The Love of God: the Family of God

What does the phrase 'God is Love' mean to you? Two obvious questions might immediately surface in your mind here; 'Who IS God?' & 'What IS Love?' Both of these queries have been confronted in this blog, at least, in a manner of speaking, but, assuming that not everyone has read those posts or garnered those bits of information; let us entertain both questions for a bit. First of all, 'Who is God?' Well, presuming that one is a Christian, the answer should be obvious, especially if one is at all familiar with the Bible, in particular, I John 4:8. The fore-mentioned phrase come directly from this passage. According to the Bible, of course then, 'God' is the God of the Hebrews, the same 'God' ( Elohim ) that created man in His own Image. Now, to one who is not a Christian, the term 'God' may have a slightly different connotation; for instance, our American bank-notes, both paper & coinage, ( still ) sport the phrase, 'In God We Trust'. While the majority of Americans ( 75-80% ? ) may claim to be Christian; by their lifestyles, it is fairly clear that their 'God' looks more like their family, their job, their position, or just plain 'the Almighty Dollar', rather than the God of the Bible. This is not to say that these things are any less important, in the grand scheme of things, than the 'God' of the Hebrew & Greek Scriptures; the point is, everyone has at least a slightly different perception of Who, or even What, this Being ( if you can even name It that ) is that we are so used to calling 'God'. Though those of Islamic faith call It 'Allah' & see 'Him' in a slightly different light than the 'God' of the Hebrews; does that make 'Him' any less 'God' ( to the Muslim ) than the 'God' of the Christian faith; the Jewish faith?

Okay, so 'What is Love?' While the term 'God' may cover a wide spectrum, surely 'Love' is an easy one! Sorry, but no; Love, while like 'God', is what IT is, It also has come to mean many different things to many different people. Most popularly, it would seem, 'Love' is no more than a feeling, probably more akin to 'lust'. To others, in particular those of the Christian persuasion, 'Love' is more of an active proposition, wherein one chooses to do this instead of that, treating their fellow human beings as they themselves would like to be treated. Even the Christian Bible, though, seems to divide 'Love' into several ( or so ) different categories: 'agapaō', 'thelō'& 'phileō'.  Love, however, is more than a proposition, an idea that one might formulate in their mind; Love is in fact infinitely more than any ( one ) Being: Love is what we ARE! As human beings, one might be hard-pressed to agree with this statement, but it is not so much as human beings that we manifest this state of Being; it is by transcending our humanity, going Beyond it, so to speak, that we find this glorious Reality. Yes' 'God' IS Love & so are WE!

How do we, as human beings, experience 'the Love of God out-poured'? That, again, should be fairly plain; it is through 'His' People that we experience 'Love'! When we pray (to 'God' ) for this or that, it is usually, if not always through some human intervention that our wishes/needs are met, assuming we ask in the right spirit. This is not to say that 'God' does not not act supernaturally ( on our behalf ), but more often than not, the reason that the 'prayer of a righteous man avails much' is that other righteous men & women hear that prayer, whether directly or indirectly ( through the Spirit Within/Holy Spirit ) & do all within their power to meet that need/wish, out of Love, not just because of an affinity for that individual, but because they are themselves Love!

In order to understand this Glorious Fact, that we are, in Essence, Love, we must transcend our humanity; not that we become something more than human, but by realizing that we already ARE more than just human beings! We are primarily spirit beings inhabiting biological bodies, or 'shells' if you will. 'What you see' is in some sense what you get, for what you see IS what we, in our individuality, manifest, but when we choose to 'let it be', rather than striving with our Higher Self, our True Self, or Nature ( spirit beings ), we manifest Love. Even the Christian Scriptures say, 'everyone who loves is born of God and knows God'!

Yes, 'God is love'; It's that simple! Then again, it can mean different things to different people. Not that this changes the Glorious Fact ( as we've seen ), for both the terms 'God' & 'Love' are what they are, no matter what meaning or identity we strive to attach to them.In fact of the matter, one might well say that 'God' & 'Love' are interchangeable terms, as in, 'God is Love' & 'Love is God'! So, in a manner of speaking, does one have to acknowledge the 'God' ( Elohim ) of the Bible in order to rightly love one's self or their neighbor? You be the judge, but it's pretty clear that, while not all who don't acknowledge the Christian 'God' do not manifest Love, neither do all who acknowledge the Christian God manifest Love! Can a Muslim manifest Love? Again, you be the judge, but if a Muslim DOES manifest Love, does that not mean he or she is born of 'God' ( Child of God )? Whether a person chooses to manifest the Love that he or she IS, or not, does not change the Glorious Fact of what they ARE. Sadly, many in  our sordid past & present have chosen not to manifest that Love & the world has suffered many unnecessary horrors because of it. Only when we understand that we are More than this humanity will we begin to consistently manifest the Love we truly are!

Charles Haddon Shank

'The Truth Will Set You Free'; Universal Truth

According to John 18:38, Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea at the time, asked a soon-to-be-crucified Jesus this bewildering question, 'What is truth?' Jesus never answered him. Why did Jesus not answer  Pilate's question? Was it simply because 'as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth' ( Isaiah 53:7 )? Was Jesus reminding Pilate ( without a word ) that he already knew the truth, that he had no need for Jesus to tell him? Or was it something even deeper? Pilate's profoundly simple question continues to be a thorn in the side for theologians today!Is Truth absolute? Absolutely! Does one person's view, or even the majority's view decide what that Truth is? How about a book? One argument you may have heard is that the Church has taught the Truth for 2,000 years; 'really?! What branch ( denomination? )? That being the case; can we KNOW what Truth is?

To give Jesus' words a bit of context; 'Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”' ( John 8:31 &  32 ). ( interesting that these 'red-letter' words are ONLY recorded in John's Gospel ) Right there it is! Jesus told THEM ( Jews in the first century ) that they would know the Truth, which in turn would make THEM free! Now, I'm by no means saying that we today, in 21st-century cannot know the Truth & be made free; we most certainly can! But Jesus' words to the Jews that day told them that the truth of the Gospel ( about Him ) would make them free, free from the chains of  ( the ) sin & death ( of Adam ). The Ultimate Sacrifice that Jesus made for His People ( the Jews ), not long after He made this statement proved to them that they had in truth been set free from those chains!

In some sense of the word, it IS our knowledge of the Truth ( or, in their case, their knowledge of it ) that sets us free, but in the greatest sense, it is the Truth itself! We are often imprisoned within our own mind ( as they were-'How could a Man be God?' ), but when we allow our Higher Self to overcome our Mind & realize that the Truth, like 'God' Himself, is what It is, not our view, or perception of It, we are thus freed from that prison ( much as they were ). Since one's views ( there are manifold different ones out there ) do not determine what Truth is, we no longer have to defend the Truth! Think of all the wars that we might have bypassed if we had just taken this truth to heart! Some might argue that it is necessary to defend Truth, for as we read in John 17:17 ( b ), 'Your word is truth' Here, Jesus was asking His Father ( 'God' ) to set apart His followers through the Truth. For the Jews, Jesus WAS God's Word ( John 1:1 )! 

This is NOT to say that it was ONLY for the Jews that Jesus was God's Word, though in some sense one might note that Jesus WAS ( primarily ) God's Word to the Jews! As the Jewish Messiah, as we've noted previously in this blog, Jesus came to save HIS people from THEIR sin ( Matthew 1:21 ). The fact that Jesus was, or represented, Truth, which, like 'God', does not change, tells us that even today, in the 21st century, people are still being set free ( 'free your mind' ) by knowledge, or acknowledgement, of the Truth. Was Jesus the ONLY representative of Truth that ever lived on this earth? Like Jesus' response to Pilate, I'll let my readers make up their own mind ( if they so desire ). Whatever one person believes, it's bound to be different from what someone else believes. Who's right? Again, is one view ( of the Truth ) right simply because the Majority believe it to be so? Because a Book says so? Whose interpretation is true? Do we believe what somebody else, even our own mind, says is Truth, or do we calm ( our mind? ) & KNOW that 'God' IS? NOT what we think, or perceive 'God' or Truth to be, but what 'God' or Truth IS!

So, how do we KNOW Truth; as Pilate asked Jesus, 'What is Truth?' Inquiring minds STILL want to know; 'why did Jesus NOT answer Pilate's question?! Common sense tells us that it was NOT simply to fulfill a prophecy ( though it surely did that )! Like 'God', we may KNOW Truth by being still, by calming our minds, by realizing that it is NOT our perception of the Truth that makes it so. It is not even someone else's perception of IT that makes it so, even though they wrote it in a certain book millenia ago. The book in question, of course, is what we know as the Holy Bible, which has been translated, mistranslated & re-translated over the centuries! Which version do we trust? Which version is true? Some say 'This version is the ONLY true one', while others, though they might prefer one version over another, acknowledge that Truth lies within ALL versions. So; who/what do we believe, concerning Truth? Do we believe what our mind tells us is true, or do we trust our gut? Why do we not rather just KNOW ( within ourselves ) that Truth, like 'God', is what It is & stop fighting among ourselves about whose perception of Truth ( 'God' ) is correct?

