What is a dream

   Are we talking night time dreams

   Or life time dreams

Night time dreams speak a different language

   Our defenses are down so

      We can hear our shadow speak

      For the shadow knows

      What our ego doesn’t

In the night time and out of the darkness

   Comes the inner murmurings

      Of integration with Self

      Of new leadings

      And the end of old used up paths

We often need a dream guide to help us decipher the inner message

   Not to tell us what it means

   But to open us to what it means to us

      Someone who speaks our dream language

God comes in the darkness

   In the weakness of our control tactics

      To say I love you

      To support our life time dreams

      So love can be fulfilled

Dream on

           I dedicate this poem to my dream guide  - Page

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Dear Spiritual Companions,

It is the day after Memorial Day in America.  A day we celebrate those who gave their lives for a greater cause.  It also is a day we celebrate those who gave their lives over a lifetime for a greater cause.  The question becomes what is a greater cause?  What are we willing to spend our lives on during this adventure of life?  No matter how we answer that it is all about us.  Sounds selfish doesn’t it?  Well if we are not living life for us first and foremost we are not living!  Do you agree or disagree?  Let’s talk.

Each of us have been given a certain amount of time on this earth.  It isn’t about length, but breathe that matters.  Those who cut a wide swath in life are the ones who make a difference with their God given talents.  Again it isn’t about how much we do, but rather how we do what we do.   Let me give you an example.  Say I write a best seller and many people sing my praises.  What others think of us is important to our egos?  Did I write that book for others to think well of me or did I write it for me?  Funny how we can seek validation from outside of us when the only validation that matters is inside of us.  When we understand that then we are in touch with our inner urgings from God.  Now what we are doing for ourselves becomes what we are doing for God in whatever Name you call God.  Any Christ Figure dies for themselves first and God uses their inner informed actions to transform others.  This also knocks the heck out of a vengeful God who demands a payment of blood sacrifice.

Now we are back to the question of a greater cause.  Do we allow someone else to define what the greater cause is for our life?  There are all kinds of folks who are willing to tell us what we need to do with our lives.  I don’t know about you, but I have enough trouble discovering what is right for me without adding some one elses life callings to my own.  The older I get the more leery I am of those persons who have the answers for others.  I think more things have been done in the Name of God which had nothing to do with God.  Why do we let or give away to someone else the way we are to live our lives?  Does it seem easier?  Is it because we have trouble listening to those small inner murmurings inside of our hearts?  I happen to believe there is only one person who knows what the greater cause is in my life -ME!  What do you think?  This doesn’t mean you or I are alone in figuring out what is right for us.  No we need to have trusted others who we can bounce these inner murmurings off of to see what their spirit is saying.  But this is different from asking someone what should I do.  “Don’t give my power away” is a helpful mantra to live by.  Living life on God’s Terms ultimately is like dying, we do it alone.

The closer I get to the end of my physical life the more I realize living is about letting go.  I depend less on expert opinions.  I still listen to them, but only to see if they fit my inner understanding of the greater cause in my life.  I depend less on control of life.  I still try to control things, but I more readily see the futility of such actions.  It is like trying to hold water.  The water always slips between the cracks like life does.  I still try to hang onto the things I love like people, ideas and being right.  I have come to know understand that if something is meant to be mine it will come back to me or it was meant to savor for only that one special moment in life.

Life isn’t about making a name for myself, it is naming what my life is found in my greater causes.  How about you?

Peace,

Gary

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Dear Friends,

What would giving be without a receiver?  I think about Epiphany, or King’s Day as we know it in New Orleans, every year.  What would their gifts have meant if the Christ Child wouldn’t have been there?  I can hear some of you saying, “Wait a minute – Christmas is over!  Enough already!  Let’s move on.”  You will have to forgive me.  I am writing this New Year’s letter on December 9.  I am still excited about all that is yet to come.  Seriously though what a statement it is that as soon as Christmas is over we want to pack up everything and move on.  The house has been turned upside down long enough.  I want to have some of the old stability of life back.  What do we learn from a statement once we have removed the guilt from saying such a thing.  I don’t think there is anything wrong with saying let’s move on.  What I invite us to do is look at what this might say about being a receiver.

