The key to living a fully abundant and meaningful life is to recover our fully functioning, engaged, and loving True Self in an intimate relationship with a Higher Power of our own understanding. Whatever name you prefer; Great Spirit, God, or simply The Force, all are good. God is the most common name used and infers infinite power, presence, and wisdom, but unfortunately carries much negative baggage for some. One excellent reference is "The Infinite" as different names allow differences, but there is only one Infinite, so we all share it.
Ralph Waldo Emerson used
“Universal Being,” “Over Soul,” and “The Eternal ONE” to describe his
understanding of the Infinite. Each name tells us something important about how
we are all part of and connected with this great force that spans all time, space,
life, and consciousnesses. We at Cowboy Dharma are comfortable with and use
many of them, mainly God or Higher Power, but we hope our choices don’t put you
off. There are many names, as Wikipedia lists seventy-two. The key
is to find one that works for you.
Microcosms of Infinite
Intelligence
The alternative to an
intelligent force in the universe is a big, dumb, random universe, yet creation
seems much too complex, diverse, and intelligent for that to be true. There
appears to be a divine force behind the awesome and incredible drama of creation
and life that allowed it to emerge, expand, and thrive through-out the ages. It
is important to realize that you, everyone, and everything is a microcosm of
that macrocosm. We have it all within us, this same life, power, presence, and
wisdom.
We Are the Children
As we are the children of
God, then also the heirs of this higher power, presence, and wisdom. It is our
birthright and inheritance. We all have the power to create or destroy, a
little at a time, but immensely over a lifetime. Just look at civilization; all
the houses, schools, libraries, churches, businesses, streets, etc., and all
the things in them, all ideas in people’s minds come to fruition, but what will
we do going forward? Let's hope we can work together to make the world an
abundant, beautiful, and fruitful garden, rather than the desert and wasteland
we may be headed for. We see plenty of reason to have hope, as we have seen
scores of people find the magic and miracles needed to turn their lives and
world around.
What Has Guided Us?
Conquest, subjugation,
imperialism, consumerism, and other pursuits have done much damage. Where is
salvation? Greater good, higher law, higher purpose, and higher truth found
through Higher Power. This is why a good, if not great relationship with our Higher
Power is so important as we strive to do what is needed for not only for
ourselves, but all people, and all life. We ask ourselves what is best for all
concerned, what would serve the greatest good?
An Authority Problem
Setting aside our own
wishes and needs for a time is to listen to the "Noble Heart," and
"Higher Law.” Too often we have an "authority problem" as we
believe we are the author of our lives and want to write the whole story beginning
to end. Here is where the little "me" creeps in. That small and
scared self is cunning and baffling, sneaking in to try and take over and run
the show whenever it can. This why it is so important to make the shift to our
higher and True Self through a Higher Power.
In God We Trust
Extreme honesty is
required for real transformation and spiritual liberation. It is a hard truth,
but one that can set us free. Many will find this truth disheartening, but
necessary to acknowledge if we are to move beyond our deeply ingrained impulses
for individual flourishing and gain. Facing our fragile, flawed, and
compulsively self-absorbed nature allows empathy and understanding needed to
end our striving and struggles to improve ourselves and our world as we yield
to a Higher Power’s vast intelligence and care. We can never trust
ourselves completely. so we trust in God. We can have faith that a beneficent,
compassionate, and supremely intelligent force is always at work in our lives
and all creation in all times and places.
False Self Blocks God
In his book Practicing the
Power of Now author Eckart Tolle states "Our innermost invisible and
indestructible essence, our true nature, is being." Being can also
be seen as the “Supreme Being” (Higher Power), but without the religious overtones.
