Dear Spiritual Companions,

     Yesterday was Pentecost.  For us Christians it is as important as Christmas and Easter.  It is the day of the arrival of the Holy Spirit.  The followers of Jesus were waiting for Its Appearance so they could begin the next step in their spiritual journey.  Yesterday, when my wife and I were out walking on the levee by the Mississippi River, I asked her, “What does Pentecost mean to you?”  She thought for a moment or two and said, “A time of renewal.”  I have been reflecting on her answer ever since.

    The disciples were waiting to be renewed, but for what?  How would they know what was right for them to do?  Sound familiar?  Every day is a new day so we are being renewed every 24 hours, but for what?  This is where the Holy Spirit comes in to guide us.  She is often referred to as feminine.  That is very important.  The inner feminine side of us does the reflecting and inner searching for what we are called to do.  Our masculine outer side acts those reflections out into our external world.  It is essential for us to keep these two in balance.  In general, men are much more in touch with their masculine sides and women their feminine sides.  We tend to act on what we know.  I think our spiritual calling leads us to develop our weakness.  As the Apostle Paul said, “Out of my weakness comes God’s strength.”   So men need to develop an inner relationship with their feminine side and women need to develop the masculine side.

     I believe one of the reasons we are having so many problems is because we are out of balance.  A number of years ago we had a Native American Holy Person give a lecture in our church.  When he was done I told him I appreciated what he had said.  He looked into my eyes, the door to my soul, and touched my body where my heart was.  He said, “Walk in balance.”  It was a like a shot went through my entire body and soul.  I have been working on that inner balance ever since.  It has changed my life.  Instead of running off and doing all the time, now I stop to contemplate my actions first.  I have come to see how actions done without inner reflection, even in the name of good, often leads to problems.  I believe so often things done in the Name of God that are harmful come from a person out of touch with the feminine, Holy Spirit’s leading.  Prayer of whatever form that works for us is the key to discovering how the Holy Spirit is renewing our lives.

       I am not a woman so the next few words will come from my experiences with women over the years.  In general women are called to get more in touch with their masculine side.  Intuition is wonderful, but without action it tends to lose its power.  The problem is our world has defined women of action as overbearing.  A woman is not encouraged  to find their voice because it often intimidates insecure males.  As a male I find my life greatly enhanced by the women in my life who have claimed their voice.  Like the inner balance of our masculine and feminine we also need to continue to balance the outer world of men and women working together equally.  True renewal can only come when this happens.  I don’t care whether we are talking about spirituality, politics, jobs or whatever.

      Could this be the kind of renewal the Holy Spirit is leading us into?

Peace,

Gary