I read a fascinating article by Linda Bradey, of Creative Choices. I'm republishing a quote from her article in the Spirit Crossing Newsletter:
I can feel this change in the air. I can hear it in people's voices. Some high, tinny, frightened, some slow, calm, open, but the change is definitely coming.
It is rather remarkable that the holiday - holy day - that looms largest in most Christian churches is Easter. And so many good people get stuck in the nailing Jesus to the cross. Jesus was a man. This story shows this by Jesus asking his Father to "take this cup away" from him. Jesus was awakened. This story also shows this by Jesus saying, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do." and "Not my will, by Thy Will. I commend my Spirit to you Father."
If you see Jesus as the "way-shower", then you understand the significance of this part of the story. Our human nature would like "not" to deal with pain, with struggle, with growing spiritually. We'd rather not hurt. But if we take our Father's cup, if we commit to Spiritual Growth, Awakening, then we commit to a bit of pain in the process. OK, a lot of pain. We cannot shed the shackles of spiritual ignorance, without growing pains. We can't have compassion for others in their journey without feeling pain our selves and realizing that is part of the process of coming "Home" to our Father. Once we start this process, there is no going back. We can't "kinda" become awakened. Once awakening starts, we see old habits, old familiar judgments, old drama-queen scenarios and old offense of our sensibilities as rather ridiculous. It's kind of funny, actually. I laugh out loud at myself and my thoughts. They don't belong to me any more, because they never did. Someone far larger than myself is breathing me, beating my heart, carrying me through each moment. Those egoic thoughts are just that, thoughts, neither true nor false, good nor bad, just thoughts. It's not about me, my little ego-scared-self. I'm part of a much, much larger, more benevolent, whole.
So if you're feeling the martyr, especially in these dynamically changing times, stop, feel your breath. Stop thinking. Feel the moment. Can you feel the Presence of God? Can you feel God breathing you? Can you feel God energy throughout your body? Take yourself off of the cross, we need the wood! There is redemption and resurrection waiting for you as soon as you hop down off of that cross. You are loved, supported, helped, embraced by the same loving God that Jesus is. Give up the cross of shame, guilt, judgment and separateness, terminal uniqueness - for heaven's sake! :) Feel the wind of forgiveness rush in and lift you up. This is VERY GOOD NEWS! A gift waiting to be accepted. Are you ready to receive your gift?
As soon as you accept the gift, you have so much energy to come up with solutions. Solutions not only for your immediate world, but for the larger world. In fact, you cannot hold back the excitement, the pure love you feel for everyone! You cannot wait for inspiration to come to solve issues that vex us. You are on fire with the love you feel, bubbling up, overflowing, spilling out of your presence. My wish for you this holiday season is that you find the Spirit of Christ within. "The Kingdom of God is Within You." There is that present again. With your name on it. Go ahead, open it! You will be delighted!
"The crucifixion is one of the primary focuses of this Age. Consider that for 2,000 years we have defined our spiritual nature by a man being nailed to a cross and being tortured and killed. This symbolizes the best and worst of Pisces. This was an era when people felt that suffering and guilt were somehow synonymous with spirituality. Many of us are plagued by these neurotic beliefs today. (Ironically, we characterize Christ in the cross, not in the Resurrection. He did not stay on the cross. This is a point that I'd like to make as food for thought, though it extends outside the scope of this article.) On the other hand, the Crucifixion can also be seen as the transcendence of the ego and a surrendering of one's selfishness for a higher ideal to serve. In its most profound sense the Crucifixion means the principle of sacrifice and profound devotion. It is the water element at its most refined."
"Conversely, the Pisces Age was marked to a large extent by a lack of knowledge, which resulted in religious bigotry and nearsightedness. We all know of the many atrocities that have been perpetrated in the name of God and in the bid to attain salvation. From the Inquisitors to the Born-Again Christians, the "only route to God" has been coupled with rancor and strife, with every group claiming exclusive access to the one true God, while all non-believers are considered automatically excluded from God's kingdom, even to the extent of eternal torment. Pisces is intensely concerned with matters of faith. However, we have all seen where this can lead when taken to extremes. At its worst, the Pisces Age was an era of religious intolerance, when large populations were expected to show unquestioning allegiance to a rigid belief system."
I can feel this change in the air. I can hear it in people's voices. Some high, tinny, frightened, some slow, calm, open, but the change is definitely coming.
It is rather remarkable that the holiday - holy day - that looms largest in most Christian churches is Easter. And so many good people get stuck in the nailing Jesus to the cross. Jesus was a man. This story shows this by Jesus asking his Father to "take this cup away" from him. Jesus was awakened. This story also shows this by Jesus saying, "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do." and "Not my will, by Thy Will. I commend my Spirit to you Father."
If you see Jesus as the "way-shower", then you understand the significance of this part of the story. Our human nature would like "not" to deal with pain, with struggle, with growing spiritually. We'd rather not hurt. But if we take our Father's cup, if we commit to Spiritual Growth, Awakening, then we commit to a bit of pain in the process. OK, a lot of pain. We cannot shed the shackles of spiritual ignorance, without growing pains. We can't have compassion for others in their journey without feeling pain our selves and realizing that is part of the process of coming "Home" to our Father. Once we start this process, there is no going back. We can't "kinda" become awakened. Once awakening starts, we see old habits, old familiar judgments, old drama-queen scenarios and old offense of our sensibilities as rather ridiculous. It's kind of funny, actually. I laugh out loud at myself and my thoughts. They don't belong to me any more, because they never did. Someone far larger than myself is breathing me, beating my heart, carrying me through each moment. Those egoic thoughts are just that, thoughts, neither true nor false, good nor bad, just thoughts. It's not about me, my little ego-scared-self. I'm part of a much, much larger, more benevolent, whole.
So if you're feeling the martyr, especially in these dynamically changing times, stop, feel your breath. Stop thinking. Feel the moment. Can you feel the Presence of God? Can you feel God breathing you? Can you feel God energy throughout your body? Take yourself off of the cross, we need the wood! There is redemption and resurrection waiting for you as soon as you hop down off of that cross. You are loved, supported, helped, embraced by the same loving God that Jesus is. Give up the cross of shame, guilt, judgment and separateness, terminal uniqueness - for heaven's sake! :) Feel the wind of forgiveness rush in and lift you up. This is VERY GOOD NEWS! A gift waiting to be accepted. Are you ready to receive your gift?
As soon as you accept the gift, you have so much energy to come up with solutions. Solutions not only for your immediate world, but for the larger world. In fact, you cannot hold back the excitement, the pure love you feel for everyone! You cannot wait for inspiration to come to solve issues that vex us. You are on fire with the love you feel, bubbling up, overflowing, spilling out of your presence. My wish for you this holiday season is that you find the Spirit of Christ within. "The Kingdom of God is Within You." There is that present again. With your name on it. Go ahead, open it! You will be delighted!
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