Love Unbound

 Love never fails. - Paul ( I Corinthians 8a )

'Unconditional Love." I'll say it again; "Unconditional Love!" Does such a thing even exist? Without immediately referring to the dictionary, the notion of loving without any conditions is suspect, especially in this day & age. Another question comes to mind; "Is it even POSSIBLE for one to love without condition?!" To answer this question, much less the first, might prove easier said than done, however. One possible clue. we might note though, is that the former use of the word is a noun, while the latter is a verb. 'What difference does that make?' you might be asking yourself: "cannot love be both objective & subjective ( active )?" Well, yes, it could be well said that Love is both, for as has been written before in the pages of this blog, "love is an action ( a choice )!" 

The 5 Ws ( Who, What, When, Where and Why ) might prove a useful tool in determining whether we as human beings are capable of "unconditional love"! After that, maybe we'll have somewhat of a clearer picture of what exactly it is. Answering these questions will help us to decipher the answer to both of the questions we have been presented.

"Who? To answer this question, we need to ask ourselves. "To whom is this referring?" Are we the "who" in question, or does it refer to "the other"? Jesus said, quoting Leviticus 19:18, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." This is what I like to call one of the many "Universal Truths" of the Greek & Hebrew Scriptures. One: loving ones neighbor as one loves him or herself requires that one first love themselves. This though, itself might render us a clue as to why society in general is in the state of confusion it is; people ARE loving their neighbor as they love themselves: the problem IS, at least 9 out of 10 people don't love themselves! 

"What?" Moving on, one might well note, without having answered the question of "Who?", maybe "What?" will help to answer THAT question. "What IS love?" Is it a noun, something that defines what is otherwise indefinable, or is it a verb, something which can be directed, at will, at any given object? As a verb, it could well be said, love is always conditional. We may love a thing with all our heart, mind, soul & strength, but "God forbid", that 'thing', the object of our love, should turn its back on us, forsaking us: what person, in all honesty, is going to continue to actively love that thing?! One may continue to hold a love, of sorts, in their heart of hearts for that thing, be it a person or what, but if that person or thing continually repulses, or just plain ignores their pleas, their love will only fall on deaf ears for so long before it moves on.

However, if love is a noun describing a person, place, or thing, then maybe, just maybe, we're getting closer to figuring out what love really is! As a noun, Love being unconditional begins to make sense. A Tree is not a tree because it is healthy. If it is unhealthy, it is a sick tree, but it is still a tree. An animal, be it a bird or a cow, it what it is. Even if it is dead or dying; we do not see it and observe, "there lies something that used to be a bird or a cow". No, it is STILL a bird or a cow; it is simply a dead one ( or dying )! Speaking of the Greek & Hebrew Scriptures, one may read in them that "God is love" ( I John 4:8 ). As this is one of those "Universal Truths", we begin to see how Love could be considered unconditional. Furthering that Truth, however, we can gather from this that we ourselves are Love, for we radiate from that same Source, indeed, we are One with that Source!

"When?" This question, as "Who?", really relies on "What?" If love is simply a feeling, an active, emotional response to certain conditions, then it relies on the fulfillment of those conditions in order to be activated. When those conditions are not met; "as above, so below", that 'love', or the Holder thereof, is most likely going to move on to the next object of their affection. However, "When?" could also be posited thusly; 'When should we love?" Or, "When do we allow our love to rest on someone, be it an object, place or thing?" Obviously, if our love is emotionally based, our feelings, which change like the weather in Montana, are going to dictate when our love comes to rest.

The startling notion, however, that We are Love changes everything! "We, like God, do not change!" Aghast though you may be right now, this statement is true; just as my argument above about the sickly tree or the dead animal, even if we begin to act differently than we ever had previously, for good or ill, we are STILL human beings. Furthermore & more importantly, the statement above does not refer, at least not primarily, to our humanity! The statement in question refers to our inmost Being, our heart of hearts, so to speak, our Divinity, our Oneness with the Source!

"Where?' The possibilities are endless! This question might refer, in the verbal sense, to spreading that shit everywhere, so to speak. Of course, in the objective sense, it could be answered in the same exact way as we have answered the other questions; that Love resides within us, in our humanity, being an integral part of it, yet on a different level, you might say, our Higher or Highest Self, that part of us that is God. In this case then, our answer is much the same; "spread that shit everywhere!" However, the objective answer requires nothing of us, or of anyone else for that matter. In order to objectively "spread that shit everywhere", We must simply BE!

