Archive for the 'Identity' Category

what does the sun do? shine

Jim September 24th, 2008

so, let’s say you come to this point on the journey when you realize that ‘you’ are not the sum total of your physical biology or the sum total of what happens in your mind. come to think of it, you realize, your mind seems to be perpetually preoccupied with things like comparing yourself to others, acquiring something you don’t have, doing something important that others will take note of, being accepted and loved by others, proving your superiority over others, what people think of you, and an endless amount of other things that just seem to breed discontent, fear, worry, and all kinds of crappy stuff.

so you realize there is more to you than what you see in the mirror and all the craziness that goes on in your head.

perhaps you’ve been told you were created as a reflection or image of God, or as a Christian you know that the Christ life flows within you, or maybe you have realized there is something more to you that springs forth from your deep feelings or a certain intuitive knowing inside you. in any event, more and more you are identifying with that divine reflection or Christ life or deep feeling or intuitive knowing within you. more and more you are understanding these to be the real you.

it dawns on you that this ‘you’ can’t be improved, made better, enlightened, or enhanced. does the image of God need imporvement? is the Christ life within you in need of progress? do those deep feelings or that intuitve knowing need educated? you realize, this ‘you’ is all that it is in every moment, and never in need of you doing anything. it’s like the sun. the sun is the sun always. it doesn’t strive to be the sun. it doesn’t need help to be the sun. it doesn’t follow a program to be a better sun. it never fears being less of a sun. it isn’t bogged down in an endless number of options about how to be or how not to be the sun. it’s just the sun…always. it has no options…it just is.

what would life be like if we quit feeding and acting upon all that stuff in our mind, and instead just allowed ourselves to be a reflection or expression of God, be the Christ life, be those deep feelings or intuitive understanding?

so what i’m asking is, what would a life of simply being these entail? what if we stopped orienting our lives around all the head stuff, and oriented all of life around being that real you?

(photo by zoo gal)

what is being?

Jim September 16th, 2008

the ‘real you’ (the Christ-life you, the deep-feeling you, the knowing you, etc.)  can’t be renewed, reformed, enlightened, improved, educated, or purified. the ‘real you’ is an expression of God/Truth/All/Christ. it’s forever and always 100% perfection. it is what it is and always will be.

we could apply all those actions to the ego-mind/self, seeking to reform, educate, or enlighten it. but why? it’s the ego-mind, and it is what it is also. so, if you let go of the desire of reforming your ego-mind, all that’s left is being the ‘real you.’ what does that mean? what does it mean to “be?” what does it feel like and look like? if someone said to you “it’s time to start being,” how would you respond? instead of a _________-driven life, what about simple being. how does that work out? is that the kind of life you want to live? what would be desirable about it? how would it be different from the typical life?

(photo by zoo gal)

what is truly hindering us?

Jim August 24th, 2008

according to Hebrews, we and Jesus have a “common origin,” and Jesus views us as “brothers and sisters” of the same “family circle.” James Baldwin wrote, “We cannot escape our origins, however hard we try.” could this mean that the REAL you is a expression of the reality that brought you into existence, and this truth is the fundamental basis of your identity in every moment? could it be that Jesus was “giving evidence of the truth” by demonstrating this identity, an identity we share with Jesus as members of the same family circle, and an identity that is not compromised by humanity? could “sin” be falling short or missing the mark of our origin?

does all this mean that we should be focused on fighting or resisting our “old nature” or “sin nature”? this doesn’t seem to fit. seems like the “metanoia” would be a change of mind of who we believe we are. it’s identifying with our true spiritual ancestry, and not listening to the voices that say otherwise. one of the biggest problems on a human level, is that people too often don’t want to take personal responsibility for their lives. on a spiritual level it seems we do the same thing by hiding behind ideas like:

i’m not perfect, just forgiven

i can never be perfect because i still have sin

when Jesus comes back and sin is removed, all will be well

all of the above phrases sound like not taking responsibility for who Jesus says we are. “sin” is not a disease we carry around within us as much as it is a description of the fact that we are “falling short” or “missing the mark.” for example, the problem with the adulterous woman is that she was not taking responsibility for who she really was and had bought into another identity that had grossly missed the mark. What advice did Jesus give her? did Jesus tell her she needed to go through a 10-year sin detox clinic, and expect to fight sin every day of her life with only marginal success? no. Jesus simply said, “Stop!” or “Sin no more.” hmm…apparently Jesus thought it was possible for the woman to do so.

sin is not so much a disease we carry and can’t ever get fully rid off as much as it is you choosing to identify with falsehood. so, stop. experience metanoia. change your mind about who Jesus says you really are.

(photo by zoo gal)