I love to remind my family about Christmas coming two months ahead of time so they don’t forget to buy me presents.  I joke with them about this, but I have to tell you I don’t mind receiving gifts.  My family will assure you of that fact.  I believe life is a gift.  I took a walk this morning by the levee and saw the colors of fall.  I know some people say we don’t have seasons in New Orleans, but I don’t agree.  We don’t have radical shifts in color or temperature, but there are changes which occur.  It is colder now, the trees in the swamp are bare and there are red, oranges and a lot of drab colored leaves falling to the ground.  I was a receiver of these gifts today.  I also find, as I look for them, God.  Bt letting myself be aware of these gifts in Nature my life is enhanced.  Do I do this all of the time?  Of course not.  Sometimes I am a good receiver, and when I am I have an Epiphany of God’s Love in my life.

What are we passing by in our lives when we are not good receivers?  What may be stopping us from thinking it is alright to be a receiver rather than a giver?  Lets address the last question first.  Do we ever feel like we are not worthy of being a receiver?  God really doesn’t want to give us anything, especially after all we have done to reject God – Right?  A yes to either of those questions will tell us we have spiritual work to do this New Year.  God does not give to us because we are worthy or have been perfect.  No, God gives to us in spite of that,  You see God is the ultimate Giver.  All God is doing is waiting for us to accept this spiritual truth.  That is when we become a receiver.  Now we do not pass by the gift of the person we love, live with or have as a friend.  We start to look for the good in them.  In the process we find ourselves receiving the positive aspects of life.  We start standing on tip toe watching for what God has next.  I happen to believe we practice being a receiver all of our lives so we can accept the ultimate gift – eternal life.  By doing our spiritual work we get what we know will be given to us.  See why it is so important to see God as a loving Giver?   Have any ideas in this area?

I hope this letter has provided some epiphany’s for you.  Won’t you join me in a New Year’s resolution of being a receiver of God’s endless Love?  By the way it is the kind of resolution you might break, but can go right back to with renewed enthusiasm.  See the gift found in being a receiver?

Happy New Year,

Gary

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Dear Spiritual Companions,

Last week a good friend asked me some questions about Intercessory Prayer.  How are we suppose to pray for another?  Can we ask for something specific?  What happens when our prayers are not answered?  Does this mean God doesn’t answer prayer or can’t?  I believe anyone who has prayed for themselves, another or some situation without getting the expected result tends to ask, Why?

My main prayer for myself, another or some situation is for God’s Will to be done.  But to get to that point I need to do some things first.  Initially I want to let God know the way things should really work out.  My plans are very good!  I believe it is crucial to let God know what we are thinking.  God can say well that is good, but did you ever think of this?  God may actually have a better solution than the one I have.  By expecting only what I had in mind to occur limits the power of God.  Our ego can so easily think we are the only one with the best solution.  This, of course, is not only true with God but with others.  It is a subtle trap!  Sometimes we need to give up our thinking to be able to think along with God.  Our humanness limits us in so many ways we might not be aware of in life.  When we embrace our divinity the heavens open to possibilities which are so much more life giving.  Sacrifice in this light is actually a good thing.  For Christians the best example of what I am discussing is found in the Garden of Gethesmane Story.  Jesus told God what he thought would work out best.  God listened and said that is fine but trust me on this one.  Jesus said, “Not my will but Yours be done.”  It was difficult For Jesus to believe, but it worked out for the best.

Another factor in praying for another is to remember they have the freedom to choose what they are going to do.  God can’t change that so we can’t either – no matter how hard we pray.  I believe God’s greatest risk was to give us freedom of will.  We can do whatever we choose to do.  Because we are human we sometimes choose the worst possible solution.  We know something is not good for us, but we still do it.  We also know what is the best for us and don’t do it.  This is frustrating isn’t it?  It is doubly frustrating when there is nothing we can do to stop those we love from choosing the worst alternative.  So we go to God and say, “Hey You are God right?  Do something!”  When God doesn’t change the situation we think well what good are You.  Or we think I guess I didn’t have enough faith.

