Post #9-Spirituality 101

 

I couldn’t resist but to once again begin by invoking one of my favorite spiritual teachings by Dr. Seuss. My using the word spiritual in regards to Dr. Seuss may seem odd to some of you, but when teaching collegiate courses in religion, my first lecture always included a discussion around religion vs. spirituality. Are they the same? Is there a difference? Can one be spiritual and not religious or religious and not spiritual, or better yet can we be both religious AND spiritual? How is each of them defined?  While there are many contrasting definitions  (I would love to hear your thoughts around these questions and personal definitions, join the conversation by leaving a comment), I like to think of religion as organized systems, ideologies and structures around humanity’s age-old search for meaning and purpose within a theistic paradigm or understanding. On the contrary, I see spirituality as the same search for human meaning and purpose, yet without the confines of a definitive and systematic organization (and for you Oprah fans, she defines spirituality as "living with an open heart.")

For many people, spirituality feels more open, freeing the individual to find a path that seems “authentic” to their own lives, while religion has resulted in rules and ideological litmus tests that can strangle individuality and one’s personal relationship with the Divine. I spent the first two and a half decades in the latter while I now embrace the former. I am one who believes he has found a balance of religion and spirituality. There are many, many aspects of the religion of my childhood that I still very much enjoy (As an African-American who has used the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement in my doctoral studies, I clearly recognize the incredible influence Christianity and the Black Church has had on the black struggle for freedom and have the utmost respect for that; therefore, the religious traditions of my grandmother and foreparents will live in my heart forever!)  However, I’m not foolish enough to believe that the infinite greatness of God can fit within the limited view of any one church, denomination or religion. Instead,  I believe there is much more to know, learn, and experience. Having said that, let's turn again to Christian scripture, The Message Translation of the Bible quotes Hebrews 6, verses 1-3 as saying:

So come on, let’s leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ. The basic foundational truths are in place: turning your back on “salvation by self-help” and turning in trust toward God; baptismal instructions; laying on of hands; resurrection of the dead; eternal judgment. God helping us, we’ll stay true to all that. But there’s so much more. Let’s get on with it!

I love it! “Let’s leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises….there’s so much more. Let’s get on with it!” I wholeheartedly agree with the author of Hebrews here, the religious community, Christian, Jewish, Muslim and otherwise, has spent incredibly too much time on petty differences, theological dogmas, and doctrinal litmus tests, when there’s a greater truth to be known and to be told. So, while looking to the dysfunctional irrelevance that religion can offer, the first spiritual truth I would offer the world of religion as well you personally, would be the spiritual truth of responsibility.

I’ll be revisiting this spiritual principle as time goes along, but I want to introduce it by simply challenging you with the idea, that if you are an adult and there is something in your life that isn’t the way you wished it could or would be, then you are partly if not entirely to blame.  Wow! I know that can be a hard pill to swallow but let it sit with you.

I will not now or ever dispute that many of us have not been treated well as children and some of us have been downright abused. Also, there have been many circumstances that have been seemingly out of our control, but today….outside of a catastrophic illness (and sometimes we play a major role in those as well), we must take responsibility for our lives….and if our lives aren't what we want them to be, we must take responsibility for changing them.

I’ve been hanging around the Church for a long time, and if the Church has any complaints about declining memberships and waning attendance, then it only has itself to blame. In an age where people are literally thirsting to death for meaning and purpose, the Church’s response has all too often been closed rather than open, rules rather than relationship, exclusivity rather than inclusivity, and religion rather than spirituality. Likewise, outside of some rather unique circumstances (and considering the very fact you are privileged enough to be able to access and actually read this blog, you’re likely not to have them) you are responsible for your current life and thereby must take responsibility for it.

Consider this a call to action, we must take responsibility for our circumstances, our beliefs (political, religious or otherwise) and our actions. Hear these words with your soul: NO MORE BLAME GAME. No more blaming our parents, our race, our socioeconomic status, or any other woeful pity-party excuse. See, religion puts us at the hands of an angry Devil or an angry God or the covering or lack thereof of a husband or pastor or warring angels or Holy Spirit or somebody, anybody other than ourselves. Spirituality leads us to take full responsibility for the mess we have caused through our lack of presence and awareness and attunement in our own life.

Grace abounds! It is present for you, but are you present for it? Are you living an examined life? Are you paying attention, listening to the invaluable lessons your life is trying to teach or have you dedicated a life to inauthenticity and pig-headed stubbornness.