As a verb, love requires us to make a choice; "Where should we spread this shit?" Where the obvious answer is, "Everywhere!", it really isn't that simple, or easy! If this person or that triggers certain feelings, certain emotions, within us, we may well decide that they aren't really worth our time & energy, even that they are detrimental to us. Even when we can look objectively at the situation, we need to consider these feelings & emotions!

"Why?" Now we come to the Ultimate Question, "The Meaning of Life", you might say! Since we are here, both to love & AS Love, we might well ask "Why?"! Why ARE we here? We are here to love, it's been said. Damn right; "we are here to love", but what does that really mean? Does that really mean that we should spread that shit everywhere, indiscriminately pouring our love on good & evil alike, even if it means letting them walk all over us? This goes right back to what Jesus said earlier; "You shall love your neighbor as yourself"; if we don't love ourselves, respect ourselves enough NOT to allow people to walk all over us, then "Yes", that include us playing the part of a veritable doormat. If, however, we have the respect for ourselves that says, "I don't need this kind of negativity in my life", that is not refusing to love them: that is loving yourself. No, that is not being selfish, either; that is being kind to & loving yourself! It is necessary!

While these lines ( the 5 Ws ) may or may not satisfactorily answer the question ( s ) at hand, they may at least provide a base to begin your own search on. "IS it possible to love without condition?" For the overwhelming majority of human beings, the answer to this question is most likely a resounding "NO!" For those, however, who have realized & accepted that We are MORE than this humanity, that We ARE the Unconditional Love we've been looking for, the answer could be called "a moot point"!

While we ARE, as human beings anyway, "here to love": even more importantly, We are here to BE Love! Being More than Human, We ARE Love Itself, but too often, we allow our humanity to 'outshine' the Love that We are! With our Ego, an integral part of our humanity & so, not a necessarily bad thing, along with eons of conditioning, we have 'learned' that not everyone is worthy of our love, even of the Love We are. We have even been conditioned to believe, most of us in fact, that we ourselves are not worthy of our love!

The second part of our answer to the question, "To whom is this referring?' that was posed near the beginning of this post has been answered. As the saying goes, in other words maybe, "If you can't love yourself, you'll never be able to love anybody else". More importantly, when we don't realize the Love We ARE, we tend to get stuck in the endless cycle ( call it "Vicious Circle" ) of feelings. It could also be likened to a roller coaster. Loving ourselves is easy, though it's harder than it sounds, especially when it comes to loving ourselves without condition. Loving others without condition?! Well, that's damn near impossible, no matter how you spin it!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles

The Essence of Life: the Etymology of Spirit

 "Who are you?"

The answer to this question is simple, yet complex! The answer, relatively speaking, could be as simple as, "Well, I'm Charles Haddon Shank ( AKA, Sage Charles ), but then again, "I AM what I AM"! Individualistically ( personally ) speaking, "Charles Haddon Shank" is the name I was given at birth, or at least, the avatar I currently inhabit was named thusly when I burst forth from the womb of my earth-mother. But, is that really Who I am? Am I REALLY Charles Haddon Shank, or is that simply the name of my persona? Am I, on the other hand, an individual Spirit/Soul, or is that just another means of separating myself from everybody else? Is that necessarily a "bad" thing? Since I am of the same Essence of the Source of Life, essentially speaking, does that remove my individuality, my Identity? Being One in Essence with what most call "God", would it be acceptable to say, "I AM God"? "Well, now you're just being ridiculous; of course it's not acceptable!" At least, not to most, especially those that call the Source "God".      

Although it has been popular in the past & is gaining in popularity once again, trying to catch a glimpse of the wizard behind the curtain has been one of humanity's continuing curiosities. The surety that we are More than mere human beings has excited philosophers for eons. Much of this study has either led to or come from the dualistic notion that we are separated from the Source ( Creator ). The majority of world religions, the three major ones in particular, Judaism, Christianity & Islam,  all posit that this Source is a male deity with more or less human emotions, a persona of his own, if you will! What may be called the greatest, or largest of these, ( also, the most splintered ) Christianity, teaches that since the Fall of Adam & Eve in the Garden, the sin nature that we are born with separates us from our Creator. Despite these irresponsible religious notions however, the Truth has always shone through, usually in the most unlikely places & often in the Darkest Times!