Now we are to a very important point.  Think about this, “If God is All Powerful could Gad make a Rock so big God couldn’t move it?”  There is the paradox of prayer.  God has created us with the freedom to choose – the rock and so God can’t move it.  We want a fix it God.  God is more powerful than a fix it God! God is able to be with us through all things.  Nothing can utterly defeat us because life is more than this physical existence.  This life is one step in the evoluion of who we are in God.  To change something may be the worst thing God could do.  It is once again being drawn into the way God sees life.  To us humans it is a mystery and that is the way God made this life – A Mystery.  How else can you explain a God who answers our prayers, by not answering them the way we want or a God who does not change another person’s ability to choose freely?  Maybe God can move the rock away from the Tomb of our thinking so we are raised to a new way of contemplating life.

I still pray for others and have finally come to realize the best prayer is Your Will be Done!  God holds me in the resulting days and actions of others.  I beileve the same is true for you.

Peace,

Gary

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Dear Spiritual Companions,

I read some words this morning during my quiet time that touched me deeply, “Surrender to life and the Path will be given to you.”  Those are powerful words, but the catch is found in the first word – Surrender.  That is a counter cultural approach to life.  As a child of the 60’s I was raised on counter cultural.  As a Christian we knew Jesus was, but is this what we are called to be?  The Institutional Church and Institutional Religions struggle with this.  I believe the reason surrender is so hard for us is because we have so much.  We have the power and if we give that up what will happen.  I am talking personally, spiritually, emotionally and as a Nation.  We know where we are going.  It is the best we can hope for at this time so why give it up for some other idea or lifestyle?  It may not be as good and may entail giving up a lot.

To surrender in any way is to believe things are not only going to be alright, but they are alright even if we are not in charge.  That is asking a lot isn’t it?  BUT as the last half of the statement says, “The Path will be given to you.”  What happens if the present path we are on is really a delusion?  What happens if we don’t have any power, at least Real Power?  What if what we are fighting so hard to hang onto has no lasting value?  Counter Cultural Folk are the ones who call our worlds into question.  They are walking the talk and so they know what we see as so valuable is a lie.

Those who claim to have the power are the most threatened by those individuals.  Take our ego for example.  No way does our ego want anyone to tell us what we have spent our lives building will end one day. Without our identity we have nothing, which by the way is what happens when we die.  To surrender to the fact we are going to die opens us to another Path, the one that exists after death.  It is the Path to God by whatever Name you call It.   Why do the Counter Cultural Folk have no problem giving their lives for a cause greater than themselves?  Because they know which causes matter and which don’t.  The Path leads to words like these, “there is no greater Love then when a person is willing to lie down their life for another.”  When Gandhi was shot and killed the last thing he did was reach out his hand palm up to his assassin.  Why did he do that?  Because it was a sign of forgiveness toward his killer.  As Gandhi surrendered his life, he forgave the person who killed him.

Maybe forgiveness is the greatest surrender.  Instead of trying to get even or destroy our enemy we are called to forgive them?  Knocks the heck out of War and being number one at all cost doesn’t it.  Leads us on the Path that says, If we hurt another we hurt ourselves and if we care for another we care for ourselves.  In spite of what our ego claims, it isn’t all about us.  Maybe we are encouraged to surrender such self defeating ideas.  The Path jumps up and says, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do!”  We are called to surrender the notion we are conscious beings.  Now the Path becomes one of becoming Conscious.

What do you think or truly believe?