You’re a grown-up now.  The expiration date has come and gone on blaming your parents for your mistakes. Take ownership for your life, your finances, your faults, failures as well as successes. Yea, you messed up in the past, but you can’t truly move forward until you confront full-faced your part in the mess-up. It’s only then can you move forward in faith and victory. This, my friend, is Spirituality 101.  So, don’t be ashamed, be responsible, because……

This is not the end of your story. Your best days are not behind you, they are ahead of you. Don’t listen to the woulda, coulda, shouldas, because if you take responsibility for your life—past, present and future- anything is possible! So, keep your head up and look down the road for #bigthingscoming!

Taking Full Responsibility,

 ~Ray

NOTE: If you’re new to the site it might be helpful to read my first introductory post. Also, feel free to post your questions or comments here and you can always reach out to me on Twitter @raycjordan using the hash tag #bigthingscoming. 

(Copyright, 2013, Ray Jordan)

Post #8-Worth a Damn!

“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There’s no one alive who is you-er than you. “

~Dr. Seuss

In my mind Dr. Seuss ranks right up there with Mister Rogers and Captain Kangaroo in sage wisdom for the masses. His legacy is one of compassion, kindness, and of course....authenticity.

Yesterday I spoke of an inner unction or divine anointing that leads us to greater depths and dimensions within ourselves, helping us to discover and giving us the courage to be our most authentic self. My goal is to nudge you toward self-actualization, that is to become actually, factually, functionally and punctually yourself. My question remains, “Are we living our accidental selves, that is, who we really are?” Just as the book of Genesis describes Adam and Eve as naked…authentic…originals…unedited…and VULNERALBLY themselves and not ashamed, I believe if we cast off the tyranny of religion for the fresh breeze of a relation or relating with that which is Divine, we too can stand in the freedom or Eden of authenticity and grace.

However, as I mentioned in yesterday’s blog post, authenticity is a practice, a holy habit to be developed, a daily choice and sometimes chore.  Nevertheless, we must be willing to move out of the shadows of “other people’s opinions” and walk in the sunshine of our own God-nature.  So, do you really care what people think of you? If so, how badly? Hear this quote from Dr. Robert Holden, PhD, the Director of The Happiness Project and author of books Happiness NOW! and Shift Happens!:

“At this level, you experience an inner shift in which you realize that true abundance is much more about "being" than it is about "having," "going," "doing" and "getting." Here, you discover to your great delight that your unconditioned self is made of everything you are trying to find in the world. Joy is your spiritual DNA, love is your original energy and your true nature is already free. As you manifest more of your true nature, you naturally experience a life that is rich in every way.”

Yes, and this “level” can be named authenticity! The authentic self tears away from both self-condemnation as well as the judgment of others. It focuses on being, which is often a much more private, still, and personal experience, and less on doing, having, going, and getting, which is usually a spectacle to prove something to others. See, I believe we all have something deep inside, the inherent image and presence of the Divine, telling us that we are worthy….that we count, that we matter….which is all we really want to know anyway. Nonetheless, because the noise of life can often create a fog and stuper we mistakenly try to live this eternal significance through the trappings of deservedness. However, there’s a difference between deservedness and worthiness.

None of us deserves anything. I don’t deserve to have been born in the Western World nor better yet in the wealthiest nation in the Western World. I don’t deserve to be a male in a patriarchal society thereby enjoying the privilege my maleness affords me. I don’t deserve to have made it out of similar situations and life circumstances that have destroyed others. Nothing about those things speaks to my merit, my achievement, my hard work and thereby my deservedness. HOWEVER, I am worthy of happiness, love, peace, comfort, forgiveness, acceptance (not tolerance), beauty, laughter, and goodness. Not because of my own external deservedness but rather my internal and eternal worthiness. Yes, we all have reasons to complain, but none of us has a right to! We are blessed beyond measure and worthy through the brilliant all-encompassing LOVE that is GOD. This LOVE has made us worthy.

So, we must stop trying to deserve goodness, for I truly believe this trying has lead to our compulsive preoccupation with the opinions of others. Deep inside we know we should be loved, accepted, and blessed, but too often we try to earn it by looking to material things and external ego and fear-driven trappings to deserve it. Hence, we become trapped by our trappings. Unfortunately, we look to education and professions to find our identity. We look to cars and houses and vacations to prove we’ve arrived. We think a particular (or any ole) spouse or significant other might finally solidify our deservedness.

In reality, however, they don’t and they won’t. It’s a mirage. There’s nothing innately wrong with any of them, but if we look to these  “things” for meaning and purpose, to prove our worth or to deserve our place in the world, we’ll come back empty and empty-handed every time. We must “do the work.” Meaning, we must dig deep into our selves through prayer, meditation, study (yes, read some books, damn it!), yoga, etc. Ultimately, spend some quiet time with yourself and do whatever helps you dig deep into the beauty and mystery that is you, to find the buried treasure that is your authenticity (maybe later I’ll share some of the techniques I use, in the meantime comment below to let me know what works for you).