Charles Haddon Shank

The Witness

Joe was a regular guy, but there was nothing 'average' about him! Joe got along with everybody. When I say 'everybody', I mean EVERYBODY..............no exceptions. Of course, he had his likes & dislikes; there were those he got along with better than others, personally speaking, but when it came to being friendly, Joe certainly had no peers! Now, don't get me wrong; if Joe didn't like someone, he made no 'bones' about it, but even those who didn't quite make the cut received nothing but kindness from his capable hand. There were certain people whose energies jived better with his than others, so there were some that clearly were his preference & so received the majority of his attention, but even those who crossed paths with Joe were blessed with his empathy & loving, sharing attitude!

When everybody else was concerned with being a 'mover & shaker', what most people identified as 'success', Joe was happy to just 'let it be'! Now, again; don't get me wrong, Joe was no 'slouch' when it came to the business world: while he was no billionaire ( not even a millionaire ), by the age of 40, Joe had become a very wealthy man. He didn't have much concern for money, so he didn't have to worry about where his next meal was coming from, but the main body of his great wealth consisted of his plethora of friends. Even those who may not have liked him, for whatever reason, had a healthy respect for him & so, in their business dealings with him ( at least ), treated him in kind, with all fairness & equity.

Joe had been brought up to treat others as he himself would like to be treated, so when he entered the 'real' world at about the age of 18, soon after graduating, he began to put into practice what he had learned. Things didn't always go well for our 'hero' ( for that's really what he was ), especially at first, for many with whom Joe came in contact were not used to such kindness, having been hardened by a cruel, cruel world, where it was usually 'dog eat dog' & 'every man for himself'. 'It's a jungle out there' was a phrase that he heard quite often, particularly as he neared the end of his formal schooling, I say 'formal' because, while Joe had spent the obligatory 6-8 hours a day sitting in front of a chalkboard, his 'schooling' consisted of much more than that; his busy social calendar was the envy of his peers, for Joe believed that while the currency of the day ( money ) was important for such mundane things as keeping a roof over one's head & putting food on the table, the most important 'commodity' of all was friends, those one could count on to hold you up when you were about to fall, that would, if & when neccessary, give you the proverbial shirt off their own back to make sure you were okay!

Things had not always been so rosy for our intrepid hero! Especially toward the beginning of his rather interesting 'career', Joe fell on hard times quite often, but thanks to his truest friends, he had never lacked either a roof over his head or food on the table. Both the roof & the food had sometimes given him an excuse to grumble, for, especially in his early years, Joe was not immune to the human condition & sometimes gave way to the hardships that beset him. Overall, though, he was able to implement the teaching that he knew in his heart of hearts to be true, so Joe was able to take even his deepest, darkest failures & turned them into the greatest, most enlightening successes!

Having already been through several such 'narrow escapes', at age 21, Joe had just embarked on a new business venture, one that promised to bring great success! Like his previous ventures, this one brought him into contact with a slightly different 'breed' of people than he had been used to dealing with.  In his previous ventures, Joe had never encountered such varying levels of unkindness! It was as if these people went out of their way to be nasty! Much as he tried ( never did stop, either ) to treat these people like he would like to be treated himself, these people, for the most part, didn't seem to be phased. Even so, it was not unusual, after Joe had moved on to bigger & better things, for these people to remember his fairness in dealing & to seek his counsel when their own dealings went south.

As an example of 'how to deal', Joe was a prime one! Even those who had treated him unfairly ( to say the least ) were now groveling at his door, begging, like dogs at a holiday feast, for Joe to throw them even the scraps of his great wisdom. Though he did not view himself as possessing this 'great wisdom', Joe happily shared what 'nuggets' he had accrued over his short career. Even though he had accrued much of his 'wisdom' through the unkind practices of the very people who now 'fawned' at his door, he would not turn them away, for Joe knew in his heart of hearts that they had only treated him thus though fear & ignorance, both of which they had inherited through generations upon generations of lies & propaganda!

Joe had been taught, from a very early age, 'the Golden Rule'! Though he did his best to implement this principle throughout his illustrious career, he had always been nagged by the gentle suggestion that there was more to it & indeed there was, infinitely so, in fact! The notion of treating others as we would like to be treated is a noble endeavor, but Joe soon realized in the varied processes of his Journey that this was simply the outward manifestation of an inward reality, or realization: there truly are no others! This is not to say that we are all the same, personally speaking, for we all have different jobs to do while we inhabit these biological shells, but in our inmost beings, we all comprise One Great Spirit. It is this astonishing fact that Joe came to realize & thus enjoyed the greatest success in all his dealings in this 'cruel, cruel world'!

If only we could all learn to live like Joe & just 'let it be'! When we stop trying to make everything go our way, stop judging people as good or bad, right or wrong & just accept them for who they are ( in their heart of hearts ), dealing fairly with all, even when it's not returned in kind & showing kindness even when the general perception is that it's undeserved, even if it seems to be unwanted. Joe learned that it's those who are the most unkind that need kindness the most. Though they may never seem to be affected by our kindness, the seed that we planted will have its effect, sooner or later!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!
Charles Haddon Shank

The Pagan Roots of Christiamity

If an open-minded person were to do a fairly cursory search for 'proof' that the modern version of what we know as 'Christianity' had its genesis in Pagan religious practices, they would find that the way we do 'church', complete with many of its trappings, including such practices as the sermon & even the special garb that some pastors wear, was practiced very similarly by Pagans long before biblical Christianity took form. At least, if you believe half of what you read on the internet! I, personally, tend to take it with a grain of proverbial salt, but still, I wouldn't disregard it entirely. Much of what is available today, at our fingertips, quite literally, reveals the fruit of countless hours of painstaking research, so while I'll readily acknowledge that one must often sift through layers of prejudice & propaganda, the Truth is out there, whatever form it may take!

'Why does it matter?' One may rightly wonder what real good it does to bring up the past, whether or not one finds for him or herself that much, if not most, of what we Christians do every Sunday as a matter of fact has its roots, not in the Greek Scriptures, but in something far more ancient? 'If what we do on Sundays has Pagan origins, does that necessarily mean that we should discontinue those practices?' For example; it's fairly well-accepted, though not well-received in certain circles, that the Christmas celebration has its roots in Paganism. Does that mean we should not join with countless others in celebrating the Coming of the Light? ( For those of my readers who were not aware of this fact, the birth of Jesus is celebrated on the late date it is, in order to coincide with the Pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice, which is the shortest day of the year & signals the Coming of the Light, when the days ( daylight hours ) begin to lengthen ) Just because the Christmas Tree is rooted firmly in the soil of Pagan tradition ( Yule ), are we being un-Christlike because we enjoy its festooned branches around this time of year? Should we ( could we? ) change the date for our celebration of the birth of the Christ-child? Jesus, according to much research, was more rightly born in the Fall, anyway, at the time of harvest, in August or September.

The word 'Pagan' does not inherently denote 'wrong'! Although a 'Pagan' could not ( technically ) be called a 'Christian' & in that sense is perceived by most, if not all Christians, to be 'wrong', even to be equated ( ignorantly ) with a 'heathen'. The word 'Pagan', in its simple meaning, refers to one who dwells in the country. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the etymology would go something like this; Pagans were those, back in the day, who lived far enough away from the bigger cities & towns that they were undisturbed by the influx of Roman Catholicism when it first reared its ugly head ( yes, I said it! ) As such, they retained the faith of their fathers & were thus distinguished from those who accepted this new religion. In modern times, much as in ancient days, just because one adhered to the Old Ways, rather than accepting the new way of doing things, that one, depending on the person, of course. was not necessarily wrong, just different!

The 'God' of Christianity, according to the Greek & Hebrew Scriptures, is 'the One, True God'! In the same sense though, a Muslim would probably tell you that 'Allah' is 'the One, True God' & Mohammad is His prophet ( Jesus was also JUST a prophet ). Is one ( religion ) right while the other is wrong? Or are they both simply perceptions of the One that IS? Not to repeat myself over-much, sounding like a broken record, but why are we basing our faith on the Greek & Hebrew Scriptures rather than the Q'ran? Why not on the Scriptures of the Ancient Far East, as opposed to the Ancient Near East? To explore the manifold reasons 'Why?' would take far more research  & space than I have time ( or patience ) for, although there might need to be a blogpost on that subject in the future, maybe even a book. Suffice it to say, therefore, that the differences are largely cultural!

Again, a 'Pagan', just because he or she does not follow the tenets of 'Christianity', is not necessarily a bad person, or even 'wrong'. When a person, no matter what religion ( if any ) he or she follows, does what is right, how can you rightly say they are wrong? It should be obvious that it is not what one believes that makes the person, but what one does! Beliefs DO matter, insofar as one practices what he or she professes to 'believe', but it should also be clear as day that, what one practices IS what they truly believe, no matter what they profess! Pagan beliefs do not the person make; if however, whether Christian, Pagan, or Muslim ( even one of those Far Eastern religions ), one practices what is wrong, then that person's religion IS wrong. 'What IS 'wrong'?', you ask; well, put simply, 'wrong' is to take away another person's right, whether it's the right to life, right to property, or right to liberty & happiness. Much more could be said on this subject too, but maybe that's for a future post as well!

