Last week, as I sat with the longing for a strong spiritual voice speaking into a disillusioned and discouraged world, I felt a rubrics cube twisting into shape, each square finding it’s place, it’s home.
I want to be clear that I’m not longing for a new world religion. I’m not looking for something that blends all the current faith traditions into one. That to me would feel murky or muddy. Rather, I’m imaging each faith tradition being pure within its core teachings, and each one finding its place withing the rubric cube of life.
Back in the late 1950’s Huston Smith did some ground-breaking work on his study of world religions. He later revised it and then in the 1990’s published a shorter, illustrated version “The Illustrated World’s Religions: A Guide to Our Wisdom Traditions”. He hasn’t written a history of world religions, or a comparative study, but has asked all the traditions the same questions and then listened to their answers. Where are we? Why are we here? What does it all mean? What if anything, are we supposed to do?
I’ve carried those questions in my heart all my life, yet it has taken me a lifetime to find others who are asking them, let alone attempting to answer them! All our major faith traditions tackle these questions, and each brings a different perspective. I think what we need are all the perspectives. We need people who will find their spiritual pathway, walk it intently and lovingly, then come together with listening, compassionate hearts to lead us forward into a full life as human beings. For many of us, being human is difficult and challenging. We need each other. We need all the perspectives that we have accumulated over the thousands of years we’ve tried to live here and answer those questions. We need to learn from each other. We need to work together. We need to sing together.
Maybe, this COVID experience of isolation is heightening the longing in me. Maybe…. Maybe that’s one good that will emerge from the pandemic. Anybody else with me?
Love and prayers
Anne
Mystic in Motion
Companion on the Way with Contemplative Fire
Society Member of Shalem Institute for Contemplative Living
Companion on The Rivendell Way
Mystic in Motion 
Yes, I am definitely with you. What do we do about it?
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I am with you all the way, Anne. We’re all in this together and we each bring something different, to share and learn from. We must celebrate our differences, sing and dance together.
God gathers us all up in His huge arms of love.
Let’s have one big party.!!
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Yes, it will be one big party and the world will know God is real by our love for one another. Party time!
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What a wonderful world view.
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Hi Anne – I think many of us are wondering what benefits the post-pandemic world will bring after all the sorrow. Cynically, I believe most of the world (Including me who will want to travel) will go back to the way everything was before – the 2020s will be like the 1920s when everyone wanted to forget the horrors of the War and party.
The 1920s did bring about the start of societal changes like the beginning of the end of the class structures in Europe and the rise of workers’ rights and labour movements and women got the vote after decades of struggle. It took another war for colonialism to end the European hold on Africa and Asia and for feminism to ramp up.
The pandemic isolation has deepened my spiritual life which is its greatest gift to me.
There will sadly, be more pandemics so this will not be our only opportunity to learn new ways of living. Yesterday, I felt really restless and bored with the isolation. I haven’t felt it a lot during this time but this weekend, I wanted it to be all over. Thank goodness I have the new warden’s role at the church. That keeps me busy about 10 to 12 hours a week and I’m happy to have a new focus and jobs to do.
Be well.
Linda
From: Mystic in Motion Reply-To: Mystic in Motion Date: Sunday, April 11, 2021 at 6:11 AM To: “Linda K. Robertson” Subject: [New post] Voices of Harmony: Life Questions
acrosthwaitoutlookcom posted: ” Last week, as I sat with the longing for a strong spiritual voice speaking into a disillusioned and discouraged world, I felt a rubrics cube twisting into shape, each square finding it’s place, it’s home. I want to be clear that I’m not longin”
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interesting question about what will remain with us when the pandemic is history…. i’ve been thinking there too.
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It is wise to learn the scales before attempting to master the piano. Some are building blocks, others complement. My question is how do we break through everyone’s desire for a personal identity super ceding a collective consciousness the entire world can happily join.
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