When we walk away from the need to be seen and accepted by others, we will finally realize that we don’t have to deserve love and acceptance. We already have it! We are made worthy through the incomparable, indescribable, insatiable, LOVE of GOD. And dear hearts, that’s enough…making us enough.

Again, I leave you with the wisdom of Dr. Seuss. “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” Don’t get “trapped” by “things” but live out your most authentic self, empowered by the inherent worth and love of God, remembering….

This is not the end of your story. Your best days are not behind you, they are ahead of you. You don’t deserve a thing but you’re damn sure worthy! So, keep your head up and look down the road for #bigthingscoming!

In Worthiness,

 ~Ray

NOTE: If you’re new to the site it might be helpful to read my first introductory post. Also, feel free to post your questions or comments here and you can always reach out to me on Twitter @raycjordan using the hash tag #bigthingscoming.

(Copyright, 2013, Ray Jordan)

Post #7- The Philosphy of Miss Piggy

 

“All my scenes are my own. A double? Impossible! I am unique.”

~Miss Piggy

Who doesn’t love Miss Piggy? She by far is my favorite Muppet! I loved her so as a child, my grandfather bought me a Miss Piggy stuffed animal (my mother declared it was a doll and it suspiciously went missing. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I learned she threw it away. I guess she didn’t know she couldn’t fight the inevitable, ha!). So, when I saw this quote from her, I had to steal it for my blog. It reminds me of Dr. Phil’s latest book, in which he challenges us to be the star in our life, for "if we don’t," he asks, "who will?"

Indeed, I can relate to that notion. We are all on the stage of life, having landed the lead part and the role of a lifetime. However, the script hasn’t been provided, not externally anyway. The script comes from within.  From the Christian Bible, the First Epistle of  John, 2:20 says:

“But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.” (KJV)

Other more contemporary translations say an “anointing” but I like the word “unction.” It’s an Old English word that simply means to smear, anoint, apply salve or ointment, or more specifically (as in religious rituals) to receive or impart divine influence or favor. It personally reminds me of the word of urge (though there is apparently no etymological connection). It makes me think of a nudge or notion, or a leading, which in fact what an anointing is. It’s a divine guiding and leading influence, favor or power..... and it resides on the inside of you! The urge is the unction, the impulse is the influence and because it resides in you, John says, “ye know all things.”

Yes, the script for your starring role is on the inside of you, and although deep within you know it, it may take some work to connect with it. The script is called authenticity. In fact, I believe if you have an inner urge, an unsettled feeling, an itch you can’t reach…it’s possible that  God may be calling you into something more, that your unction is leading you into higher levels and deeper dimensions of you. Let me offer (the long awaited) working definitions of inauthenticity and authenticity (interpreted from the work of 19^th century Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard):

o   Inauthenticity- A condition that results when the nature and needs of the individual are ignored, denied, and obscured or sacrificed for institutions, abstractions, or groups.

o   Authenticity- The subjective condition of an individual living honestly and courageously in the moment, refusing to make excuses, and not relying on groups or institutions for meaning and purpose.

Each of these provides a wealth of wisdom, but today I want to simply offer this. Are you denying your nature or your needs? Are you ignoring some component of who you are? Professionally, personally, spiritually…are you obscuring or sacrificing some dream, goal, identity, need, aspiration, desire or feeling? If so, stop it. You must decided today to live courageously (see May 26 post), in the moment…refusing to make excuses and not relying on any group or institution for your meaning or purpose. Let no dogma or doctrine, no church or theology, no political affiliation or societal norm, no family expectation nor any pressure from friends and associates move you into an arena of inauthenticity or inhibit you from being the truest, best, most genuine you, you can be.

Hear these words with your soul: you are beautiful beyond words, powerful beyond measure and wise beyond counsel, and if you simply get quiet and listen...deep within you know it. So, when you are your authentic self you are choosing to naturally express the beauty, power and wisdom that already resides within you. Meaning, at the end of the day no one can write your script but you. You must make meaning of this saga we call life and interpret it’s purpose for yourself. But have no fear, you are not alone in the process, but instead you have an inner unction, an anointing, your very connection to the logic and intelligence of the Divine Mind, to lead and guide you in writing this role of a lifetime!

So, pay attention! Be aware! To quote Joseph Campbell, “the privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.” So, avoid pretense, lies, untruth and the masks we all feel tempted to wear. But instead, heed Joseph Campbell’s suggestion to “follow your bliss.” Pay attention to and follow love! Follow joy! Follow creativity! Follow passion! Follow what makes you tick, what causes you to lose track of time and what simply makes you happy. This is your authentic self screaming to come out. Follow your bliss and you’ll be led beside the still waters of peace, made to lie down in the green pastures of comfort, and indeed your cup with overflow in authentic abundance! Don’t give up on you….because……..

