ON INTEGRITY

Integrity is a shared process.

Integrity is interrelational.

Integrity is contextual.

Integrity is integrating.

Integrity is unscripted.

Integrity is a kind of super-attention.

Integrity is watching for the cracks in what you thought you knew.

Integrity is willingness to learn together.

~ Nora Bateson

Integrity is an important word and concept. It is critically important in spiritual and religious circles. Without integrity there can be no real spiritual growth in an individual or group. You can say that integrity is integral to attaining true fulfillment as a spiritual student.

The revelation that spiritual guru Deepak Chopra is mentioned multiple times in the email files linked to the Jeffrey Epstein case is, at a minimum, disturbing (LINK). A deeper dive into the situation, including how often so-called spiritual celebrities have difficulty maintaining integrity is here (LINK).

“My intent is to be generous of spirit and live with total integrity every day of my life.”
~ Deepak Chopra

“There is no such thing as a minor lapse of integrity.”
~ Tom Peters

I have often considered some spiritual celebrities as conduits to New Thought for many people. Author Wayne Dyer was such a way shower for me, leading me to being open enough to explore the Science of Mind in the 1980’s. I am grateful for that, and for much of the wisdom that Dyer shared over the years, even though he had his own lapses of integrity, including this (LINK).

One of the most disturbing factors of the crimes associated with Jeffrey Epstein and his wide circle of influential friends and clients is the extent to which such horrific behavior went on and was widely known (and therefore condoned). The victims numbered in the hundreds, and almost all were children at the time. The perpetrators number in the dozens, perhaps even the hundreds, and include world and business leaders. What all of this says about our society is worthy of deep reflection.

But our own house in spirituality and religion is far from perfect. The victims of failures of integrity by religious leaders number in the millions. This has been compounded by the repeated failure of those responsible to demand accountability by transgressors. And even when accountability has occurred, the results are often kept confidential allowing the perpetrators to relocate and offend again. Such violations of trust drive people from spiritual communities.

“As long as you have certain desires about how it ought to be you can’t see how it is.”
~ Ram Dass

We in spiritual communities and organizations have an interest in thinking of ourselves as good people, and we have an interest in being spiritual, which often means to be “nice,” no matter what. I have seen spiritual leaders who were toxic (LINK) protected by congregants, boards, and organizations. This was done for reasons including personal loyalty, a desire not to have a scandal revealed, or a sense that accusations must be proven beyond a doubt.

We in New Thought are nice people as a rule. We tend to think that we live in a friendly, even moral, universe and that people are basically good. We often pay a severe price for these beliefs.

“The opposite of reflexive niceness is integrity.”
~ James Hollis, Jungian analyst

Let’s look at these beliefs:

Our universe is not friendly or moral. It is evolutionary and amoral. We exist in our current forms because of violent collisions of planets, stars, and galaxies which allowed more complex elements to be formed and spread over wide distances. We exist in our current forms because of biological evolution, whose processes toward greater complexity and adaptation have resulted in the extinction of over 99% of all the species which have existed on earth. And we know that we are a transitional species, just as all others are; we will either evolve to more complex and well-adapted beings or become extinct as an evolutionary dead-end. Evolution is careless of the individual and of the species by nature.

Morality does not appear in our universe except as a human invention. Other species may and do cooperate, but they do so as a survival mechanism. Humans are capable of moral thought and actions, but it is something which must be learned and reinforced in the social structures around us. It too, is an evolutionary adaptation.

People have the capacity to be good and moral, but any number of things can limit that capacity, sometimes severely. We know scientifically that psychopaths have little or no ability for moral action or regret due to brain injuries, often occurring when in childhood. Research has shown that most psychopaths and sociopaths are incapable of regaining a sense of morality through any known treatments.

Of course, everyone who commits a violation of integrity does not have a physical condition limiting their capacity. In most cases, people simply decide to act out of integrity, usually by using rationalization. Everyone has done something out of integrity; most of us just about every day in some minor or significant way. It is important to remember that such actions are the result of a divided self, a self which is not integral.