He goes on to say; "The inability to feel this gives rise to illusions of
separation. Fear arises and conflicts become the norm. The greatest obstacle to
the reality of your connectedness is identification with mind and compulsive
thinking. It creates a false mind made self that casts a shadow of fear
and suffering, an opaque screen of concepts, labels, word, judgments, and
definitions that block all true relationships between you and yourself, your
fellow man, nature, and God. "
Praying Only for
Knowledge of God’s Will for Us
In our modern societies
and cultures it is common to believe that the individual is the pinnacle of
creation. In a way we are, as we have more knowledge than any other creature,
and through our devices incredibly more power, but in truth it is all Higher
Power, manifested through our minds, words, hands, and hearts. This realization
also allows forgiveness and love for ourselves and others trying to usurp God’s
will to our personal desires. It is not our fault, but our folly, and we are
wise to understand this mental mistake that we may transcend it.
A Life of Service
Cowboy Dharma's founding
father often relates a story that he had reached a very frustrating point in
life and called out to the heavens, "Just take my life!" Instantly it
was as if his Higher Power answered back and said, "Okay, here's what we
will do with it"! Quite a surprising and interesting reply that points out
how he became frustrated when he lost his foundation and faith in the infinite
power, presence, and wisdom living deep within him, as well as through-out the
world. He needed to get back on "Team Higher Power", and just keep
doing his part as a worthy team player.
Freedom Power
Too often it seems we have
the weight of the world on our shoulders, but like journaling where we take all
of our worries, fears, problems, and distress and leave them on the page, so
too we can take all of our troubles and trials and give them to our Higher
Power. This is our true parent, and true home where we can rest and relax all
of our strivings and concerns. This is the true freedom we need to break the
chains that bind us and weather the storms that come our way from a place of
peace, wisdom, and strength.
The Spectrum
Just like the image of an
angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other, our mental situation can be
seen as a spectrum, with goodness and light on one side, and darkness and
dysfunction on the other. The key is to have the presence of mind and heart to
imagine ourselves at any spot on the spectrum at different times and in
differing situations so as to have compassion and forgiveness for ourselves and
others when we slip into darkness with dysfunctional and problematic
thoughts and behaviors.
Spiritual Awareness
Unfortunately, much of
modern society sees the spiritual and transcendent as weak,
outdated, superstitious, and naïve, so reversal of the dominant personal
and cultural mindset is nothing less than heroic, but absolutely necessary in
the face of current catastrophic challenges on many fronts. A spiritual
awareness allows every day and moment to be a new opportunity and beginning as
we turn from a setting sun to a new horizon and a rising sun.
Rising Sun Orientation
We can change
our minds and hearts to adjust our orientation, a fitting term as orient
means looking east to a new and brilliant sun as we put setting sun mentality
(negativity, dysfunction, selfishness, etc.) behind us. We are then free to
move forward in the light of a higher, greater, and true awareness. The shadow
is always there, right behind us, but diminishes as we surround ourselves with
goodness and light.
Embracing the Shadow
We are wise to see that
the shadow, the dark and dysfunctional side (lower powers) is also a part of
us. Even a critical inner parent, wounded inner child, or angry inner
teen has valuable information to share, and the more welcoming and embracing we
are to them the more and better they may be able to help us. It is all too easy
to imagine our difficult parts as too painful and destructive to be any use, so
that we try and break free of and get rid of them, but would you cut off a part
of your body, or burn down your house because they have problems?
Ego (I - Me - Mine)
Perhaps our greatest
obstacle to Higher Power and the universal love of humanity, all life, and
creation is “me.” It is very easy to get caught up in self-serving concerns,
and so common it seems very normal. "My health, my work, my home, my car,
my things", and on, and on, and on. A popular Beatles song relates this
as: “All through the day, all I can hear, I, me, mine.” It is important to take
care of ourselves and our world of course, but the key is a healthy balance of
self and others.
Self Will or Will of
Higher Power
The ego knows when it is
in danger of being found out or curtailed, and may react to any slight or
judgement of it with a life-or-death battle, because to the ego, to simply be
called out or proved wrong is death. It often takes a crisis, breakdown, or failure
to break the grip of ego and see beyond, yet we actually need to have a strong
and healthy identity to have the will and strength to truly be of service and
focus unselfishly on the needs of others and the world. This will and strength,
is not self-will or self-power, but our Higher Powers will and energy working
through us.
Ego and True Self
It is truly amazing
how attached we are to this I-dentity (me) and My-dentity (mine). We get caught
up in ego so often it feels normal and goes on unnoticed most of the time. You
could also call it the "Mego", or "I" of the storm. Being
overly focused on ourselves is also stressful as we know deep inside that we
are not the center of the universe, so seeing and living the bigger picture is
a relief and feels much better and healthier. The false self of ego lives in
fear, so strives to be worthy of the profound gift of life, but striving only
distances us further from it. On the deepest level of our true nature, True
Self, and heart of hearts we are kind, loving, and wise, so it is the surface
level of compulsive mind and self we must be mindful of.
From Narrow Mindedness to
Over-Soul
We must be ever watchful
of mind's calculating nature, of how it is always seeking to take events in
service of itself. We must remember that even attempts at self-development and
personal growth are often tainted by a predisposition of an unconscious, but
not ultimate, self-serving and flawed nature. The human condition is to often
be narrow minded with our own personal concerns, and at some level compromised,
and incapable of perfecting ourselves. However we are not doomed, as we can
become aware and rise above. There is no redeeming ourselves, our only hope is
to release the self and open up to the transcendent power and will of a
redeeming Higher Power, order, and law.
The Gift of Awakened and
Compassionate Heart
When we truly and
sincerely realize the kind, compassionate, and wise heart and mind of God,
acting selfishly is out of the question. Self-will becomes self-love, and other
power becomes other love. This is the True Self, the Oneself, the
all-encompassing True Self of all life and things constantly inspiring,
blessing, and renewing us. Shinran said; “Such is the benevolence of great
compassion. We must strive to return it. We must endeavor to repay it.” Our
gratitude and desire to respond to this glorious gift is itself a gift.
"As a blind man might find a jewel in a heap of rubbish, so too has this
awakening heart and mind appeared in me". Shantideva
Gratitude and Grace as a
Call to Action
Even as we celebrate the
love, peace, joy, and beauty of the tremendous gift we have been given, we
acknowledge and remain vigilant to our fallible nature, and life becomes ever
more precious, profound, and sacred. Foolish grace says “God has got this, it's
all according to God's plan, so I don't have to do a thing.” Wise grace is a
call to action, to participate fully in the compassionate impulse. The greater
our connection to grace the greater our gratitude becomes, and also urges us on
to be of service to all who suffer.
Mystical Cooperation
To seek, enact, and embody
the truly wise mind and loving heart of a Higher Power of our own understanding
is the ultimate gift, and our gratitude counteracts self-serving entitlement
and pride, Gratitude may then fulfill and inspire us to serve others and lead
them to the vast freedom, humility, and happiness we have received. All the
more reason to get in the flow of grace and stay there as much as possible.
Thus, "We enter into a mystical cooperation that completely penetrates all
times, and performs the eternal work of the enlightened ones guiding influence
in the past, present, and future, resonating like a bell.” Dogen
Miracles and Magic
Our living prayer and
practice is the awakened heart and mind of Higher Power in us, and like a
pebble tossed into a pond, as it flows out to others in wave after wave of
abundant kindness and compassion. The unrelenting stream of grace flows into us
and through us like the morning sun's light and warmth, also rising and falling
as the seasons of life come and go in an ever more brilliant and profound
experience and display. In this joyous world we are at last free to work the
magic and miracle of loving service free of the contamination of self-interest.