This is not the end of your story. Your best days are not behind you, they are ahead of you. Making a daily commitment to authenticity, you’ll find blessing beyond measure and will be positioned to receive all of the #bigthingscoming!

Stay authentic!

 ~Ray

NOTE: If you’re new to the site it might be helpful to read my first introductory post. Also, feel free to post your questions or comments here and you can always reach out to me on Twitter @raycjordan using the hash tag #bigthingscoming. 

(Copyright, 2013, Ray Jordan)

Post #6-And I Think to Myself....What a Wonderful World!

This morning in the gym (yes the dreaded workout after a long holiday weekend of eating like a pig), I heard the song “It’s a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. There’s no question that this song is an American classic and Louis Armstrong’s version is by far most people’s favorite version or at least the version of which they are most familiar. However, for years this song made me sad. Even as a child I would hear this song and feel a gray cloud of sadness come over me, but could never quite understand why….until I started doing my work.

“Do the work” has become one of my mantras (that along with “It’ll work if you work it!”). I actually mumbled it to myself as I was awakened by my alarm at 6:30am and rolled out of bed to do my daily meditation and devotion. Doing the work has meant a lot of things, however it can be summed by simply saying that the depths of our psyches and souls (actually, psyche is the Greek work from which we derive the English word soul) are filled with infinite mystery, most of which so many of us will live our entire lives without ever encountering the beauty and wisdom of.

There are a few myths and urban legends surrounding the percentage of brain power the average person actually uses (usually stated to be about 10% ). While neurological research isn’t quite ready to affirm that number, I personally believe, and psychologists agree, that our minds (distinct from our brains) and personality are complex entities with the ability to unlock doors and answer questions to our current and past behavior and life experiences. And if we spend the time “doing the work,” that is using spiritual and psychological tools to seek answers within ourselves, we can be amazed at what we find lurking in there, creating roadblocks to the life of wholeness and happiness that we so richly desire. 

So, in doing my work I discovered that my life in rural Arkansas, while offering many good attributes, had a profound affect on my sense of being and identity in the world. My “restless spirit” has always led to an insatiable curiosity about the world. I have always, even as a young child, seen myself as a citizen of the world, thirsting to go and see and do and experience. However, much of my childhood was spent in isolation as a latchkey child, down a dusty dirt road, with none of the modern luxuries such as cable television or Internet. We didn’t even have a cordless phone or answering machine until I was a teenager! What we did have was television that only picked up local network affiliates, but there were times when only one or two of them could be picked up with our antenna. This isolation one of many components that left me feeling alone and lonely, separated from the larger world that I could only access through limited television exposure.

I LONGED to be out of that town, away from that dirt road, experiencing real life (to the point I would even sit and look up different cities in encyclopedias…remember the actual hardcover kind?). So, when I would hear Louis Armstrong sing about a world filled with beauty and wonder, it would break my heart and nearly bring me to tears because I felt so distant from it, while aching to be a part of it so badly. This feeling has resurfaced many times in life reeking havoc and mayhem, destroying relationships and manifesting in bad choices as I struggled with insecurity and the feeling of being left out. But it wasn’t until last year as I set in the ruins of a failed relationship and I started to do the work, meditating and learning and practicing many of the principles I’m passing on to you, that it became as clear as the clouds of blue that Louis sings about in that iconic song.

Why am I telling you all of this? I’ve often said that a smart person learns from their mistakes, but a wise one learns from the mistakes of others. I challenge you to be wise….use my life, my failures, my disappointments and my lessons to live your best life.  Wake up and become aware! Examine your life and know thyself! Find your authentic self and love it, live it and be it in the world (for those of you who read the May 26 post, I haven’t forgotten…I still owe you a better working definition of authenticity and practical steps to how to live it. Look for it tomorrow!). 

I leave you with these questions….what is lurking within the depths of your soul…what memories, insecurities, defense mechanisms, or hang ups are blocking your way to success, joy and peace. Find them, excavate them and be rid of them once and for all. In other words, “do the work, “ because……

This is not the end of your story. Your best days are not behind you, they are ahead of you. If you commit to doing the work your life will only grow sweeter and you’ll position yourself for #bigthingscoming!

Do the Work!

 ~Ray

NOTE: If you’re new to the site it might be helpful to read my first introductory post. Also, feel free to post your questions or comments here and you can always reach out to me on Twitter @raycjordan using the hash tag #bigthingscoming. 

(Copyright, 2013, Ray Jordan)

Post #5-Guidance

Hello ya'll!

A few days ago I wrote a post regarding the infinite wisdom each of us has on the inside. Coincidentally (if you believe in those), my favorite devotional lifted a similar message for that day. I want to share it with you today. If you're interested in finding out more, you can go to dailyword.com.

