Tangled Connections

I recently purchased a laptop computer because my desktop is about seven years old and was beginning to make strange noises and operating slowly. Also, I am planning a trip and wanted to have the laptop so I could maintain my “connections” while away from home. As luck would have it the more accustomed I became to the new laptop the more my old computer acted up. I managed to get all critical documents and programs transferred to my laptop, so I felt fairly secure knowing that if the worst happened (a total crash) I could survive.

Because I wanted to maintain the desktop PC so I could use it for miscellaneous purposes and not load a lot of unnecessary cookies etc. onto the laptop, I decided to see if there was anything I could do to fix it. I managed to take the machine apart three or four times, remove the hard drives, fool around with the CMOS and BIOS information (don’t ever do this!) and get it all back together. Several times it even worked! I have diagnosed what I believe is the problem: I have a bad circuit board, a key to healthy operation. Now I have to decide whether to put money into having a professional fix it or just say goodbye to my faithful (up to now) friend.

It occurred to me how like a computer we are in some respects. Of course, much has been said about how like a computer our brain is. I realized that with all the various wires involved in connecting printers, scanners, modems, monitors and all the other stuff it should not be surprising that problems would crop up. It is here that I see some comparisons to our lives. If the wiring is mixed up with a computer, you will not be successful in its use. If our mental/emotional wiring is mixed up, we will not be successful in our operation either.

Every day we add information to our consciousness. As that information accumulates we either keep it organized or we allow it to become a jumbled mass of disconnected possibilities. The “operating system” we are born with is responsible for our ability to turn on and get started with our lives. It is our inner circuit board and is key to our healthy operation. The various “software” we add are the purpose-specific programs we learn through experiences that enable us to be productive and to grow in wisdom and understanding.

Sometimes, however, due to emotional overload, challenges in our relationships, or situations that seem to demand more than we are capable of doing, our ”system” fails us. Our “connections” to our daily living seem hopelessly entangled and we have to take ourselves apart to examine our inner workings, our operating connections—our spiritual image/pattern. After meditating quietly ideas may present themselves to us that guide us in some specific action, perhaps forgiving someone who appears to have wronged us in some way. The guidance may be to make an employment change, or move to a new neighborhood, or look up old friends with whom you can reconnect.

After we have done all we can we may need to utilize our backup system and consider getting expert assistance through a counselor, minister or a trusted confidant.

Finally, the following quotation from the August 29, 2008 Daily Om (http://www.dailyom.com/) may help you begin your journey to healing all that concerns you.

When we can be honest with ourselves about what we truly desire, then we can connect our desires to the creative power of the spirit within us. Knowing that we are one with the energy of the universe allows us release any need for defense. Trusting that power, we know that we are exactly where we are meant to be, and that challenges bring gifts of growth and experience.

VerveEarth Program

Did you notice in the upper left corner of my blog that there is a special logo present? VerveEarth is a website that makes use of the Google Earth software to show member websites and blogs all over the world. By going to VerveEarth by clicking on the logo the map will come up with my blog information overlaid. You can delete the over lay and explore the map. There are thousands of sites you can explore. If you have a blog or a website, you can join and add your site. I think you will enjoy searching through the many sites. The more you use it, the easier it becomes.

Have fun!

Jesus Wept

This is the shortest verse in the Bible (John 11:35). It shows the emotions Jesus felt upon hearing the news of the death of Lazarus and arriving at the home of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. He found the sisters mourning the death of their brother. Jesus asked, “Where have you laid him?” And then he wept. Those gathered around thought Jesus wept because he loved Lazarus. However, as the event continues with Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, we can begin to understand that He was weeping because those he was closest to and whom he loved the most did not understand the reality and power of Life even in the appearance of death.

In my experience I have met many who do not yet understand Life as it was expressed by Jesus. Moreover I have met some who also fail to understand the emotions that prompt one to weep regarding an event, a person in need, or even in witnessing how great love is expressed through another. There can be no doubt that the life of Jesus showed great love and compassion, and not only for His followers, but also for those who sought to destroy Him.

The seventeenth chapter of John eloquently expresses Jesus’ love for humanity and His great prayer for all of us.

O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it; that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

For some time now I have been drawn to a connection with these events in the life of Jesus. I do not consider myself “religious” in practice, but I do feel a strong spiritual connection with the Creator, All That Is. I sense in life all around me that Presence. I am moved as I witness the expression of that Presence in everyone and every thing. I am often moved to tears of gratitude for the evidence revealed that I am loved, that we all are loved, by the Presence and Power of All That Is.

This may seem abstract to some, this feeling of being loved by a non-entity. It really is not a matter of God loving human. It is more the living in love. When I am truly living in love my emotions are heightened and I feel things much differently than I do at other times. I never know what is going to spark this connection. It may be something I see on television. It may be a passage from a book. It may also be reflecting upon those I love and feel close to. Of course, in this day and age of computers, it might also be something received in an email or from a website.

The point is not so much what prompts the feeling, but more that I am able to recognize and respond to it. In those moments I feel so connected to Life in all its abundant forms from nature to humanity. There is a melting away of differences that so often separate us from the world in which we live and the spiritual creation from which we emerged yet at the same time remain rooted within. In those connections where I love and am loved I always feel that my family and friends are there with me. This is where the closeness requires no outer words, where all pretense and self-protection are released and real oneness is achieved.

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. --Psalm 30:5

In those times where the weeping is in sorrow, feeling a loss, either personal or collectively, we need to remind ourselves that those feelings are also legitimate. There is no need to be stoic in order to be strong. Feel what you feel. These feelings come from our love and as we recognize them and express them we will surely experience the joy that cometh in the morning of our awakening to the Presence of All That Is.