Friday, March 25, 2016

A View From The Bottom!

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Richard-Rohr-s-Meditation--The-View-from-the-Bottom.html?soid=1103098668616&aid=LVJ9d6lROhM



On this Good Friday Richard Rohr has posted a timely thought for the season.  It really is worth a read and a contemplation.  Please consider doing so.  Last evening a group of us gathered and reflected on the message of Servanthood  and Compassion as is encapsulated in those last hours before the crucifixion.  It was one of the most meaningful services of which I have ever been a part.  Thank You to my Brothers and Sisters in Christ for being in my life and showing me the face of Jesus!  Pax Christi! RV  

Monday, March 14, 2016

And The Next Step Is??!

So...Here I am, back on the East side of my pond again.  The Spirit That Heals Week is over again and has been a great experience once more.  Met some more great people, saw some great sights in my Island in the Stream.  The Dream Labyrinth will surely come to be in that beautiful place.
A couple of sights really stood out and may be the location of the future adventure.  It becomes obvious that my original scale, while doable, is about 30% too small.  The way things grow over here we need a larger growing strip by about 50%, 12' instead of 8'.  I was able to visit almost all of the Botanical gardens available while on Island this time and the plant list will need to be adjusted one more time, this will be an ongoing process...

Besides the beauty of Kauai, The special nature of this place to me, The microcausmic nature of this palette as a working pattern for Peace and reconciliation for the World stage, this is a good place to post the following statement  which I have titled Theology 101.  It beautifully describes the interconnectedness and flow of All Creation as an Aspect of God:

Who is this God?
For both Jesus and Paul,
God is an Infinite Flow--which we eventually call Trinity. God is much more a verb than a noun. All things exist inside of that Flow, come out from that Flow, and return to that Flow. Only for a while are we allowed to choose to act from within this Flow consciously, freely, and happily; or alternatively, to resist it. The very nature of Being is communion, infinite generosity, and unhindered giving and receiving between three, which then becomes the template for the whole universe, from atoms to galaxies.
~Richard Rohr, DM 3/14/16

In addition to an expanded/revised plant list it seems appropriate to start a list of aphorisms, inspirational quotes and their authors for potential use in the "Dream". My first draft follows:


Just as I have Loved you, So you must Love each other!   Jesus

You are not a drop in the ocean - you are the entire ocean in a drop   Rumi
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field.  I’ll meet you there.  Rumi

Peace begins with a smile!  St Teresa of Calcutta

Preach the Gospel always, And if necessary, use words!    St Teresa of Calcutta

Live Simply So others may simply live.  M Gandhi +

Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace!  Buddha

An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.  M Gandhi

Act justly, Love mercy,and walk humbly with your God.  Micah 6:8

If I, your teacher, have washed your feet, You too, must wash each other’s feet.  Jesus

Maybe you are searching among the branches for what only appears in the roots.  Rumi

It is our Light, not our darkness, that frightens us…..We were born to manifest the Glory of God within us.  N Mandela

Before you embark on a journey of revenge...Dig two graves.  Confucius

Service above Self!  Rotary International

We can do no great things...Only small things with great Love.  St Teresa of Calcutta

It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness,  The Christophers

Never give a sword to a man who can’t dance.  Confucius

You have spent your whole life with elegant speeches...For some time you should walk in the gardens of silence.  Rumi

In the Beginning was the Word!  St John

If we are to pray and mean “Your Kingdom come”  we must be able to say “our kingdom go”.  R.Rohr

If you can not see God in all you can not see God at all.  Yogi Bhajan

It does not take many words to speak the truth.  Chief Joseph

You can not remove the plank you are standing upon.  R. Rohr of St Francis

Lord, Make me an instrument of Your peace.  St Francis of Assisi

Why did Moses, the Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed cross the road...To get to the Other.  Brian McLaren

Mankind has for millennia lived off of Mother Earth’s interest --We are now living off of her principle. Chief Phil Lane

Love is the bridge between You and Everything.  Rumi

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened.  Happiness never decreases by being shared.  Buddha

I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more Love.  St Teresa of Calcutta

Don’t Gain the World and Lose Your Soul.  Wisdom Is Better Than Silver or Gold.  Bob Marley

The day the power of Love overrules the love of Power, the world will know Peace.  M Gandhi/ Jimi Hendrix

Imagine….all the people living life in peace.  You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.  I hope someday you’ll join us , and the world will be as one.  John Lennon

You cannot shake hands with a clinched fist.  Indira Gandhi

There is no path to peace.   Peace Is the path.  M Gandhi

See Yourself in others,  Then whom can you hurt?  What harm can you do?  The Buddha


More to come! Pax Christi! RV