Happy Memorial Day! ~Ray

_________________________________________________________________________________

Guidance

I AM RECEPTIVE TO INFINITE WISDOM

Whether I invite a particular change or it seems thrust on me, change is unsettling. “What should I do?” “What can I do?” I may ask. While advice from others may be helpful, it might also lead me to overthink until I am even more confused.

I turn within to shed divine light on the subject. Going deeper than surface appearances, I become receptive to infinite wisdom. I quiet my thinking mind, and in the stillness, I allow my intuition to be awakened. I know the answers are within me, and I wait for them to unfold. With clarity and calm, I summon the courage to act on the divine guidance I receive. I am thankful for a greater good unfolding through me now.

You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me with honor.—Psalm 73:24

Post #4-Courage (in my best Cowardly Lion impression)!

Courage! What makes a King out of a slave? Courage!

What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage!

What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist or the dusky dusk?

What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage!

What makes the Sphinx the 7th Wonder? Courage!

What makes the dawn come up like THUNDER?! Courage!

What makes the Hottentot so hot?

What puts the "ape" in ape-ricot?

Whatta they got that I ain't got?

Courage! ….(You can say that again)

~The Cowardly Lion

In the first chapter of the book of Joshua (found in both the Hebrew and Christian Bibles), the text opens with Jehovah articulating a new mission, task or purpose for Joshua and the Hebrew people. Moses has died and Joshua has been given the mantle of leadership. He is given instruction to take the land promised them (still a disputed notion, however) and finally fulfill God’s covenant made with Abraham hundreds of years before.

As one can imagine, this is easier said than done, but primarily due to the mental outlook and construct of the Israelites. See, Joshua wasn’t chosen haphazardly to be the leader, he had already demonstrated a necessary component of leadership…courage. As the story goes, Moses had previously assembled a “committee” of officers, twelve representatives of each tribal group. They were tasked to scope out this “promised” land only to find there were already inhabitants. Upon returning from this top-secret spy mission, ten of the twelve agreed, concluding that the undertaking was too large, the vision too big, and the obstacles too great. However, two of the twelve, Joshua and Caleb, dissented, agreeing that they could overtake any obstacle to accomplish their goal.

Resisting the urge to look through the lens of contemporary politics, I don’t want to engage the ideology of Zionism or the specific policy implications of creating a Palestinian state, but I want to tease a particular nuance of this ancient text in order to harvest some elements of truth for own lives. I enjoy this story (even to the point I named my youngest son Joshua Caleb) because if given close attention it speaks volumes about the human psyche and our evolutionary tendency to self-preserve.

When confronted about taking the land (as recorded in the book of Numbers, 13^th chapter and 33^rd verse) the ten spies responded by saying:

…..and to ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”

I find this very telling. In their own eyes they saw themselves as small, inept and impotent, therefore they “assumed” they must be seen the same in the eyes of others. Their own fear had manipulated and distorted their view of themselves as well as the world around them. There is so much to say about fear and how it manifest in our lives, but I want to drill in today on its self-preservation aspect. Meaning, fear is a natural and normal occurrence that has developed in us through the evolution of humans and the human experience. However, if left untamed, fear can distort our view of the world thereby creating unbelievable damage in our lives.

Neuropsychology tells us that within our brains we have something (a collection of nuclei to be exact), called the amygdala. Research has also shown that the its primary function is to process memory and emotional reactions. Simply stated, any harmful, hurtful, embarrassing, confusing, humiliating, shameful, angering event in our life is stored in the amygdala. As an element of self-preservation, the amygdala’s job is to remember what hurt you and steer you away from any similar hurt through a variety of flight or fight responses. Granted, this was incredibly important for our cave men and women ancestors who had the crucial task of remembering which plants to eat, which animals to avoid, etc. in the beginning stags of human life on planet earth. However, this very small but powerful brain component can do all but wreck our relationships as we find ourselves riddled with distorted perceptions and fear-based reactions.

The Israelites spent hundreds of years enslaved and the last forty years wandering in the wilderness. Their collective memory held hurts and pains that manifested in “grasshopper mentality.” Having been hurt, this was their defense mechanism to avoid any further trauma. Our own lives include examples that consist of a long list of defense mechanisms designed to block ourselves from being hurt, including hurting others before they hurt us, numbing the pain through addiction and unhealthy or unproductive choices, prematurely ending a promising relationship due to the assumed inevitably of rejection from one’s partner, or simply being critical and judgmental of ourselves or others to deflect the presumed judgment of others toward us. In some way we either express flight or fight, all triggered by something that reminds our amgydala of a past hurt or pain.

