Across the world’s religious traditions one finds common themes, reflections and characters. For instance the book, Encyclopedia of World Mythology published by Parragon in 2008 lists (in a partial A to Z): ‘afterlife, afterworld, amulets, ancestors, archetypal figures, astronomy, battles, beginning, charms, children, cosmic order, dawn, death, destiny, devils, dreams, earth, eclipses, evil, families, farming, females, fertility, fire, gold, goddess, heads, heaven, hero, horses, immortality, intermarriage, journeys, knowledge, lakes, law and order, leaders, magic, man, medicine, memory, moon, mountains, nature, oceans, pilgrimages, plants, power, prophecies, prosperity, punishment, purification, rain, rainbows, rebirth, reversal, rites of passage, rituals, rivers, rocks, rulers, sages, saints, sea, seers, separation, sex, sky gods, social classes, spirits, stars, stones, storms, storytelling, supernatural beings, supreme beings, symbols, taboos, temples, three, tombs, trances, transgressions, treasures, tree of death, tree of knowledge, trees, virgins, violence, visual representations, voyages, war, warriors, water, weather, winds, wine, wise men, witches, women, writing . . . ‘ You get the picture! These words all contain inspirational stories and instructional themes.
Like a good book, perhaps a novel, your life unfolds in chapters with differing characters and themes. Its as if the great stream of consciousness of which/whom each of us is a part, has turned a page at pivotal times. Its serendipity, which means useful or fortunate discovery by accident. You aren’t accepted to a certain college. You run into a new man or woman over and over again, when you’re seeing someone else. Someone dies unexpectedly. You receive a substantial sum of money you weren’t expecting. A friend of a family member contacts you, unexpected, out of the blue with the most amazing news. Something opens up you’d have never considered. A tragedy occurs which alters the course of one’s life.
To illustrate, I’ll share a story. A few years ago I ran into a colleague whom I’d worked with a few years before, but scarcely recognized. She’d changed her hair style and color, was on husband number two (that one was no surprise), had a baby (huge shock), had moved to a new home, completely changed her fashion style/demeanor, now hung out with a new set of friends and was in a new job. Only her dog, a goofy black lab, remained the same. ‘What about you?’ she asked. For me at the time, it was all the same, which made for a lot of self reflection. Last year however, involved two moves, shedding lots of household possessions, 3 surgeries after a fall, a major style change, a new career, death of a loved one, and a new faith. It was as if at last, consciousness had turned the page and said, ‘Okay, I heard you, watched you, know your heart . . . now watch this!’ except that I was writing part of the script all along, and a bigger editor finally said,‘Yes, and now see what I’m suggesting . . . ‘ Have you ever had that experience too? We all share those page turners in common, and none of us knows the ending. Read more . . .
Local Events
Hear Dr. Avery Solomon, teacher of spiritual philosophy at First Community Church 7 pm April 7th. Cambridge Blvd. His talk is ‘Living in the World, but Not of It.’
Learn about Eco-spirituality in a seminar by Alexandra Kovats 7 pm Friday April 15th and Saturday April 16th 9-3pm at First Community Church. Reservations required.
Laugh at comedy by a rabbi, Muslim and female Baptist minister on their ‘Laugh in Peace Tour at Congregation Tifereth Israel 7 pm April 10th. Tickets required.
Meditation for this post
‘Our culture exalts self-fulfillment, self-discovery, and autonomy. . . . it is only in losing my life that I will find it. Only by committing myself as a ‘living sacrifice’ to the larger Body (does) one find true reason for being. We cling to a self-serving feeling of martyrdom about such a life of service. In actual fact, we are called to deny ourselves in order to open up to a more abundant life.’P 53 Brand & Yancey, Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
Copyright 2011, Patricia A. Rodemann
Twitter: awesomejourney
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