The Integrated Hobbit or Going the Whole Five Feet
There is a lot of discussion going round at present about the new era in spirituality, the new wave of esoteric thought and a coming age of enlightenment. Some of it deadly serious, some seemingly less so. Some may seem ludicrous to others… though not to those who believe it and that is a starting point for much heartache and worse. I’m a firm believer myself in the saying, ‘a thousand monks, a thousand religions’. Every one of us sees our own path a little differently, even when we nominally share a faith or set of beliefs.
The older I get and the more I learn, the more I see a very simple common thread running through most belief systems, regardless of the symbols and tenets of doctrine, beyond the stories, scriptures and legends. It goes deeper than what we are taught and told to a deep inner seeking that seems common to us all.
Whether we seek the answers in religion, faith, science or philosophy, there are deep seated questions and a desire for understanding and purpose and how to grow into ourselves. And because these are undoubtedly profound questions, we often take ourselves and life itself very seriously in light of them.
Now please, don’t misunderstand me. I am not advocating any abrogating of responsibility. On the contrary, being responsible for oneself and one’s own thoughts and actions is, perhaps, the single most important thing we can choose to do. It pulls together the threads of all other parts of life. To take responsibility in that way requires that we be conscious, aware of what we do, who we are and the consequences of our actions, their impact on lives other than our own. It means accepting responsibility for ourselves.
It doesn’t mean we won’t make mistakes. Just that we can see them, perhaps learn from them, be aware of the effects of our choices and make choices in that awareness. It means putting into practice that inner honesty and accepting all of ourselves, good and bad, light and dark.
Speaking of the most deeply spiritual woman I know, revered by many across the world, someone once said of her that she is an angel… but no saint. Looking around me at others I love and in whom I see the beacon of the soul glow brightly, that is another common thread, one of acceptance and joy.
It doesn’t seem to matter what religious or spiritual background they come from. They share a playfulness…even a naughtiness… that accepts themselves and others for who and what they are, and share a lightness of being that is a delight.
I see this as living in their own truth. They are fearless in this regard and either quietly, or publicly follow their own path in honesty, not hiding their human flaws and foibles, not pretending to perfection or sainthood. Just Being… and with joy.
It’s not a bad example to follow.
When we began to build the Silent Eye there was a moment when I thought, “Oh bugger, I’ll have to behave.” Anyone who knows me will tell you this is foreign to my nature. I like a certain amount of gentle lunacy in my life, enjoy daftness and laughter with friends online or in person… and if you’ve read previous blog entries, you may have picked up on this for yourself.
As Director of a School of Consciousness I worried for a moment that I ought to become staid and ‘respectable’. At least publicly. Then, I realised, that would be denying the reality of who I am. It would go against anything I wish to be, do or share. It would not be me. And after all, I am only of any use to the service of the school as myself…whole, flawed and occasionally slightly cracked.
Do you know, I have a feeling that this is what the new current is about. A conscious acceptance of who and what we are. On all levels… and we are all such a mix of contrasts and opposites within ourselves. I feel the new current is about integrating the inner contradictions, realising the human and the divine within, balancing the passive and dynamic, the tears and the laughter, the gifts and the flaws. Just Being who we Are…
Of course, being a small, nondescript Mum, nicknamed ‘the hobbit’ by my six foot sons and laughed down upon from their greater height, you may think I have neither knowledge nor authority to speak of the currents of the coming age. You may be right. I’m not telling anyone what to do here. But for myself I shall live within my own truth and give it the whole five feet
The older I get and the more I learn, the more I see a very simple common thread running through most belief systems, regardless of the symbols and tenets of doctrine, beyond the stories, scriptures and legends. It goes deeper than what we are taught and told to a deep inner seeking that seems common to us all.
Whether we seek the answers in religion, faith, science or philosophy, there are deep seated questions and a desire for understanding and purpose and how to grow into ourselves. And because these are undoubtedly profound questions, we often take ourselves and life itself very seriously in light of them.
Now please, don’t misunderstand me. I am not advocating any abrogating of responsibility. On the contrary, being responsible for oneself and one’s own thoughts and actions is, perhaps, the single most important thing we can choose to do. It pulls together the threads of all other parts of life. To take responsibility in that way requires that we be conscious, aware of what we do, who we are and the consequences of our actions, their impact on lives other than our own. It means accepting responsibility for ourselves.
It doesn’t mean we won’t make mistakes. Just that we can see them, perhaps learn from them, be aware of the effects of our choices and make choices in that awareness. It means putting into practice that inner honesty and accepting all of ourselves, good and bad, light and dark.
Speaking of the most deeply spiritual woman I know, revered by many across the world, someone once said of her that she is an angel… but no saint. Looking around me at others I love and in whom I see the beacon of the soul glow brightly, that is another common thread, one of acceptance and joy.
It doesn’t seem to matter what religious or spiritual background they come from. They share a playfulness…even a naughtiness… that accepts themselves and others for who and what they are, and share a lightness of being that is a delight.
I see this as living in their own truth. They are fearless in this regard and either quietly, or publicly follow their own path in honesty, not hiding their human flaws and foibles, not pretending to perfection or sainthood. Just Being… and with joy.
It’s not a bad example to follow.
When we began to build the Silent Eye there was a moment when I thought, “Oh bugger, I’ll have to behave.” Anyone who knows me will tell you this is foreign to my nature. I like a certain amount of gentle lunacy in my life, enjoy daftness and laughter with friends online or in person… and if you’ve read previous blog entries, you may have picked up on this for yourself.
As Director of a School of Consciousness I worried for a moment that I ought to become staid and ‘respectable’. At least publicly. Then, I realised, that would be denying the reality of who I am. It would go against anything I wish to be, do or share. It would not be me. And after all, I am only of any use to the service of the school as myself…whole, flawed and occasionally slightly cracked.
Do you know, I have a feeling that this is what the new current is about. A conscious acceptance of who and what we are. On all levels… and we are all such a mix of contrasts and opposites within ourselves. I feel the new current is about integrating the inner contradictions, realising the human and the divine within, balancing the passive and dynamic, the tears and the laughter, the gifts and the flaws. Just Being who we Are…
Of course, being a small, nondescript Mum, nicknamed ‘the hobbit’ by my six foot sons and laughed down upon from their greater height, you may think I have neither knowledge nor authority to speak of the currents of the coming age. You may be right. I’m not telling anyone what to do here. But for myself I shall live within my own truth and give it the whole five feet
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