Spiritual study and practices are in large part about realizing one’s wholeness, one’s integrity. To be in integrity means to be in your deepest truth. As that truth is realized more and more, it means to refuse to participate in behaviors which are out of integrity. It also means to speak out for integrity and justice and love in every community to which one belongs.

The Beloved Community does not tolerate behaviors which are out of integrity. Therefore, it requires people who are compassionate to fulfill their potential. We cannot be truly compassionate if we are out of integrity in our own lives; our communities cannot be compassionate if members are silent or complicit in behaviors which are out of integrity.

Our spiritual gurus know this yet often fail. We know this yet often fail. Our compassion is the only thing that can lead us to the realization of our true spiritual potential.

“Contradictions, whether personal or social, that could once remain hidden are coming unstoppably to light. It is getting harder to uphold a divided self….The trend toward transparency that is happening on the systems level is also happening in our personal relationships and within ourselves. Invisible inconsistencies, hiding, pretense, and self-deception show themselves as the light of attention turns inward….The exposure and clearing of hidden contradictions brings us to a higher degree of integrity, and frees up prodigious amounts of energy that had been consumed in the maintenance of illusions. What will our society be capable of, when we are no longer wallowing in pretense?”
~ Charles Eisenstein

Copyright 2025 – Jim Lockard

SELF-TALK IS A KEY TO SPIRITUAL GROWTH – PART 2, FOR NEURODIVERSE THINKERS

“There is no single spectrum. Every child colors their world in their own way—and every hue is worthy of love.”
~ Dr. Simbi Animashaun, 
Spectrum of Love: My Journey Through Autism (LINK)

“For anyone who was ever told they were too much or not enough, who tried to fit into boxes that were never made for them, who was told to quiet their spark or dim their light to make others comfortable, and who has been waiting their whole lives to hear: You are exactly right as you are. It is your time to thrive.”
~ Ronen Dancziger

The Therapist’s Handbook for Neurodivergent People (LINK)

NOTE: I am not in any way an expert in the subject matter below. I have done some research and had a number of conversations and some experiences with neurodiverse thinkers. The purpose of this post is to bring awareness to our New Thought communities.

In Part 1 (LINK) of this series, we explored the importance of “self-talk,” of the process of thinking and feeling which builds new beliefs or supports existing ones in the subconscious. Much of the practice of New Thought teachings involves using directed affirmative thought with appropriate images and emotions. For many, perhaps most, people, the ability to do this is a natural part of life.

But we know that everyone does not think in the same way. Neurodivergent thinkers (usually defined as ADD/ADHD, some Autism Spectrum, Aphantasia, and more), have been a too-often overlooked group historically in New Thought. There are a number of reasons for this, mainly a lack of awareness of the dynamics of neurodynamic ways of thinking, and people often did not let teachers know they were neurodivergent because they may have been ashamed or, in some cases, unaware that they had different thinking dynamics.

“Neurodiversity is not just a matter of social justice, it is a matter of human rights.”
~ Judy Singer, author, and activist

I recall several students who told me that they did not experience mental images (Aphantasia). After learning this, I would usually ask at the beginning of a class is anyone had problems with mental images. A few did. I need to teach differently for them – some of them could not imagine emotions, either. This article in The New Yorker Magazine’s Nov 3, 2025 issue speaks to this issue, but may be paywalled (LINK). In the article, some people with Aphantasia did not know until adulthood that their thinking dynamics were different. They would hear about people thinking in images and believe that it was a metaphor or something.

From the article: “For some reason, these sentences revealed all at once to Nick what in the whole course of his life he had not realized: that it was possible to see pictures in your mind and use those pictures to reëxperience your past. This was startling information.[1]”

The term ‘neurodiversity’ was coined in 1997 by Australian sociologist Judy Singer. In her words: “As a word, ‘neurodiversity’ describes the whole of humanity. But the neurodiversity movement is a political movement for people who want their human rights.”  