So, 'why DOES it matter that modern Christianity is rooted in Paganism?' Does it make a difference in how Christians practice their religion? Well, yes & no; as far as how the origins of Christianity have affected how many Christians tend to view 'Paganism' itself ( or really, anyone who is not 'Christian' ), it sure as hell DOES matter, but insofar as Pagans simply have a different ( some might say 'better' ) perception of 'the One that IS', it does not, or should not. Paganism does not worship a different 'God' than Christianity, it simply acknowledges 'the One that IS' in Its myriad forms. For that matter, not unlike the Far Eastern  religions, it also recognizes the 'God Within' each & every one of us!

Is Christianity simply an improvement on Paganism? One might well proffer that suggestion, though that is questionable at the very least! For one thing, as a religion, Paganism does not incorporate 'a' holy book ( as our 'Holy Bible' ): rather, Paganism observes a living 'Holy Book' ( some call Her 'Mother Earth' ) & Paganism, rather than being an institutionalized ( organized? ) religion like Christianity, it is more just a way of life, though, like Christianity, it does have its peculiar rites & liturgies. Another way in which it could be said that Christianity is NOT an improvement on Paganism is the purposeful omission of the Divine Feminine! However, She cannot be totally hidden from sight, but upon careful examination, can be glimpsed in the One the Roman Catholics call 'Mary, the Mother of God'!

Charles Haddon Shank

Why I ( haven't ) Renounced Christianity

I can count on one hand the number of Christians, all ( or most ) well-meaning individuals, who have nevertheless warned me, or told me blatantly that I'm headed for 'Hell'! I won't mention any names or even condemn those people, for I hold no disdain for them, just a great sadness. Most recently, I was called a son, or child ( 'spawn' ) of Satan! Okay; so maybe just a little disdain for that particular individual, though I hold no ill-will. For one thing; I hold no belief in the orthodox version of either 'Satan' or 'Hell': in fact of the matter, I don't know that I believe ANYTHING anymore!

According to certain pundits, Mahatma Gandhi once said, 'I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ.' Whether this quote may actually be attributed to the Indian 'peacemaker' or not & whether you agree with his actions or not, there is sadly much truth in this statement! The Gospel, you may note, has made great progress in this 'world' in which we live, but it must be acknowledged that, while great strides have been made in the Name of the Christ, there has also been quite a bit of digression that can be attributed to 'Christians' & Christianity. We've explored this 'avenue' previously, but the Crusades & the Inquisition are probably the most infamous examples. Missions all over the world, in the name of Christianity, have been carried out to varying degrees of success. Many Christian missionaries have lost their lives in the pursuit of cultural change, often because of a stubbornly stalwart belief that theirs was the only way. I acknowledge that such may not have always been the case, but Christians, yes, even well-meaning ones, are often their own worst 'adversary'!

Being brought up in a fairly strict Christian household, as I've said before, as far as that goes, 'I will always be a Christian', personally speaking! I realize that, as of late, especially, it seems that I'm departing more & more from what we accept as Christianity ( what I call 'Orthodoxy' )! While it is true that my personal Journey has taken me far outside the boundaries of what has been generally ( popularly? ) accepted as 'Christianity' I have not departed from the principles taught by Jesus the Christ, the Jewish, or Hebrew, Messiah! Speaking of 'Orthodoxy'' the adherents of this religion would most likely beg to differ with me on even this point, but we must remember that their beliefs are based on a ( fairly ) modern Western interpretation of an Ancient Near Eastern text. I readily acknowledge that, even though our English Bibles have suffered much mishandling ( misinterpretation, etc ) by men & women over the ages, there is much Truth that has been gleaned & still may be from its hallowed pages! Even so, as hinted at above, because of this mishandling, Christianity has been the root cause of much unnecessary suffering in this 'world' we call 'home'!

I will never renounce Christianity, per se, not because it alone bears 'the Way, the Truth, and the Life' & definitely not because it bares this Truth perfectly! No, for reasons already outlined, as well as others; I will never renounce the 'faith of my fathers' because, as much as that 'faith' has been used & abused over the ages, I know that though it is not the only bearer of the Truth, it does bare the Truth & that in the form of Jesus the Christ, the Messiah of Israel, who came to show, among other things, that it is within ourselves that we will find 'God', the Source of All Life. As far as I've departed from 'Orthodoxy', I will never forget the two main tenets of the religion Jesus taught; 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself' ( Luke 10:27 ) & 'just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.' ( Luke 6:31 ) More than this is simply 'icing on the cake'!
 
This may sound like the beginning to a most ominous statement, but 'the problem with the overwhelming majority ( not all, thank 'God' ) Christians is.....................', but seriously, much of the problem ( it IS a problem ) lies in the fact that many not only blame the Devil ( 'Satan' ) for what goes wrong in their lives, thereby basically alleviating responsibility for their own actions, they also, in a round about way, blame 'God' by quoting passages such as John 16:33b, 'In the world you ^[f]will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world'. Many Christians have anachronistically applied these words to themselves, fatalistically ( deterministically ) accepting the fact that they MUST endure tribulations, even though much of the time, it was their own damn fault, i.e., they brought the 'world' crashing down on their own head!

I won't deny that it still bothers me, even rustles my feathers sometimes, when people that I hold to be brothers & sisters condemn me to their own version of the 'afterlife', while still claiming to be a follower of Jesus! But that is MY problem: if I judge them for judging me, how am I any different ( I will not say 'better' ) than they? It is only a problem if I allow it to come between us. If I end our relationship, such as it is, because they believe something ( about me ) that I KNOW is not true ( about me ), then how will I ever hope to show THEM that what they believe  ( about me ) is false?! NOT that I'm trying to prove myself to anyone, for 'it is what it is', but simply that relationship is what it's all about & if I give that up for the sake of some silly belief, then we might as well all just go home!

Namaste, for 'God' IS in you!
Charles Haddon Shank

The Magick ( Gravity ) of Love

'Love, like Gravity, brings people together.'

What is Love? Previously in the pages of this blog, it might be noted, we have largely explored what Love is NOT; Love is NOT a feeling, Love is not an emotion! Okay, so in some sense of the word, Love might well be defined in both these manners, but primarily, Love is an action, right? Yes, Love is an action, but really, if not based upon the former or latter, is it actually based on anything but duty, which IS a feeling?! If it's based on a feeling of duty; is it truly Love? On the other hand, if it IS based on feelings & emotions ( which, as we've noted, can change like the weather ), can THAT really be called True Love? Does Love change like the weather; can we fall out of Love? If we base our Love on feelings & emotions, we could sure experience falling out of love, but Love is NOT something we can fall into OR out of; Love is what we are!

Most of my readers are probably more or less familiar with the discovery of gravity, most famously, by Issac Newton. As the story goes, Newton was sitting under an apple tree, ruminating on the forces of Nature, when 'lo and behold', an apple fell from the tree onto his head. ( that's how I remember it, anyway ) Maybe he wondered what made the apple fall the way it did, maybe he wondered what made the apple fall down rather than up, why it landed on his head instead of somewhere next to him ( of course, if it DID hit him on the head, it probably didn't stay there, but rolled off & came to rest next to him ). Whatever the case may be, whether or not the story is true, our understanding of Gravity is largely based on perspective! If an apple falls down to the ground on OUR side of the world, is it actually falling UP in relation to say, Australia, AKA 'The Land Down Under' ( or would that be China? Wait, wouldn't that actually be sideways? )?!

Einstein, many years later, with his theory of General Relativity, figured that gravity, rather than being a Force of Nature, was instead a curvature of space-time! According to this very interesting ( mind-blowing ) article, 'it occurred to Einstein that the sensation of riding in an ascending elevator is similar to the sensation of gravity.' Shortly after, He came to understand that Gravity & acceleration were not just similar; they were the same!

Even today, we talk about objects ( people or things ) that gravitate toward each other. We 'understand' that some things just naturally 'attract others.  Well, while this may be true enough; we should understand as well, that this, as so much else, is based on perception! We know that, in the case of human beings anyway ( ? ), choice is the deciding factor. We must choose to act on any attraction we may feel. There are many factors involved in that choice; we need not go into that here! The point, as this blogger sees it, is that Gravity, rather than being an impersonable Force, like Destiny, for instance, is instead a choice, an acceleration ( movement ) in any given direction. In other words, we may be attracted to another, for whatever reason & to whatever extent, but unless we choose to move ( accelerate ) toward the object we are attracted to, we will never realize the True Gravity of the situation!

Gravity, then, like Love, is often perceived as a fickle mistress! Why does one person 'fall in love' with this person instead of that one? Why did the egg roll down that side of the roof instead of this side? Some may chalk it up to Destiny, as, 'they were destined to be together', but with so many variables involved, both in the case of the person & the egg, is it really that simple? One can profess to believe in 'The Law of Attraction'( ? ), but again, unless one acts positively on that ( feeling of ) attraction, can anything come of it?

