Synchronicity and Coincidence
“Synchronicity…means a ‘meaningful coincidence’ of outer and inner events that are not themselves causally connected. The emphasis lies on the word ‘meaningful’.”
–Marie-Louise von Franz (German-born Swiss Jungian Psychologist and Author, 1915-1998)
An Intelligent Whole
“Theosophy views the Universe as an intelligent whole, hence every motion in the Universe is an action of that whole leading to results, which themselves become causes for further results.”
–William Q. Judge (Irish-born American Lawyer, Mystic, Esotericist, Writer and one of the Founders of the Theosophical Society, 1851-1896)
Fear of the Unknown
“Always in big woods, when you leave familiar ground and step off alone to a new place, there will be, along with feelings of curiosity and excitement, a little nagging of dread. It is the ancient fear of the unknown, and it is your bond with the wilderness you are going into. What you are doing is exploring. You are understanding the first experience, not of the place, but of yourself in that place. It is the experience of our essential loneliness, for nobody can discover the world for anybody else. It is only after we have discovered it for ourselves that it becomes common ground, and a common bond, and we cease to be alone.”
–Wendell Berry (American Poet, Novelist and Essayist, 1934-)
“The Unforeseen Wilderness: Kentucky’s Red River Gorge” (Wendell Berry)
God’s Not a Cosmic Bellboy!
I spend a lot of time talking to people about creating their futures and manifesting their destinies. More and more we also get into the topic of petitionary prayer.
Unfortunately we often have to do a bit of de-programming. Some of the popular accounts of prayer and also of the Law of Attraction seem to promise people that all that they have to do is pray or visualize and God/The Universe will cough up whatever they want.
It doesn’t quite work like that!
Once they understand the underlying principles, they usually start to make rapid progress.
Depending on my audience, I sometimes like to use this quote:
“God is not a cosmic bellboy for whom we can press a button to get things.”
–Harry Emerson Fosdick (American Clergyman, Writer and Broadcaster, 1878-1969)
Committing Your Gifts
“Whatever the Source is, however it is named or imagined, the truth is the same: Our gifts are donated from that originating point. Each interpretive system of spiritual and mystical culture understands this. The crucial point in life is to use these gifts wisely: not to squander them, but to commit them to the benefit of the whole community of life.”
–Wayne Teasdale (American Catholic Monk and Proponent of Interfaith Dialogue, 1945-2004)
“The Mystic Hours: A Daybook of Inspirational Wisdom and Devotion” (Wayne Teasdale)
The Manifold and The One
“The conviction that there is a Unitary Whole revealing itself to us as a Manifold….is something deep-seated in the human mind, which has come to the surface recurrently among people of the most various races and schools of thought.”
–Agnes Arber (English Botanist, 1879-1960)
The Emerging Spirit of the Age
“Every age has, so to speak, its own idea of Zeitgeist. Now it is a commonplace that ideas rule the world. But it is not generally known that they derive their potency from the spiritual force that lies behind them, and prepares the world for their reception.”
–Charles George Harrison (English Theosophist, Anglican Christian, Lecturer and Writer, 1855-1936)
Natural Knowledge
“Our soul, that is, the personality behind our mind, is born with a true knowledge of fundamental realities. This knowledge is in a subconscious form, but by intellectual efforts, stimulated and aided by observations, we can bring it up to the level of consciousness.”
–Gustav Stromberg (Swedish-American Astronomer and Physicist, 1882-1962)
“The Searchers” In:
“Reincarnation: Phoenix Fire Mystery” (Joseph Head, Sylvia Cranston)
Perceptiveness, Wisdom and Oneness
“Survival and happiness now depend on tuning in to the overall situation involving ourselves, the people around us, and the total environment of the here and now. Perceptiveness, wisdom, and oneness are now the ingredients of effective and happy living.”
–Ken Keyes (American “New Age” Author and Lecturer, 1921-1995)
“Handbook to Higher Consciousness: The Workbook (Keyes, Jr, Ken)” (Jr. Ken Keyes, Penny Keyes)
Growing Through Adversity
“The deeper we go into our own suffering and sorrow, the more we discover that the seeds of love and healing lie hidden under the pain.”
–Frances Vaughan (American Transpersonal Psychologist and Writer)
“Shadows of the Sacred: Seeing Through Spiritual Illusions” (Frances Vaughan)