The good news is, however, we can break the cycle of hurt, pain and destructive defense mechanisms and it begins by simply making a different choice. We must first take FULL responsibility for our lives and the decisions we’ve made regardless of the motivating factors, amygdala or otherwise. Then and only then can we invoke the courage to be powerfully genuine in our own identities, comfortable in our own skin and vulnerable to the dangers that being open, honest and authentic can present.

If you have read the last few posts you will notice that I often speak of authenticity as a critical component of living a life of power and purpose. So many of us can’t live the life our dreams because we’re too preoccupied living the life of someone else’s dreams. So, in my next post I’ll give a good working definition of authenticity and we’ll deconstruct what authenticity looks like in real life and how not to succumb to the temptation of inauthenticity and fear.

In closing, I want to remind you that you do indeed have the power to make a different choice. As you begin to “know thyself” you might discover some destructive and even devastating patterns that have been fueled by past hurts and pains. Just know what has been, doesn’t have to remain. Within you resides true courage, the power to change, and the wisdom to navigate how to do so, because…

This is not the end of your story. Your best days are not behind you, they are ahead of you because you are wise and courageous beyond belief and as you tap into the power of that courage, you will encounter a guarantee of #bigthingscoming!

Be Strong!

 ~Ray

NOTE: If you’re new to the site it might be helpful to read my first introductory post. Also, feel free to post your questions or comments here and you can always reach out to me on Twitter @raycjordan using the hash tag #bigthingscoming.

(Copyright, 2013, Ray Jordan)

Post #3-Know Thyself

“Know Thyself”

~Socrates

In the last post I lifted the sage wisdom of Socrates, the father and exemplar of Western philosophy in his best-known declaration, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Subsequently, I can hear the question, “but how does one examine one’s life?” And in response, I see this quote, also attributed to Socrates, answering that question by simply stating, “know thyself.”

“Know thyself," while credited to Socrates by his most famed puil, Plato, was actually a common Hellenistic or Greek maxim -or rule to live by- (kinda like the American sayings “never put off for tomorrow what you  can do today” or “two heads are better than one”). “Know thyself” has taken on many forms throughout European and American literature, as we have been encouraged to turn away from the multitudes and look within, however my favorite reference actually comes from an ancient Egyptian proverb that states “Man, know thyself ... and thou shalt know the gods.”

There is something intriguingly powerful about this proverb, suggesting if we invest time and energy into examining our lives and our identities in those lives, we will somehow draw closer to universal power, the Great I Am, the Creator and Sustainer of all things. For many, I know this statement makes you uncomfortable, uneasy, and may even be seen as downright blasphemous. If so, let me suggest that this is due to the paradigm of duality that has come to control our perceptions and imaginations. This dualism, unfortunately, can primarily be laid at the doorstep of Christianity and its dominance in the Western world.  Duality has taught us to see things as good or bad, ugly or beautiful, right or wrong, black or white, when in essence, everything that is different may not be good or bad, better or worse but just that, different. Maybe choices can instead be seen as having more productive results or healthier consequences than others, and possibly a great deal of those determinations depend on the individual and their needs. For my Christian friends who are feeling a little threatened right now, let’s go to scripture:

Genesis 2: 16-17 (NRSV)

¹⁶And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”

Wow! Adam and Eve were given permission to eat of any tree of the garden but this one. They were forbidden to taste it because it would bring death….which, obviously is the opposite of life and leads us back to the 8^th  and 9^th verses of this chapter:

⁸ And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. ⁹ Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, AND the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The caps on the word “AND” in the above scripture was an emphasis I added to contrast the difference between the Tree of Life and the Tree of Death, otherwise known as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So, what is not life-giving, what will kill and bring death????…. the knowledge of good and evil will. In other words, ALL of the trees (or truths, which trees are symbolic for in biblical imagery) are good in the garden except the one that tells you that the others are not. QUESTION: What was forbidden for Adam and Eve? What was the opposite of life-giving but in fact brought about spiritual death? ANSWER: The competitive dualism that distracts us from living lives of balance and wholeness.  THEREFORE: If dualism brings death, embracing the integration of truth and truths bring life.

What am I trying to say? Dear hearts, there is no such thing as sacred and secular, “worldly” knowledge and wisdom versus biblical knowledge and wisdom; there is no battle between science and faith. All truth is God’s truth and to know any truth is to know more of God. The wisdom of psychology, biology, and anthropology is no more or less sacred than the wisdom of theology and biblical study (and may I add the study of other “holy “texts). All is offered to us by the grace and goodness of the universe, the perfect will of a loving God. Know God by receiving all and all kinds of knowledge and truth and then ultimately express it through the most sacred lens of your own life.

Ultimately, I believe God has given us the abundance of the world’s knowledge; a plethora of information, and through the spiritual act of self-actualization we produce perfected praise to God through our own creativity, ingenuity, and most importantly, our own purpose through a life well-examined. And it all begins with knowing thyself.

