can be hard to tell at moments where doing for ourselves and doing for others begins and ends. At least, it's that way for me, and I think it's one of the things that makes me a good servant, or at least allows me to take such joy in it.

Compassion can be experienced as doing for the self and am other at the same time, sometimes. Being in a compassionate space engenders equanimity, which is beneficial to the self, as well as the other. Even standing up and saying "I can't allow this to continue" engenders equanimity, as it reduces drama to a great extent.

I'm learning how to allow myself to feel ok about being compassionate in act, if not in thought - learning that that doesn't negate the value of the act. "Fake till you make it' is a useful stance, one I perhaps need more practice in in other arena.

Comments

[liana]

we might relate to the divine in whatever form the divine wants to relate to *us*

The four blind men and the elephant?

[jadegirl.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure....Could be, perhaps in a different angle than I had originaly understood that story.

Trying to expand on it....Most people do a lot of searching for what 'speaks to them' the most in terms of spiritual beliefs/practices. I'm starting to think that when we find one (noting that most people seem to describe that discovery as a 'homecoming' sensation) the fit occurs because the divine has said "Yes, this is the way I want you to see me."

Or is that too much of a spiritual baby-blanket? I'm not sure. I feel like there's something terribly obvious right in front of me here, but I keep missing it. Eh.

[violent-solace.livejournal.com]

I'm not much of a philosopher in these things, but I do have a few thoughts. Make of them what you will.

Each person has the same ability as anyone else, hmm? Well, if this is the case, then perhaps they develop their gifts in line with ways they see it as useful/acceptable. We are limited by our own imaginations in these things.

Also, everyone seems to be on a different path. I happen to be on a quest for the Truth, and this is why I could never settle down on one philosophy/approach.

[magnifelyn.livejournal.com]

Well, of course, being an Interfaith minister, i have a similar viewpoint. i have believed for a long time that each of us experiences the Divine in the form we are meant to work with. Yes, perhaps the Divine Spirit does choose to reveal itself to us in the form most useful for our own growth.

You sure do provoke a lot of thinking on issues i like to write about! i may have to write an entry about this subject. It is one that is dear to my heart, the subject of a lot of discussion and thought in my life.

i think "fake it till you make it" can be very useful. That's a way of acting the way one would choose to behave, instead of the way one's feelings dictate. Really a great spiritual practice, imho. Because we must teach ourselves that our emotions, however compelling in the moment, are unreliable and unreal. We get to choose who we will be. We don't have to wait until our feelings catch up to our nobler impulses.