Tag: pathwalking

‘Spaces Between’ for Empaths

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My granddaughter is an empath. Now, I’ve met empaths before, and I really loved their “vibe” ― or their ability to surf the energies around them without being overwhelmed by the waves. They varied in maturity, but they were always aware of their energy sensitivities. At the most mature end, they seem to absorb the wave and either convert it to light or merely neutralize its tension.

On the other end, they seem to need to constantly readjust their perspectives ― which we all do, including the mature empaths, but these are more overt, appearing to be in constant search for themselves or validation. Less “solid,” like watching the changing shapes of clouds as the air stream carried them.

But empaths who are just starting out life need a different construct, or model, of the world. Since our brains construct what we consider reality, it makes sense to approach empaths from the ‘world-modeling’ perspective. Philip H. Farber in his book “Brain Magick: Exercises in Meta-Magick and Invocation”, describes world-modeling this way:

In general, most (if not all) of what we take for “the world” is a “user illusion,” a way that our brain interprets the world that allows us to experience clouds of probability (as physicists explain the nature of subatomic particles) as solid matter. We perceive the surface of our skin (however permeable and, ultimately, created of those clouds of probability and space) as the boundary between self and world. And we make numerous similarly illusory representations of everything we’ve ever seen, heard, felt, tasted, or smelled. Consider our experience of the world as a map or model that we create with our thoughts (and some help from the brain’s default network), based on the interpretation of our perception. Whether or not there is an objective reality to bump up against, all we can ever really do is experience our mind’s interpretation of bumping.  And this model-making most certainly includes the delineation we make between ourselves and the rest of the world. What we consider to be internal and external may just be convenient distinctions that help us to maintain a sense of self and to navigate what we perceive of the world.
 
For practical purposes, we usually find that we need to take our internal representation as the world. So, for the time being, we can play within the usual rules and relate to our books or reading devices as solid objects, decide that we are something separate from the air we breathe, and treat as “unreal” only those things we recognize as figments of our imagination. Good with that?

This post is for her and her spirit-filled mom. I hope it is the beginning of world-modeling where they can both enjoy a world of the spaces between.

What is an empath?

An empath is an individual who is highly sensitive to the emotional and energetic states of others. They can intuitively feel and, in some cases, take on the emotions of people around them as if they were their own. This heightened level of empathy goes beyond the typical empathetic response that many people experience; empaths can absorb both positive and negative emotional energies from their environment, which can significantly impact their own emotional well-being.

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Angles of Resistance: from rejection to reflection

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A while back, I found myself needing to explain to a religious relative that Christianity — its precepts and values — are not under attack.  There is no “war on Christmas” nor is there “persecution,” at least of the lion-feeding variety.  I proposed to him that what he’s seeing is pushback by people who see sects of Christians trying to force their brand of “Christianity” on the nation.  Episcopalian pastor Joseph Yoo has a similar view: Christianity is “under review” by society.

A look at “under review”

The concept of “under review” carries with it a sense of examination, scrutiny, and perhaps, reevaluation. In the context of Christianity, the faith finds itself under review for myriad reasons — shifts in social norms, advances in science, and an increasingly pluralistic society, to name a few. Since Christianity interacts with the ever-changing world around it, being under review is almost a natural outcome of a faith that has global influence but exists in a myriad of local contexts. 

Its principles have a core, whose expressions have been codified and morphed over the years with dogmas reflecting the perspectives of different cultures, contexts, and knowledge of historical stages of human development. And the precepts and values have been codified into holidays, observances, and laws affecting the population of an entire nation according to the times.

So, it’s not so much a court martial as it is an audit — a detailed examination of its accounts and records to ensure accuracy and fairness. Audits are not necessarily punitive; often, they are formative. They expose gaps, shortcomings, and areas for growth.

But it’s important to note that feedback about spiritual growth and relevance to society isn’t just an internal debate.  Christians are called to be witnesses to Grace and Love to others whose hearts they hope to lead to salvation.  There is an audience and a calling, with a message that should be more about love than fear of Hell and eternal punishment, following dogmatic rules, and tribal litmus tests. This aligns with Christ’s message, which offers an area for growth in modern evangelism.

How well they do in the alignment — their “fruits” — would certainly be reflected in how their audience reacts. If God can indeed speak through Nature and Spirit, then why not through people outside the faith? After all, Christianity doesn’t hold a monopoly on wisdom or divine insight. Others, especially non-Christians, are how Christians can know that they aren’t just being Crusaders forcing everyone to bend the knee, a type of persecution of its own.

This view can serve as a compass for Christians feeling overwhelmed by the pace of societal change. What they perceive as pushback might actually be course corrections, God steering them away from rocky shores and toward more profound understandings of faith, much like a seasoned sailor reads the winds and waves to navigate a tricky stretch of sea.

But that’s just one side of the persecution coin.

Persecution vs. “Under Review”

For one thing, “persecution” seems rather dramatic. It’s vital to appreciate the scale of persecution that early Christians faced. From being fed to lions in Roman colosseums to undergoing political executions, early followers of Jesus paid a high price for their convictions. The notion of persecution was a real, visceral experience, often culminating in loss of life or freedom. The stakes were monumentally high, which added gravity to the early Christian messages about enduring for the sake of faith.