Professionals concerned with neurodiversity/neurodivergence are in a “sorting-out” phase, as the definitions have expanded to encompass a wider range of experiences than the core ‘neurodivergent’ presentations typically labelled as autism, ASD or ADHD. This issue is addressed here (LINK).

“Your neurodivergent brain isn’t something to overcome. It’s something to understand, appreciate, and work with. Let’s figure out how to do that, together. You Already Have Everything You Need.”
~ Ronen Dancziger

“Neurodivergence doesn’t follow a straight line. It curves, overlaps, and branches into complex, beautiful configurations.”
~ Ronen Dancziger

For those of us who teach what we call “mental science,” this is, or ought to be, a wakeup call. When we say that our teaching is for everyone, how do we define that? While some neurodivergent people may be unable to direct their thinking, imaginations, and emotions toward specific ideas, goals, and outcomes, many do have that capability. While not being line neurotypical people, neurodivergent people are capable of great mental abilities. For example, it is said that a significant number of scientists and mathematicians are neurodivergent in some ways.

I don’t have a prescription for the best way for New Thought teachers to help those whose thinking patterns do not match our normal teaching patterns. Other than the patience to develop the awareness of the difficulties some will face, and the willingness to seek resources and other assistance when such cases arise. Here are some resources.

RESOURCES:

National Library of Medicine, Topic: Neurodiversity – (LINK)

Neurodiversity Hub – (LINK)

Carlton Training: Adapting Teaching Methods for Neurodiverse Adult Learners – (LINK)

Thriving Wellness Center – Resources for Neurodivergent Adults – (LINK)

Heinemann Publishing – Neurodiversity Resources for Educators – (LINK)

These should get you started.

Our self-talk is critical to our expressions of our true self – of who we really are. It is important that everyone who can learn to make their self-talk more effective in this regard have the opportunity to do so.

“No, autism is not a ‘gift’. For most, it is an endless fight against schools, workplaces, and bullies. But, under the right circumstances, given the right adjustments, it CAN be a superpower.”
~ Greta Thunberg: environmental activist

“Neurodiversity is not about changing people. It’s about changing society’s perception of people.”
~ Nick Walker, author and activist

As always, your comments are welcomed. If you want to comment about your own or someone else’s experience with neurodiversity, please respect privacy in your comments. Please share this post with others who may be interested.

Copyright 2025 – Jim Lockard

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[1] From: Some People Can’t See Mental Images. The Consequences Are Profound, by Larissa MacFarquhar, New Yorker, Nov 3, 2025

WE ARE CALLED TO COMPASSION

“When we practice generating compassion, we can expect to experience the fear of our pain. Compassion practice is daring. It involves learning to relax and allow ourselves to move gently toward what scares us. The trick to doing this is to stay with emotional distress without tightening into aversion, to let fear soften us rather than harden into resistance.”
~ Pema Chödrön

From a metaphysical perspective, compassion is the revelation of one’s true self, bringing the soul’s agenda to the surface of being. From a psychological perspective, compassion is when the soul, the unconscious, the subconscious, and the conscious minds are aligned. It reflects the innate wisdom of the soul and a recognition of the Oneness of all. It is the ultimate truth of who and what we are and the capacity to see that truth in others. It is the highest religious/spiritual calling and is the goal of all spiritual practices and instruction.

Compassion may be expressed as kindness or harshness, depending upon the circumstances. It is always love and always truth but may be tough love where that is the wise and loving choice. Until we are fully in alignment  with our own truth – our soul’s agenda, we are not fully capable of true compassion and should always attempt to be kind. Humility and empathy are components of compassion. Let’s take a hard look at what calls us to compassion:

WE ARE CALLED TO COMPASSION

As our society is roiled with political upheaval and the climate crisis shows  the results of our ignorance and greed, we are called to compassion.

“The principle of compassion is that which converts disillusionment into a participatory companionship. This is the basic love, the charity, that turns a critic into a living human being who has something to give to–as well as to demand – of the world.”
~ Joseph Campbell

Pathways to Bliss

When we are in the presence of those who hold different worldviews which may mean harm to us or to other humans, we are called to compassion.

“Compassion hurts. When you feel connected to everything, you also feel responsible for everything. And you cannot turn away. Your destiny is bound with the destinies of others. You must either learn to carry the Universe or be crushed by it. You must grow strong enough to love the world, yet empty enough to sit down at the same table with its worst horrors.”
~ Andrew Boyd

Daily Afflictions: The Agony of Being Connected to Everything in the Universe

As we develop new awareness relating to the variety of ways of being human, including the expansion of our understanding of gender expression and non-neurotypicality, we are called to compassion.

“The way women married to men end up as their ADHD husband’s prefrontal cortex, while also parenting ADHD kids, while realizing they’ve had ADHD all along, and that peri/menopause just made masking impossible, so now they’re hanging by a thread. I see it every day in my practice. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”
~ Dr. Jen Wolkin on Threads

“I genuinely hope that… anti-trans folks someday experience the joy and liberation of being comfortable in your own skin enough to know that the liberation of others is no threat to you.
Equality is not a pie; there is more than enough for everyone.”
~ Charlotte Clymer

As we explore the evolving nature of spiritual community and the radical changes needed to co-create the spiritual community of the future, we are called to compassion.

“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”
~ Coretta Scott King

As we come to terms with the need to recognize that compassion is truth, the radical holding of truth, even when others may be upset or judgmental as a result, we are called to compassion.

“Many embrace infantilizing treatment under the guise of solidarity because low self-esteem causes people to interpret condescension as compassion.”
~ Ayishat Akanbi

As we deepen our realization that the spiritual path is one of radical self-honesty as a component of self-love, we are called to compassion.

“Job Description for Spiritual Seeker: Full time position available for person who strives to be mindful and aware of the deeper context of life. Must be intellectually curious, open-minded, and willing to change. Reverence for creation, personal humility, and a strong commitment to social justice will be necessary. Study, prayer, dialogue and meditative practice are expectations. Cross cultural experience is important. Compassion and kindness are requirements. Starting date: now. Salary: zero. Benefits: unlimited. Apply in person to the Maker of Everything.”
~ Bishop Steven Charleston

We are called to compassion, the highest quality of being human, by every experience, relationship, emotion, thought, and deed. I am incomplete in my human expression without compassion as part of my automatic response system. There is no higher, more important, or more needed goal.

“You are the people who are shaping a better world. One of the secrets of inner peace is the practice of compassion.”
~ Dalai Lama XIV

Copyright 2025 – Jim Lockard

STAYING IN ALIGNMENT – INDIVIDUATION

“Individuation is the term Jung used to refer to the lifelong process of becoming the complete human beings we were born to be.”
~ Robert A. Johnson, Inner Work

“There is a short-cut to individuation: Relentless inner work and exploration of our unconscious. Most people take the long way – anger, frustration, projection, depression and engaging in distractions to soothe the inner turmoil. The latter get nowhere until they try the first.”
~ John Campbell

One of the most valuable concepts to come out of the work of Carl Jung is the idea of individuation (LINK). Simply put, individuation is about becoming who we really are at the depth of our being. As Dr. Gary Simmons puts is, it is about “being who you came here to be.” The idea is in perfect alignment with New Thought teachings: Universal Mind individualized as our minds, providing a channel for the expression of Life.

Becoming individuated is coming into alignment at every level of being, from the soul, through the unconscious, to the conscious mind and heart. As we are enculturated by our families, society’s institutions, and by others who have been so enculturated, we inevitably lose at least some connection with our deepest identity. In Jung’s terms, we form a shadow self, which is a collection of aspects of us which have been repressed.

Shadow work is the process of revealing, healing, and integrating these repressed aspects to come into alignment once again. When we are in alignment, we have access to our full intuitive wisdom, which is seated in our soul, the deepest level of our individualized beingness.

“During individuation, you are called by the Self, as the greater power and center in the psyche, to bring your own personal will into alignment with the Self’s own intentions, which are often significantly different from your conscious plans for yourself and your life.”
~ Keiron Le Grice

As you can discern from this quote by Keiron Le Grice, the process of developing shadow can block us from our soul identity to the point that we live our lives as someone who we are not. This is very common in today’s world, because the more “civilized” a society, the greater the amount of shadow in its developing citizens. Individuation is a process of revealing and healing these shadow aspects sufficiently to be able to live in society, but as an integral version of our true selves. But shadow work is difficult because it requires us to face aspects of ourselves which we have earlier deemed harmful, weak, dangerous, or disgusting.

Now comes the really difficult part. Most of our spiritual and religious instruction does not deal with revealing, much less healing shadow. Spiritual practice works on the conscious mind and to some degree the surface levels of the subconscious to change some beliefs. But deeply held beliefs which are connected to repressed aspects of the self are hidden from these conscious practices. In other words, it may be fairly easy to demonstrate a parking place or a promotion at work using spiritual techniques, but healing deeply repressed issues with a strong emotional fear-based history requires something different.

“’Tame your mind, Control your mind’ is an empty societal construct Mind cannot be tamed, it can be aligned. Taming your mind, forcing it, is a chase and a non-permanent endeavor to which Mind retaliates strongly. It is far more effective to ‘Observe’ your mind. No one talks about this.”
~ @PhilosophyVK

Spiritual practices like prayer/treatment and meditation are beneficial and important, but they do not reveal what we have decided to repress from ourselves decades ago. Such practices are good for us and can lay the foundation for approaching the deeper aspects of shadow work.
By observing our mind – our thoughts and emotions as they arise, we can gain clues about what we have repressed. Your emotional responses to the behavior of others can be very informative. Strong negative emotions are almost always reflective of repressed energy. Strong positive emotions toward others can reflect positive things about us which we have repressed.

“It is understandable why so few attempt Shadow work. It is much easier to scapegoat others, blame, and feel superior to them.”
~ James Hollis, Jungian analyst

“What Shadow work requires is growing up, maturity, and who wants to do that?”
~ James Hollis

Our shadow uses our ego to protect us from seeing what we don’t want to see about ourselves and the world  around us. Together, these aspects of our mind want to be right, even when the evidence says we are wrong. The fear of having what we have repressed revealed is very strong and guides our reactions to others, often making enemies unnecessarily, wanting to see others diminished, or becoming antisocial. Such behaviors reveal that we are out of alignment.

“Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square.
She calls to the crowds along the main street, to those gathered in front of the city gate:
“How long, you simpletons, will you insist on being simpleminded?
How long will you mockers relish your mocking?
How long will you fools hate knowledge?”
~ Proverbs 1:20-22, The Holy Bible, NLT

Wisdom is the agenda of the soul, the deepest and truest sense of who we are. As noted in this passage from Proverbs, wisdom is often lost in the turmoil within us, our pathways of intuitive knowing fractured by repressed aspects of ourselves. We then project this fear and anger onto others.

The call here is to come into alignment with that deep truth, the soul’s agenda. We are called in times like this to increase our spiritual expressions of love, wisdom, and compassion. To bring the best of ourselves to the world, to perceive with clarity, to be calm in chaos, and to be a presence for good and empowerment.

“A new world is upon you and all peoples of the earth. A different tomorrow awaits.
 
Nothing is going to be the way it was before.
Not your finances, not your politics, not your work life, not your
relationships, not the way you experience your spirituality – all of it is changing…and is going to continue to change.

The only question remaining: Will you be part author of those continuing changes, or merely one who is impacted by them?”
~ Neal Donald Walsh

Since it is political season, one might ask this question as they decide how to spend their valuable vote: “Which candidate(s), which ballot initiative(s), which issues feel the closest to being aligned as described in this post? Knowing that there is no perfect answer to this question, (for who of us is in perfect alignment?): who or what is the closest to that feeling of integrity I want to see in my life, my nation, and my world?

As always, your comments are welcomed and feel free to share this post with others.

Copyright 2024 – Jim Lockard

A MATURE SPIRITUALITY REQUIRES A MATURE PERSON, PART 2

“The sicknesses of the soul are mirrored in the disorders of a culture and vice versa. In turn, tracing symptoms is a path to the soul. The symptoms are the soul’s means of attempting to be heard. But all too often, whether it be the obtuse ego of an individual or the obtuse, egoistical guardians of the status quo will refuse to acknowledge the symptoms. The reigning power structure will attempt to deny, marginalize, and demonize the soul’s message…its plea for attention, its attempt to gain entry into the protected sanctums of power. Its entreaties are dismissed as merely the complains of misfits — or overreacted to as dangerously radical.”

~ Phil Rockstroh

I resonate with the quote above with one exception – the Soul is not sick; it is never sick – what is being described is the condition of being out of alignment with the Soul and its agenda. The Soul will not relent when we are out of alignment, it will continue to give rise to discomfort and symptoms. That is the essence of this series of posts – intentionally coming into alignment.

Spiritual maturity is an essential aspect of becoming fully human, of becoming the fulfillment of our potentials. It includes psychological maturity, as I wrote in Part 1 (LINK) of this series. As noted in the quote above, to become spiritually mature, we must counter many influences in our families, our institutions, and our cultures. The same dynamics (as within, so without) which express in individuals also express as families, communities, cultures, and societies. The expressions of racism, sexism, and self-loathing which permeate the unconscious of so many Americans are expressing as violence, harassment, political dysfunction, and the hoarding of guns (and many other things) in US society. The society will heal only when its members heal.

As individuals, we must allow our failings and our pain to guide us toward the emergence of the wisdom of the Soul. In this post, we deepen our focus on the ego and the Soul, the two poles of our consciousness, and how we must learn to listen to our Soul’s agenda and to train our ego to support empowerment over fear.

“Often our antagonistic attitude toward others rises from a need within our own minds to be relieved of our unconscious sense of self-condemnation, as though we have such a burden of guilt within our minds that we can hardly bear it. And so, we project it to others just for the relief it gives ourselves.”

~ Ernest Holmes

The statement as within, so without holds true in the ways that we express in our lives. If our being state is one of fear, our lives will take that form of expression. All the while, our Soul is trying to get through to us, refusing to let us feel contentment in an inferior way of expressing. When our consciousness is one of fear and limitation, our ego fights the emergence of our inner wisdom and seeks to rationalize our limitations. This often leads to the antagonistic attitude mentioned by Dr. Holmes, arising from a being state of self-condemnation, even self-loathing. If we are to realize our spiritual destiny, we must do the work of healing – bringing our being state into alignment with the agenda of our Soul. We must create a space of invitation to our Soul’s messaging, which is intuition, via our spiritual practices and setting of intentions.

“The test of a psychologically mature person, and therefore spiritually mature, will be found in his or her capacity to handle what one might call the Triple A’s: anxiety, ambiguity and ambivalence.”

~ James Hollis

A spiritually mature person accepts the uncertainties of life and rather than being thrown into fearful responses by them, she approaches them with curiosity and a sense of wonder. With spiritual maturity comes the capacity to accept the mysteries of life and not be overwhelmed by them. One learns to accept that loss, betrayal, illnesses, and fear are all parts of every life. One leaves criticism to others and naturally expresses compassion in all relationships – but that compassion never strays from what is true, never avoids confrontations when necessary for healing.

Anxiety is often the expression of an inner sense of insecurity and inadequacy. That inner sense comes from the ego’s view that our power as external to us. As we open to the Soul’s agenda for an authentic way of being, insecurity and inadequacy are no longer internalized as our truth. We recognize that our locus of power is within, realizing our own power and expressing from a sense of security. We are free to be curious about life and it’s many profound and challenging questions, because we come to know our own resiliency.

“A mature spirituality is critical for the second half of life because if we do not address these questions directly, chances are we will be living in subjugation to received values which delude, divert, or diminish us.”

~ James Hollis,

“Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life” (LINK)

It is usually at midlife that we often find ourselves ready to move beyond the seeking and striving of the first half of life. The questions of who we are and what is ours to do must be answered if the second half is to unfold as designed. Our interests begin to shift and we tend to grow less competitive and more open to explore the unfamiliar. Our ego will likely fight these shifts, and in too many cases it wins that battle, keeping us in a prison of fear and limitation. This can result in our clinging to the illusion of youth, physical beauty, and competitive success, or detaching from society, both of which guarantee a disappointing old age of bitterness and regret. Unless we find the right teacher and teaching and we begin to explore new possibilities by mid-life, that is all too likely to be our future. By opening to the Soul’s agenda, we relax into a new, empowering being state which is less insistent on activity and success as defined by others.

My own teachers on this journey have been many. Ernest Holmes, Joseph Campbell, Emma Curtis Hopkins, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Carl Jung, James Hollis, Robert A. Johnson, Robert Bly and others – none of whom I ever met (except Robert Bly, briefly), but who have nonetheless been major influences.

And I have had mentors along the way, relatives, teachers, friends, coaches, supervisors, ministers, wives, and children, who have helped me to look within and find more of what I am. Without these wayshowers, positive and negative, I would never have matured spiritually or psychologically as I have.

“We all under-estimate what we must give up in order to attain something. We all under-estimate what we will gain in attaining something of real value to our soul. We all over-value the safety and value of the status quo. These are habits of mind that we are all biased toward.”

~ John Campbell

Spiritual maturity means an inner transformation to a healthy psychological self-concept which brings the ego into alignment with the agenda of the Soul. Few attain this alignment because it requires dedication, discipline, self-love, love for others, resiliency, and courage. It is a lonely journey, because few others are willing take on the challenges necessary to travel the pathway to spiritual maturity, but mostly because it is something that you ultimately must do yourself. This is the meaning of references like “Many are called but few are chosen” (actually few are self-choosing), and “Do not cast your pearls before swine” in the Holy Bible. While spiritual maturity is already given to all as a divine potential, few will take on the task of bringing it from the realm of potential into actualization. Few will follow the double-helix pathway of psychology, or “Working with the Law,” and mysticism, or “Courting the Beloved” which leads to the alignment of the Universal with our individualized Soul, our Mind, our ego, and our expression of life.

As we do our work of self-discovery and self-revelation, we hold to the truth that Love is our guiding energy and we will always have all that we need.

“Love is a sacred reserve of energy; it is like the blood of spiritual evolution.”

~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

In Part 3, we will explore ways to approach the pathway of spiritual maturity. As always, your comments are welcomed.

Copyright 2021 – Jim Lockard

ISOLATION AND THE RE-EMERGENCE OF SOCIETY: SOME THOUGHTS

“. . .the frenetic pace of life has subsided. We’re no longer hurrying around, taking kids all over the city for friends and hobbies. There are no social engagements. It feels as if we’re in a cross between hibernation and meditation, hunkering down together to discern what really matters in life. I am, on the whole, unconcerned about our children’s education because this is a unique chance for them to step off a fast, ferocious treadmill. They can just play cards, table tennis, or – some hope – read books.”

~ Tobias Jones

As we begin the phase of getting used to self-isolating, we may be finding that there are things about ourselves that we either did not know or had not experienced in some time. How we respond to being home in an enforced way; how we respond to prolonged periods alone or with our shelter-mates; how we respond to demands from work or the fear associated with having lost our job. An article (LINK) by Tobias Jones, journalist and author in The Guardian triggered some of these thoughts for me.

After a week or so, we may be moving toward some kind of schedule or routine. Maybe we are consuming entertainment, reading books, or playing games with the family. Maybe we are beginning to contemplate who we are without our normal routines and the various aspects of our identity associated with being out of our homes some or most of the time. We begin to wonder what things will be like when this phase of the pandemic is over. How will the world be reordered (or will it)? From such thoughts arises our sense of vulnerability to our living conditions.

“I’m not fetishizing vulnerability. It’s a frightening thing. But vulnerability brings humility and reflection. And one of the blessings of this dark season is our awareness of the fragility of our arrogant society. It seems, too, that we’ve woken up to those who are most defenseless. Sure, there’s self-interest in our new-found empathy, because in a pandemic you’re only as safe as the most vulnerable. But contagion at least means that the vapid slogan from the last crisis – that ‘we’re all in it together” – might this time be true.”

~ Tobias Jones

Can a shift in our thinking about what it means to be in society together – at every level from household to globe – emerge from this crisis and lead us to a greater wisdom in co-creating sustainable and livable societies on our planet? Can we be truly more inclusive and appreciative of diversity of all kinds so that we can weave stronger and more compassionate communities? It is being reported as I write this that the European Union is placing an environmental focus on economic recovery plans from the COVID-19 pandemic. That is a good sign. In fact, the basics of the so-called Green New Deal in the US would have provided a much better prepared set of systems, including health care, logistics, and industry, than is being experienced currently. Shouldn’t groups such as Extinction Rebellion (LINK) be at the table as future plans are developed? Who have we left out in the past? We are finding that it is the everyday people who truly make our communities function, aren’t we?

“We can no longer fail to notice those we have previously overlooked. The homeless – for whom the instruction to ‘stay home’ means nothing – are thrown into sharp relief on our deserted streets. We suddenly see that those who are still working in public, risking their own health – the cashiers, couriers and nurses – are those paid a pittance and often with no contractual commitments from their employers. Never has it been so apparent that our society is built on exploitation.”

~ Tobias Jones

Indeed, we are seeing how our society measures value – in economic terms for the most part – and how that can produce consequences which affect us all. Now, some of the lowest paid and purportedly least skilled workers have been revealed to be our lifeline when the fragile structure of our society is impacted by an invisible virus. Will we remember to reorder our priorities to reflect this when we are past this phase?

Oh, and brace yourself for this: If confinement measures work, those who advocated the strategy will be pilloried as Cassandras who shut down the economy for no reason, because “not that many people died.” There will be much acrimony when we come out of this isolation phase by those who have lost something they value – if it is only their sense of being self-righteous. But we must keep our focus on what we are creating together – societies which serve as living systems and  work better than in the past; economic systems which serve humanity rather than just a few; and governments which are truly representative of the people. We are being called to awaken a greater generosity of spirit in how we view ourselves and each other.

“If we look deep, close and long enough, if we become still and allow ourselves to be empty, we might see what happens here. Right now, in this moment there lies an expression of the eternal within us. No boundaries at all. Just compassion. In the hectic trance of our everyday lives this might seem cynical and ridiculous, but here during those weird days of isolation and politically induced slowness lies the glimpse of a new hope.”

~ Jan Kaspers (LINK)

Once again, compassion (LINK) is the key. The sense of oneness with all, with everyone, and the love and caring which arises from the compassionate heart. Perhaps, just perhaps, this experience is leading us toward that greater expression, even as we mourn those who are sick and dying, and we mourn the structures of the past which no longer serve who we are becoming. We grieve, we mourn, we hospice; then we midwife our new ways of being into form.

All of this is possible as we envision a reset of what community is and how it functions. The temptations to revert to the past will be strong, especially for those who benefited from those systems. It will take a strong collective will to bring love, wisdom, and compassion to the table. Let each of us be a voice for that level of inclusion, cooperation, and the immense potential of our collective hearts and voices. Perhaps the best way to spend this time of isolation is to do our inner work to develop and expand our capacity for compassion, wisdom, and love. And to envision a world that works for everyone as more than an aspiration – as a reality unfolding beginning with our intentions in the now moment.

“But it does feel as if the world’s reset button has been pushed, as if we’re defragging society’s hard drive. Once we boot up again, we might find ourselves in a better place.”

~ Tobias Jones

#AWorldThatWorksForEveryone #TheGlobalVision #TheBelovedCommunity

 

Copyright 2020 – Jim Lockard