Meditating to Heal

When you awaken to yourself each day, you might feel vacant. There is an emptiness inside that cannot seemingly be filled. Thus begins the eternal scavenger hunt of our lives. We look outside ourselves because we need the gifts of self-created outer problems to strengthen our inner needs. And. . . we awaken our innate wisdom.

Recognizing the illusions of our physical worlds, our inner strengths grow. We objectify two opposite things – our desire for wealth and our desire for real friends. Our inner emptiness roars inside us, tossing us much as an angry sea would. One side of our little boat is an angry sea, while the other promises calm.

When we realize the recognition of the inner person and their loving companionship is most important in our lives, our turmoil disappears. We turn to the acknowledgement of the value of the inner persons we meet and befriend, we accept this as the loving influence of peace in our lives. We awaken God within us, and the something missing disappears. We are at peace with ourselves.

©Russell Kendall Carter

Like it or not, whatever we do to one another matters to God. When we see God’s love on the face of those we meet, our vision of the world is forever changed. We recognize that the status quo cannot remain as it is. As good stewards of God’s Grace, our only true duty is to serve one another as a loved person. Any gift we receive, we are duty-bound to share with those less fortunate than ourselves.

Our society has allowed, and many times encouraged us, to be surrounded by fear and danger. If we do not spiritually raise ourselves up to stop these negative influences in our society, we will all suffer. As people of faith, we will be forced to carry the struggles of humanity getting heavier as we walk. We must enlarge our faith; we must open our hearts to demonstrate God’s Truth and Love which has no room for hate, danger, and fear.

Our struggles against this fear and danger must be supported by the outright courage of our innate knowledge of our true relationship with each other as God’s creations. The glory of God rises within us; we have the innate Wisdom given by our Creator. We must study our hearts intently to learn what we already know.

Our lust for freedom must include forgiveness of ourselves and forgiveness of all others. This forgiveness is the human passion for position, power, and monetary wealth. When in reality we find that we have someone’s hand we must hold and say thank-you; and then to repeat this love to all whom we meet. Then I can pray for God to give me one more day, that I may strive for the faith to share with all those with whom I live on this Earth, God’s creation.”

©Russell Kendall Carter

Our uneasy thoughts

bring the imperious night

to the forefronts of our childlike  brains.

Our inner beings mourn for

the return of an innocent mind.

Our Gethsemane-like moments

are comforted by His self-effacing assertion

And faith once again becomes

the providence of our existence.

©Russell Kendall Carter

When you awaken to yourself each day, you might feel vacant. There is an emptiness inside that cannot seemingly be filled. Thus begins the eternal scavenger hunt of our lives. We look outside ourselves because we need the gifts of self-created outer problems to strengthen our inner needs. And. . . we awaken our innate wisdom.

Recognizing the illusions of our physical worlds, our inner strengths grow. We objectify two opposite things – our desire for wealth and our desire for real friends. Our inner emptiness roars inside us, tossing us much as an angry sea would. One side of our little boat is an angry sea, while the other promises calm.

When we realize the recognition of the inner person and their loving companionship is most important in our lives, our turmoil disappears. We turn to the acknowledgement of the value of the inner persons we meet and befriend, we accept this as the loving influence of peace in our lives. We awaken God within us, and the something missing disappears. We are at peace with ourselves.

©Russell Kendall Carter

There are two totally disconnected stories of God creating man in the Bible. In Genesis 1, God says, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. . . (26).” This is spiritual Mankind, made in the same form as God. There is no form, Mankind, just as God, has no form that we can recognize, no material likeness to anything that we can imagine. Mankind is eternal with a perfect beginning and no ending. This means that you and I are eternal beings created by God.

In Genesis 2, “God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (7).” This means that man (notice no capital m) in mortal with a limited lifespan, not eternal. You and I were born in our mother’s womb and will die hopefully after many years doing God’s work here on earth.

But then God throws us a curveball (sorry for the sports analogy). And like a good curveball, it can blow right by us. However, if we see it coming, we can hit this pitch right out of the ballpark. We go back to Genesis 1, “God called the light ‘day,’ and the darkness he called ‘night’ (5).” 

The eternal creation of Mankind is the light of God’s creation, spreading brilliance throughout God’s creation with Truth and Love. There is no beginning nor is there an end. This light is eternal, as is Mankind. The creation of mortal mankind is the dark which is the life of this weak creation, subject to illness and all types of mistakes, burdened with a painful beginning and a painful end.

While we live our mortal lives, we can do so tending God’s creation, or we can live our lives in selfish search for money, fame, and ego. It is our choice whether we live in light or live in dark.

©Russell Kendall Carter

I almost titled this Doubting Who We Are, which would be too negatively unreal. The treasure we call life is not a fleeting thing. It never ends! We are well before we are born into this world and continue well after we leave this world to return to God’s domain.

Now, before you begin to digest this Truth, or argue with me, the interim between  our mortal birth and mortal death can be quite challenging. Many of us have doubts as to who we are. During our mortal life, we search for comfort; and for most of us that search is for money, because with money we can buy comfort. Or so we think.

This physical comfort is not long lasting; its beauty fades with time. The novelty of the adventurous life we live is not everlasting. Regardless of monetary wealth, this thrill of life fades as we age. And our new search begins; and leads us to Truth! Leads us to God!

And this thrill is eternal; it is; it is spiritually and intellectually fulfilling. When we read the message of Jesus in the first four books of the Christian Bible, we gain an insight into God’s message for us. And if we are truly adventurous, we read the other personal testimonies that were rejected by the powers in Rome. These lost books of the Bible opens our minds to God’s message for us, God’s Truth for us. And that is Love.

