Spirituality * Culture * Self-Expression

Month: July 2021

Please Subscribe

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that the “blog subscription” widget on my site suddenly and mysteriously disappeared. It hasn’t come back and I still don’t know where it went. I have, however, found a replacement for it. The new widget/plugin seems to work OK, but there are some concerns. First, none of my old subscribers were migrated to the new program so, if you had subscribed before, you will have to re-subscribe with the new system. Second, the notifications are going straight to the spam folders – even the notifications to me. I can’t seem to correct that on my end – I’m not great at even simple tech. If you have tried to subscribe, please check your spam folder – also, try to make your own adjustments to allow my notifications to get directly to your in-box. At this time, and for the foreseeable future, the only notices you’ll get from me are announcements of new posts. At some point, I might make other announcements – but nothing too ponderous to read. Third, I have no idea how long this widget will keep working.

If you prefer not to subscribe, perhaps you’ll consider bookmarking my page and checking in now and then. Since the start of the year, I have been consistently posting every week and I hope to continue that practice.

What comes to mind, for me, regarding this situation, is a comment frequently made by spiritual teachers. They often use phrases such as “when one door closes, another door opens” or “losing something makes room to find something better” or “everything that happens to you, happens for a good reason.”

I won’t say these are false teachings; they are, however, naïve and misleading.

Certainly, good things happen to good people: but so, also, do bad things. And good things even happen to bad people.

Really, for the most part, things just happen. God notices every sparrow that falls, but God doesn’t stop every sparrow from falling. Things are going to happen to us in the world – how we react to things happening is the important part for each of us, individually.

Sometimes when a door closes, we find ourselves locked in a room with no way out. There’s nothing wrong with hoping for something good to happen and actively looking for ways to make good things happen. There’s nothing wrong with having faith that whatever happens, we will be able to make the best of it. The problem revolves around the EXPECTATION that somehow a new door will magically appear without any effort on our part. We must each take action to create our own good.

Another popular saying comes to mind: “God helps those who help themselves.” We must open ourselves up to possibility and be ready to seize opportunities as they appear – or appear to appear. And if another door opens, step through it quickly before it shuts again. The real doors we should be seeking are the ones the open up within us.

So, will losing my old widget lead to something better? I don’t know. I’m just going to keep trudging along with these posts and hope people enjoy reading them. Sometime in the future I might invest in some service that handles widgets and upgrades and all that for me.

Maybe.

For now, I’ll continue doing what I do.

I might not be anyone’s open door, but maybe I can be a small crack in the wall that lets a few people peep out at the mystic world.

Marcus Aurelius

Who is Marcus Aurelius?

Aurelius was born in 121 A.D. and became Emperor of Rome in 161 A.D. Considered the last of the “five good emperors,” Aurelius led Rome in the final days of the Pax Romana, the great Roman peace established by Augustine in 27 B.C. He died in the year 180.

Despite being the most powerful man of his time and being fabulously wealthy, Aurelius patterned himself as a Stoic philosopher and is sometimes referred to as the “Philosopher King.” He led a simple, contemplative life and is the author of an important philosophical and spiritual book called “the Meditations.”

Stoicism is not just a philosophy or intellectual pursuit; Stoics consider it a way of life. To the Stoic, the highest good is to lead a life of virtue. The route to virtue is the practice of prudence, justice, temperance and courage.

Stoicism was founded by the Greek philosopher Zeno in the 3rd century B.C. The name itself refers simply to the “stoa poikile,” the painted porch where Zeno and his followers met to discuss their ideas.

One of the most important of the ancient Stoic philosophers was Epictetus. He lived from 50 to 135 A.D. He was born a slave, but acquired his freedom and by the end of his life he was respected as one of the wisest men of his age and, perhaps, the only truly free man because he lived his philosophy with a vigor.

Epictetus taught that external events are beyond our control – thus, we should accept whatever happens to us or around us calmly and dispassionately. At the same time, individuals are responsible for their own internal experiences and their own actions. The internal life should be examined and controlled through rigorous self-discipline.

Epictetus greatly influenced the thought and life style of Marcus Aurelius and he is quoted often in “the Meditations.”

Aurelius lived in troubled times. His reign was marked by wars and uprisings and political difficulties. Aurelius, however, began his philosophical training as a young man; thus, he was prepared for the struggle when he became emperor. Aurelius did all that was expected of him as leader of his people and worked diligently for what he considered the good of the empire while also maintaining his own inner discipline. He endeavored to master his thoughts, feelings and passions despite the turmoil going on around him.

In a simple form, his philosophy might be seen as a precursor to the often-quoted Serenity Prayer of modern-day theologian Reinhold Niebuhr – “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Aurelius was by no means a Christian. More likely he was a Pantheist seeing God as encompassing all existence rather than as a separate being or personal savior. But he shared the same spiritual understanding.

The life of Marcus Aurelius shows that even someone with vast privilege and authority can aspire to a nobler, pious and mystical existence.

Mystic Wealth

Smart, funny, talented, devastatingly handsome and connected to Spirit – so why isn’t your favorite Mystic world famous and living in a castle by the sea surrounded by adoring acolytes and dancing girls? Why isn’t he being interviewed by Oprah, featured on the cover of People Magazine (Handsomest Man Alive edition) or staring in a Netflix series based on his own fabulous life?

Ho hum.

Being rich and famous isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Most celebrities, after all, can’t handle their own day to day lives without management help. The use of glamour – a magic spell that produces the illusion of attractiveness – has a heavy price. Notice that most celebrities have diagnosed or undiagnosed but clearly evident mental health issues, such as depression, pathological self-absorption and histrionic personality disorders, to name a few. They might also engage in substance abuse and self-medicating behaviours, or dependency, and participate in deviant life-style action – very often pedophilia.

Not all rich and famous people have these problems: but enough do to advance the stereotype.

Of course, wealth, power and popularity are not bad things in themselves. They do, however, extract a heavy toll on the spiritual life.

If you check the history of mysticism for the past 5000 years, you’ll find that almost all mystics or spiritual people have led simple lives. Comfortable, maybe, but never lavish or vulgar. The only truly wealthy mystic I’m aware of is Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor who lived from the year 121 to 180. He was more stoic philosopher than mystic, but he wrote a wonderful book called “The Meditations.” Despite the fabulous wealth and power connected to his title, he lived a very modest and contemplative life. He preferred inner splendor to outer ostentation.

Now I’m talking about REAL mystics – not fakers who use spirituality as a way of gaining control of people or resources – who exploit the weak and mock their own believers and followers. There are plenty of frauds around. They are the ones who get interviewed by Oprah, appear in People Magazine and have Netflix documentaries made about them.

Of course, it’s nice to be appreciated. It’s nice to learn that people benefit from your efforts. It’s nice to know that your gifts are being put to good use.

It is also nice to enjoy a calm, harmonious life – one that’s comfortable but not frivolous – and to be free, for the most part, to work and play as you choose.

That is TRUE wealth. And that is the life of your favorite mystic.

Independence Day 2021

Canada Day 2021

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén