You are not a spectator.
One of the great spiritual evolutions today is the rise of the mystic. And by that I don’t mean an increasing number of spiritual superheroes. The mystic is rising in us all. It is the longing for more than we have been given, and coming to embrace the spiritual power that is naturally within us. It is moving from the spiritual sidelines and into the joy of the action.
Read MoreI went to visit my niece, Meredith, in Lawrence, Kansas, when she was a student at Kansas University. Since we both were following a spiritual path, the topic of conversation quickly dove into the depths of spiritual understanding. Thinking of the subject of what God looks like to different people, I asked her, “What does God look like to you?” Without hesitation she waved her hand in the air in an undulating motion making energy waves.
“You think God is like energy waves?” I asked, just to clarify what she was saying. “Yes!” came the immediate, emphatic reply.
I began contemplating this image of God and found it to be extremely helpful in understanding the essence of God and how God works.
Read MoreTo focus on Jesus as an energy healer is to assert that he is not just using his own energy but is so connected to God, that it is God’s energy within him, flowing out of him, that heals people. It is his expanded consciousness, that we refer to as being filled with the Holy Spirit. The term” Spirit-filled” expounds on the experience of a person being connected to and empowered by the energy of God.
Read MoreGod has been seen interacting with humans in human form. It is difficult to get away from personifying God, seeing God as human form. As we explore some images of God and Jesus, I invite you to ask: How do we see God this way? How would we interact with God this way?
Open your mind and heart to some new ideas, new thoughts, new images of God. See how we can understand God in new ways and, therefore, interact with God differently. Perhaps we can experience God in new ways since God is not limited by body, by time, by space. Consider these different images.
Read MoreWhen we define spirit as awakened consciousness, we can then see there are many avenues to it. A sudden transforming experience, as we see in Acts. We see the slow work of contemplative prayer in mystics down through the ages. The Enlightenment found in Eastern traditions. Some Eastern traditions transmit spirit-awakening in a way similar to what Jesus, Paul, and Peter did.
Read MoreWhat comes to your mind when you see, hear, or say the word "spirit"? Spirit personified as a shadowy, mystical presence? A vague, mysterious force in the universe? God at work everywhere? The third person of the Trinity?
What comes to my mind after considering this for several years is the amazing, still mysterious, single word: "consciousness." God's spirit as Consciousness Beyond Us, Beside Us, and Being Us. We are that divine consciousness, localized and encased in a human body.
Read MoreIn the recent Coronation of King Charles, the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke of "the anointing of the spirit." I wondered what came to mind in the millions of people listening in. Did it mean Charles was not just a religious man but also a "spiritual" one? And then, what is a "spiritual" person? It must have something to do with "spirit!" So, back to what spirit means in progressive, evolving, integral Christianity.
Read MoreFor the vast majority of Christian groups in the word, the "Holy Spirit" is considered the third person of the Trinity of God consisting of "God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit." Holy Spirit is referred to as "the Lord, the Giver of Life" in the Nicene Creed, summarizing several key beliefs held by many Christian denominations.
When Jesus was baptized, he saw "the spirit of God descending upon him like a dove." Christian artists throughout the centuries have used this symbol to represent the holy spirit, though it has little connection to the experience it is meant to describe.
Read MoreIntegral Christian Network is one such place of belonging. We are a community of mystics, evolvers, spiritual practitioners, and more. People come into our community from many different streams of background and are drawn by many different aspects—though nearly always a longing for more.
Read MoreAs I proposed in a previous article in this series, the days of the king (or queen) have passed. The time of being subjects reigned over has (mostly) passed, but we still elevate the hero or heroine, the celebrity and the guru.
We still want the great leaders who will solve the problems and set things in order. Those with the power, wisdom, and authority to make things right. A great, singular savior out there somewhere.
And at the same time, we often resist being led. We are not just followers, but have our own story, our own journey, and our own sovereign realm we have to look after—our lives. We also have opinions and perspectives. The ways we think things should be and how they should be done. As we should!
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