A Gift of Grace
Our service becomes an
offering, a gift to the Great Spirit and Force of life, to aid and inspire
others to their best and True Self. Absolute submission to Higher Power, order,
law, and truth allows us to discover and manifest our most heartfelt and greatest
purpose and passion that we may spend the rest of our days living with the
deepest reverence and meaning. Acknowledging and healing our wounded, fragile,
and bounded nature gives us boundless compassion, forgiveness, and love for
ourselves and others, however difficult or despairing we may appear.
Physical and Spiritual
Worlds
A simple analogy for the
physical and spiritual realms is a wave that rises and falls. Sometimes the
wave is barely perceptible and other times it washes over us as a great tsunami
as tall as a mountain. Everything in the world is of this nature to come into
existence in a small or great way, yet all things change and pass like the
days, the seasons, and the waves. This is the relative, physical, and
historical realm. Yet even for a simple thing like a wave there is another
realm, the ultimate realm of the water.
The Water of Wave
Water is the essence of the wave, its ultimate reality, essence, and spirit. We have that too, A spiritual reality that connects us to all people, life, through creation, and our infinite, ultimate, absolute reality. Higher Power lives and moves in both worlds, as we all do if we open our eyes, hearts, and minds to wake up and manifest it. Realizing our small place in the big picture might seem depressing, but in truth, we aren't just a drop in the ocean, we are the ocean in a drop. Acknowledging the duality of physical and spiritual life is very useful for us to see and understand the differences and similarities in our life situations. It can be seen as a continuum, but also as the two sides of a coin, therefore making up a intimately connected whole.
Rest in God
It's time for us to stop
building up our own little kingdoms (and queendoms) of the “right” jobs,
partners, cars, homes, etc., and knock down our walls to find we are safe and
at home in God's loving embrace all along, we just didn't know it. As we take the
step backwards from our external, physical, worldly self and instead look
inward, we may at last give up the rat race, battles, and war raging in our
minds, hearts, homes, and world to instead rest in God. Once we find the
infinite love, peace, joy, and beauty within, living from the inside out
becomes the sanest and most satisfying thing we can do.
Give Me that New Time
Religion!
For many centuries people
simply followed their parent’s religion and concept of a Higher Power. There
was very little choice in the matter, and questioning or rejecting the status
quo often meant being cast out, which could be devastating, if not deadly.
These days most of us have the freedom to make our own choices. This is great
news as we all can find or create a God of our own understanding that seems to
have eluded us, but now can give us the purpose and meaning we need.
God of the Wilds
As you begin to build your
own set of tools for building an intimate relationship with your Higher Power,
you might wonder why this work is necessary, how did Higher Power get so
lost? Well it wasn't God that was lost, it was us! Looking back in time to see
how we have regarded God can be helpful. First, God was seen and worshiped in
the forests, rivers, animals, and other aspects of nature. When cities were
built, it seems all of that was left outside the city walls, and perhaps
thought of as too wild and dangerous for civilized folks.
God Under House Arrest
Mankind responded by
building grand churches, temples, cathedrals, and other buildings to house God
and centralize religious power. This building was often in the center of town
and stood high above all else with its spires pointing to the heavens. Stepping
inside to see the soaring columns, high ceilings, carved wood and statues,
beautiful stained glass and art, as well as moving song and music, it is often
awe inspiring, but can be problematic if it gets between us and our Loving
Higher Power. Many religions also once put the clergy between us as an
intercessor.
Monarchies and Government
as God
Next individual men and
women sought power and status so built palaces and castles even greater and
grander, so God was getting pushed out again. Governments also sought control
and power so built immense and elaborate structures such often modeled after
classic Greek and Roman temples. This was later formalized with a formal
separation between the church and state in America. We seemed to know better,
so resisted a complete separation as evidenced by the green paper we guard so
carefully (cash) that remind us that "In God we trust".
Corporate Gods
Modern times finds city
centers crowded with corporate buildings standing tall against the horizon, so
it seems business (or is it money?) is the new Higher Power. It is easy to
believe this a true, as business (and money) is a formidable force behind modern
life. It appears that what we need now is a Higher Power that takes in all of
these and puts them in service of greater good and higher law. Together we can
make this happen, we must.