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Battling the Unseen

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In the beginning, was a meme

The other day, I ran across a meme that said, “We are living in a time where Satan doesn’t even hide anymore, and the world still can’t see him. 1 Peter 5:8”. This assertion isn’t actually a bible verse but refers instead to a verse from the first letter of Peter in the New Testament, 1 Peter 5:8: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

The people who commented on this meme did so with just one or two words, usually, “AMEN” and “Ain’t that the truth”. There was no processing—just assent. I read this meme and the comments and wondered: is the meme about Satan’s hiding, our inability to detect him, or a way to blame him for our own actions?

I start by parsing the meme as a place to start.

  1. Did this being ever tried to hide? The meme says that Satan doesn’t “even hide anymore,” suggesting that he did at one time; yet now he’s overt, but we still can’t see him.
  2. Who is “the world,” and is this an Us-vs-Them thing where Christians believe they can see him? I suspect that it is more important to Christians than to non-Christians since part of a Christian’s job is to shine a light on stuff like this for non-Christians and their own brethren. So the “world” should start with them.
  3. Why can’t we “see” him (or the fingerprints of his influence)? Are things harder for us than for our ancestors?

For such a little meme, it is jam-packed with assumptions that I think are well worth unpacking.  But first, we need to identify the real nature of our journey.

Note: I write this to people who believe in Satan as a power that requires their focus and against whom they believe they struggle. I speak to them with the teachings and understandings that are already a part of their belief system, which I believe needs to be adjusted in order to be effective in a spiritual walk to The Throne.

I personally don’t believe we need Satan in order to indulge our innate selfishness. I also believe that pointing at Satan is “confusing the finger for the moon,” as Bruce Lee once said.

“Do not concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory” from his film Enter the Dragon (1973). It means not to mistake the pointer for the point. The finger (representing methods, teachings, doctrines, etc.) is a tool used to direct our attention towards something much grander and more profound (the moon, or ultimate truth/reality). If we focus too much on the tool, method, or doctrine itself, we miss out on the greater truth or experience it’s intended to reveal. The danger is in becoming too attached or focused on the practice or doctrine itself and missing the broader, transformative experience it’s designed to facilitate.

Where it concerns belief in Satan, it is the inverse: focusing on the tempter (finger-pointer) instead of the “greater truth”: our own susceptibility to being tempted.

To that end, the discussion below presents not only the blinders (and how they got that way) but also ideas for removing them. After all, what good is concentrating on the finger instead of reaching for the moon. I try to maintain the foundation of all tools for removing the blinders on biblical principles and sound theological interpretation.

Clarifying What Spiritual Means

I’ll be using the word “spiritual” a lot, and it’s not helpful if we aren’t thinking about it the same way. Granted, there will be differences in what we think of as spiritual, so I’ll describe it for the purpose of this article.

This is a hefty-sized section. Bear with it. It’s important to understand.

God is non-corporeal. He’s spirit (John 4:24)*. Our journey toward the Throne is not a physical one or a rules-based, mechanical one. It’s one that requires a type of transformation of our minds and perspectives such that our souls can align with the divine will (harmony) and allow us to see and learn the details of a deeper relationship with Him as we near the Throne.

* John 4:24: “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.“
A direct, unambiguous statement that Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well while discussing the appropriate place for worship. He emphasized the importance of spiritual, rather than physical, worship.

“Spiritual” refers to matters concerning the spirit or soul, as opposed to physical or material matters. It encompasses aspects of life and human experience related to meaning, purpose, and transcendence — those that go beyond the visible world of phenomena and base animal natures.

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Love the sinner, hate the sin

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Nice idea, but … humans

Today’s discourse and policies on gender and sexual orientation harken back to the rhetoric used against gay people of yesteryear. But the bearing of false witness is landing in different soil. Young people especially are looking for alternatives to Christian leaders’ demagoguery.

They are seeing as malicious fantasy the claims that homosexuals are responsible for 9/11; that they recruit children; that God is punishing the U.S. with horrific, deadly storms and calamities; that “traditional” values are under attack, threatening the very existence of our society; and that “God Hates Gays.”

These types of arguments from Christian leaders like Anita Bryant, Lon Mabon, Jerry Falwell, and Pat Robertson have faded and are being replaced with renewed, softer calls to “love the sinner; hate the sin.”

Now this is a noble, even holy, call to action.

It is meant to convey the idea of showing compassion and forgiveness towards others while acknowledging and disapproving of their actions or behaviors. A person is separated from their actions and recognized for their worth and dignity, regardless of the perceived harm or offensiveness of their actions. (NOTE: I’m using the neuter they to gender-agnostically stand for an individual.)

At the core of the motto is the belief that everyone is redeemable. We all make mistakes, and we all have the potential to change. Just because someone does something wrong does not mean he or she is a bad person. It simply means that they have made a bad choice while struggling with their own demons, and are unaware of the full impact of their words and actions. By showing compassion and understanding while shining a light on their actions and heresies, we can help them see the error of their ways.

I’d vote for that, except it leaves out the Human ingredients of:

Continue reading “Love the sinner, hate the sin” →