Faking it till you make it
I used to go on UU church leadership retreats every January. I had skipped beer and karaoke and was talking to a really cool older guy back at the retreat center concerning life the universe and all that. I recall that this conversation featured a proposed polyamory service (alas, that one never made it to prime time). We also talked about personal spiritual experience. I mentioned the fundamental NLP concept - that belief was not required for success. Things would "work" if all you did was act as though they would work. He turned to me and said "Yep, find it all the time in my men's group - fake it till you make it."
Those words caused that familiar electric shock that said "remember and pay attention" and so I have. Some of it is sort of obvious to anyone on any spiritual path. Practicums have us meditating on this or that, igniting things, walking around, wearing funny clothes, slowly raising arms, radiating whatever, imagining whoever and somehow, at least in the druid universe, an experience and/or insight occurs. No belief is required, but the accumulated experiences and insights gradually build a personal temple dedicated to our personal spiritual relationships - trees, soul, ancestors and maybe others. (Its also very Unitarian-Universalist. No creed and "Creating your own theology" (actual UU course title). )
But part of it strikes down into what is true and what is delusion. There should be a mystics prayer "Goddess (or Higher Power or God or whoever) let me be guided by truth and let me avoid self generated crap and give me the tools to tell the difference." Well, its been awhile since I was in seminary school, but you can sort of get the idea. If we can fake anything and end up making anything where are we? Well, maybe we're doing chaos magic but likely as not, there's a blind alley ahead.
The traditional way of dealing with this is through a spiritual advisor who will guide us through these pitfalls. ("Ah Grasshopper, perhaps golden rainbow means you need more animal protein") But this is not an option for most folks or at least most folks on a druid path. We have tutors, but often as not we mystify them more than we mystify ourselves.
Another way, is to embrace doubt like a lover. I owe this to Emma Restall Orr (Bobcat) from Spirits of the Sacred Grove reissued by a different publisher as Druid Priestess. She writes -
p. 224 "Who am I calling to? Why am I still fooling myself that anyone is listening How could I live so long with such an illusion, such a pathetic search for purpose when there is none, such a sad craving for friendship that I have to create invisible people . . ." followed on page 226 "Doubt is always there. Perhaps if it weren't, we would not be so wide awake, nor so open in our senses, listening, watching. ...
Through doubt, the world emerges in colours of our lowest energy, rationalized through our intellect as much as possible, through those protective belief systems, and stamping with emotion. Yet in allowing it to express itself, we awake to ourselves a little more. We question, we clarify, we make our choices."
And, I knew that I had finally found a path with integrity and also with heart and I owe my path to her. Perhaps we all fake it and experience happens, but it is that pure discernment - head and heart together- where we really make it.
peace and health,
david
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Those words caused that familiar electric shock that said "remember and pay attention" and so I have. Some of it is sort of obvious to anyone on any spiritual path. Practicums have us meditating on this or that, igniting things, walking around, wearing funny clothes, slowly raising arms, radiating whatever, imagining whoever and somehow, at least in the druid universe, an experience and/or insight occurs. No belief is required, but the accumulated experiences and insights gradually build a personal temple dedicated to our personal spiritual relationships - trees, soul, ancestors and maybe others. (Its also very Unitarian-Universalist. No creed and "Creating your own theology" (actual UU course title). )
But part of it strikes down into what is true and what is delusion. There should be a mystics prayer "Goddess (or Higher Power or God or whoever) let me be guided by truth and let me avoid self generated crap and give me the tools to tell the difference." Well, its been awhile since I was in seminary school, but you can sort of get the idea. If we can fake anything and end up making anything where are we? Well, maybe we're doing chaos magic but likely as not, there's a blind alley ahead.
The traditional way of dealing with this is through a spiritual advisor who will guide us through these pitfalls. ("Ah Grasshopper, perhaps golden rainbow means you need more animal protein") But this is not an option for most folks or at least most folks on a druid path. We have tutors, but often as not we mystify them more than we mystify ourselves.
Another way, is to embrace doubt like a lover. I owe this to Emma Restall Orr (Bobcat) from Spirits of the Sacred Grove reissued by a different publisher as Druid Priestess. She writes -
p. 224 "Who am I calling to? Why am I still fooling myself that anyone is listening How could I live so long with such an illusion, such a pathetic search for purpose when there is none, such a sad craving for friendship that I have to create invisible people . . ." followed on page 226 "Doubt is always there. Perhaps if it weren't, we would not be so wide awake, nor so open in our senses, listening, watching. ...
Through doubt, the world emerges in colours of our lowest energy, rationalized through our intellect as much as possible, through those protective belief systems, and stamping with emotion. Yet in allowing it to express itself, we awake to ourselves a little more. We question, we clarify, we make our choices."
And, I knew that I had finally found a path with integrity and also with heart and I owe my path to her. Perhaps we all fake it and experience happens, but it is that pure discernment - head and heart together- where we really make it.
peace and health,
david
/|\