Pulling Back the Curtain
A less visible but
seemingly adversarial position is often held by the scientific community,
evidenced in a battle between faith and reason. Yet we see nothing to fight
over, as it isn't the biggest building in town that counts, or who is holding
the most practical evidence. What matters most is what is in our hearts, and
Higher Power is there, perhaps behind the scenes, but still alive and well and
running the show.
Science Shows the Glory of
God
Some might say this is a fall from grace, as if science has pulled back the curtain like Toto did in The Wizard of Oz. We say no. The "great and powerful Oz" (Supreme Being) that has emerged still brings the sunrise, the seasons, and all the other miracles that got us here and sustain us. Science hasn't killed God, rather it has shown us just how wonderful and amazing creation really is. As Carl Sagan said: "Science, is at least in part, informed worship.”
"I believe in God who reveals himself in the orderly
harmony of the universe". "Everyone who is seriously involved in the
pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of
the universe, a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in which we with
our modest powers must feel humble". "Whatever there is of God and
goodness in the universe, it must work itself out and express itself through
us. We cannot stand aside and let God do it". "A knowledge of the
existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the
profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it is this knowledge and this
emotion that constitute the truly religious attitude; in this sense, and in
this alone, I am a deeply religious man. Albert Einstein
He also wisely said: "A human being is part of the
whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience
ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A
kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison
for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few
persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by
widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole
of nature in its beauty. The true value of a human being is determined by the
measure and the sense in which they have obtained liberation from the self. We
shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if humanity is to
survive".
Coming Home to God
As you can see, many
significant forces such as civilizations, cultures, monarchies, governments,
businesses, science, and even organized religion seem to have come between us
and an intimate relationship with our deepest, most sacred, and truest part of
us, our Higher Power, and therefore True Self. Facing this, is it any wonder
that individuals and the world are in so much trouble? Yet the challenge isn’t
to face these obstacles head on in a mighty battle, but to first simply turn
inwards to change our own minds and hearts and turn towards grace so we can
begin to make effective changes in the world.
We are the Vehicle
An interesting analogy for
becoming empowered and guided by a loving Higher Power is an automobile. Can it
take us where we want and need to go? If we just get in and sit
there no. It has to get turned on and fired up first. The navigation has to be
set so we know where we are going and how to get there. Then we have to get it
in gear and deal with the roadblocks, storms, detours, and so forth on our
journey.
The same goes for us. We
also need to get turned on, fired up, plan our journey, get it in gear, get
going, keep going, stop for rest and refueling, and deal with obstacles along
the way. The important thing is to remember that Higher Power is the spark,
fire, journey, and destination. We are God's eyes and ears, hands and
feet, mind and heart, body, soul, and spirit, the vehicle, and tool of God's
will manifesting in the world, and useless and dead with out divine
inspiration, direction, and purpose.
Intimate Conscious Contact
Many people imagine their Higher Power as an energy and
entity just like talking to pets, plants, and other things. It is also
manifested through our prayers, meditations, journaling, and internal daily
conversation. This power and presence can also have a human like form that can
take us onto it’s lap and into it’s arms like a child, a loving
mother/father/caregiver presence we can feel deeply in every action,
feeling, thought, cell of our body, and atom of creation. If
your Higher Power ties into your religion great, but it doesn’t have to. This
is a God of our own understanding, often different from the one handed down to
us from generations past.
Up Close and Personal
It is all too easy to
imagine Higher Power/God as distant, either living in churches, cathedrals, and
temples where we can visit, or far off in heaven looking down on us and only
truly accessible in an afterlife. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can see
infinite power, presence, and wisdom at work in every aspect of the natural
world, in every blade of grass, sunrise and sunset, every season change,
raindrop, and every cell and thought of our own bodies, minds, and hearts.