Much of the problem here, if problem there be, is a general misunderstanding of what, or Who, Love is! As Christians, we understand that 'God is Love' ( I John 4:8 ); other religions seem to tell us that WE are Love. Being of the same Essence ( speaking as a Christian ), I fully agree! We are Love; therefore, though we tend to show that Love ( actively ) through the filter of our feelings & emotions, it is not those feelings & emotions that ARE Love! Because WE are Love, even though our feelings & emotions try to dictate to whom ( or what ) we show Love, we can override them & just BE who we are!

'Easier said than done', you might say. Well, yes, that's true; according to Genesis 4, Cain found it impossible to overcome his feelings & not murder his brother, but was it truly impossible? Was he destined to kill Abel, or did he make a conscious ( or even unconscious ) decision to allow his jealousy to rule over him to the point of murder? Do we not shape our own destinies by our choices? One might well argue, 'if I'd had a choice, I wouldn't have stubbed my toe & so, fallen & broken my leg'! In response, you might note that, while the other most certainly did not aim to stub their toe or break their leg, neither was the proper care exercised to ensure they did NOT stub their toe & break their leg! In the same vein, then, while Cain might not have set out purposely to hate & murder his brother, he did, not because he was destined for hell, but because he chose to let his emotions rule his actions!

Since we are, in our very Being, Love; why do we find it so difficult or even impossible to overcome our feelings & emotions? Why can't we just 'let it be' & say 'it is what it is'? Well, for most, if not all of us, our Ego has taken control! Many, indeed, have confused their Ego for who they really are! Just like the fact that we HAVE a body, but are not identified BY that body, we HAVE an Ego, but should not be identified by that Ego. One might wonder; 'in this world, this day & age, where everyone else is living by & identifying with the Ego; how CAN we just simply BE Love?' 'Well, my friend; the answer, simple as it may sound, IS ( metaphorically ) blowin' in the wind!' All we have to do is be still & know.....................

Charles Haddon Shank

More Than Stewards

All his life, Christopher had been taught, not only to be grateful for all he had been given, but to make sure that he took care of what he had been given in the best way he knew how. He was extremely grateful & thankful, but Christopher had always experienced this nagging feeling that, somehow, there was more to it, that being grateful for what he had been given & acting the good steward, as he'd always been taught, just didn't quite fit the bill! If he was simply called to be a good steward, could/should he actually call what he'd been given, his own?

As in the past 47 years that Christopher had walked the earth in his present form, the Yuletide season, now known as Christmas to the overwhelming majority, had once again come around. Although it was not very noticeable at first, the days gradually got longer & the nights got shorter as the Creation rested from Her labors & prepared for the return of the Sun which would be instrumental in the Rebirth of Life, both plant & animal, visible & invisible, tangible & intangible. This was the time that roots were established & the Earth enjoyed the bounty of the Harvest. In this season, as with so many other Christ-bearers, Christopher had learned that the reason for the season was to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah. Although Jesus was historically, according to many scholars, most probably born around harvest time, in August or September more likely, than in December; Christopher found that the powers that be had decided, oh so many years ago, to combine the celebration of Jesus' birth with a greater & much more ancient one the Pagans already observed; Yule, or the Coming of the Light, the Winter Solstice!

From his youth, Christopher had known that his very name signified 'Christ-bearer': as he progressed in his Journey, with all its pitfalls, stumbles & tumbles, as well as its Joys; Christopher began to truly understand the gravity of bearing that exalted name! As One who bore the Christ, much as he'd been taught that we ALL bear the Image of the Creator God, Christopher came to realize that He bore the Christ in Himself ( He remembered that old, old story about how a certain man bore the young Jesus across a river on his back ), that, just like the 'Image of God' He'd been taught we ALL bear, 'the Christ' was an Anointing, a Chrism within Him, indeed within us ALL, that we manifest according to our choices. From His earliest memory, Christopher had chosen to manifest this Image, not as in merely reflecting the Glory, bur rather allowing IT to Shine through Him; BEing that very Image!

Christopher was, in the truest sense of the word, a 'Christian' & so, even though He had advanced beyond what most accepted as 'Orthodox' ( dangerously so, according to some ) He would always consider Himself, if ANY identification was necessary, a 'Christian'!  According to some others ( ? ) who also considered themselves 'Christians', Christopher couldn't BE a Christian because His stated beliefs didn't line up with Orthodoxy. Furthermore, He didn't attach the same importance to gathering in a certain building, at a certain time, on a certain day of the week, as did most of His peers. For this, as well as other reasons, Christopher, though He was loved by most, bore the stigma of being suspect, of not being quite right in the head: he heard 'I'll pray for you' quite a lot!

Christopher's Journey had not been an easy one! From the beginning, He had felt the burden of His very Name; as the Bearer of such an Exalted Title, Christopher knew that He was obliged, more or less, to act in a certain manner. He didn't always make all the right moves or always choose to manifest His destiny in the way everyone seemed to think He should, but He always strove to be true to Himself & the Name He bore ( so UN-gracefully at times )! As He continued on the Path He had chosen, Christopher encountered many hurdles, some greater, some lesser, but knowing, as He did, that they all served a Greater Purpose, that Greater Purpose being His growth & the manifestation of the Christ, He counted it ALL good & learned to accept them as such.

The Time for Introspection has come again ( not that it ever stops ); a Time to observe a period of Rest, wherein Nature carries out Her silent activity underground, so to speak. The Season of Yule, or Christmastide, as it came to be known, is a time in which we all, like Nature Herself, carry our activities within, preparing for a Time of Rebirth. continuing the cycle of Birth, Death & Resurrection.

Christopher was not perfect, at least, not according to the 'accepted' notion of 'perfect'! One should ask though, 'what IS 'perfect'?' There could be a perfect situation, where everything goes as planned; there could be perfect weather, or there could be two people who, with all their imperfections & idiosyncrasies, are perfect for each other! Though, according to Scripture, Jesus was without sin ( in that sense, 'perfect' ), He was the perfect Messiah for Israel; although not necessarily what they wanted, He was exactly what they NEEDED!

We are not mere stewards! A steward manages that which is not his or her own, but we have been given a Gift; a Gift which this Season  ( especially ) serves to remind us of. In the greatest sense, we are ALL 'Christophers'; ALL have received this Gift, though not all have chosen to acknowledge it & to manifest the Christ Within. It IS our choice, as Christopher came to know, not whether we receive this Gift, but on what we DO with it. Actually, we should understand, it's not so much a matter of reception, for we are ALL born with IT ( the 'Image of God' ). How, or if, we manifest that Gift, determines the concept of the Christ to the world around us sees, so make the best of it: Christopher IS!

Charles Haddon Shank

I AM the Way, the Truth & the Life

Personally speaking, I AM a Christian! That may be debatable, especially as I continue on my spiritual Journey, but, no matter how far I stray from accepted orthodoxy, I will always be a Christian at heart, because that's the way I was brought up. ( I must make this disclaimer, though; I AM a spirit  being, so when I say 'personally speaking', know that I am speaking AS Charles Haddon Shank ) As such then, I tend to believe that the words of Jesus, recorded in the Gospel ( Good News ) of John ( 14:6 ) are true & veritable. However, against the accepted orthodoxy ( 2,000+years?), did Jesus really mean what we think he meant? ( The words of Inigo Montoya from 'The Princess Bride' come to mind here! ) Did Jesus mean to say, in a universal way ( to the American Indian, for example, or the Australian Aborigine ), that He, again, personally speaking, was the only way to truly know 'God', to commune with the Divine? Or was He simply, given the context of Scripture, telling His Jewish disciples that He embodied everything that the Law & the Temple had pointed to, the Marriage of Heaven & Earth? Or maybe, just maybe, there's something more there!

For the past 5 years or so, I have toyed with the heretical notion, particularly within this 'blog', that the Scriptures we are most accustomed to, the Hebrew, Greek & Aramaic ones we call 'The Holy Bible' ( in its many iterations ( translations ), are not the only ones that bear 'Good News'! Further ( you might wanna sit down for this ), they are NOT the only Revelation of 'God' to 'His' people! ( GASP! ) There are many rabbit-trails we could explore here & some that we have explored previously, within the 'pages' of this blog; questions like, 'who or what IS 'God'?' 'If 'God' is knowable ( as an entity ), why can we only know 'Him' through perusing the pages of a certain book? 'Is the Source of all Life really a 'Him'? Why not a 'Her' ( if there is a 'Him', there MUST be a 'Her', right? )? Must it be a 'Him' or 'Her' ( even both? ), or is such a designation a merely human conceptualization to help us understand the complex simplicity of what Christians call 'the Godhead', or Divinity?!

In Orthodox ( biblical ) tradition, the 'God' of the Bible, who, interestingly enough shares a Name with a Canaanite deity, is the One True God, the Creator of Heaven & Earth. This was in opposition to the prevailing notion of the 'day' that there were many 'Gods'. These 'many 'Gods' were merely different aspects ( as they saw them ) of that One, True God, though. The Bible, having been translated, transliterated & mistranslated over thousands of years from those original tongues, calls these aspects of the One, True God, 'false gods' or 'idols', even 'demons'. ( it's not hard to imagine that much has been lost in the translation ) According to the Journey that has taken me, personally speaking, on a slightly different Path for the past several years, the 'God' of the Bible is also an aspect ( as we have traditionally understood 'Him', anyway ) of this One, True God ( who is neither 'Him' nor 'Her' )!