So, truly and sincerely, who are you and (in many instances most importantly) who aren’t you? What do you do well? What makes you giddy with joy? What causes you to burn with passion?  What makes you squirm with insecurity and what scares the hell out of you? Know yourself because knowing yourself is a holy act, an act of worship, an act of prayer. Don't be frightened by a dualism that pits you against God, and "wordly" endeavors against that which is supposed to be hallowed or sacred. Know yourself and live yourself so that you may fully become yourself. Don’t be distracted by dualistic bickering but instead embrace all the abundance the universe has to offer, because….

This is not the end of your story. Your best days are not behind you, they are ahead of you….and as you know yourself, you will indeed know God in ways and depths you have never known, offering a guarantee of #bigthingscoming!

Be Blessed!

 ~Ray

NOTE: If you’re new to the site it might be helpful to read my first introductory post. Also, feel free to post your questions or comments here and you can always reach out to me on Twitter @raycjordan using the hash tag #bigthingscoming.

(Copyright, 2013, Ray Jordan)

Post #2-Wake Up!

 
“The unexamined life is not worth living” 

~Socrates

 This is by far one of my favorite quotes. Socrates, known in Western philosophy as the archetypical figure of wisdom, pulls no punches. He doesn’t say an unexamined life is simply less meaningful but that it flat-out ain’t worth spending time on!

Even as a child I possessed two qualities that remain with me today. One being a high sense of self-awareness and secondly, a tendency to take on the troubles of the world (I can thank my grandmother for this attribute), even to the point I would toss and turn at night worrying about a family member or fretting about some tragedy I had seen on television. The essence of this quote and my thoughts around it encompasses both, meaning, I have grown to believe that self-awareness and the examination of our lives remains the most important fundamental exercise any of us can encounter and, secondly, it deeply troubles me that so many of us are simply walking around the world… “asleep” or unaware.

While I have been gifted (or cursed, depending on the context) with an innate ability to be self-aware, to be compelled to peel back the layers of my experiences and my thoughts and feelings surrounding those experiences, I also have the distinct ability to compartmentalize certain areas of my life. Simply stated, if I don’t want to think about something or deal with an issue because the process of doing so is too uncomfortable, I have the ability to neatly tuck it away in my psyche and continue on with life as if it didn’t exist. Being more “aware” of this today than I’ve ever been, I can clearly indicate that every major mistake in my life, that is, any time I have royally screwed up was an occasion in which I did not fully, courageously, come face-to-face with the honest reality of a situation, but instead chose to deny, reject and ignore the gift of my own wisdom.

Not to risk making this post too lengthy, let me be more intentional about what I want to communicate (let me not beat around the bush). You are infinitely wise! In the next couple of posts I’ll explain to you why that is, but simply hear and feel these words for now. You are infinitely wise and all-knowing, or at least you possess the ability to know all things pertaining to what is best for you and your life. We, particularly those from classical theism or traditional Christianity, have been taught that we are bad, corrupt, “sinful from conception” and that our truest and most genuine selves aren’t to be trusted. RUBBISH!

You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). In addition, you are also a part of all that is, the Great I Am, made in the very image and likeness of the Creator, and are infinitely loved and cherished by GOD. God is not mad at you, doesn’t seek to harm you, and in fact God expresses God’s self in you, through you, with you, for you, and AS you. Meaning, if God is the ocean, you are indeed a cup of that thirst-quenching rain, and let no one tell you otherwise!

In conclusion (for now), within you lies a sweet, quiet stillness, an energy of unfathomable power, a divine intellect with incomparable wisdom that is always speaking and leading and nudging and correcting and instructing. Whether you call it the voice of God, the leading of the Holy Spirit, your own intuition or the expression of your soul….. LISTEN TO IT! It will never lead you wrong.

And as always, please remember…..this is not the end of your story....your best days are not behind you, they're ahead of you….because as God moves in you, through you, with you, for you, and AS you, there are guaranteed to be #bigthingscoming.

Namaste!

 ~Ray

NOTE: If you’re new to the site it might be helpful to read my first introductory post. Also, feel free to post your questions or comments here and you can always reach out to me on Twitter @raycjordan using the hash tag #bigthingscoming.

(Copyright, 2013, Ray Jordan)

Post #2-I am....hmmmmmmmm????

 

   Je m'appelle Raul. In high school I took French (however, considering that at the time of this post I live Dallas, French probably wasn’t the most practical choice) and my French teacher insisted that each student take a name more commonly used in France.  Mine was Raul. Je m'appelle Raul, or My name is Ray. Announcing your identity is one of the very first things you learn to do when learning a foreign language. In fact, establishing an identity a part from your primary caretaker (usually our mothers) is one of the first signs of a toddler’s independence while  establishing, understanding, and making meaning of that identity continues to plague us throughout adulthood. “Who are you?” Seems like a pretty simple question, but I promise, it’s more complex than it sounds.

