Baby Steps are still Steps!

Blessings on your Sunday! So what about that picture I posted on the last blog? I try to find a fitting picture to add into each thought. What I was looking for on that one was a picture of someone loving a child or maybe two normally opposing animals laying down together to symbolize the "Blessing of Blessing, or Loving". Couldn't find such a picture at that time so I chose the one which shows two "warriors" looking each other in the eye. One could perhaps say that they were looking into each others "third" eye. The point I see with this is they are not totally trusting each other but they aren't in combat either. They are taking the first steps to seeing that within each, which is shared between them, their common humanity. Baby steps are still steps. Seeing that "Divine spark" or that "created in the image of God" reality within each other. The quotation at the bottom is in answer to a persons query as to what the term "Namaste" means. Even though it is not a normal Christian term it certainly is a good description of what we are to see, "The Spirit of Christ", within each of our human brothers and sisters. What I'm referring to here is a very true reflection of the "Cosmic"nature of the "Christ". The power of the Creator of the cosmos shared with His creation. Almost beyond belief, isn't it.

In his sermon today pastor Tim spoke of the "Compassion" which Christ had for the people who had been following him for days as He preached. He spoke of feeding many from the very few resources at hand, loaves and fishes, the miracle of feeding of the multitudes. It wasn't His job to feed them but He felt their hunger. As Pastor Tim spoke I was reminded of a story Pastor David(Rapp) related on the same miracle account. As I say this I'm not pretending to be a great scholar of the scriptures but what comes to me does meld very well with the spirit of what the Emergent movement refers to as the most accurate meaning of the message of Jesus. Anyhow Pastor Dave was relating the essence of a sermon he had done regarding the same biblical story. In his application of the story David was suggesting that just perhaps instead of a straight multiplication of the "resources at hand", (which of course Jesus could very well have done), maybe what could have happened was something like this. When He asked to see all the resources at hand people pulled what little, or a lot, they had hidden in their packs and after His blessing, they saw their little bits in a different light, they all shared as they had need, and in deed had in their midst even a surplus. Which story is a greater miracle? What can this world do, right now, to relieve suffering, feed the hungry, and Love our brothers, sisters, and all creation? I believe we can do miraculous things but we have to start by not consuming so much individually and killing each other in the name of god, and poking holes in Gods Earth without thought to safety(just gallonage).

Namasti! Pax Christi! Shalom! Aloha! and Mahalo Daddy! RV

Aadil Palkhivala:
The gesture Namaste represents the belief that there is a Divine spark within each of us that is located in the heart chakra. The gesture is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another. "Nama" means bow, "as" means I, and "te" means you. Therefore, Namaste literally means "bow me you" or "I bow to you."
To perform Namaste, we place the hands together at the heart charka, close the eyes, and bow the head. It can also be done by placing the hands together in front of the third eye, bowing the head, and then bringing the hands down to the heart. This is an especially deep form of respect. Although in the West the word "Namaste" is usually spoken in conjunction with the gesture, in India, it is understood that the gesture itself signifies Namaste, and therefore, it is unnecessary to say the word while bowing.
We bring the hands together at the heart chakra to increase the flow of Divine love. Bowing the head and closing the eyes helps the mind surrender to the Divine in the heart. One can do Namaste to oneself as a meditation technique to go deeper inside the heart chakra; when done with someone else, it is also a beautiful, albeit quick, meditation.
For a teacher and student, Namaste allows two individuals to come together energetically to a place of connection and timelessness, free from the bonds of ego-connection. If it is done with deep feeling in the heart and with the mind surrendered, a deep union of spirits can blossom.
Ideally, Namaste should be done both at the beginning and at the end of class. Usually, it is done at the end of class because the mind is less active and the energy in the room is more peaceful. The teacher initiates Namaste as a symbol of gratitude and respect toward her students and her own teachers and in return invites the students to connect with their lineage, thereby allowing the truth to flow—the truth that we are all one when we live from the heart.