Rather than distant and mute, we can cultivate a relationship that is
intimately up close and personal.
Divine Creator and
Sustainer
Some might mourn a
personal God that that we could count on for personal miracles, but again, look
at how your body manages digestion, balance, circulation, cognition, and a
hundred other bodily functions and you should see another example of wonderful
and amazing miracles. As Joseph Murphy said; "The doctor dresses the wound
and God heals it". This goes for every problem and hurt in life, so we
will never be as safe and cared for as when we rest in God.
Intimately Interconnected
Realizing our incredible interconnectedness with all nature serves well to acknowledge our interconnectedness with our Higher Power as well. Call it nature or Higher
Power, but our bodies are connected to all other life forms
to give us the amazing respiratory, cardiovascular, muscular, nervous, and
other systems. It does seem incredible and unbelievable that our bodies can do
so many amazing functions all at once. The truth may be that our bodies are simply the
receiving device and Higher Power is the signal and source.
Also as mind boggling, is to consider that our brains/minds are also a receiver of a Higher Powered signal and source from nature and/or God. We usually only have a general idea of what we want to communicate yet the words and concepts come flowing out rapid fire as if they are coming from a superior intelligence. This is most obvious when genius intervenes and the beauty and secrets of the universe come to us through music and the arts, as well as mathematics, medicine, chemistry and other sciences. Are we finely tuned to the powers of nature and God? Most certainly, but to what extent we don't yet know.
Binding Back to Our SourceYes, a lot of God talk there. A risky proposition in our culture where religions continue to lose people as they move towards spirituality. That is why we use the term Higher Power most. Also consider that the word religion, at its root, means to "bind back" to our source. This definition casts a new light, one easier to swallow and to follow. Perhaps once again we can see the holy and divine in the sky, water, and trees. Everywhere can be sacred ground. It seems imperative we do as climate change hits us where it hurts.
We are in dire need of a beneficent influence, a transcendent cosmology beyond our selfish aims, a compassionate influence we can all participate in and enjoy. This awakening and enlightenment is not something we earn, rather a spectacular gift all have inherited through Higher Power. Savoring this gift can be a beautiful affirmation and blessing for us and others. No amount of self-improvement is needed or will prove useful, as grace flows into us abundantly through humble reverence and service.
It may take a
stretch of the imagination to create and accept this mindset but it is one
worth making. It is to believe that the tirelessly persisting force that
created all things and life is constantly blessing us in millions of ways. From
the changes of the seasons, to the rainfall, to the beauty of sunsets and
children, grace is our inheritance. It created, developed, and sustains every
atom, molecule, and cell in every moment. We may have bad moments, days,
or years but it has given us immeasurable and inexhaustible well-being. And not
just us, but all life across the world and across the ages.
A Closing Word from Our Founding Father
I agree with Albert
Einstein in that I believe in Spinoza's God. As for Spinoza, God was synonymous
with nature. With this view, the sun, mountains, and trees stand tall and
strong as the masculine aspect, or father. The valleys, meadows, waters, and
earth itself are the feminine aspect, or mother. All are life giving forces
that sustain us and all other life as our brothers and sisters in an incredibly
benevolent and fruitful home. I can't tell you just how comforting and
reassuring this is for me. When I am in nature I truly feel at home within
minutes, and troubles and stresses can seem far, far away.
In fact, this one concept
is for me is not just good news, but the best news ever, and one I can to turn
to at any time to see and feel the infinite love of my Higher Power within me
and through-out all creation. No matter what happens, God is good, as evidenced
through creation, and in particular life across the earth in incredible
diversity, tenacity, intelligence, and beauty, as well as across all time and
likely through-out the universe. This is the absolutely indestructible,
beautiful, and peaceful place I go in my mind and heart in the face of any
worries or difficulties. What is yours?
To access Part 2 of Higher Power Sanity File, please
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