  Unfortunately, so many of us have been so preoccupied being who think we “should” be, that we’ve neglected being who were created to be. One of my favorite quotes is from famed professor and author Joseph Campbell, who states “The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.” Don’t you just love that!  In other words (my words), There ain’t but one ‘us’…. and I believe that each of us is uniquely and powerfully equipped to offer something to this world that is as unique and powerful as we are.  Let me share this except from my personal journey, written just a few days ago:

   “For most of my life I have lived comparing myself to others while wishing and thinking ‘if I could only sing like that one or was as good in this or that as the other one.’ But, funny enough, God has led me back to where I began, to that which was there all along…. ‘me.’ I used to struggle in the duality that pitted God’s will against my own thoughts, feelings, needs and desires.  I now realize there is no need to choose, for they are one and the same. For, what is God’s will??? That I be –me– ….fully, wholeheartedly, authentically me. There is no other will or way for my life than to live out the purpose and passion and plan and position that’s already inside of me, waiting to be birthed into the world.”

   So, I challenge you, get clear not only on what you want but who you are! What's your intention for your life & who you are in it? Let there be no secrets, no regrets, no hesitations or trepidation about being you. Come to the plate of life fully present and living a life that doesn’t split into many versions of you, but live a life of integrity and integration, offering your full self to your loved ones, to God and most importantly to yourself!  All of you deserve better. Yes, it’s a process but decide today to make a different choice. Decide that you’ll bring and be nothing less than who you most truly and authentically are. Because once you get clear on ‘you,’ the rest is just details!

  And as always, please remember…..this is not the end of your story....your best days are not behind you, they're ahead of you….because for YOU, please know, there are certainly #bigthingscoming

Love ya!  ~Ray

NOTE: If you’re new to the site it might be helpful to read my first introductory post. Also, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @raycjordan using the hash tag #bigthingscoming. 

(Copyright, 2013, Ray Jordan)

Post #1-Welcome! Introductory Post

Welcome to my new home! I can't express to you how thrilled (and a bit nervous) I am to be here. These days everybody and their mother seems to have a blog, so starting one of my own shouldn't be that big-a-deal, right? But for me that's exactly why it is. In a world of the 24 hour news cycle, the constant blogosphere, talking heads and commentators, smartphones and social media there rarely seems a place and time to simply enjoy the quiet and embrace the stillness. Therefore, I reluctantly wanted to add yet another voice to the maddening noise that already surrounds us. However, I've felt compelled to launch this site for a number of reasons, among them being my own sense of creativity and personal expression, but mostly because I feel I have something to say.

Yes, I am apparently a professional student with a Bachelor's Degree, two Master Degrees (one being a seminary degree in Theological Studies) and I'm currently writing a dissertation to complete my PhD. However, I know the difference between knowing "stuff" and being wise. The "stuff" I know doesn't make me wise, the expereiences I've been in and grown through have done that. For instance, I've been many things in my life. I've been married and I've been divorced; I've been "straight" and I've been gay; I've been a Dad, a student, a college professor and even a minister....and as quiet as it's kept, I've even been Black (wink). And now, if you allow me, I want to be your teacher and your guide.

I am by no means perfect and Heaven knows I have a long way to go but I'd like to share with you some of the lessons I've learned along the way and still continue to learn. I'd like to invite you take this journey of life with me. Let's have a conversation; let's learn from each other and let's be the best selves we can be. If you are restless in your spirit and know life simply must offer more than what you're experiencing, I invite you follow this blog. At times it'll be:

1. A little bit funny, a little bit serious, but never irrelevant.
2. Authentic and honest, but never pretentious and judgmental.
3. A little bit Christian, but a whole lot of "other," seeking answers but never dogma. 
4. Easy to access and follow, but not too many big words that seek to impress you, instead language that seeks to help you....and finally
5. It won't go on and on and on....any one post becoming too lengthy to read and digest in a single sitting (with this in mind, let me close this opening post).

I hope for it to be all these things and more, and all I ask in return is that you:
A. Come with an open mind (especially with my typos, sometimes my fingers won't type as fast as my thoughts are coming).
B. Respond and communicate to me if something moves or touches you (even if you don't quite understand how and why it did or even if you don't agree with what I've said); and.....
C. If you enjoy the blog...spread the word.

I love you more than you know....I'm also nervous more than you know, lol. And always remember, this is not the end of your story....your best days are not behind you, they're ahead of you, because for YOU, there are #bigthingscoming. ~Ray

(Copyright, 2013, Ray Jordan)