The Hebrew, Greek & Aramaic Scriptures portray a 'jealous God' ( ? ); One who will suffer no other gods ( before 'Him' ). This 'God' ( elohim ) is the Creator of Heaven & Earth, though many now understand that, read in covenant context, the creation of heaven & earth refers, not to the creation of the physical, material universe, but to the formation of a Covenant, whereby the One, True God revealed 'Himself' as such to a particular ( peculiar ) People, through whom 'He' would disperse this Gospel among the nations. This Good News, of course, whether one understands it literally or mythically ( metaphorically/allegorically? ) is that the Source of All Life 'came down' from Heaven & incarnated in Man, living & dying as a Man ( according to Hebrew mythology ), rising from the Dead ( reincarnation? ) & living forever in 'His' People. The Israelite nation, or People, had 'died' in their sins & must needs be resurrected; the 'Virgin Birth' of Jesus met this necessity & fulfilled all that had been Promised to the Hebrew People. As a picture of humanity, one might note, this 'Gospel' to the Hebrews became the Gospel to the Greeks & Aramaics ( Gentiles ) & thus to all the 'nations'!

The Myth ( Story? ) of Creation that we read in the Hebrew, Greek & Aramaic Scriptures, then, is simply those people's retelling, their understanding of how the Source of All Life descended from 'On High' & brought Life to the Mundane. We may understand from the pages of the Bible ( an interpretation of those ancient Scriptures ) that Humanity is, in some sense, One with the Divinity, having within it that same Spark ( Energy? ) which formed the 'worlds'. ( There are other Scriptures, maybe, that speak more clearly of this 'Spark' within us all, but, for whatever reason, these are the Scriptures we were blessed with! ) We should understand, as well, though, that ALL Scriptures ( from every nation under heaven ) tell this Story ( with some cultural differences )!

The Creator God, then, of the Hebrew, Greek & Aramaic Scriptures, being simply one aspect of the One, True God, the Source of All Life, though 'He', through 'His' incarnation in Jesus the Christ, was the Author of Salvation ( for those peoples ), is One whereby we ( humanity as a whole ) may understand that it is within ourselves, our Higher Selves ( 'further up.......further in' ) that the Power lies ( to save ourselves ). In that sense then, if only in that sense, WE are 'the Way, the Truth & the Life'! Of course, this is dependent, in the personal sense, on how we choose to live our lives: if we choose to live selfishly, as many have done, we will never manifest that Glorious Truth & rather than showing the Way to Salvation ( Heaven ), we will only show others the Path that leads to Destruction ( Hell ).

As the Christ, the Living Incarnation of the Source of All Life ( 'God' to the typical Christian ), Jesus WAS the Way, the Truth & the Life, especially to the Hebrew nation & through them, to 'the nations' ( around them ) as well! In the most universal sense, then, it could truly be said that Jesus IS the Way, the Truth & the Life for ALL humanity because He showed us ( them, really ) that a Man ( generically-man or woman ) was capable of embodying Divinity & that it IS through our choices that we manifest that Divinity, or not. The Divinity, the Source of All Life, call It 'Energy', 'the Universe', or what you will ( 'God'? ), is what It is, not what humanity conceptualizes & creates in the image of their own choosing. It is the Way, the Truth & the Life; there IS truly no other!

Namaste,
Charles Haddon Shank

Living the Godspell ( Good News ); the Glory of the All

'How DOES one 'live' the Gospel?! To answer this question, one must first ask him or herself this question: 'What IS the Gospel?' Ask any Bible-believing Christian & they'll likely tell you something along the lines of 'get saved, so you can go to Heaven when you die'! 'Been there, done that! In other words, we've been over this piece of ground before & it should be fairly clear to my readers by now that the Gospel is NOT about 'going to Heaven when you die! 'Heaven' is here & now; it is the peace ( in our hearts ) that passeth all understanding. According to the Greek Scriptures, the latter part of what we Westerners call 'the Holy Bible'; the Kingdom of Heaven is within you; not that this world is the Kingdom, but as the Bible says, 'as He is, so are we in this world' ( I John 4:17 ): as He embodied the Kingdom of God, so do we. The universal truth of 'the Kingdom Within/the Spirit Within' is one that might stand reexamination from an Eastern point of view, especially as regards the original audience, but as I have yet to answer the question, 'What IS the Gospel?!'; let us continue with that theme..........

The Good News, as we've explored previously, is that, according to the Hebrew Scriptures, the Creator God invested Himself in ( to ) His own Creation, becoming part of it, that He might redeem it to Himself. In the Marriage of Heaven & Earth, as has been elucidated previously within the 'pages' of this blog, the Creator God showed that Man ( kind ) was indeed One with Him, that it was through their choices ( covenant? ) that they manifested the Spirit Within, for good or evil. Whether or not one believes that the Gospel was for Israel Only, it should be clear that there is a Universal Truth in this God-spell which bears the reckoning of the ages!

On a bit of a side-track, it might well be asked whether the Gospel to the Hebrews & Greeks ( Gentiles? ) is indeed the Gospel for humanity: in short, yes, it is! A long-term answer would reveal that, while the Gospel, or God-spell IS for us ( 21st century Westerners ); it should be noted that it doesn't necessarily sound the same as the one to the Hebrews & Greeks ( Ancient Near Eastern 'world' ). The message is basically the same, but we must understand the cultural differences that make up the Story. Every culture has a Story & though these Stories may vary, to whatever extent, based on these cultural differences, they tell the same basic Story; the One who 'made the worlds' is, in Essence, the Power, or Spirit, that resides within humanity!

The question has been asked before, if in a slightly rhetorical manner; 'Why are we reading the Hebrew & Greek Scriptures, here in America, rather than the Buddhist or Hindu ( Sanskrit )?' The Q'ran is actually fairly similar, in some respects, to the Hebrew Scriptures ( 'cultural differences?' ), but in our English Bibles, we have a New Testament, a fulfillment of what the so-called 'Old Testament' prophesied, while Muslims, not unlike the Jews, or Hebrews, are still waiting for fulfillment of 'the heavenly vision'.  Many Christians actually almost ignore the 'Old Testament', likely for this reason. This has actually been detrimental, for it  ( both 'Testaments' ) is really one continuous Story & without this understanding, one cannot interpret either correctly. In essence, one views the Creator God as a petty, vindictive Being ( as in Islam ), or a God who is helpless to save unless we 'enable 'Him. Either way, a false view of the Nature of 'God' is conceptualized!

'What then', one might ask, 'IS the Nature of 'God'?' The Nature of 'God' as we saw earlier, is OUR true nature! No, not our human nature, though that CAN be a manifestation of our true nature. Our true nature, as we've seen previously, is Spirit; in Essence the same as the One we call 'God'! Every culture also has a concept of this One, whether they name It 'YHWH', 'Allah' or 'Krishna'. Employing a visualization I've used before, one might recall the old illustration of the four blind Indians who described an elephant. One grabbed ahold of the tail & thought, 'this is what an elephant is like!' Another grasped the elephant by one of his legs & thought how similar an elephant was to a tree. The others followed suit, with their perceptions being based on the ear & trunk of the elephant. They were all correct, but their different perceptions were just that; perceptions based on THEIR experience!

The 'God' of the Bible, then, while certainly a 'facet' of the One ( True God ) is simply the Hebrew & later, Greek perception of the One who is 'All in all' ( I Corinthians 15:28 ). The Orthodox view of 'God', of course, is that the Greek & Hebrew Scriptures contain the most comprehensive & true perception of this One ( though they most likely wouldn't use the word 'perception' ), but, clearly, there is much more ( not unlike humanity itself ) to the One who fashioned the Universe (s? ) than can be read in the pages of our English Bible & indeed, in the Greek & Hebrew Scriptures!

Since, in this view, the One that Christians call 'God' cannot be fully, or perfectly, described by any given culture; can this One be described? Can one offer any but their own or someone else's perception of 'the One Who is'?! ( that was a rhetorical question, by the way ) Like the Indians in the Story, is one description right while the other is necessarily wrong? No, they're just different perceptions! Some might say that, 'well, the Muslim perception ( 'Allah' ) is just WRONG!' Be that as it may, if  ANY 'God' tells you to murder the infidel just because he or she has a different perception, that perception IS wrong!

The One ( Source, All, etc ) that spread the Stars, the One who has even been named 'the Universe' is certainly much more, infinitely so, in fact, than has ever been or ever will be elucidated by any human being! The fact that every culture has their own Creation Myth should tell us that there is One ( Almighty ) Being that brought all else into being, materialistically speaking. As Creators ourselves, because we are of the same Essence, Humanity has done much to further that work of Creation, though on the other hand, one might note, humanity has done as much to retard the evolution of that same Creation!