God wants us to love Life. Love the life that God gives us; and more importantly, to love the life of others just as much. This is the healing message of Love told to us in the many diverse parables of Jesus. Love brings us family; Love brings us community; Love brings us Life; Love brings us Truth; Love brings us Love. Love lets us know who we are.

©Russell Kendall Carter

I have not been on a small craft in the ocean or on a large lake in many years. But I do remember! I watch from the comfort of my hotel patio. I watch commercial fishing boats; however, I image myself sitting next to the single man in a much smaller craft pitching up and crashing down as each choppy wave passes under the craft. I am mesmerized by the haunting memories of being alone in nature’s fury.

Violent, gale force winds toss my tiny bit of driftwood I am in. Sometimes it seems as if there is more water in my boat than what surrounds me. From the warmth of my sunbaked patio, I shudder, remembering the chill of being  wet to the bone. I become hypnotized again by memories of being in this cradle of life safe in the hands of our loving God.

I am the mystic consumed by the reality of life, rocking casually but a moment later tossed in the open seas of life. Mystically, I accept the reality of life, recognizing that this life is indeed holy. I cannot divorce my God-protected life from the man-made suffering and God’s goodness and grace. I am firmly a living part of my eternal spiritual soul and my time-limited mortal body martyred with the rest of mankind.

I cling to my life walking the lighted path that God has opened for me. I cling to my love for my fellow man (and woman), but I recognize my love of the lives they live for they walk their own God-given lighted paths. My adventurous lifelong comfort is knowing that my life and your life, although different, is in the healing arms of God. We are all sons and daughters of our Loving God, brothers and sisters sailing on the open waters of life.

©Russell Kendall Carter

“ ^{. . .}But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. . .”

Jesus asks us to do something almost unbelievable according to Matthew (5:44). We all have someone who is much more than not a friend. I hesitate to call them enemies, but they are people who have no closeness to us. They may have been people who abused you physically or mentally way back in time when you were in school. Or, they may be people who have disrespected you recently because of your opinions, your faith, your sexual preference, or simply the color of your skin.

I am and always was a nerd. I was always envious, and I am guilty of vainglory! I also have an ego! I suffered through running my own business for years until someone took me under their umbrella of influence and gave me an opportunity to change, to follow God’s will. I discovered that my life struggle led to a life-long treasure of spiritual success, a treasure worth more than money.

In his book, Deeply Rooted: Knowing Self, Growing in God, Christopher Maricle writes, “This love is the root of the tree of the soul—and our life in God. We cannot have life in God—neither in this life nor in the next—without agape. Just as a tree needs water to survive, our soul cannot survive without this love.” I learned to love. I learned to see everyone as a beloved brother and sister; I learned to love them. And this freed me!

Since we are all sons and daughters of God, and we are all asked to love others as ourselves, there is no need to fear our enemies; because they are no longer enemies; they are loved! Do not forget, do not pity, do. . . love.

I think that Jesus also offers us to another commandment; Jesus wants us to dare to be happy! If we love, we will be happy.

©Russell Kendall Carter

Recently, I had a caustic argument with a family member. This was so acerbic that I went into a serious state of depression. After speaking with another member of my family, I prayed for some guidance; the only thing I received was a simple apology and a request to forgive. Of course, I forgive. I prayed for word from each family member to no avail. I heard nothing from either for weeks.

Weeks seemed like years, and my only thought was that I would die without seeing or speaking with them again. I did not allow myself to go into deeper depression and prayed that God would lead me to comfort and retrieval. Meditation reminded me that Love overcomes all. I prayed for a sign. But I know that God’s time is not ours.

Whatever the future holds, God knows.

I stopped stressing and worrying because I remembered that  I am in the hands of God, and all will be well. I remember that Love can never separate family over minor tiffs, no matter how acetic they seemed at the time. I know in my heart that love is family. Soon, both family members called; I felt such an inflow of Love, that for the first time in weeks, I was lifted above my mortal failings.

I delved into a minor reading of selected Psalms and came upon this passage from Psalm 138: “You answered me when I called to you; with your strength you strengthened me (3).” I am strong because I am Love; you are strong because you are Love; we are strong together, for we are Love.

©Russell Kendall Carter

I live in a world of contradictions hidden behind a screen of unspoken stupidity. The unjust and unresolved issues that society refuses to face have grown to unmanageable proportions to the economy-driven world we suffer through. We call ourselves free, but in reality our freedom is tied to a system downward pressure keeping those at the bottom mired in poverty. Unless we free these brothers and sisters from our society-imposed economic servitude, we all will eventually share in the results of the top-down pressure of greed and ego.

Like an automaton, I read the morning paper and listen to the evening news on the TV, opening myself to the machinations of the unreality of what we call a normal life. I grow into this world of unresolvable evil. I ignore my innate knowledge God’s Truth.

Fortunately, God quietly awakens me to remind me that I share the prophetic imagination of the ancient mystics, and it is within myself, and everyone, to accept God’s presence, change the lives of people around us creating a  wave of spiritual enthusiasm which will change our world. We have no other choice but to avoid this annihilation. It is God who changes our world; if we allow Him to enter our eternal beliefs and lead us from our path to death.

Many years ago, when I was in a trio performing the works of the current folk groups, we borrowed a song from the Brothers Four; the tile is “Well, Well, Well.” Perhaps some of you remember this. My favorite stanza was and is, God told Noah, “Build you an ark!”/ Rain started fallin’ and the skies got dark/ Ol’ dark a’movin’, water start to climb / The Lord said “A fire, not a flood next time!”

On the lives of my grandchildren, and the grandchildren all around the world, I pray that we change our direction, listen to God within us, and open the knowledge concealed by our stupidity.    

©Russell Kendall Carter