At the Very Heart of the Matter, some have noted, We are, both physically & spiritually speaking, made up of pure Energy. For hundreds of years, not only philosophers, but even scientists have been saying this, though in other words maybe. From a purely scientific viewpoint, it is well-accepted that this is so; that the human body is constructed of billions of atoms & that the human brain itself, that which, physically speaking anyway, gives us the ability to think, move & breath, is simply a complex mass of neural activity ( neurons ). 

Coming from a Christian background, of course, we were taught that "In the beginning.........", that it was only after "God" breathed into the first man "the breath of life", that he became "a living being".  Here then, is where Science & Religion tend to run into problems. If indeed the human body is not wholly animated, just by the vibrations of atoms & neurons, then there must necessarily be something More to the Story. Since, according to the Christian Scriptures, the Creator, after "He" had "formed" Adam, had to give him "the breath of life" before he could be self-sufficient, so to speak; that "More" then, must needs involve something greater!

Christianity is not the only culprit, though maybe the main one, of course, for the use of the word "Spirit" to explain this "More", this "breath of life". The popular phrase, "we are spiritual beings having a human experience", coined by French Jesuit priest, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, is a good example. Fairly obviously based on Christianity, the word "spirit", according to Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary, means "an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms". Only secondarily, according to this dictionary, does it refer to "a supernatural being or essence". In Essence, one might note, the first implies the second. While the term "spiritual being" is fairly utilitarian, maybe "energetic being" is a bit closer to the truth!

In Essence, what it comes down to is; "Who or What is "God"?" While conversing with a friend on the subject the other day, I remember stating something to the effect of, "there's obviously an Intelligence involved, for all this ( Universe ) could not exist without it!" Now, whether you're a follower of Darwin or not, the planetary movements themselves scream "Intelligence!". Back down to Earth ( "As above, so below" ), the glories of the human body too, require a preciseness that could not have just happened. So, how do we explain all this? Is there an Intelligent Being out there somewhere that controls, not only the movements of the cosmos, but the inner workings of the human body? That might explain the cosmos, but then we're back to the age-old problem of free-will. Maybe the problem IS a matter of self-control! But, I digress................

So again, "Who or What is "God"?" If "God" is simply the Energy that keeps the planets on their prescribed courses, then that would leave us our free-will! If these "avatars" are simply Energy ( as the atomic/neuronic structure would imply ), then that would explain why we are so "fearfully and wonderfully made", yet find ourselves in such misery sometimes. We can blame no one but ourselves for this failing, much less the Christian "Devil", or "Satan"! This makes us the "God" of our own existence! With that said; there is no denying the Intelligence that lies behind the Universe. Some even go so far, in fact, as to use the term "Universe", where most would say "God"!

The Universe itself being the physical manifestation of the Source of All Life alleviates the "problem" of free-will! "Outer Space", which includes what we know, or have explored, mostly only with probes or telescopes, of the Universe is Infinite, just like the Christian view of "God". Going back to the Hebrew Scriptures, for they are most familiar to me; to use an example I have used previously, "God" said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb [ that ] yields seed, [ and ] the fruit tree [ that ] yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb [ that ] yields seed according to its kind, and the tree  [ that ] yields fruit, whose seed [ is ] in itself according to its kind." ( Genesis 1:11-12 ). I may be grasping at straws here, but if the Earth herself gave birth to plants of all sorts, then maybe, just maybe, this Intelligence designed the rest of Life in a like manner.

The Impetus behind the Universe, then, Being Pure Energy, We can look to the heavens & think, not of how small & insignificant we are, as some philosophers & theologians are wont to do, but rather how the same Energy that powers the very Stars is Within us, that we are not merely finite creatures, but infinite as Creators, as the Universe itself! Talk about humbling & empowering at the same time! The same Intelligence that designed the Cosmos to move like clockwork moves within US, empowering us to live, move & have our being. Is this to say that we could sprout wings & fly, if we so willed? Well, "yes". in a manner of speaking; look at the Wright Brothers, for a famous example!

The purpose of this post is not to pick on Christianity, per se, though more could definitely be said on the subject & not all "bad" either! With that being said, it should be clear that "separation" is all in our Minds. Just as in the biblical Story of the Fall, Adam & Eve, though "cut off" from the blessings of the Garden, were obviously not separated from "God", for they were still able to live move & have their being. For that matter, in the Christian doctrine ( dogma ) of "Hell", "sinners", or "lost souls", are cast into "The Lake of Fire", where they suffer an Eternity of conscious torment. Question; 'How the "hell" are they conscious if they're separated from God"?! But, Again, "I digress........"   Enough picking on Christianity!

So, back to our original question, then; "Who are you?" One may identify & many do, with the name given them by their earth-parents, with their chosen persona. Along with their chosen persona is the way they manifest that persona & what they do, how they act in that persona.  My readers must judge for themselves as to whether or not this is so, but, as I've endeavored to show in this post, one's persona, or even how they manifest in that persona does not define them, no more than a bird is a cat, just because it can mimic its mewing!

"As above, so below"; No matter how one looks at it; We are clearly More than this physicality, this humanity! Whether one follows the basic tenets of Christianity or not, even if one is a Darwinian evolutionist who believes that humanity emerged from the primordial ooze, millions or billions of years ago, as a one-celled organism, it can hardly be denied that some Intelligence exists, for Intelligence didn't just happen; "it can't!" This is not to say, necessarily, that evolution, even on the grandest of scales, by the greatest stretch of the imagination, couldn't explain the glories & complexities of Mother Nature, including the human animal, but one would be hard-pressed to do so, if indeed it IS possible!

So,  "Who ARE We?!" Is it enough to say who we are NOT? "I think not!" The words of this post have shown clearly Who We ARE. We are "Spirit Beings", yes, but more to the point; we are Energy. We are Divine, yes, but does that really define us any more than the Persona? The word 'Divine", itself can be defined as "relating to or coming from God or a god". "Circular reasoning", anybody? ( that's a joke, by the way ) Clearly, these "avatars" are "energetic bodies", not unlike the planets themselves. The Energy that compels them is no more or less powerful than the Energy that moves us in our familiar & relative orbits! 

Namaste' & Blessed Be,

Sage Charles

The Divine Boogaloo ( "All In Our Heads" )

Jim had a Song to sing, a Story to tell & dontcha know? He told it very well!

Jim Stanford was not a musician: he wasn't even a song-writer. Jim was a Magician. No; he didn't do parlor-tricks, nor did he stand up in front of live audiences & perform card-tricks. He didn't disappear out of locked crates or saw people in half. Jim simply WAS! He WAS creative. He WAS very focused, on his intentions, that is. Jim knew that to see what most others could not, One must BE what most others WOULD not! It was not easy ( nothing worth doing EVER is! ), but Jim had realized that, if ANYTHING was going to change for the better in his little world, HE must BE that change! As a wise Bear ( not Yogi ) once said; "Only YOU can prevent forest fires"!

"Heaven" is not Beyond our reach! It IS up Above us, but it is also all around us. It is WITHIN us! Jim knew, as many of us are realizing, that "Heaven", as "Hell". is a conscious choice. "Where do YOU want to live?" Do you want to feel the Joys of 'Heaven", or would you rather suffer the terrors ( Fear ) of "Hell"?! Hard as it may be to believe, we DO have a choice! It has not been fatalistically decided for us; it was not predetermined, we were not chosen to live, or suffer, as the case may be, for an Eternity in either "Heaven" or "Hell". Jim knew better; he knew, from experience, that BOTH of these concepts are Realities here & NOW!

All his life, as with the overwhelming majority of us, Jim had been taught that both "Heaven"
 & "Hell" were something to either hope for or dread. As Jim grew up under this "Iron Hand", this "Sword of Damocles", so to speak; he learned to live his life in Fear; fear that he wasn't worthy, fear that the moment he made a mistake, it might be his last, fear that if he didn't persevere ( as he was told he must ), he might lose his status as one of "God's" Chosen. Living with all that Fear, He came to see that he was simply existing. Being so afraid of screwing up any chance he might have of salvation, Jim came to realize that he was not really Living; he was simply waiting for "the next shoe to drop"!

Jim had lived a relatively long life. Although He had only really "come to His senses" recently, Jim knew that it was never too late, for though he, as we, might wish that we had known all these things when we were young, He realized, in a non-fatalistic way, that there was a Purpose behind EVERYTHING, that everything happened for a Reason. There was no "Man Upstairs" driving this Chariot according to His Divine Will ( or was there? Jim had a working theory that the theological language he had suffered under for the first part of his life could somehow be applicable to His Inner Life, with all its intricacies )! Whether we have a "good" or "bad" experience ( it's all relative ) is ENTIRELY up to US; our choices, even the decisions we make in response to the events beyond our control, are what determine whether we enjoy our life, or simply "suffer" through it!