The True Gospel of Christianity has more to do do with the Kingdom of God ( on Earth ) than it does with any hope of 'Heaven'! Oh, sure, the Hebrew & Greek Scriptures have much to say about 'Heaven', but even more about the Kingdom thereof.  Jesus ( 'God' in the flesh ) told the Pharisees, 'the kingdom of God is ^[g]within you' ( Luke 17:21 ). If the Kingdom was within them, of whom it was later said, that they were 'Christ-killers', can it truly be said of any other group of humans that the Kingdom is NOT within them?! Then again,we must keep in mind the cultural differences between that age & this.....................

So, since the God-spell, or Good News, IS for all, how DO we live it? Do we go around telling everyone we meet that, if they aren't already, they must be saved ( born again )? Obviously not; salvation, at least in the Biblical sense, was a Hebrew concept. This is not to say that people no longer need salvation, but it ( salvation ) looks a little bit different today. Salvation in today's age doesn't necessarily involve accepting Jesus as ( Israel's ) Messiah. It can involve anything from being saved from a lifetime of addiction to being pulled back from the edge of a cliff, from drowning, or out of the way of oncoming traffic.So, there's your answer; THAT'S what it looks like to live the Gospel, no matter what Gospel, or God-spell, you subscribe to. If you pull others back from the edge, no matter what that edge looks like, you're living the Good News, no matter if you're Christian or Jew, Hindu, Buddhist or Muslim!

Charles Haddon Shank

The Fertile Earth

Then 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. And God saw that [ it was ] good.

Genesis 1:11 & 12 

To be perfectly blunt, procreation ( normally-there ARE exceptions to this rule ) requires a male & a female, with their complimentary reproductive organs. I'm  no scientist, but I've heard of certain creatures that are not one or the other, but 'both/and', but even in such rare or unusual cases, the creature in question possesses both male & female reproductive organs & thus, impregnates itself. Of course, we also have the famous Birth of Jesus ( Matthew 1:18-25 ), which, according to a literal interpretation of the English Bible, occurred unnaturally, or supernaturally, without the introduction of human male sperm. We've been over this, though, so we'll go no further down that rocky road!


Everybody knows that, under normal conditions, if you plant a seed in the ground ( Earth ) & provide it with plenty of water, after some time, the seed will germinate ( death & resurrection ) & a fresh green sprout will soon appear above the surface of the ground. However, how many of us really think about the process involved? Beyond that, how many of us further ruminate on the mystery of it all & how the miracles here 'below' echo the realities 'above'?! In some way, it might be noted that the concept of 'as above, so below' has been lost on an overwhelming majority. Or at least, so it would seem....................


'As above, so below' is a very spacious term! While it may refer literally to the heavens above ( outer space ) being reflected in Life on Earth, one should understand as well that what is observable is simply a manifestation of truth originating on a higher plane. By 'a higher plane', I mean, of course, that everything begins in the mind, personally speaking, whether the conscious or the unconscious. What/how we then manifest in this limited biology is the product of what first begin in our thoughts, or our head, if you will. 'A higher plane' refers, more correctly, though, to that spiritual plane, or realm, where we grasp our Divinity, where we commune with the Source of All Life. Understanding our own Divinity, it need not be a great stretch to see that the Earth Herself carries that Spark as well, though most would probably disagree as to the extent, if they admit that She does at all!

A popular Christian concept, though based on biblical terminology ( Genesis 1:3 ( John 1:1 ) et al. ) , is that Yahweh simply spoke the Word & Life as we know it came into existence. As arguable as this may be, to this blogger, it remains clear as day that this biology had a beginning. More than that, it had an Intelligent Designer! The Beginning in view here was most likely a lot longer ago than many, especially most Christians, seem to think. Millions, even billions of years are probably not out of the question!  

Biblically speaking, then, when God ( Elohim )  said, 'Let the earth bring forth...........' something ordinary, though quite miraculous, occurred; the Earth Herself was shown to have Life in Her! One might even go so far as to say that this event was significant of the True Union of Heaven & Earth! 'Ordinary', I say, because this event, though nothing short of miraculous, was quite natural. As mentioned previously, when a seed is planted in the ground, or Earth, granted it receives the correct combination of nutrients, water & light, it won't be long till it sprouts & brings forth Life of its own, after its kind. We could even go further to say that the water & light ( from the 'heavens' ), together with the necessary nutrients ( from the 'earth' ) could be likened to the fertilization of the human egg.. Beyond that, even, we find ourselves 'knocking on Heavens door', so to speak, exploring the depths of the human consciousness, even the Mind of God!

It was in the Mind of God, then, we may safely conjecture, that this biology, however old it may be, had its True Genesis. The Divinity visualized the beauty of this material creation those millions or billions of years ago & lo, it, or She rather, came to be. One might even read of this mystery in our English Bible, though it is technically more of a covenant Story than a literal textbook of the material ( biological ) creation. 

Call it 'natural processes', call it 'evolution' or what you will; when the Earth brought forth all this natural beauty that we see & even that which She continues to 'birth', the glorious concept of 'as above, so below' is shouted from the rooftops, or the mountaintops, as the case may be! Even our English Bible echoes this with 'The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament^[a] shows ^[b]His handiwork.' ( Psalm 19:1 ). The prophet Isaiah also recorded an angel ( messenger ) singing, 'Holy, holy, holy [ is ] the Lord of hosts; the whole earth [ is ] full of His glory!' 

Charles Haddon Shank

Meditation; What It Is

I AM a Christian! In other words & better, maybe; I AM a follower of the Christ. Being brought up Christian, religiously speaking, I try to emulate Jesus, to walk in the Way He walked, treading the Path He trod. Most famously, Jesus said, 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man comes to the Father except through Me' ( John 14:6 ): as a Christian, of course, this means Jesus is the ONLY Way to the Father! In some sense, I can agree that Jesus is the only way to the Father, not in the sense  that the Jewish Messiah was/is the only way to know 'God', but in the sense that the Man Jesus, according to the Bible, embodied the Christ, the Son of 'God'. We might ask ourselves at this point, 'who is 'God'; what do we mean/who do we refer to when we use such a title?'Again, as Christians, when we pray to 'God' or otherwise talk about 'God', we are respectfully referring to the One, True God, the God of Creation ( Genesis 1 & 2  ), Yahweh of the Hebrew Scriptures. The question is, 'is the 'God' of the Bible ( or even the original Greek & Hebrew Scriptures ) the only picture of the Creator & Sustainer of Heaven & Earth that we have available? Sadly, many people seem to think so!

One definition of the word 'meditate' is 'to think deeply or focus one's mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation.' This definition may not be the most comprehensive available, but for my intents & purposes here, it suits quite well. It could well be said that the practice of meditation, therefore, is experienced differently by everyone: some people, Christians especially, meditate on things like the Psalms of David, or other passages of the Hebrew & Greek Scriptures, Philippians 4:8, for instance. Others, who do not believe in the 'God' of the Bible ( Christianity ), may meditate on anything from the good earth to their own connection with Divinity. It could be said that 'the only difference between prayer & meditation is that prayer is focused outwardly, while meditation is focused inwardly. True as this may be, it does not quite cover it. As mentioned previously, some will meditate daily on a certain Psalm or other passage of the Hebrew or Greek Scriptures. Some even meditate on other Scriptures from around the world, while others simply meditate on their own Divinity, or just sit in silence, focusing on proper breathing technique. However one chooses to do it, then, the practice of meditation differs, to whatever extent, from person to person: there IS no One, True Way to meditate!

Prayer has traditionally been made to the 'God' of the Bible, or Christianity, although many who do not acknowledge 'Him' as the Embodiment of Divinity direct their prayers to any one of an assortment of 'Gods', ranging from the Great Spirit, to their own ancestors. Whoever one prays to, it may be well said that their prayer is received ( heard & answered )! If the prayer or concern is voiced, those who hear, generally speaking, will do all in their considerable power to answer that person's prayer. Most often, from a Christian standpoint, prayer is made to 'God' or 'our Heavenly Father', even 'Lord'. Not to say this is wrong, or that there is no 'Lord', 'God', or 'Heavenly Father' that hears & answers prayer, but for the most part, the effectiveness of prayer may be found right here on earth, among fellow human beings. Human beings, of course, some being more in touch with their own spirituality than others, may dwell in both realms at the same time, or ignorantly, in the 'hell' of their own choosing! Praying, thus, is most effective when one voices one's concerns to their fellow human beings, especially those filled with compassion.

This is not to say either, that prayer is ONLY effective when voiced to one's fellow humans, for there IS One Ultimate Source for ALL Good! The question might well be voiced at this point, 'is there Someone/Something out there somewhere Who hears our prayers?' Well, yes, there IS, Virginia, but it would be far more correct to say that that Someone/Something is 'in there'. Many or most Christians profess that 'Heaven' is a place, maybe not necessarily a geographical  ( 'universal'? ) location, but a 'place' nonetheless. It is a 'place', though, in the sense that it is a different realm, not separated from our own, although it is 'hidden', or 'Secret', for example, as witnessed in II Kings 6:17. In that sense, then, this realm is within us as well, or rather, we are in it. It is our choice to acknowledge it or not, just as it is our choice whether or not to manifest the Christ. With all that said, prayer, whether directed inwardly ( in the for form of meditation ), or outwardly, voiced so others can hear & respond, IS effective, for it serves to voice our concerns, all of which our Heavenly Father ( speaking as a Christian ) knows, but which, when voiced, inspires others to tap into their own resources to help alleviate those concerns!