Peace,

Gary

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Wisdom has nothing to do with being smart

   It doesn’t come with academic degrees

      But it does come from God

Academic degrees are acheived by doing

   Congratulations to the doers of the world

      Watch for the gift of Wisdom yet to come

Wisdom comes from our being in God

   It also doesn’t hurt to live a long time

      Experience is helpful if we live with open spirits

What does Wisdom look like

   You will discover it in unusual packages

      You might be surprised that a certain person is wise

   You will discover it in humility

      A wise person rarely says I am wise

   You will discover it in silence

      Sometimes words aren’t enough

   You will discover it in a well phrased question

      God has the wisest answers for you

   You will discover it in someone who is true

      They walk the Godly talk

   You might discover it inside of you

      Not because you earned it

      Not because you deserve it

But because God is Wisdom

   A God who also knows who will treasure Wisdom

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To the love of my life

   God

Thank You for always loving me

   As  am

      Not as I think I am supposed to be

Thank You for never leaving me alone

   To face those middle of the nights

      Unable to sleep pondering life

Thank You for never saying

   Don’t feel that way

      I don’t need a God to join my inner chorus

Thank You for being abundant

   So I can wipe away my fears

      Of never having enough of whatever

Thank You for Your encouragement

   Which over rides my doubts

      And restores my hope for a new day

Thank You for not being a puppeteer

   There are more than enough strings on my life

      It feels good to not be pulled this way or that

Thank You for being my Spiritual Valentine

   For once in my life I have someone

      Someone who won’t go away

To the love of my life

   God

      Happy Valentine’s Day

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Life is so tempting

   So much of God waits in every moment

      But I have been told temptation is bad

Is that really true

   It all depends on the temptation

      Whether it brings us close to God or not

To be filled with the Spirit is tempting

   But some said “You will only do for yourself”

      How can that happen if you are filled with the spirit

To be loved by God is to love others

   It is to be of service in endless ways

      To some prayer is their Godly service

      To others action is their Godly service

But some may say prayer is a waste of time

   Isn’t that an attempt to avoid real work

      The kind which changes lives

I think it is a temptation to think that way

   It misses the power found in prayer

      To change lives through spiritual work

To the ones who pray action can be a temptation

   To the ones who act prayer can be a temptation

      It all depends on what leads us to God

Life is so tempting

   So much of God in every moment

      If we don’t succumb to what we haven’t been called to be

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Dear Spiritual Companions,

Did you ever have someone say the right thing to you or read something at just the right time?  If so how did they know that you needed to hear or read something at that moment?  Mystery.  To me it is one of the finest mysteries in life.  It is as though there is a Force working in sync with our needs.  Can we live without an explanation?  I believe we can, but as we become comfortable with Mystery.

Life has no answers, just endless questions.  Comfortable with that idea?  If not then maybe mystery is not on your journey.  If so mystery might be your teacher.  Is one better than the other?  All depends on how you look at it.  Why do we have to be caught up in better?  Who said life had to have a better in it?  Could it be not needing to find “the better” is a freeing component in a peaceful life?

The world sells us answers.  Wipe out this enemy and you have peace.  Eliminate this religion and you have truth.  See in the way I describe it and you will have an anxious free life.  Sound familiar?  But is it true?  Could it actually be that our enemy is our teacher?  How about another religion having another truth helpful to us?  Maybe a lack of anxiety in life actually leads to danger?  Lots of questions without answers.  How are we feeling?  Uncomfortable?  Life is not always what it appears to be.  It may truly be a mystery!

Something happens inside of me when I don’t have to be an answer person.  I feel like a weight has been lifted from me.  Instead of life being a burden, I am walking into a new light.  Let’s play with the word light.  It can mean not heavy or it can mean the opposite of dark, or both.  If we feel weighed down by something happening what if we look at why that is the case?  If we feel like we are in the dark, what happens if a question actually adds light?  Maybe it is better to live with the questions.  Maybe we are burdened by having to find answers.  Maybe not!

Could awareness be found in asking a question that opens this moment to us?  So often the past guides the present moment.  I have always done it this way.  Why?  Or the future brings fear because it may not work out.  Why? Maybe we are concerned about the wrong thing?  It is mystery isn’t it.  Just like these words touching you in the exact right way.  Isn’t God or whatever Name You call It Mysterious?  Don’t answer the question live in it.

Peace,

Gary

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