It has been seared into our minds, especially as Christians, that "We are not our own......" & though, in some sense, that is true enough; Jim had come to the startling realization that, for all intents & purposes, We ARE our own! These bodies belong to the Earth, He knew ( "dust to dust", ya know? ) & even our Soul ( Spirit ) doesn't technically "belong" to Us, being simply a member, or part of what Is, the Divinity. Humanly speaking, though, WE do not "belong" to ANYONE ( THAT sounds like slavery ); our Life is just that, OURS! It is totally OUR responsibility. If we end up with a 'hellish" existence; it is because of our own choices. Some may say, "well, look at everything that happened to me; look what he or she did to me!" Call it "Tough Love" or what you will, but "Hell, yes; YOU made the choice as to how you reacted to their actions: YOU put YOURSELF in "Hell!! If you continue simply reacting in the same manner, you will be putting yourself through "Hell"! Same goes for "Heaven"; when you decide how you're going to act ( with intention ), rather than simply reacting to what Life 'throws" at you, you will find yourself living with the "Peace that passes all understanding", in "Heaven"!

Jim KNEW that "Peace"! One might say that He had reached that level of "perfection" that only exists in "Heaven"! No matter what things Life "threw" at Him, Jim always met them with a smiling face ( He NEVER frowned, or cussed when he stubbed his toe ). He NEVER simply reacted to the actions of other people, but was entirely impervious to them, always "turning the other cheek", in a manner of speaking, simply walking away when faced with ANY sort of Negativity.  Though surrounded by those who ignorantly, though consciously, chose to spend their meager existence in "Hell"; Jim had chosen instead, to live his Life to the fullest, in "Heaven". 'Sound to good to be true? Does "Jim" just sound almost TOO perfect? "That's impossible in this world we live in, right?!" Hmmmmm...............

Our Hero had made the conscious, One might even say, "God-like" choice to have a Positive experience. He did not blindly place his faith in a Being that was outside of Time & Space; rather, He took responsibility for his own Life, knowing that he could rise or fall, dependent on his own choices. Even though "Hell" swirled all around him, Jim realized that it was his choice to suffer through that "Hell" or not. Choosing not to suffer was for Jim, as for all of us, seemingly impossible. "When cancer is in the equation; how does one NOT suffer?" one might ask. "God" forbid, you are the drunk driver of a car & are the cause of death for an entirely innocent family, while you walk away, almost unscathed?" How does one NOT suffer in that circumstance?! Well, in both cases, choices were made, whether consciously or unconsciously: the foods we eat, the way we live, whether to drink till we're drunk, the choice to get behind the wheel when we're drunk, etc, etc................... The point is; it's ALL about Choice!

Too many of us spend our meager existence waiting for someone to almost magically "reach down" & save us, but Jim knew better! If He was going to spend his life in the Joys of "Heaven", Jim knew that He would have to make the conscious choice to intentionally Live in such a way as to avoid the suffering of those around Him; those who simply existed in "Hell". Without Faith in "God", Jim had been told, this was impossible & in some sense, He agreed! Unless we have Faith in our OWN ability to make Positive Choices, we will never be able to make the choice, being dependent on the will & whim of others to either make our choices for us, or somehow lend us the Strength we need to make the "right" choices. 

"As above, so below"; Jim, as so many of us, had come to realize His own Divinity later in Life! Though He had come to realize this Truth only of late, He now understood that He WAS worthy, He WAS powerful; He COULD make the "right" choice, on His own, though with help from Above! By "Above". I simply mean to say His Higher, or Highest Self, not any part of His humanity ( that would involve the Ego ). Jim, as ALL of us can, had become More than Human! Realizing that He had the Strength WITHIN all along, Jim began to live His Life in a way that honored His Humanity! Those who merely exist in this world, trudging their way through the drudgery of this life, building up Karma on top of Karma, have not yet come to the realization that we DO have the Power to save ourselves: these think that because they "belong" to someone else, only this "someone else" truly has this Power, that somehow, "they" must make their decisions for them, "As above, so below", though; "Only YOU have the Power to decide for yourself"!

"Music is the Spice of Life!" Jim had felt this all Life, but it was not till he had spent almost a half century in this existence, again, that He realized the Magic of these words. He had never learned to play an instrument, never really penned a verse & didn't have the greatest singing voice, but He had a Song in His Heart & as we can ALL attest to, what's in one's Heart WILL be revealed!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!

Sage Charles