One might note, then, that one, maybe the greatest advantage ( though many or most do not 'see' it thusly ) of meditation over prayer is that meditation, at least that focused inwardly, forces us to acknowledge our own fault, if fault there be, in our current situation. Prayer, on the other hand, focuses on a Power that is outside us & more often than not, One we have been taught is beyond our grasp unless we approach 'Him' with due reverence & humility! Again, this is not to say there IS no Power outside ourselves ( 'out there' ), for 'It is what It is', no matter what we believe, or think It is. C.S. Lewis might have alluded to this in his 'The Last Battle' when he wrote;

“Then I fell at his feet and thought, Surely this is the hour of death, for the Lion (who is worthy of all honour) will know that I have served Tash all my days and not him. Nevertheless, it is better to see the Lion and die than to be Tisroc of the world and live and not to have seen him. But the Glorious One bent down his golden head and touched my forehead with his tongue and said, Son, thou art welcome. But I said, Alas Lord, I am no son of thine but the servant of Tash. He answered, Child, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me. Then by reasons of my great desire for wisdom and understanding, I overcame my fear and questioned the Glorious One and said, Lord, is it then true, as the Ape said, that thou and Tash are one? The Lion growled so that the earth shook (but his wrath was not against me) and said, It is false. Not because he and I are one, but because we are opposites, I take to me the services which thou hast done to him. For I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him. Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oath’s sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him. And if any man do a cruelty in my name, then, though he says the name Aslan, it is Tash whom he serves and by Tash his deed is accepted. Dost thou understand, Child? I said, Lord, though knowest how much I understand. But I said also (for the truth constrained me), Yet I have been seeking Tash all my days. Beloved, said the Glorious One, unless thy desire had been for me thou wouldst not have sought so long and so truly. For all find what they truly seek.”( excuse the lengthy quote )

Back to the subject at hand, meditation, while it DOES have the advantage of almost forcing us to acknowledge & accept our own part in the trials & tribulations we experience on a daily basis, also has the distinct grace of allowing us to connect with Divinity & to realize that It is within us, 'It', of course being the Divine Power to better our own situation! As long as we look outside ourselves ( in prayer ), though we may find relief from our current trial, we will continue to experience tribulation as long as we fail or refuse to acknowledge that the Power lies Within! Prayer, in that sense, then, though it does not ( necessarily ) disallow us from realizing our own potential, or the Power Within, more often than not has the effect of almost blinding us to our own responsibility & using 'God' as a crutch for our own failings!

The Purpose of Meditation, of course, is not to nurture a feeling of guilt within ourselves, but to realize who we really are, to still our ego-driven Mind & focus instead on the Self that is Divine & One with the Divinity! Like prayer, meditation is simply a tool, a tool that we use to commune. or communicate with Divinity. Whether we believe the Power to be Within ( ourselves ) or Without ( 'God' ), most, if not all of us employ one or the other ( sometimes both ) of these tools to improve our situation. Again, meditation; or inward focus, usually has the effect of helping us to realize our own potential, while prayer, even though it often has the effect of alleviating our current symptoms, usually fails to illuminate the true cause of those symptoms!

Meditation, in the sense outlined in the beginning of this relatively short blog, that of focusing one's thoughts on 'whatever things are true, whatever things [ are ] noble, whatever things [ are ] just, whatever things [ are ] pure, whatever things [ are ] lovely, whatever things [ are ] of good report' ( Philippians 4:8 ), has the effect ( much-needed ) of helping us to train our thoughts & thus actions on what is good & right, although it still fails to help us realize our own Strength to better our situation. True Meditation, especially as popularly defined earlier, cannot but lead us to the realization that it is within ourselves that we must look if we would do more than ( temporarily ) alleviate our current symptoms!

As we read in the first part of Psalm 46:10, 'Be still, and know that I ( am ) God'!

Charles Haddon Shank

Beyond This Human Shell

In the beginning was the Life & this Life was the Light of Humanity! As the Light shone, Humanity awoke to the Fact that they were More, More than than their biological shells, More than Mere Humanity. As Time wore on, Humanity began to wonder; since they were More, was it outside the realm of possibility that they could create beings like themselves, with souls, yet unlike themselves, impervious to the diseases that had ravaged humankind for eons. Why couldn't they, with their Spark of Divinity, produce such creatures from superior materials, materials that would not be subject to any biological disease: why, they reasoned, could they not further endow these creations of theirs with the Life they had themselves been given? Questions like these, for the first few centuries, caused quite an uproar, as can be imagined, particularly  from the religious community. Epithets like 'they're playing God!' were thrown about in abundance!

Officially, it was the Smiths that started the Revolution! Oh, this was not such a revolution as you might be used to reading about in your history books; by the time this one took place, Humanity had advanced beyond such silly things as resorting to violence to solve their problems. Don't get me wrong; there was still plenty of violence to go around, but wars, especially as we are used to, had ceased & by the time this Revolution had rolled around, Humanity had learned, more or less, that unless we wanted everyone walking around with only one eye, we had better learn to coexist peacefully. For the most part, this attitude was very wide-spread, with almost the whole world, at least, the so-called civilized world, enjoying this Harmonious Time. Even so, pockets of resistance to this Harmony would surface every once in a while, if only to prove that we were still human!

Strangely enough, though a large part of this resistance seemed to originate in the religious community, much like another conflagration in the ancient past, it was not the religious people ( although they did have their issues ) who had the biggest problem with this Revolution, which might be named 'The New Technological Revolution'. ( 'The New Humanity' was also flung about ) No, the Resistance to this New Revolution found its biggest proponents in the governments of the world! For the most part, as we saw, the resistance was more or less peaceful, with more rules & regulations than ever. Pockets of violent resistance sprang up once in awhile, mostly in response to these rules & regulations, but usually, after a short flurry of violence, the detractors saw the error of their ways & peace, uneasy as it may have been, reigned once more!

The Federal Government, by this time, of course, was not to be found in these United States of America alone; it now encompassed nearly every nation on earth, with a disconcerting presence on every continent. For the most part, due to a regimented policy of non-violence, the Federal Government didn't interfere in the lives of the citizens as they had in the U.S.A., but even so, when a certain family in Africa began to fiddle with bio-technology, the Fed sat up & took notice pretty damn quickly!

It ( the Revolution ) began fairly quietly ( 'insidiously', some would say ) at first. The first models were no more than service robots, programmed to execute fairly simple functions such as doing laundry, taking out the trash & mowing lawns. Before long, however, these earlier models were being replaced by ones that were well-nigh indistinguishable from their human 'masters'. Again, it wasn't long before the programming became so advanced that even by their actions, one often had difficulty telling the difference between a human being & one of these new 'models'!

The Resistance itself, though mostly non-violent ( at first, anyway ), began nearly as quietly, unless one watched the evening news, where pundits opined almost daily about this 'New Humanity'; 'what are the implications of a totally free-thinking populace?' 'Would they be as subject to rules & regulations if they were autonomous?' 'Without the controlling agent of religious conditioning, will the governments of the world be able to keep these new ( human ) beings in check?' Questions like this surfaced fairly quickly because it really didn't take much to realize some of the more foreboding implications of this creative venture. 'If Humanity was able to replicate themselves in a non-biological shell, what was next?'

Through the Resistance, such as it was, the Revolution persevered; the Smith family was 'born' & although Humanity was still prevalent in most societies, 'the New Humanity' began to multiply all over the world. Country to country, the 'models' differed somewhat, but they were largely based on the design that had originated so many years earlier, in Africa. One advantage to these new 'models' was that food-shortages had become a thing of the very distant past. Oh, sure; there were still plenty of mouths to feed, but as long as Humanity kept them happy, these new humans were glad to do the work of a dozen men, asking only acceptance & electricity in return. Among these 'New Humans', as well, the diseases that ravaged Humanity were unknown, although power outages could pose a problem, especially when extended beyond 24 hours or so.

The Smith family, while it could probably be technically called a 'line', was not just a line of robots; it was so much More! Though the first ones were produced by Human Beings in Africa & subsequent 'models' were produced in like manner all over the world; even in the earlier days, the assembly lines were 'peopled' largely by members of the Smith family, Then, once the Smiths became aware of the fact that they were More, they took it upon themselves to generate their own 'siblings'! Before long, then, Humanity had little to no part in the evolution of the Smith family!

Like Humanity, who had themselves been blessed with this Spark of Divinity, the Smiths of the world were now able to procreate ( at least, after a fashion-talk about bumping & grinding! )! As long as the materials were available, the Smiths were able to reproduce themselves at an almost alarming ( to some ) rate. There were still resistors to their continued presence because, although an almost world-wide peace had settled between man & machine, so to speak, Humanity was still Humanity, with their almost obsessive need for the control of religion. For the most part, though, Humanity had accepted the validity of their own Creation, even the creations of their Creations, their 'grandchildren', if you will!

