Friday, June 6, 2008

Brian’s Reflection: Friday, June 06, 2008



I do believe we're all connected.
I do believe in positive energy.
I do believe in the power of prayer.
I do believe in putting good out into the world.
And I believe in taking care of each other.


- Harvey Fierstein, actor, best know for “Torch
Song Trilogy”, born on this day, 1954




Me too.

Someone asked me the other day if I “believed” in things like reincarnation and in near-death experiences (white light in a tunnel, etc). I said emphatically “No!” and “Yes!” The writer Thomas Mann, who was born on this day in 1875, said, “… myth is the foundation of life; it is the timeless schema, the pious formula into which life flows when it reproduces its traits out of the unconscious.” It doesn’t matter (to me anyway) whether the process of “entering into the fullness of Life” is by reincarnation or “resurrection to new life”. Both deal with the foundational myth of Life, that is, what is Life and where does it flow from and where is it going – and, importantly, how do we do it successfully. I do believe – or, I should say I think I believe, since my thinking constantly expands! - in a Universal Unconsciousness which connects us all, out of which flows all of the dimensions of the Mystery of Life, in differing forms. Life is eternal, and we amazing human beings will experience that in many ways and images.

Harvey said he prays daily – but doesn’t believe in God. I think that’s because “prayer” is not necessarily a religious concept. It is a universal human spiritual concept. Prayer has the power to change our life, open us up, take us on to new paths. Prayer rumbles through our interconnectedness like a seismic tremor. Prayer is essentially (as I persistently say) a commitment to a relationship with all manner of Existence and to growth – not a way of wheedling concessions from a grumpy God/ess.

Putting good out and Taking care of each other. Another version of Love One Another. Follow that path and, as my grandmother used to say, “we’re away to the races”.

Brian+

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