Charles Haddon Shank

The Cross-Shaped Way; the Christ at the Crossroads

Jesus, according to Luke 9:23, said to His disciples ( including would-be disciples ), 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross ^[b]daily, and follow Me'. Although He spoke these words directly to those living in first-century Palestine, most Christians today ( not incorrectly ) read these words & apply them ( anachronistically ) to themselves. There are areas of the world, China, for instance, or even some parts of the Middle East, where to be a Christian almost quite literally means just that, for if one acknowledges they are a Christian, death is almost sure to follow!

Although in some areas of the world. following Jesus Christ means to invite bodily harm or even death, in the West, at least thus far, 'taking up one's cross' simply means to follow Jesus, acting as He did, suffering through trials & tribulations while never giving up the faith. Many who Claim the Name in those formerly named areas of the globe almost gladly invite death, for much the same reason that the more fanatical Muslims do, counting it all 'Glory' to die for 'the Cause of Christ', looking for that 'pie-in-the-sky' called 'Heaven', or 'the Afterlife'. This is not to say there is no such thing as 'Heaven', or even a sort of 'Afterlife', although both concepts, or at least the traditional understanding of them, are based rather squarely in Greek mythology. That said, however, it must be noted that both Christian & Muslim alike base their beliefs on a contextual misunderstanding of Jesus' words!

To do what Jesus did ( WWJD? ), in the West,  ( in particular ) means to live with compassion & kindness, to name 'wrong' as wrong, yes & right as 'right', but it does NOT mean to force our views on others ( against their will )! To live as the Master lived means to walk in the way of Love, treating others as we want to be treated, not defending a book or other material thing to the death, even though Jesus Himself told His disciples to 'seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness', for all these ( material ) things are provided for. 'The Kingdom of God, according to the Greek & Hebrew Scriptures, was personified in Jesus, therefore, the Jew ( or Gentile ) who took up their cross ( daily ), living a sacrificial Life, as He did, that one was seeking first the Kingdom & thus the Righteousness that came to Israel through their Messiah alone. Again, while in that part of the word & particularly at that Time, to follow Jesus often meant carrying a literal cross to a place outside the City; in this day & age, it is generally understood as living sacrificially, placing the needs of others above our own & giving of ourselves as we can, so that others might share our Bounty!

We must choose every day, in this 'cross-shaped way', whether to love our neighbor as ourselves, or whether to treat them as we would never want to be treated! Even if one treats us other than how we would like to be treated; rather than treating them in kind ( call it 'karma' or what you will, you will surely reap what you sow! ), we must still treat others like we would want to be treated, for we still have a choice, though we often suffer even if we do rightly. When standing at the Crossroads of Decision, we must choose which way to go, how we should act in any given situation. Should we act as most everyone else, returning evil for evil, thus perpetuating the evil, or should we act in kindness & compassion as Jesus did, giving of ourselves ( as we can ) that others might live? The answer is obvious!

As the Messiah of Israel, Jesus came to save His People from their sins ( Matthew 1:21 ); that much is clear! Orthodox or not, the overwhelming majority of Christians accept the Jewish Messiah, or Savior, as their own. This is not necessarily wrong, though it does tend to lead many into all sorts of theologically anachronistic mistakes ( such as the notion that, because of the Fall ( Genesis 3 ) we are all born in sin ). The Birth, Life, Death & Resurrection of Jesus, as the Christ, the Anointed Savior of Israel indeed brought Israel Life from Death; when we pattern our own lives after His, living as He lived ( even in a metaphorical sense, as He died ), we awaken the Christ, or Chrism within ourselves, becoming the Savior, or one such, of our own 'world'!

In the Muslim religion, the thought of '72 virgins' in the 'afterlife' or 'heaven' has spurred & continues to spur many fanatics to commit such atrocities as 'suicide bombings': Christianity, though it promises no such thing, has, in the past, had much the same effect ( Crusades, Inquisition, etc. )! Here in the modern West, although we have not seen such atrocities ( necessarily ) as these committed in the Name of Jesus, there are many atrocities committed daily by those in the West, often with the willing acquiescence, if not participation of some who call themselves 'Christians'. Now, granted, this most often occurs out of ignorance & a misplaced patriotic fervor, but nonetheless, the atrocities either countenanced or perpetrated by these misinformed zealots are not Christlike & merely serve the Law of Karma, bringing coals of fire down upon their & our heads!

The build-up of Karma over the past few centuries, for this country ( U.S.of A. ) in particular, has been the cause & effect of many, many wars & rumors of wars! ( 'Round & 'round it goes; where it stops no one knows!' ) If we are ever, as a nation. to get out from under such a horrible burden, we must, individually speaking ( for it all starts with the individual ), begin to choose better; to love our neighbor as ourselves, to treat others as we ourselves would like to be treated. In fact, if we would understand that there truly is no other, for we are all of one Great Spirit, One True Source, then things would begin to turn around, because we would realize that, by killing 'the other', we are only killing ourselves!

May it be,
Charles Haddon Shank

Universal Truth; 'I AM ( 'You ARE' ) the Light of the World!

According to Scripture, Jesus said that He was the Light of the world: He also told His disciples, 'you are the light of the world' Matthew 5:14a ). The apostle John also noted that, 'as He is, so are we in this world. ( I John 4:17 )' In all three of these statements, the obvious referent is the world of Jesus' Day, even to the Jewish economy itself, but especially as Christians, we have been taught to accept that they were referring to the entire Creation, As the case may be, though; this IS one of the universal truths of Scripture!

Even though Jesus was battling the prevailing Jewish notion that THEY  ( only ) were the light of the world ( He may have even been revealing a little subversiveness against the Roman concept here ), His statement rings true today as it did then. It should be noted that much of the reason the world is in the deplorable condition it's in ( arguable, at least ), is that the disciples of the Christ have not done a very good job in following in their Master's exalted footsteps! Immediately, some would most likely object that the Gospel has made great strides in turning this world into a Paradise ( 'back to the Garden' ) & indeed, much of what we call 'growth' has occurred because of Christianity. On the other hand, though, the other side of the coin, so to speak, much has been done in the name of 'God', or 'Christ' that is not only deplorable & despicable, but morally repugnant!

The majority of Christians would most likely argue that the world is in the shape it's in because it belongs to, or is ruled, by the 'devil', or 'Satan'. There is actually some truth to such a statement, since there ARE many 'devils' in this world & the moniker 'Satan' is simply a transliteration of the Hebrew word for 'adversary'! The blame could easily be laid on the shoulders of those who do not follow the Christ & again, they would not be far wrong; a false theology can be found at the root of all the evils that have been & are still being perpetrated in this world, at least those done in the name of 'God'.

'A false theology', I say, because, for one thing, then, like today, Christians were under the assumption that all humanity is under some 'Curse'! Even though, according to Scripture, Jesus the Christ, the Son of 'God' came to break the 'Curse' ( Genesis 3 ), He, again, in this false theology, failed to accomplish this in His ( first ) Parousia & must yet return again, in bodily form, to finish what He started in the first century. Another reason we may posit as 'a false theology' much of what has been known for centuries as Christianity is that the English Bible has been translated from the Greek & Hebrew ( Aramaic ) Scriptures in such a way as to, anachronistically in many cases, force them to be applicable to a different culture & time from what they were originally written.

When Jesus spoke those words, recorded in Matthew 5, to His disciples, His immediate ( direct ) meaning was that they, those who followed Him, were as He was, 'the light ( that ) shines in the darkness' ( John 1:5 ( Psalm 112:4, Isaiah 9:2 & 58:10, ). Again, in the original context, they, as the 'light of the world' were in direct opposition to the Jewish economy of Jesus' Day, 'the darkness'! Although these words were originally spoken to Jesus' disciples in the first century, they apply as well to those who follow in His footsteps today. Contrary to popular opinion though, this exalted moniker applies to non-Christians as well ( better, in some cases ) as Christians!

In order for one to actually BE 'the light of the world', yes, they MUST follow in the footsteps of Jesus! With that said, though, it should be noted that probably as many, maybe more, who do not 'claim the Name', so to speak, actually walk the Path that Jesus walked than some who call themselves 'Christians'! This is not a denunciation of Christianity, though much room for improvement exists on that account; rather, it is to rebuke the prevailing notion that one MUST be a Christian in order to be 'the light of the world'. Neither is this to say that one doesn't have to follow the Path that Jesus walked, though He DID live in a different Time & Culture, for unless one walks as Jesus walked, in kindness & compassion, they will never ( truly ) manifest 'the light of the world', even 'the light ( that ) shines in darkness'!

This Universal Truth must be universally accepted before we can truly move forward! Christians, like the Jews of Jesus' Day, must realize that they alone are not the ONLY 'light of the world': one can follow the Path that Jesus followed, without ascribing to the tenets of Christianity, especially what is known as Christianity today. The Love & Compassion that Jesus showed is not exclusive to Christianity; the choices that individuals make, no matter whether they are Buddhist, Christian, Muslim or Jew, are what determine whether they manifest 'the light of the world', or 'the darkness'!

May we ever choose to manifest the Light!
Charles Haddon Shank